Anzhi Hall.
Jin Shanyao covered Meng Anzhi's eyes with a golden fan, and Meng Anci led her forward.
Meng Anzhi couldn't help but laugh, "What are you doing? Why are you being so mysterious?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "You'll find out soon enough."
The study door opened, Meng Anzhi felt a hand being removed from her face. She instinctively opened her eyes and was instantly drawn to a bright light. There was a tray on the table.
The tray was lined with red silk and filled with tools made of pure gold, especially the set of nine needles, which was exquisite and dazzling. Meng Anzhi was so surprised that she stood there stunned.
The craftsmanship was superb, far beyond what a skilled artisan could create. She stroked it lovingly, saying, "Auntie... this can't be stolen when we go out, can it?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "Don't worry... this is a gift for you, no one can take it away."
Meng Anci her hands in front of Meng Anzhi's eyes, "Sister... Sister... You can't just have eyes for gold! Look at the gift I gave you!"
Meng Anzhi looked around blankly and asked, "Where?"
Meng Anci laughed, pointing to the table, "Didn't you see this stack of books?"
Meng Anzhi thought to herself, "You really are my brother! You even gave me a book for my birthday. Do you think I'm not tired enough?"
Meng Anci was completely oblivious to his sister's resentment. Holding the book, he introduced it, "Sister, this is what I've secretly memorized over the years. It contains medical records you easily confuse, medicinal properties you misremember, and those tricky cases Auntie talked about. If you look through it often, you'll eventually remember them."
Meng Anzhi gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke. "Are you giving me a gift? Are you trying to poison my mind?" Meng Anzhi silently clenched her fists, telling herself over and over again that this was her own brother, her own flesh and blood, and she couldn't kill him.
She forced a smile. "I like it very much."
Meng Anci proudly raised his head. This was something he had painstakingly researched and perfected over many nights; how could his sister not like it?
Before going to bed that night, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci lit incense for their parents.
This serves as a reminder to myself that even blood relatives must not kill each other!
The next day, Xiao Huzi stormed into the Anzhi Hall, slamming five coins on the table with a thud before huffing and puffing as he climbed onto a chair.
He angrily said, "Auntie... I got hit again?"
Jin Shanyao put away the five coins, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "Oh... why this time?"
Xiao Huzi slammed his chubby little hand on the table. "Didn't you say I went to the private school last time? I didn't do the homework the teacher assigned, and my dad beat me without saying a word."
He was about to take off his pants when Jin Shanyao him and pressed him down, saying, "Just talk... no need for an on-site examination."
Xiao Huzi decided not to take his clothes off anymore, since he wasn't there for a medical appointment anyway. "Auntie... I want to have my fortune told. I just want to ask if I'm their biological son."
Ah... I'll write whatever the Master tells me to write. The Master's words are like imperial edicts. Besides, who is the Master? The Master is an outsider. They actually beat me up for an outsider.
I seriously doubt I'm their biological child, Auntie... Let's begin, let me die a quick death."
She was careless... She accepted the five coins too early. She had divined when the price would be five coins, but given that she and Xiao Huzi had met a few times, and he wasn't like Jiang Jinshu who liked to gamble big with small investments, she decided against it.
Thinking it would be good for the child, she pulled out a bamboo tube of divination sticks from under the table and handed it to the little guy, "Shake it..."
Xiao Huzi grabbed the divination stick container with both hands and shook it violently. Four or five sticks fell out with a clatter. He picked them up and looked at them; they all seemed to look similar. He randomly pulled one out.
"Let it be... I'm mentally prepared."
Jin Shanyao, holding the bamboo stick, laughed and said, "This is a very auspicious sign... it means you are your parents' biological son."
Xiao Huzi's eyes widened, stunned... What terrible news was this? He spent five coins and came to this conclusion...
Wow... Xiao Huzi couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
This terrified Jin Shanyao. "No... don't cry in my shop! If word gets out, I won't be able to explain myself!"
Xiao Huzi climbed off the chair, sobbing, wiping away his tears, and walked out heartbroken.
A roar came from outside the shop, "Five coins... what did you buy?"
Xiao Huzi cried and shouted, "I bought a hopeless case!"
Bang bang bang... Wow...
Well, I got hit again.
