Chapter 205 New Troubles

Life looks beautiful.

In February of the first year of Shangzhou, Xiaolin came to the provincial capital and opened a shop called "Yamei Grooming" with a former classmate. They lived a stable life of going to work and coming home every day. Yifan went to learn acupuncture from Master Shu.

In March, Mingbai passed the written test and interview and was finally transferred to the provincial department.

In April, a press conference for Bai Yun's new work, "Master Hongyuan," was held at the Provincial Library. I was quite the star.

In May, my sister and I opened a restaurant called "Wan Yu Tou" (Ten Thousand Fish Heads), featuring "boiled live fish." They no longer lived with us, but made the restaurant their home.

As a family that had come from the mountainous region of He Village to venture into the world, my family was quite prosperous. We were the rising star of He Village and even Heshui Town.

But I am not happy.

Even very distressed.

I contacted my master almost every month, reporting everything, big or small, to him. So, I called him. He had moved into the Qinglong Temple in the suburbs of Shanghai. I recounted my troubles:

First, the procedures in such a company are too complicated, and it is not easy to get anything done.

The second is a cultural consultant, who is really just a consultant. Even the "water war" that Mr. Chen affirmed was denied by the expert group on the grounds of "safety."

Third, when it's dry, it's dreadful; when it's flooded, it's devastating. Sometimes I'm constantly busy, with Mr. Chen taking me to social events here and there. Sometimes I'm just sitting around all day. Even the nightlife at the hotel isn't good for business.

The master pondered for a moment and said, "In our line of work, I've told you that it's like a doctor seeing patients every day; only then can his skills improve. You sit in a hotel, charging such high fees, and are out of touch with the people. This line of work relies on accumulation.

Secondly, you're sitting in the wrong place. A hotel has no symbolic significance. You should either open your own studio or sit in a Taoist temple. Otherwise, your skills will be wasted sooner or later."

I shuddered when I heard that and said, "Opening a private studio is impossible at the moment. I'm taking his salary. I can only go to the Taoist temple."

"Yes. You've told me a lot about the situation, and I basically understand it. The so-called apprentice you brought in can't be of much help."

"Yes, he's a relative of mine. He's got a lot of talent, but his education level is too low. So, I came up with an idea. I want him to learn acupuncture and massage, so he can have a skill to make a living in the future."

"That's right. What do you think of the assistant Nanxi introduced to you?"

After Master reminded me of this, I said, "That's right. If you take Shiyu as your apprentice, at least I don't need to teach him about Taoism. He can also read faces and tell fortunes, so he will have a higher level of understanding."

The master said, "You should be more cautious and accept him as your disciple."

Finally, I boldly raised a question: "Master, you once told me that I couldn't get married until I was 30. This October, I'll be 27. Do I have to wait until then?"

Master said, "Now I can tell you. It was Lan Xin's mother who suggested this. I told her that Shan Hong should not get married until she was thirty.

You and Lan Xin are not suitable for each other. Later, I was afraid that Lan Xin's mother would come to find you, so I said those words to you."

I almost fell off the sofa.

"Oh, the new book of 'Master Hongyuan' has been published. I'll send you 500 copies so you can give them to your friends."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I'll ask Xiaoli to go to the bookstore and buy some more. You've done a great thing, Master Guang.

Finally, I want to remind you that you will have to leave a company like that sooner or later, so be prepared to leave."

After hanging up the phone, the first thing I called was my brother-in-law, telling him to come back for lunch no matter what.

"What's the big news? I can come back right now. It's not like the past now. It's much more formal. We just have a regular meeting every morning and then everyone goes to work separately."

"Come back now."

I didn't drive. It would take me half an hour to drive there, but only ten minutes to walk.

I walked along the riverbank, thinking. Master's last words were that I would leave sooner or later, and I needed to be prepared to do so.

Yes, for someone in my industry, I can only live in a Taoist temple or work alone.

At that time, facing the exclusion from the Wuxiang fortune-telling community, the suppression from my Xiang family, and the financial pressure, I made such an immature decision only after Lao Xiao’s enthusiastic invitation.

Without a master to guide me, I still lack great wisdom.

So, how do I extricate myself from the Early Sun?

Parents must be given a place to live.

Yes, a place to live. When I leave, I must have the ambition to return this house to the Rising Sun. A bold plan slowly became clear in my mind.

However, at this moment, what I want my family to know most is Master’s endless care and love for me.

When I got home, my mother looked at me and asked, "You're back so early?"

I nodded: "Cook one more meal at noon, my brother-in-law will be back."

"Just make a phone call."

"I miss you. I want to spend more time with you."

"After the New Year, you have no free time. You are busy every day and I don't know what you are busy with."

"Eat, drink, and sit."

"What is sitting still?"

“It’s just sitting in a room with nothing to do and no one to leave.”

My mother brought me a cup of tea and sighed, "This money is not easy to earn."

As I was speaking, my brother-in-law came back.

My mother made another cup of tea and brought it over. As soon as my brother-in-law sat down, he asked, "Where's Dad?"

"People with culture find a group of friends in big cities. They go to the park every day, play the erhu with a group of people, and even set up a senior band. Aren't there a few retired old ladies in that band? They're in their sixties, but they still dress like fairies."

My brother-in-law and I laughed out loud.

I waved and said, "Mom, please come and sit here. I want to tell you something important."

My mother glanced at me and sat down: "Are you planning to get married?"

"It's somewhat related to marriage, but it's not a marriage. Let me tell you a strange story. After hearing it, my brother-in-law slapped himself three times. Since you are the elder, please don't do it."

When my mother heard this, she raised her hand, pretending to hit me. My brother-in-law looked bewildered and said, "Stop talking nonsense and tell me quickly."

I said, "Initially, it was you, my brother-in-law, who suggested that Master want Lan Xin to marry me. And Mom, you said it was a certainty. But what happened next? I called Master and asked if marriage was strictly 30 years old. Do you know what he said?"

"What did you say?" my mother asked.

My brother-in-law probably guessed the result and just laughed.

I said, "Master's original words were, at that time, Lan Xin's mother had such an idea, and asked Master to tell me, Master told Lan Xin's mother that Shan Hong should not get married until she is 30 years old.

He was afraid that Lan Xin's mother would come looking for me, so he said to me, Shan Hong, you should wait until you are thirty before getting married. Finally, the master said, Lan Xin and I are not suitable.

My mother leaned forward. "Were we all wrong?"

My brother-in-law slapped me in the face several times: "You deserve a beating."

My mother opened her mouth, speechless for a long time. Finally, she said, "Master is a good man. He loves you more than his own son." Then she stood up and left.

My brother-in-law said awkwardly: "A scholar is useless."

I smiled and said, "I don't blame you. Your reasoning was reasonable. It's just that Master didn't want to explain it clearly for fear of offending Lan Xin's mother."

At this time, my mother came out with a paper bag and said, "This is the Gastrodia elata that Yifan gave me during the Chinese New Year. It's really good. Send it to Master. It's a good thing for nourishing the brain."

I was thinking about how to tell Mr. Chen about my idea. My mother said loudly, "Did you hear that?"

I took the paper bag and said with a smile, "I'll send it this afternoon. Ask the master to stew chicken with Tianma."

My brother-in-law chuckled.