Chapter 4

"Baoyu's mother, you don't understand the rules of this profession. If the heart is not sincere, it won't work; if you don't take money, it won't work either. If we don't accept Aunt Li's money, she might lose this unexpected fortune due to some other misfortune. Let's just take it!" Jia Zhengdao said slowly.

Wang Baoyu couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up, admiring his godfather Jia Zhengdao's experience. After all, he was a seasoned fortune-teller, and his words were always on point.

Li Xiuzhi's heart skipped a beat when she heard Jia Zhengdao's words. She thought to herself that it was fortunate she had made a generous decision this time. She then echoed, "Master Jia is right. This money must be accepted. Alright, you two eat, I'll go back now."

Lin Zhaodi and Wang Baoyu got off the kang and saw Li Xiuzhi to the front door. Li Xiuzhi hesitated for a moment and said, "Baoyu, when you have time, give Aunt Li a good look. See when Aunt Li can have a son?"

"No problem. I'll make sure Aunt Li can hold a big, healthy baby soon," Wang Baoyu replied casually.

Li Xiuzhi was so delighted by Wang Baoyu's words that her mouth remained wide open until she left. Before she went, she added, "If you can really make Aunt Li have a baby, I'll give you a hundred yuan."

"What are you promising for nothing!" Lin Zhaodi said to Wang Baoyu, looking at Li Xiuzhi's back. "A woman without a child has a problem. This isn't something that can be solved by fortune-telling."

Lin Zhaodi's words made Wang Baoyu calm down. Indeed, if fortune-telling could solve it, his godparents wouldn't have adopted him.

Wang Baoyu and his godmother returned to the kang in the east room and continued their dinner.

The crumpled ten yuan note was still on the table. Jia Zhengdao was stroking his beard, not saying a word. Lin Zhaodi picked up the money and handed it to Wang Baoyu, but he insisted on giving it to his godmother. Lin Zhaodi, holding the money her godson had earned for the first time, had tears in her eyes and said, "Baoyu is really a filial child. It's just that your parents are not capable and haven't let you live a good life."

"Mother, what are you saying! Don't worry, I'll work hard and make sure Father and Mother can eat well and drink well every day," Wang Baoyu said, patting his chest.

"Son, Mother just hopes you can get married soon. This ten yuan, I'll save it for you! When I save enough, I'll buy you a house and a wife," Lin Zhaodi said, clearly moved. No matter what, Baoyu was a sensible child, which made her very pleased.

"Hehe, Mother, if the wife I marry doesn't treat you well, I won't be happy. I'll make her serve you every day!" Wang Baoyu said with a grin.

Lin Zhaodi was smoothing out the ten yuan note with her palm. Hearing Wang Baoyu's words, she burst into laughter, her eyes shining with either emotion or amusement. She carefully folded the ten yuan note and put it in her pocket, saying, "Baoyu, with these words, Mother has no more desires. I'll just wait for the day I can take care of your children!"

Two dry coughs interrupted the mother-son emotional moment. The sound, of course, came from Jia Zhengdao, who was sitting opposite them.

"Let's not talk about this for now. Baoyu, how did you see that Li Xiuzhi has good fortune?" Jia Zhengdao asked seriously, like an examiner in an interview.

Wang Baoyu, seeing his godfather ask this, thought his godfather was unhappy about the ten yuan he had taken from Li Xiuzhi. He quickly explained, "Father, when I saw Li Xiuzhi, I just felt she had good fortune. And the feeling was very strong, so I couldn't help but say it."

Wang Baoyu, of course, couldn't say that he had chased a wild chicken into Li Xiuzhi's cornfield, disrupting her comfortable urination, and had just said she had good fortune to deal with her.

Jia Zhengdao frowned slightly at Wang Baoyu's words, as if in deep thought. Suddenly, he slammed the table and exclaimed excitedly, "Baoyu, I think you have the makings of a fortune-teller!"

The sound of Jia Zhengdao's slap on the table was even louder than Li Xiuzhi's, startling Wang Baoyu and making the bowls and chopsticks on the table rattle. The thin porridge in Lin Zhaodi's bowl finally spilled onto the table after two jolts.

"Father, are you letting us eat or not?" Lin Zhaodi grumbled, grabbing a cloth to wipe the spilled porridge.

Wang Baoyu steadied himself and asked, "Father, do you really think I can be a fortune-teller?"

Jia Zhengdao, realizing his loss of composure, put on a smile and said, "Yes, my father, your grandfather, once told me that to become an outstanding fortune-teller, one must not only understand astronomy and geography through books, but most importantly, one must have exceptional intuition. I haven't taken on an apprentice in all these years because I haven't met anyone with such good intuition as you."

Wang Baoyu's mouth dropped open, not knowing what to say. What was this all about? His casual words were seen as exceptional intuition by his godfather, and he felt his godfather was a bit crazy. Besides, his godfather's reputation had always been mediocre, and he hadn't made a name for himself in all these years, so there was no one to take him as an apprentice.

Lin Zhaodi, hearing Jia Zhengdao's words, put down the cloth and said, "See, I said Baoyu should learn from you, but you didn't agree. Baoyu is smart. He didn't finish junior high school because he had to walk tens of miles of mountain roads. It was this poor mountain area that held him back."

Wang Baoyu looked at his godmother Lin Zhaodi, feeling a lump in his throat. From a young age, his godmother had always been the kindest to him. As for not finishing junior high school, it wasn't because of the long and difficult journey; the real reason was his own youthful indiscretion.

Jia Zhengdao chuckled and said, "It's not too late now. Baoyu is just eighteen, the perfect age to learn this." He then looked at Wang Baoyu and said, "When I have the chance to go out and read the feng shui for someone, you can come along. Not only will you see the world, but you'll also be respected. Everyone will call you 'Master' politely. And at the banquet, you can eat as much fatty meat, sliced meat, and five-flavored meat as you want, until your mouth is dripping with oil!"

Jia Zhengdao's eyes sparkled as he spoke, and he swallowed, stroking his beard repeatedly, as if savoring the memory.

Hearing his godfather's words, Wang Baoyu was overjoyed. This was exactly what he had been hoping for. His godfather's words were true; every time he went out to read the feng shui, he came back with a mouth full of oil and could bring home five or ten ten-yuan notes. He and his godmother could only taste meat during the holidays.

"Father, will you really take me out to see the world?" Wang Baoyu asked, unsure.

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"Father, will you really take me out to see the world?" Wang Baoyu asked, unsure.