Early in the morning, Shen Qiong arrived at the shop with two huge dark circles under his eyes. He'd been too excited to sleep a wink last night, and had spent the time thinking up all sorts of plans.
Since WeChat had this kind of feature, he might as well use it. But considering how few people he could search for, what if a customer came in who wasn't on the list? Wouldn't that be awkward?
So Shen Qiong found a sheet of paper, picked up a brush, and swiftly wrote down a few big characters.
"Free calligraphy by chance; tip whatever you wish."
His calligraphy had been passed down through his family, and he'd gotten fairly good at it. He posted the sheet by the entrance.
Back inside, he didn't just sit around. He casually took a book called Face Reading and Path Recognition from the bookshelf and began reading. Every so often, he opened WeChat to check People nearby. There wasn't much information he could see yet, but he could remember what he saw at a glance.
The system refreshed the information on people every ten minutes, showing five people each time. That meant he could get information on thirty people an hour, which wasn't bad at all.
Shili Street was a fairly prosperous suburban street, while Gudao West Road was lined mostly with old shops. It had less bustle, but more old-world charm.
The autumn morning was clear and crisp. Tourists passed by Heavenly Secrets Pavilion from time to time, but for one reason or another, none dared to come inside.
Another adorable young woman entered the shop, poked her head around to look, then gave Shen Qiong an apologetic glance and turned to leave.
"Come on, this isn't going to work! I can't just stand outside the shop and read the fortune of everyone who walks by, can I?" Shen Qiong said self-mockingly.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. One of the people nearby had caught his attention.
Bi Yuxue (within one hundred meters): delicate features, but lacking in vitality. A young woman wearing glasses.
He opened her profile. She was twenty-four, and her Health Value was only 50 (frail). That was no small matter. Even women in their sixties had a Health Value close to 70. It meant this young woman definitely had some kind of health problem—and not a minor one.
Shen Qiong hurried outside and searched around for her. At last, in front of a restaurant, he spotted the young woman walking toward him.
Just as she was about to reach the shop, Shen Qiong suddenly called out, "Pale as snow, yet cold as frost. I can see that your legs are weak and your breathing is irregular. Have you been feeling unwell lately?"
Bi Yuxue froze. She looked at the man who had suddenly stepped in front of her, then glanced at the shop beside him. A fortune-teller?
She thought of the people she'd seen on TV a few days ago, setting up stalls to tell fortunes and scam people out of their money. Instantly put off, she waved him away. "Sorry, I don't believe in that stuff."
After saying that, Bi Yuxue sidestepped him and quickened her pace. Shen Qiong had no choice but to call after her, "There's a 'snow' in your name. I have a connection with the character 'snow' today, so I approached you."
Bi Yuxue stopped abruptly, turned around, and asked in surprise, "How do you know there's a 'snow' in my name?"
Shen Qiong saw that she was interested and gave her a mysterious smile. "The secrets of heaven must not be revealed. All I can say is that it's fate."
She remembered that she really had been feeling unwell lately. Every morning, she woke up feeling completely drained. So she asked, "You said I wasn't feeling well?"
Shen Qiong smiled faintly and nodded. "You know for yourself whether I'm making this up. We're strangers who happened to cross paths; I have no reason to lie to you. You really do have some health issues."
She bit her lip lightly. "Then tell me what they are."
Shen Qiong raised a hand with a smile. "Let me feel your pulse." He gently placed his hand on the young woman's wrist. Hmm, her skin was quite nice.
Ahem! He hadn't offered to take her pulse just so he could take advantage of her. For one thing, he'd read quite a few books and knew a little about medicine. And if he did nothing before rattling off a whole list of things, wouldn't he just look like a charlatan making things up?
He hadn't realized how serious it was until he felt her pulse. "Your pulse is weak, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. It's irregular, so the problem is probably inside your body," he said.
Looking at the faintly weary expression on her face, Shen Qiong put on an air of confidence. "You haven't been getting enough rest lately, have you?"
Bi Yuxue was delighted. "That's right. I've been sleeping badly for the past half a month. I wake up feeling completely drained, like I haven't slept at all."
Shen Qiong secretly congratulated himself on his cleverness. Anyone could bluff their way through a fortune reading, right?
He glanced at the lunchbox in her hand and frowned. "Is that your breakfast?"
She smiled wryly. "No, it's my lunch. I've been working overtime a lot lately, and I don't have time to go out for lunch. So I just buy it in the morning and heat it up at noon."
Shen Qiong lifted his head slightly, his brows furrowed. It seemed this was the key: poor sleep, poor diet, and lots of pressure. Those were common problems for young people just starting out at work.
He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "This is bad. Very bad."
Since all of Shen Qiong's guesses so far had been right, Bi Yuxue actually started to believe him. Anxiously, she asked, "What's bad? Is it because I eat too many boxed meals?"
"That's only part of it. As the saying goes, a weak body is prone to illness. Health problems don't appear in a day or two. I suggest you make time to go to the hospital for a full checkup as soon as possible. Remember, make sure it's the most comprehensive one." After saying this, Shen Qiong turned toward the shop, putting on the air of a detached master.
Bi Yuxue hesitated for a moment. She trusted Shen Qiong, and figured there was no harm in getting checked out. "Thank you. I'll go this weekend."
When she saw Shen Qiong return to the shop, she suddenly realized she hadn't paid the master. She hurriedly called out, "Master, how much should I give you?"
With his back to her, Shen Qiong figured a master like him wouldn't care about a little money. He straightened his back and pointed at the sheet posted outside the door.
Bi Yuxue read aloud, "Free calligraphy by chance; tip whatever you wish?"
"Exactly. I told you I had a connection with you today, so I spoke to you. If I met someone else, I wouldn't give them the time of day no matter how much they offered." Shen Qiong felt he had to keep up the act to the very end.
She wasn't quite convinced. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be about her age. Could it be that he really wasn't after money?
In the end, Bi Yuxue took out fifty yuan and handed it to Shen Qiong. He'd said to tip whatever she wished, and fifty yuan wasn't a small amount.
Shen Qiong took the money and put it in his pocket without even looking at it, wearing an expression that said he didn't care how much she gave him.
Only after Bi Yuxue had left did he pull out the money and grin. "I did it! My first customer earned me fifty yuan. That's enough for food for the next couple of days."
Shen Qiong looked over the fifty-yuan note again and again, feeling absolutely delighted. It wasn't much, but it was his first earnings, and he'd helped someone, too. Any way you looked at it, it was worth it.
Shen Qiong returned to the old chair and leaned back with his legs crossed, continuing to read. He realized he still needed to read more. After all, WeChat could give him specific numbers, but figuring out how to spin them so people would believe him—that was up to him!
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