Chapter 24: Fortune-Telling Time

Jiangning City, Lichun Fang.

Young Master Liu arrived at Lichun Fang smoothly, and met Hu San and Ruan Xing at the entrance.

For some reason, he always felt that the way Hu San looked at him was a bit strange; he gave a light cough to cover his embarrassment, "Why aren't you going in?"

"That's easy to say, but you didn't tell me the room number," Ruan Xing retorted, speechless.

Young Master Liu:...

After a moment of silence, Young Master Liu said, "Actually, I don't know the room number either. To be honest, it wasn't me who wanted to invite you this time, but Young Master Wang who is hosting and asked me to act as a middleman."

Ruan Xing's memory wasn't that bad; she naturally remembered this Young Master Wang who had gambled a few rounds with her, but she was puzzled, "Why is he inviting me?"

"You'll know once we go up; he should have arrived long ago," Young Master Liu said. The Tea Doctor of Lichun Fang had already come over to guide them, and Young Master Liu gestured for Ruan Xing to go first.

Falling a step behind, he hid half his face with a folding fan and leaned toward Hu San, whispering, "What exactly is this little girl's background? When you told me last time, I just assumed she was the child of some brother in your gang coming over to play. Now it seems a normal family couldn't raise a child with such character, and besides, why were you driving her carriage today?"

As for this question, Hu San himself actually quite wanted to know what Ruan Xing's background was as well.

However, Ruan Xing had previously instructed them to keep their earlier affairs confidential, so Hu San vaguely replied, "She is a child brought back by Qiye. It's not convenient for me to say more. Her carriage is temporarily parked at my place, so I just picked her up."

He hadn't told a single lie; it just depended on how others interpreted it.

Upon hearing this, Young Master Liu brainstormed for a while and inferred based on the available information, "So, is this Qiye's illegitimate daughter?"

"... Young Master Liu, please don't joke," Hu San said with a stiff face.

"Haha, right, right, I was just talking nonsense. She doesn't even look like him!" Young Master Liu laughed it off, turned around, and took a few steps up the stairs to catch up with Ruan Xing.

He muttered to himself, "As I thought."

"Hm? Young Master Liu, what did you say?" Ruan Xing hadn't heard clearly.

"Nothing, nothing, this way, we're here."

Just as Young Master Liu finished speaking, Young Master Wang came up to greet them.

He emerged from a private room partitioned by a screen and said enthusiastically, "You've finally arrived. You kept me waiting for quite a while, please, sit inside."

The group took their seats. Through the translucent gauze of the screen, one could see on the half-man-high stage on the first floor several young girls in matching long skirts, playing flutes or pipa, performing a quiet, lingering melody together.

The Tea Doctor served a few plates of tea snacks and then began to perform tea-whisking. Young Master Wang, the host, introduced, "Lichun Fang has two shows a day. It's not time for today's yet, so we can only listen to the music for now. If there's anyone you like, just call them up to sing a couple of songs. My treat today, Brother Liu, and this..."

"Ruan Xing." Ruan Xing reminded him of her name at the right moment.

Young Master Wang immediately followed up cordially, "And this little sister Ruan. The tea here is also quite good; it's neither bitter nor astringent, sweet and fragrant, most suitable for ladies and misses to drink. Come, have a taste."

As for tea, Ruan Xing only liked drinking pearl milk tea, but after hearing Young Master Wang's words, she still gave him face and took a sip. The tea foam was dense, the texture like the layer of cheese on top of milk tea, slightly sweet upon entering the mouth, similar to oolong tea with osmanthus honey.

"It's quite good," Ruan Xing evaluated honestly.

After three rounds of tea, Young Master Wang rubbed his hands with some excitement and finally revealed the true purpose of organizing this gathering, "Um, little sister Ruan, I have a request that might be a bit much. You were so accurate in your fortune-telling for me last time; could you do it for me again?"

Oh? So he came to her for fortune-telling?

This friend of yours ruined her plans several times in the Simulation, and every time he found someone to report her to the authorities. Why are you so impatient? Can't you just wait? Ruan Xing had a flash of inspiration and a plan formed; she decided to let this Young Master Wang bleed a little to compensate for the points she had lost.

"Of course I can," Ruan Xing said readily.

"That's wonderful!" Young Master Wang was overjoyed and began to reach for the purse in his bosom, "It's the same as last time using copper coins, right? I have some here."

Ruan Xing shook her head and reached out her hand, "The things that can be seen with copper coins are too limited. This time, we'll do palmistry."

"Good, good, good, palmistry is fine too." Young Master Wang stretched his hand out in front of Ruan Xing.

The two of them, big hand against small hand, palms facing up, stared at each other for a few seconds.

Young Master Wang suddenly realized, and hurriedly placed the purse he had just taken out into Ruan Xing's hand, "This is the divination fee, please accept it, little sister Ruan."

