Jin Shanyao up and looked out of the shop across the table. The people who had been crying and shouting for fortune telling were now running away faster than the next one.
Enraged, she slammed her folding fan on the table. She hadn't even said that finding the child would only cost one coin!
Looking at the bright yellow clothes, Jin Shanyao felt bitter. This outfit cost her three hundred coins, and she hadn't even made back her investment.
She planned to go to the backyard to change her clothes.
Oh dear... Jin Shanyao her balance and landed squarely on top of Meng Anzhi, pressing down on the little girl so hard her eyes rolled back and she almost passed out.
Meng Anzhi struggled to climb out from under the Jin Shanyao and asked with concern, "Auntie, are you alright?"
"It's alright..." Jin Shanyao struggled to her feet.
After changing back into her own clothes, she sat sullenly in a chair, waiting for customers to come in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw across the street, the little girl from Brocade Workshop was squatting in front of her shop, playing with a cat.
Jin Shanyao, intrigued, shouted from across the street, "Little girl from the Jiang family... come here, Auntie will tell your fortune for just one coin!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshu clutched her purse tightly. Her mother had said that Shopkeeper Jin was a conman from out of town who only tricked children out of candy, and that she shouldn't go there to play.
Seeing her wary look, Jin Shanyao clicked her tongue and said to Meng Anzhi, "Go and bring her here. I refuse to believe we won't earn a single penny today."
Meng Anzhi sighed helplessly, "Auntie, Shopkeeper Jiang is staring at you without blinking!"
Jin Shanyao into Brocade Workshop, and good heavens, Shopkeeper Jiang's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets, as if he were looking at a kidnapper.
Ha... It's like nobody cares about telling your daughter's fortune.
Jin Shanyao her head to avoid his gaze, then suddenly turned her head and widened her eyes, startling Shopkeeper Jiang so much that he trembled.
"You little brat... You think you can stare at me without blinking all day?" Just as she was about to have a fight to the death with Shopkeeper Jiang, Shopkeeper Jiang actually took the initiative to admit defeat, picked up his daughter, and hurriedly went into the shop.
Hmph... coward!!!! I can't handle you anymore.
Jin Shanyao back and slumped into the chair, feeling utterly bored. Just then, an old voice rang in her ears.
"Master... I'd like to have my fortune told..."
Jin Shanyao her head up and looked over. She saw an old man in tattered clothes, his face full of wrinkles, standing in front of the table. He was hunched over and his eyes were lifeless.
Jin Shanyao sat up abruptly and hurriedly went to find a folding fan to pretend to have, but when she looked up, she saw the old man untying his belt.
Jin Shanyao her head and grabbed the old man's hand across the table. "Old man, this is a legitimate business, I don't do this kind of thing... Oh... Listen to me, we won't take off your pants."
After saying that, he forcefully pried open the old man's hands, quickly tied the man's belt tightly, and then tugged at it again, only managing a smile when he couldn't loosen it.
Looking up again, he saw the old man's face flushed red, his eyes blazing with anger, Jin Shanyao his head in a daze... He hesitated and said, "Do I really have to take these pants off?"
"Nonsense... Untie me!"
Jin Shanyao, "No, little brother... even though you're younger than me, you can't just come in and take your pants off like that. If word gets out, how will Anzhi Hall make any money?"
The old man roared, "I'll do divination, divination, divination..."
"You can't take your pants off to do divination."
The old man practically shouted, "My belt is wrapped with money, how can I give you the money if I don't untie it? You brat... are you out of your mind?"
"Oh dear, it's a misunderstanding..." Jin Shanyao hurriedly reached out to undo the old man's belt. Just then, a man walked into the shop. He covered his mouth in disbelief, pointed at Jin Shanyao, and his expression twisted.
He then turned around angrily and shouted at the crowd in the street, "Everyone come and see! The manager of the Anzhi Hall is utterly heartless; he actually pulled down an old man's pants in public..."