Jin Shanyao back in her chair, twirling a bamboo stick in her hand. The hexagram, Kan below and Dui above, represented a state of confinement. Xiao Huzi's divination seemed to have a connection to his own family.
She turned her head to look out the window, and only spoke after seeing that Xiao Huzi had been beaten enough.
" Xiao Huzi... want to buy some talisman paper? One coin."
Xiao Huzi sobbed, tugging at his mother's clothes, "Give me the money..."
"I think you're asking for a beating..." Tiger's mother was about to hit Tiger again when Shopkeeper Wang scolded her, " Jinlian... why do you always hit the child for no reason?"
Wang Jinlian dragged Xiao Huzi into the cosmetics shop. "Third Uncle... I saw Xiao Huzi go into the next shop with my own eyes, and when he came out, he had five coins gone. How could she even cheat a child out of his money?"
Xiao Huzi was displeased. "What do you mean, lying to a child? Every time I go there, it's for a proper reason. Huh... You charge people for even a scrap of cloth, but Auntie doesn't charge for doctor's visits or fortune telling?"
"I'll teach you to talk back..." Wang Jinlian said, about to hit Xiao Huzi again, but was stopped by Shopkeeper Wang, "You just moved to the prefectural city, you don't know, Jin Shanyao has some skills."
He took out a coin and was about to give it to Xiao Huzi when Wang Jinlian stopped him, saying, "Third Uncle, Xiao Huzi is so spoiled, why are you still giving him money?"
Shopkeeper Wang said impatiently, "Alright, alright, from now on stay home and don't run around."
"I'm short on rouge, aren't I?" Wang Jinlian leaned closer to Shopkeeper Wang. "Third Uncle, I heard that Anzhi Hall has a really good face cream. Can I buy you a few bottles so you can take a look?"
Shopkeeper Wang rolled his eyes. "There's half a bottle left in the Xiaohua shop. You can take it."
"Sigh... my third uncle is still the best to me," Wang Jinlian said, taking the face cream and happily carrying Xiao Huzi home.
Her husband's family owns a dye shop and has some savings. A year ago, they moved their family to Qingzhou Prefecture, and the whole process of buying a shop and decorating it is almost the end of the year.
She was unaware of the power of the Jin Shanyao, so she took the child home and told Xiao Huzi not to run around unnecessarily.
Xiao Huzi hadn't recovered from his grief; he sat alone in the study, sobbing as he looked at his books.
If he doesn't finish his homework today, the teacher will spank him tomorrow. If his father finds out he was spanked, he'll chase him around with a feather duster and beat him again, and so on.
Why is his life so miserable...?
As the sun set, Xiao Huzi was beaten again by his parents for not doing any homework. He felt extremely wronged; what kind of parents would be so cruel?
So he decided to run away from home and wander the world. He packed two sets of clothes, took a large sum of twenty coins, and crawled out through the dog hole in the backyard with a small bundle on his back.
Xiao Huzi stood at the crossroads, unsure which way to go. He thought about going to find Jin Shanyao, but then he remembered that her third maternal grandfather's house was right next door, so he gave up the idea.
Third Grandfather said there was a manor in the Anzhi Hall that took in homeless children, so he decided to go and take a look. Xiao Huzi didn't know where the manor was, so he decided to ask as he went.
A small figure on a big road, he carried a small bundle and headed west. As it grew darker, Xiao Huzi felt a sense of panic. He gripped his bundle tightly and ran up to someone by the roadside.
"Uncle... do you know how to get to the Anzhi Hall's estate?"
The man glanced at Xiao Huzi, then looked around. "Little one... are you all alone? Where are your parents?"
Xiao Huzi frowned and said, "If you know, you know; if you don't, you don't. Why are you asking my parents?" He picked up his bag and decided to ask someone else.
The man saw that the Xiao Huzi was fair-skinned and dressed in a brocade robe, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
He lowered his voice and said gently, "Little one... you didn't know I was the steward of the estate, that's why you came to ask me, did you?"
Xiao Huzi was shocked, his round eyes widening. "You're the manager of the Anzhi Hall?"
The man gave a vague "hmm," Xiao Huzi was overjoyed. "Then... then can you take me in? I know your boss."
"Alright..." The man raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on his face.