Seeing him act so cheaply, Young Master Liu turned his face away, unable to bear the sight.

Ruan Xing weighed it; it was heavy and pressed down on her hand, estimated to be about ten taels. She put her hand down, satisfied.

She began to observe the lines on Young Master Wang's palm. She scrutinized them for a long time. Young Master Wang didn't dare to breathe, holding his breath and waiting quite nervously.

Only after building up enough suspense did Ruan Xing begin to analyze eloquently: "Judging from your palmistry, you are a person who values emotions very much. You place great importance on your family and friends."

Young Master Wang nodded convincingly, "Yes, that's exactly me! As expected of little sister Ruan, you saw it right away!"

Ruan Xing continued: "You don't care about money and are very generous to true friends."

"Right, right, exactly! When making friends with me, Wang Dongxing, who doesn't praise me for being upright and generous!"

Young Master Wang patted his chest proudly.

"Moreover, you are very popular with the opposite sex. The women around you are easily attracted by your charm, but you always let the beauties down due to various unavoidable reasons, making them sad."

After this sentence was finished, Young Master Wang's mood immediately dropped, and he began to sigh.

"After all these years, finally someone has been able to speak to my heart. Little sister Ruan, I really had no choice!"

"But more importantly, what you are currently doing is a waste of your talents. In the future, you will have better development and prospects."

"So true!" Young Master Wang slapped his thigh, his face full of admiration, "Little sister Ruan, you are truly a divine fortune-teller, much clearer and more understandable than those masters at Lingyin Temple. They only talk about 'fate' and 'meetings' and such, all mystical and rambling; I can't understand them at all! But you can see so many things just from palmistry, you are too amazing!"

It's nothing more than male child psychology.

Ruan Xing complained in her heart. Men, ancient or modern, domestic or foreign, really all fall for this routine. On the surface, she still wore a smile: "I don't deserve such praise, I'm just making a rough estimate."

"Eh, little sister Ruan, don't be so modest. Help me look again, is there anything else you can see?" Young Master Wang watched her with bright eyes. "You have been troubled by something recently and have been bothered by it," Ruan Xing said without hesitation.

Nonsense, if he didn't have something to ask for, why would he be so anxious to get a fortune-telling?

Ruan Xing lowered her eyes to think. For a playboy of Young Master Wang's family background, there were only two things he could be troubled by: first, inheriting the family business, and second, matchmaking and marriage. And looking at the psychological conversation just now, he was likely dealing with both. No wonder he was so anxious in the Simulation. Thus, she said solemnly: "Young Master Wang, you have a calamity that needs to be resolved!"

"Ah? Little sister Ruan, you must help me!" Young Master Wang was so anxious he grabbed Ruan Xing's shoulders and shook them, then suddenly thought of something and went to dig into Young Master Liu's clothes.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Young Master Liu couldn't dodge in time and exclaimed, as Young Master Wang had already felt his purse.

"Brother Liu, don't be so stingy, lend it to me to use, I'll return it to you another day!"

Young Master Wang stuffed the purse into Ruan Xing's hand again, "Little sister Ruan, please help me resolve this calamity. Your brother here is endlessly grateful. A bit of worldly wealth, how can it compare to the friendship between me and little sister Ruan!"

This Young Master Wang's words were so intimate that Ruan Xing couldn't refuse. No one would guess that this was only the second time these two strangers had met.

Ruan Xing feigned a refusal for a while, then said helplessly: "Alright, then I will help you think of a way. It's just that my fortune-telling isn't very precise; I can only see that your calamity is related to peach blossoms. Why don't you tell me in detail first?"

"Exactly so." Young Master Wang nodded, his face bitter, and poured out his grievances like beans from a bamboo tube, "That day, after I was caught by my mother at my maternal grandfather's house, my maternal grandmother stopped my mother from hitting me. Who knew my mother would come up with a new trick? She told my maternal grandmother that I was old enough to settle down and start a career, and said she wanted me to go to the family business to learn management. I thought it was pretty good too; if I had a shop to manage, not only would I have extra income, but I could also invite friends to come and play at my place."

"And the result? My mother was afraid I'd host banquets and parties every day, so she didn't want me running a restaurant or tavern. She worried I'd give away rouge and clothing to the sisters in the Red Pavilion, so after much deliberation, she actually gave me a grain shop! She told me to go sell millet and grain! How much money can that make? She even had my maternal grandmother arrange a match for me, saying my cousin would be a good choice."

"Now it's come to this—I don't even dare to visit my maternal grandparents' house!"

Young Master Wang sighed and lamented, full of grievances.

Judging by the order and length of his complaints, what Young Master Wang cared about most was that his mother had only given him a small shop; whether or not he married his cousin was a secondary matter.

