Chapter 2

As the sun gradually moved westward outside the window, the lights were turned on inside the Guandi Temple.

A few years ago, there was no electricity in the Guandi Temple, but after Ding Ning brought the old man to play a nearly extinct Super Nintendo game, the temple was finally electrified.

The debate between the old and young did not diminish with the onset of night.

The old man clearly grew impatient with Ding Ning's persistent nagging, stood up, pointed at the golden statue of Guandi, and loudly said, "Brat, look clearly! We have been worshipping Lord Guan for so many years. Do you know who Lord Guan is?"

"I know, Lord Guan. Playing with a big knife in front of Lord Guan is what you do every day."

Situ Huang immediately became irate: "I didn't ask you to say that. I made you read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' didn't I? Liu, Guan, and Zhang were sworn brothers, each with great martial skills, especially Guan and Zhang, who were invincible! But what happened in the end? They were chased by Liu Xuande every day, with no place to hide. If it weren't for Liu Xuande's three visits to the thatched cottage... spit! You've made me so angry, I'm confused. The Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage led to the division of the land into three kingdoms. What did Zhuge Liang rely on? It was his knowledge and extensive reading, understanding astronomy and geography, and even weather forecasting. The ancients knew the value of knowledge. Which emperor didn't value talent and seek wise men? Why are you, a young man, so stubborn and unenlightened?"

Seeing the old man's barrage of criticism, Ding Ning finally fell silent.

His intentions were good, but it was clear that neither his mother nor his master would support his decision. It seemed he had been too naive.

But Ding Ning wasn't willing to give up so easily. He asked tentatively, "Master, my mother doesn't want me to go out to work. What about the tuition? I can't just watch her weave at home, barely able to feed us both while supporting my education. Can you help me out a bit?"

Situ Huang's arguments were sound, but once the matter returned to reality, he was at a loss.

He paused, then sat down dejectedly, "If I had money, I would have fixed this dilapidated temple long ago. Look at how it's leaking from all sides..."

The two of them were disheartened, sitting in silence.

Suddenly, the old man's eyes lit up, and he said to Ding Ning, "Brat, come and worship Lord Guan properly. Lord Guan is the God of Wealth and Righteousness! He is so principled that even Cao Mengde's numerous attempts to win him over failed. Perhaps your sincerity will make him bless you with a good life!"

Ding Ning smiled bitterly, "Master, I've been worshipping Lord Guan for years, but our family is still so poor. With so many people worshipping him, can he manage it all? I think it would be better to buy a statue of the God of Wealth to worship. Maybe it will work."

As soon as the words were out, the old man shook his head, "No, no. Lord Guan might still show his power, but the God of Wealth definitely won't."

Ding Ning knew his master was sometimes superstitious, deeply believing in feudal superstitions, but he himself was an atheist and never took these things seriously.

Seeing that Ding Ning didn't believe him, the old man stood up and rummaged through his old bed, creating a mess. After a while, he pulled out a wooden statue from a broken box.

It was a dark red statue about the size of an egg, looking quite old. The crevices of the wooden carving were filled with dust, but one could still see that it was the God of Wealth, the one depicted in the New Year's posters.

"This statue is very old, passed down from my master's master. I don't know why my master kept it. Do you know who this statue represents?"

"Isn't it the God of Wealth?"

"Of course, I know it's the God of Wealth. I'm asking you, who is the God of Wealth?"

"Um... Zhao Gongming?" Ding Ning said uncertainly, remembering that Zhao Gongming was made the God of Wealth in the "Investiture of the Gods."

"Wrong! Zhao Gongming is indeed the God of Wealth, but this statue is not him. It's Bi Gan."

"Bi Gan? The one whose heart was dug out by King Zhou?"

"Exactly, that's him."

The old man sat next to Ding Ning and slowly explained, "At that time, the fox spirit Daji said that Bi Gan had a seven-ventricle heart that could cure diseases. King Zhou believed Daji and ordered Bi Gan to dig out his heart. Bi Gan, in a fit of anger, dug out his heart and threw it at King Zhou, then left the court in a daze. He was later killed by Shen Gongbao. Before he died, he laughed and distributed all his wealth to the poor. After his death, the people remembered his kindness and enshrined him as the God of Wealth. Unlike Zhao Gongming, he is a folk god, not a deity."

"Oh, I see. But why did you say worshipping him is useless?"

"Simple, the God of Wealth has no heart! He won't remember you. Without a heart, how can he remember your kindness? So worshipping him is pointless."

Ding Ning was enlightened and took the statue from his master, feeling a bit puzzled.

He gently wiped the dust off the statue. At that moment, he suddenly felt the statue move in his hand!

Perhaps the statue didn't really move, but Ding Ning felt a strange sensation, as if the statue was about to come to life!

He opened his eyes wide to examine it, but the sensation had vanished, as if it never happened.

Ding Ning couldn't be sure if it was real or an illusion.

But he instinctively held the statue tighter, determined to figure out the truth. Perhaps this thing was a treasure.

"Master, can I have this?"

"Take it, take it. Since you like it, I hope it brings you and your mother good luck. Sigh! You two have really suffered."

The old man seemed to have some unspoken concerns but didn't want to say more. He got up, moved his heavy Guandao to the side, and turned on the Super Nintendo.

The broken TV could only be used for games. The old man opened a game called "Double Dragon," started playing, and muttered, "This illness is really a curse. Even if you can't learn all my skills, learning a few moves from this game would be good."

Ding Ning was silent, turned, and left the Guandi Temple, returning to Green Mountain Village along the mountain path.

Back home, Thirteen Lady had already prepared dinner, even a grass carp, which she had exchanged for a Chinese knot to celebrate Ding Ning's excellent performance in the city's top high school entrance exam.

Both mother and son were weak, but their appetites were vastly different. Thirteen Lady ate one-tenth of the fish, while Ding Ning, the chubby one, ate nine-tenths.

After dinner, Ding Ning returned to his small room.

There was only a wooden bed and a table, with no other furnishings.

Ding Ning lay on the bed and took out the God of Wealth statue from his pocket.

He studied it for a long time but found nothing extraordinary about it. The strange sensation never reappeared, making him doubt whether it was just an illusion in the Guandi Temple.

Feeling discouraged, Ding Ning held the statue in one hand and touched his pocket with the other.

He hadn't taken off his clothes and felt something hard in his pocket. He reached in and found a one-yuan coin.

Just as he was about to put the coin aside, the strange sensation suddenly reappeared without warning!