By stopping people on the street and using tricks like guessing their names, Shen Qiong had landed two more customers. But the two were stingier than the first. One paid thirty, the other twenty. Still, by the end of the day, he had made a hundred yuan.
On his way home, Shen Qiong treated himself to a hearty meal at the restaurant downstairs. He also called someone to replace his gas cylinder. In the blink of an eye, the hundred yuan was gone again.
"Money, money! The root of all evil—hurry up and all come to me! If I don't go to hell, who will..."
The next morning, Shen Qiong spent all the money he had left on steamed buns. As he headed to his shop, he consoled himself that the early days of starting a business were always tough, and that things would get better eventually.
This time, Shen Qiong simply sat right by the entrance. He couldn't see much information, and only Health Value was useful, so he could only target people with health problems.
Now Shen Qiong had some experience. First, he read people's faces, then guessed their ages and names, and then checked their pulses and read their palms. Once he'd worked through the whole routine, he'd have the customers convinced. After that, he could say whatever he wanted...
"Sir, your wife's in wonderful health. You need to keep up with her! Get out and take a walk now and then. Don't stay cooped up at home all day," Shen Qiong said to a seventy-eight-year-old man.
The old woman smiled as she held her shopping basket. "That's right. You heard him—get out for more walks."
Older people were more superstitious about feng shui and fortune-telling than the young. Shen Qiong had the old man thoroughly convinced, and he kept nodding. "I'll be more careful from now on. I will."
Watching the two old people leave, then looking at the extra hundred yuan in his hand, Shen Qiong grinned from ear to ear!
He could do good deeds and make money at the same time. What could be better?
Three days later, thanks to the money he'd earned by "treating" passersby, Shen Qiong finally had some spare cash.
On Sunday afternoon, he sat with one leg crossed over the other in the shop's grand armchair, sipping tea. He'd picked up the habit from his father. He'd been too short on cash to buy tea for a while, but yesterday, after closing the shop, he'd made a point of going to the tea shop at the end of the street to buy some black and floral tea.
"My money problems are solved. It's time to think about how to build my reputation. Making a living on Health Value alone is way too restrictive," he murmured.
More people were out shopping on Sunday afternoons than usual. With no pressure to make ends meet, Shen Qiong had started getting choosy. Unless someone with a very low Health Value came along, he couldn't be bothered to leave the shop.
Suddenly, several burly men walked in. The one leading them said coolly, "Time to pay the management fee."
Shen Qiong froze. Did they really need a whole gang to collect a management fee? This sounded more like a protection racket. "There's a management fee?"
One of the underlings glanced at Shen Qiong. "Boss, don't bother with him. I know this shop. He was out front soliciting customers a lot these past few days. He's probably made quite a bit."
The man they called Boss grunted, then glared coldly at Shen Qiong. "Don't play dumb. Everyone has to pay the management fee!"
"Ahem, Boss, I really didn't know about this!" Shen Qiong was genuinely surprised.
One of the underlings wanted to show off in front of his boss. He stepped forward and shoved Shen Qiong. "Enough talk. Where's the money?"
Shen Qiong was 1.78 meters tall and had gotten into plenty of fights at school, but he was outnumbered. Better to yield for now. He swallowed his anger and asked, "How much do I have to pay? I haven't paid before."
"You haven't paid before? Then this is perfect—pay it all at once. It's three hundred a month. We'll let you off the hook for last year, so just make up the past six months!" said the man standing in the middle.
Three hundred times six was eighteen hundred. They were robbing him blind, just asking for 1,800 yuan. Why didn't they just go rob someone? No, they might as well have been robbers.
Shen Qiong figured he only had seven or eight hundred yuan on him. Even if he wanted to pay, he couldn't. He took out his phone and smiled apologetically. "Let me check how much I've got in my account."
In reality, he opened WeChat to see if any of these people showed up there. At this point, he could only take a gamble.
When he saw the first profile under "People nearby," Shen Qiong perked up. There really was one—and it was the boss's profile.
Zhu Deshou (within 100 meters), with a profile picture of the very boss who'd come to collect the management fee.
Age: 31 Health Value: 67 Hometown: HB
Shen Qiong chuckled. This could work. At thirty, the man was in his prime. Based on his experience, the man's Health Value should be somewhere between 80 and 90. But this boss was only at 67. He definitely had a problem.
"What are you laughing at?" one of the underlings cursed.