Ruan Xing nodded to show she understood, "Then what is your request? What is it? Do you want to accomplish a great career, or is there someone else you fancy and you don't want to marry the candidate your mother arranged?"

"This..." Young Master Wang began to fidget, "Marrying my cousin isn't a big deal, but I'm only seventeen; I don't want to get married so early. I haven't had enough fun yet. If I go out to gather with my good friends at the Red Pavilion and my mother brings my cousin along to catch me, that would be too terrifying."

Young Master Wang shuddered as he spoke, unable to imagine that scene, then turned righteous again, "Besides, since my mother says I'm already grown up, why does she only give me a grain shop? She has so many shops in her hands, what would it hurt to give me a few good ones!"

"I understand now. You want to marry later, but you don't want your mother to keep controlling you, is that right?"

"Right, Sister Ruan, can you think of any way to help me resolve this?" Young Master Wang looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Seeing Young Master Wang's expression turn disappointed, Ruan Xing changed the subject, "However, there will definitely be a turning point within two months, so rest assured. If it doesn't work out, you can have your mother catch me and give me a beating too, how about that?"

Two months—after two months she would long be gone from Jiangning City, so what would Young Master Wang's situation have to do with her?

"Since you put it that way, how could I not trust you, Sister Ruan? You have such great ability to calculate me from head to toe so clearly, how could I not believe you? Then I'll leave everything to you, Sister Ruan!"

Young Master Wang grinned, stood up, and bowed to Ruan Xing, which she accepted calmly.

Having resolved a major worry, Young Master Wang felt refreshed. Seeing Young Master Liu, the middleman who had worked hard even if he hadn't achieved much, still sitting there, he laughed: "Since you're already here, why don't you let Sister Ruan cast a divination for you too, Brother Liu?"

Young Master Liu blocked him with his folding fan, leaned over, and whispered in Ruan Xing's ear, "Don't go too far."

Ruan Xing's lips moved slightly, and she replied softly: "Why? Is there some secret you don't want me to know? It doesn't matter; if you're afraid, I just won't divine for you."

Young Master Liu looked speechless, "I just don't want to be swindled by you."

It seems this Young Master Liu isn't as easy to fool as Hu San said. Could it be that he's learned his lesson too many times?

"Hey, hey, what are you two whispering about behind my back? Brother Liu, that's not kind of you. You know everything about what was divined for me, yet you're keeping what was divined for you a secret." Young Master Wang shouted in dissatisfaction.

Ruan Xing smiled slightly: "Young Master Liu has an elegant character and naturally disdains the way of gods and ghosts. Besides, my power is limited; I've already cast one divination today, so I won't do another."

"Yes, yes, we'll do as Sister Ruan says. Let's ignore him. Are you thirsty, Sister Ruan? Come, have some tea!" Young Master Wang enthusiastically brought over the tea the Tea Doctor had just prepared to curry favor with Ruan Xing.

After having tea and snacks and chatting for a while, Ruan Xing made an excuse that she was tired and wanted to go back to rest. Young Master Wang hurriedly said: "Where do you live? I'll take you there, Sister Ruan."

"No need, I have a carriage." Ruan Xing refused flatly.

Young Master Wang failed to get her address and said somewhat dejectedly: "Alright then, I'll invite you to dinner again next time, you must do me the honor of coming."

"Next time for sure."

Ruan Xing went downstairs, her mind elsewhere. Hu San was sitting under the eaves cooling off; seeing Ruan Xing come out, he hurried to hitch the carriage.

The horse, having eaten the fodder from Lichun Fang, gave a reluctant snort and continued its mission of pulling the carriage.

Only after getting into the carriage did she have time to open the two heavy pouches. It had been too embarrassing to do it in front of the two of them.

Inside the first pouch were several large ingots of Silver and a few copper coins.

Inside the second pouch, there was not only Silver but also a piece of gold weighing about one tael.

Whoa, Young Master Liu is actually quite wealthy.

She topped up the Simulator with the gold and silver from the second pouch, and the balance, which had been depleted to over nine hundred points, reached a new high: 2403 points.

Lifting the carriage curtain, she tossed the first pouch to Hu San and asked casually: "You've been here so long, why didn't you wait inside on the first floor while drinking tea?"

"The tea at Lichun Fang is very expensive; the cheapest cup is eighty wen."

Damn, she could eat a bowl of shredded meat noodles for only eight wen and be very full.

Ruan Xing suppressed her heartache and said nonchalantly: "No need to save money for me next time, just order it. Can I not afford a cup of tea for you?"

After a pause, Ruan Xing added: "There is about twelve taels of Silver in the pouch; use it to buy medicinal herbs for your cultivation. Spend it wisely."

"... Yes." Hu San replied dully and continued driving the carriage in silence.

(End of chapter)