Liu Dashao stepped out from the village head’s house, his heart heavy with thoughts. As he walked, he reflected on the strange events he had recently encountered, convinced there must be some hidden connection between them, though he couldn’t yet see it. Above him, the sky remained overcast with suffocating clouds, as if rain were about to pour at any moment, yet not a single drop fell. Shrugging his shoulders and adjusting the strap of his bundle, Liu Dashao absentmindedly reached the street corner.
“Hey there, young man, take care on your way!”
A voice suddenly called from somewhere, stopping him in his tracks.
Liu Dashao instinctively halted and glanced around. No one else was nearby except for a fortune-teller sitting by the roadside behind him. Liu thought to himself, what could I possibly have to do with a fortune-teller? He’s just trying to make a little money by reading my fortune.
Without turning around, Liu gave a disdainful glance and lifted his foot, continuing forward as if to say, I’m not falling for your tricks—go find someone else to fool!
But before Liu Dashao had taken more than a couple of steps, the same voice buzzed in his ear again, like a repulsive fly. Liu immediately turned to look at the fortune-teller, since there was no one else around. He was certain it had to be him. So he turned around and walked back toward him. “Was it you calling me?”
The fortune-teller didn’t nod, simply replying coldly, “There’s no one else here. If it wasn’t me, who else could it have been?”
Liu Dashao took a closer look. He suddenly remembered this fortune-teller was the same one he had seen before entering the street, a man in his fifties, dragging many belongings as if moving house. The man had smiled at Liu, as if recognizing him, but Liu had ignored him and walked into the alley.
“What do you want with me? I don’t think we know each other, do we?” Liu asked impatiently.
Seeing Liu finally speak, the fortune-teller chuckled. “Meeting is fate. Young man, won’t you sit down and talk for a while?” He pulled a small stool from his side and placed it at Liu’s feet, his dark sunglasses facing him.
Liu Dashao, eager to get on with his errands, had no intention of sitting. He cut straight to the point: “Are you here to tell my fortune?”
The fortune-teller removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of half-closed eyes. He gestured for Liu to sit. “Indeed, our meeting is fate. How about a fortune reading?” Another cliché line.
Seeing his real face, Liu Dashao felt a wave of contempt. If you’re not blind, why wear sunglasses pretending to be? Isn’t that just putting on an act?
Liu sneered. “Who said we’re fated to meet? Everyone who walks past you on the street has met you once. Why don’t you tell their fortunes? Besides, appearance is innate, and destiny is predestined. Why would I need a reading? Am I just bored out of my mind?”
Liu Dashao’s dislike for the fortune-teller wasn’t just because of the sunglasses. He believed this man was a fraud, a charlatan who preyed on superstitious people for money. Liu had seen many like him in town—claiming to ward off misfortune, boasting they could guess your surname without asking—nothing but lies. The greatest tragedy for a fortune-teller is that even if they can predict others’ lives and deaths, they cannot foresee their own fate. There were exceptions, of course, such as King Wen of Zhou from the Shang dynasty, or Yuan Tiangang from the Sui and Tang periods. Liu was certain this man was a fraud because he had heard from Old Lady Fan that real fortune-tellers could only read three people a day—beyond that, their readings would be inaccurate.
Hearing Liu’s sharp words, the fortune-teller didn’t get angry but smiled instead. “Little brother, you’re mistaken. The fact that we’re speaking at all proves our connection.” Suddenly, he exclaimed, “Ah! I see your Hall of Fame is darkened, and your complexion pale. This is a strange omen of impending disaster!”
Liu Dashao was annoyed, glaring at him. “How can you speak so recklessly? With your eyes half-closed, how can you even tell my Hall of Fame is darkened and my face pale?” He turned to leave.
Upon hearing Liu’s words, the fortune-teller tried to open his eyes wider. “Young man, you must have encountered something unclean!” He continued, seemingly oblivious to Liu’s growing anger.
Liu Dashao stared at him, his irritation turning into disgust. He decided he had no reason to waste more time on such an annoying person. So he simply said, “I don’t have time for you,” and walked away.
The fortune-teller shouted after him, “Why leave so soon? Don’t you believe me?”
“I told you,” Liu Dashao replied, “don’t talk to me about this old nonsense. The moment you do, I switch into my atheist mode.”
The fortune-teller looked surprised. “Could it be that you think I’m a fraud?”
Liu shook his head and said sincerely, “You remind me more of a pyramid scheme salesman.”
And with that, he continued on his way.
Still unwilling to give up, the fortune-teller shouted again, “If you don’t exorcise the evil soon, within seven days you’ll surely face a bloodbath.”
What a waste that this guy didn’t join a pyramid scheme—he’s got the gift of the gab. If he had spoken to Chiang Kai-shek, the Generalissimo might have become a lifelong Marxist believer.
“Your amulet must have fallen off!”
Before Liu Dashao had walked far, the annoying voice came again from behind. He ignored it and kept walking, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. How did he know I had a jade pendant around my neck? Could he really have seen that in a reading? Liu’s heart began to race. He instinctively reached for his chest—where was the pendant? He thought perhaps it had slipped behind him, so he reached into his collar, but found no pendant, not even the string. Feeling uneasy, he turned back and looked at the fortune-teller, who gave him a faint, knowing smile.
Liu Dashao now realized this fortune-teller was no ordinary man.
He immediately turned and walked back toward him, trembling as he stood before him. “Exactly who are you?”
“I’m just a fortune-teller.” The man no longer smiled, sitting expressionless. He remained calm because Liu had returned on his own, not at his invitation. He had already won.
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