Shen Qiong shoved him aside and looked at the boss. "May I ask if your surname is Zhu?"
Zhu Deshou furrowed his brow. "That's right."
One of the underlings realized the fortune-teller was about to con them and hurriedly spoke up. "Everyone knows our boss's name. Cut the nonsense. We know you're a fortune-teller."
"Hey, don't rush me. I don't just know your surname. I also know there's a 'Shou' in your name. It's either Deshou or Changshou," Shen Qiong said calmly.
Zhu Deshou was taken aback. Not many people actually knew his name. The guys usually called him Brother Zhu. This master really seemed to know his stuff.
"So what?" Zhu Deshou demanded, raising his voice.
Shen Qiong smiled. "From your accent, you sound like you're from HB. If I'm not mistaken, Boss, your name must be Deshou."
Zhu Deshou fixed his eyes on Shen Qiong. Shen Qiong had piqued his interest, and he asked with an amused smile, "How did you know?"
The underling who'd realized Shen Qiong was starting his con was afraid his boss would be tricked, so he hurriedly stepped in. "It's all nonsense. You must've found all this out beforehand. What does where our boss is from have to do with his name? People in your line of work just love to scam others."
Zhu Deshou thought about it and realized the underling had a point. He looked at Shen Qiong with renewed hostility. The kid had actually dared to mess with him?
Shen Qiong rolled his eyes at the underling. He was pretty sharp, always getting in the way. Shen Qiong retorted, "It's normal that you don't know. If all of you knew, how would I make a living?"
Zhu Deshou sneered. "Doesn't matter. You still have to pay."
At their boss's word, the surrounding underlings surged forward and surrounded Shen Qiong, making it clear that if he didn't pay, he was as good as dead.
Just then, three people hurried into the shop: a middle-aged couple and a young man.
"Look, is this the place..." A man in his early forties looked up at the sign. "Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. This should be it."
The woman looked anxious as she rushed over and asked, "Where's the master? Where is he?"
The underlings were surprised to see someone come looking for the place. Judging by the woman's worried expression, she must've been badly scammed!
A master? Looking for him? Shen Qiong hurriedly squeezed through the crowd and smiled. "Oh? Are you looking for me?"
The woman took one look at him and saw the same thing her daughter had described: a young man in his early twenties. She said excitedly, "You're the master who gave my daughter advice the other day, aren't you? Thank you so much."
Seeing the woman getting worked up and trying to bow to him, Shen Qiong quickly stopped her and helped her stand up. "Come on, don't get so excited. If your daughter happened to meet me, it was fate."
"Oh, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, our girl would've missed the best time for treatment." The woman grew so emotional as she spoke that her eyes filled with tears.
The man beside her quickly steadied her and explained to Shen Qiong, "Here's what happened. Our daughter came home that day and said she'd met a master on the street who could read faces. He told her she wasn't feeling well and should go to the hospital for a checkup."
"At first, we thought she'd been conned." The man looked apologetic as he said it. "Now it seems she was incredibly lucky to meet you!"
"After listening to your advice, Xiaoxue went to the hospital for a checkup. The results scared us half to death. The doctor said it was a good thing they'd caught it early; otherwise, her life could've been in danger. Now she just needs treatment to recover."
"That's right! We're so grateful to you. You're a true immortal!" the woman praised.
The burly men who'd come to collect the management fee had been watching the scene, dumbfounded. What was going on? Were they acting? Where had he found these plants?
If this was an act, the woman deserved an Oscar. Those tears came on so fast, and she seemed completely genuine.
"Boss, what's going on?" one of the underlings asked.
The boss cleared his throat twice. "I don't know either. Let's wait and see."
Once the parents had finally calmed down, Shen Qiong managed to piece together what had happened.
It turned out the three were Bi Yuxue's family. Shen Qiong, of course, remembered Bi Yuxue. She'd been his very first customer.
After hearing what had happened, Shen Qiong smiled. "It was fate, it was fate. You're too kind to come all the way here to thank me."
Though he spoke modestly, Shen Qiong was grinning from ear to ear. He secretly glanced at the underling who'd kept doubting him. See? He was a genuine master with real skills.
"Could he really have not been scamming anyone? Was I wrong?" The underling smiled ruefully. "Boss, it looks like it's actually true."
Zhu Deshou's mouth twitched. "I know."
This was so awkward!!!
Before you continue