"Oh my god, how dare you shout anything?" Jin Shanyao over the table, rushed out of the shop, and covered the other person's mouth.
"Don't listen to his nonsense, there's a misunderstanding..."
At this moment, the old man hurried out, pulling up his trousers, his face flushed. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! I came here for fortune telling..."
"Hey little brother, don't bring up your pants right now," he said, adding that the more he explained, the more confused things became.
People around her began pointing and whispering about Jin Shanyao, and the discussions grew louder and louder. The main idea was that she was worse than a beast, vicious, and worse than a pig or a dog; in short, she was... a pervert.
Jin Shanyao wished she had more hands to cover the mouths of this group of people. They say rumors stop with the wise, but are all the people in Qingzhou Prefecture fools?
The old man frantically rummaged through the money, held it up in the air, and shouted, "I really came here to have my fortune told..."
"Don't be afraid, sir. If Shopkeeper Jin threatens you, just blink. We're all on your side."
Oh dear... his entire life's reputation has been ruined by this little girl.
The old man was speechless and, in desperation, squatted down and pounded his head with both hands. Jin Shanyao Yao, no longer caring about covering the other's mouth, rushed to help the old man up.
"Old man, stop knocking... If you knock in the wrong place at your age, you'll die..."
"Listen to her, is she even speaking human language?"
"Bullshit! Old man, just keep banging on her, even if you die lying in front of her shop, you can extort her until she's bankrupt..."
"You're ruthless, I'll remember you," Jin Shanyao her fan and made a fist at the man in the crowd. The man wasn't afraid at all and spat at her instead.
The old man seemed to have lost all ability to resist, muttering, "I really did come here for fortune telling."
"Everyone, look! Anzhi Hall..."
"Shut up..." Jin Shanyao shouted angrily, "If you dare to utter another word, don't blame me for slapping you across the face."
"Look everyone, she's so angry..." Before she could finish the word "angry," Jin Shanyao slapped her to the ground, causing everyone around to gasp.
The man was stunned. "She really hit me???"
The people who were just chattering away suddenly fell silent, as if afraid of being slapped in the face.
The old man couldn't bear the humiliation and wanted to leave, but remembering what he wanted, he suppressed his shame.
He stuffed the belt into Jin Shanyao's hand. Jin Shanyao was so frightened that she dared not move. This was not a belt, but a rope of rumors. If he pulled it even once, she would become a pervert.
The speed was so fast that it caught everyone off guard...
The old man took a deep breath and slowly said, "I'm not looking for people, not searching for things, not seeking wealth..."
A kind person reminded him, "Old man, exorcising a ghost costs fifty taels of silver; you don't have enough."
The old man looked at Jin Shanyao in despair, "Master, this is all I have, I only ask for one thing..." His eyes reddened as he said this.
"My daughter got married at fifteen and fell into the river and died at twenty. She was a good swimmer since she was a child, it's impossible for her to have drowned..." Tears streamed down the old man's face.
He grasped Jin Shanyao's hand, and Jin Shanyao was unsure whether she should pull away, since she was now a pervert, and holding her hand like this might damage the old man's reputation.
The old man pleaded, "I want you to help me find my daughter. I want to ask her how she died..."
Jin Shanyao's gaze fell on the small pile of loose silver coins, then she looked at the old man's coarse cloth clothes with several patches, his shoes worn smooth, and his whole demeanor exuded poverty.
"He must have saved up this money for who knows how long, living frugally. You should report it to the authorities."
The old man's eyes dimmed. "It's been reported, every three years. The current prefect always says it was an accident..."
" Lord Su is an incorruptible official; he will investigate even old cases diligently. You don't need to spend money on divination."
"I went to report it to the authorities, and that's when I saw your ability to summon spirits, baby... please help me, I can't let my daughter die without knowing why."
The people around remained silent... their eyes filled with pity as they looked at the old man.