Purchasing Furniture

In a private room of a small restaurant named Dongting Lake, four grown men were drinking heartily.

"Come on, let's toast! It's been so long since we brothers got together," said He Junming, the same person who had demanded fortune telling from Shen Qiong for ten thousand yuan each time that day.

"That's right. Ten years have flown by in the blink of an eye. It's rare for us college roommates to get together," chuckled Li Junwen, who was wearing glasses and looked refined.

Meeting old classmates felt warm and familiar. As college roommates, the four of them had a strong bond. Even though work and family prevented them from gathering often, they chatted enthusiastically in their WeChat group.

"Fourth brother! You mentioned you have a big project to discuss tomorrow afternoon, right? You should drink a little less then," cautioned Zhang Dehua, the eldest of the four.

Xiao Chengzhou, the youngest, known as the fourth brother, said with a smile, "Don't worry, boss. As long as you guys are happy."

He Junming, the second eldest, had the best alcohol tolerance among them. He raised his glass and downed it in one gulp. "Come on, I'm happy today, so I'll finish this. You guys drink as you please."

After drinking half a glass, third brother Li Junwen asked Xiao Chengzhou, "You guys were chatting a lot in the group that day! Fourth brother, what big project did you say you took on?"

Xiao Chengzhou took a sip of his wine. "Honestly, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse. My brother introduced me to a boss who can sell me a batch of computer motherboards at thirty percent below market price."

Zhang Dehua's eyes lit up. "That's great! What are you worried about? Buying at thirty percent less than the market price, you'll make a huge profit!"

Xiao Chengzhou lowered his voice. "I suspect it's stolen goods, otherwise, the price wouldn't be this low."

The others immediately understood. Stolen goods were ill-gotten gains, their origins unknown, and could easily lead to trouble.

"This... what do you think then?" He Junming asked, blinking.

Xiao Chengzhou gave a wry smile. "I'm still hesitating. My wife wants me to go, saying stolen goods usually have no quality issues, but I'm worried about any follow-up problems."

Zhang Dehua, being more cautious, was silent for a moment. "I think this needs careful consideration. It would be great if you could buy it, but the risk is too great."

Li Junwen had a different perspective. He laughed, "In business, it's always 'the bold eat, the timid starve.' I think you can give it a try."

Xiao Chengzhou picked up some braised eggplant and put it in his bowl. "I'll go see the goods tomorrow. It's near Hongqiao Street, not too far. I'll go take a look first."

He Junming's ears perked up. "Hongqiao Street? Isn't that near Shili Street?"

"Yes, it's nearby. What's up?" Xiao Chengzhou asked, looking at him.

He Junming chuckled. "The other day, I was going back to my hometown and passed by an old fortune-telling shop. Everyone around said it was incredibly accurate. I wanted to try it, but I got shut down."

The other three burst into laughter. "Alright! Second brother, tell us more."

He continued, "That Master isn't old, but he's very stubborn. He only tells fortunes for people with fate. I insisted on paying ten thousand yuan per session, but he still refused."

The others were intrigued. "That Master is quite willful! Someone refusing money, I've never heard of that before," Zhang Dehua said with a laugh.

"Yeah! I was stunned too. I even searched for this Master online and found some information on Weibo."

He Junming took another half glass of wine and continued, "The Weibo post said that you need to make an appointment to get your fortune told. There were many comments below. The strange thing is, many people called it a scam, fake, but they hadn't even been there. On the other hand, quite a few comments said they had been and that it was very accurate."

Xiao Chengzhou asked curiously, "Did anyone say they went and got scammed?"

He Junming looked up and grinned. "Believe it or not, there was one person. And guess what? He's currently in jail."

"Holy crap, that's amazing! This Master has some serious backing!" the others exclaimed in awe.

"I don't know about backing, but if you're really going tomorrow, Fourth Brother, you could try asking that Master first. Maybe you'll get some insight," He Junming said, picking up some peanuts.

Xiao Chengzhou found it a bit mystical, but trying wouldn't hurt. "Okay, send me the address later."

Li Junwen teased, "You're going? Do you need an appointment too?"

The four of them burst into laughter...

After the four parted ways, Xiao Chengzhou actually drove to Shili Street and found Shen Qiong's small shop using the address He Junming had given him.

Xiao Chengzhou glanced at the notice board standing by the entrance and chuckled, "It really does require an appointment!"

Just then, a man walked over with a smile. "Sir, you're looking for Master Shen to tell your fortune, aren't you? You look new here, definitely not from around. Let me tell you, Master Shen's fortune telling is incredibly accurate."

Xiao Chengzhou was taken aback. Could this be a plant? Why is someone introducing him as soon as I stand here?

The man saw the look on his face and quickly explained, "Actually, I own the shop next door. We do photography and can produce photos quickly. To make an appointment here, you need to put your photo into the appointment box."

Xiao Chengzhou finally understood. So that's how it worked. After figuring it out, he became even more curious about Master Shen. This simple appointment process was even driving business to the surrounding shops. That's quite something!

After taking his photo, Xiao Chengzhou wrote his name and contact information on the back and put it into the appointment box. He then deliberately walked around the area before leaving.

Although he didn't believe in fate, he had to follow the notice's advice due to the importance of this deal, lingering near Shili Street to increase his chances of getting an appointment.

Whatever, I've done what I can. Now I'll just wait for the news!

Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Shen Qiong stretched lazily. Since he had implemented the new fortune-telling regulations, business hadn't decreased; in fact, it had increased. Moreover, customers were now seeking fortunes related to health and Luck Value, which were effortless for him.

Shen Qiong knew the importance of new customers, so he checked the initial appointment box several times a day. After all, people appearing near him had a time limit. The system refreshed every ten minutes, with seven people each time. Since he opened his shop for eight hours, if there were no duplicates, he could scan hundreds of people a day.

Xiao Chengzhou's effort to linger in Shili Street wasn't in vain. He appeared on the last list just before Shen Qiong closed for the day. Shen Qiong noted his contact information and sent him a text message asking him to come the next morning.

With the text exchange, it would be easy to find him in the "Greeted People" list tomorrow.

After closing shop today, Shen Qiong took a bus to a chain supermarket in the city to buy new appliances.

"It's still troublesome without a car. Once I replace everything at home and save some more money, I'll have to buy one," Shen Qiong muttered on the bus.

Arriving at Jia Jia Fu Shopping Center, Shen Qiong first bought a new air conditioner. Then, he spotted an LCD TV. Although he didn't watch much TV, his old one was uncomfortable to look at, so it had to be replaced.

Shopping was addictive. When he had no money, it was fine, but with a slightly fuller wallet, he wanted to buy everything. Shen Qiong wished he could replace all the appliances at home.

After shopping for an hour, Shen Qiong had already swiped his card for eighteen thousand yuan. It was true that spending was a moment of joy, but earning was a lifetime of hardship.

Shen Qiong gritted his teeth. The things he needed to buy, he had to buy. He resolutely turned back and browsed the furniture market again, purchasing a computer desk and a dining table. The most expensive item was a sofa set for twelve thousand yuan. As he paid, Shen Qiong felt his heart bleeding.