Chapter 9

At this moment, Cao Xiong, who was standing behind Liu Shiba, also pretended to be a fortune-teller, muttering to himself:

"This woman has a harsh and unkind face, with a narrow cheek and drooping eyelids. A black aura surrounds her forehead, foretelling the loss of wealth and the destruction of the family."

"Where did you come from, old beggar? Get lost, or I'll kick you to death! Truly, birds of a feather flock together..."

Zhao Lizhu glared fiercely at Cao Xiong.

The middle-aged man with a square face, upon hearing this, looked at Cao Xiong in surprise, his eyes filled with thought. He then turned to look at Liu Shiba, who remained calm and composed. The man was somewhat astonished by Liu Shiba's composure and presence. This was what he called charisma!

The man said nothing but turned to look at Zhao Lizhu, nodding at Liu Shiba for the first time, and then curiously asked Cao Xiong:

"Old man, are you a fortune-teller? What is your relationship with Liu Shiba?"

Zhao Lizhu, at this moment, lifted her right hand to smooth her hair and said proudly:

"This is Zhou Shida, the owner of Xuchang Dingfeng Jewelry and Antiques Shop."

Cao Xiong, with a blank expression, slowly took off his bamboo hat and said with a gloomy smile:

"I'm just a peddler and a part-time fortune-teller, making a living by wandering from street to street. I'm a fellow townsman of Liu Shiba."

"Since you can read people's fortunes, tell us what kind of face Liu Shiba has. He has no money, no house, and he's still renting, right? What future does a small construction site surveyor have? What does he have that makes Zhao Lizhu follow him, wishing to live on welfare? He's just a born pauper."

Zhou Shida asked with a look of disdain.

Zhao Lizhu, upon hearing this, quickly chimed in:

"So what if I like money? Is there anything wrong with that? I don't want to live in your thirty-square-meter rental, okay? Liu Shiba, you're just a poor and miserable man. You'll be poor all your life and can never match Shida."

Liu Shiba listened to Zhao Lizhu's sharp sarcasm with a calm face, but he was secretly angry.

Looking at Zhao Lizhu's distorted face from happiness, Cao Xiong laughed strangely, turned to look at Zhou Shida, who was staring at him, and said with a smile:

"Let me just say a few random things. Liu Shiba has a small fortune ahead of him, while some people have lofty ambitions but a thin life. And some others, I see their faces turning green, perhaps they are about to lose their wealth."

Zhou Shida's eyes flashed with surprise and doubt...

Liu Shiba, however, was deep in thought. Although he didn't know how to read fortunes, he had learned some tricks from his grandfather.

At this moment, Cao Xiong extended his thin, bony fingers, moving them around and pointing at different spots, and said with a smile:

"Let me just play around a bit, just for fun! Shiba, your grandfather taught you about the positions of the Big Dipper, right?"

"He taught me a little, but I don't really understand it."

"Right, not understanding is normal. If you understood, that would be abnormal. Listen to me, the Big Dipper has seven stars: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang. Now, look at the cunning little girl standing in the position of Tian Ji. This young man Zhou is standing in the position of Tian Quan. If I take a step back, I will be in the position of Tian Xuan. Since you want to buy a lottery ticket, go directly into the lottery shop, which is in the position of Tian Shu. Tian Shu is the first star of the Big Dipper, and it can help you seize someone else's luck today. With the combined luck of Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, and Tian Quan, you can have a temporary boost. Go, and be quick..."

Zhou Shida and Zhao Lizhu were speechless after hearing Cao Xiong's words. Was there really such a thing as a fortune-teller? Could he really predict lottery numbers?

That's ridiculous...

Liu Shiba, upon hearing this, turned around without hesitation and walked into the lottery shop, muttering:

"Be quick? How can I be quick? The Double Color Ball lottery results are only announced in the evening..."

At this moment, a sweet-looking girl named Zhang Ying, who worked at the lottery shop, smiled and said:

"Shiba, you're buying a lottery ticket again? Are you going to let the machine pick the numbers or choose them yourself?"

At this, a few old lottery enthusiasts in the shop turned around to look. One of the older men laughed:

"Hey, Liu Beishi, you're here again? How much money are you planning to spend today?"

"Little Liu, the old man has seen you buy tickets for years without winning a single cent. You should save your money and get a wife," another old man teased.

At this moment, a fat man in the corner turned around and laughed:

"Liu Shiba, I told you to buy football lottery tickets with me, but you didn't believe me. If you win today, I'll take your last name."

Zhao Lizhu, standing not far from the lottery shop, sneered:

"See, isn't he a loser? A well-known unlucky person."

Liu Shiba ignored the cold remarks, turned to look at Cao Xiong, who nodded and took a step back to the position of Tian Xuan...

He quickly took out the only hundred yuan note he had, and looking at the stunned Zhang Ying, he said loudly:

"Beautiful lady, give me five instant lottery tickets, the twenty-yuan ones."

Zhang Ying mechanically took the money and took a stack of thick paper instant lottery tickets from under the counter:

"These are the new Fruit Guessing tickets. If you scratch off six identical symbols, you win the grand prize of 500,000 yuan. Five symbols win you 200,000 yuan. Four symbols win you 50,000 yuan. Three symbols win you 3,000 yuan. Two symbols win you 500 yuan."

Liu Shiba took the tickets and asked in confusion:

"What if I get one symbol?"

Zhang Ying smiled and explained:

"A consolation prize, 5 yuan!"

"So greedy? Liu Shiba, you should save your money to buy cigarettes. I just bought ten tickets and only won 10 yuan. This thing is just a scam," the fat man in the corner said without turning around.

The others nearby also shook their heads and sighed with a smile...

Liu Shiba, with a grim face, knew this was his last chance. He took out the only one-yuan coin he had and started to scratch...

He pressed the first ticket firmly on the table, and as the light silver strip peeled off, a large line of text appeared clearly:

"Thank you for your contribution to the country..."

"Ha ha ha!"

"I told you so!"

The onlookers burst into laughter...

Zhang Ying wrinkled her pretty nose and blinked...

Liu Shiba, gritting his teeth and with a pale face, scratched the next ticket:

"Thank you for your contribution to the country..."

He took out the third ticket and scratched it:

"Thank you for your contribution to the country..."

With a bitter smile, Liu Shiba took the fourth ticket and looked back at Cao Xiong:

"Old man, you're just fooling me. I won't even have money for instant noodles at home."

He scratched the fourth ticket, and it still read:

"Thank you for your contribution to the country..."

...