Chapter 44 Learn another trick: Kick the ball back

After reminiscing about the past, He Qiaobo looked worried:

"Master, it's about that movie last time. The director asked me to add another 300 million before filming can begin. I'm always worried. I really need your help in making the decision on this matter."

My heart skipped a beat. If Master said we could invest the 500 million, plus another 300 million, and if we lost money, our friendship would be almost over. Master's reputation would also be damaged.

My master values ​​his reputation more than his life. He was a little angry today, so he asked me to attend the training class.

Now, will the master tell Mr. He’s fortune?

A strange atmosphere hung in the air, and I felt a shiver of fear. I thought to myself, "Please don't make the decision for him." This kind of person, having graduated from elementary school and made a few bucks, wants to transform himself and try something elegant.

The air almost froze.

I was very nervous.

He Qiaobo looked at his master.

A loud voice broke the silence.

The master laughed loudly, leaving He Qiaobo and I puzzled and looking at him together.

After the master finished laughing, his expression became serious. "Mr. He, whenever something important happens, my master, Taoist Hongyuan, taught me the best method. It's more accurate than fortune-telling."

He Qiaobo hurriedly said, "Master, please explain."

I was also eagerly waiting for Master's instructions.

Master said to me, "Remove everything from the coffee table."

I took away all the tea, fruit plates, and ashtrays.

The master said slowly, "Just cast your divination on this coffee table. If the divination doesn't fall to the ground, everything will go smoothly."

I immediately found a pair of bronze hexagrams from the bookcase.

The master said to He Qiaobo, "I can't tell you this hexagram. You have to tell it yourself. As the saying goes, 'It's better to look within yourself than to look to others.' All the information about your success or failure is reflected in the hexagram. I can make a judgment for you."

Great, this move was really great, the ball was kicked back to He Qiaobo.

Mr. He took the divination and threw it on the table. One piece of the divination rolled to the edge of the table, sticking out half of its body, but did not fall down.

The master smiled and said, "Good fortune."

Mr. He made the second divination, "One piece is on the table, and one piece has fallen to the ground."

When Mr. He made the third guess, the two pieces rolled on the table a few times and then fell to the ground.

The master smiled to himself and said, "The first time it landed on the table, it meant that my prediction was correct the last time we met, and you can invest. The second and third times it landed on the floor, it means the situation has changed, and additional investment will fail."

Mr. He clasped his hands together and said, "With these words from the master, my direction is clear. I will not invest in this film."

The master smiled slightly and said, "You'd better focus on your main job."

Mr. He sighed, "The poor have their own worries, and the rich have their own worries. If I don't find an investment target for my money in the bank, it will depreciate day by day."

I suddenly had an inspiration and thought of the Shen family courtyard.

While waiting for Mr. He to go to the bathroom, I told my master my thoughts - the Shen family compound is worth investing in, whether it is tourism development or buying the entire compound, it is a good business.

My master thought about it and couldn't help but praise me: "This is a good idea. First, it solves a problem for the government. It's a dangerous building. Second, whether it is developed or demolished, the people inside can live in new houses. Go ahead, talk to Mr. He about it."

When He Qiaobo came out, the master said happily: "Shanhong has something I want to tell you. I think it is also an investment direction."

He Qiaobo nodded.

So, I told Mr. He about the Shen family courtyard. At first, Mr. He was reluctant to listen, but when he heard me say that the windows, arcades, hanging towers, and gatehouses were all made of nanmu, he waved his hand and said:

"Your information is very good."

On January 2nd, the weather was beautiful and windy. Mr. He had told me to avoid disturbing anyone, so he didn't even bring a driver, and asked me to pick him up at the hotel.

I just called Lao Lin and didn't say anything, just that his wife cooked well and I wanted to go and see the delicious food and buy some turtles.

We were silent the entire way. I remembered Master's teachings and tried to keep my conversation to a minimum. After all, he was Master's most important client. Mr. He also seemed reluctant to talk, closing his eyes and resting as soon as he got in the car.

In less than forty minutes, the car stopped in front of the yard gate.

As expected, Lao Lin had been waiting in the square for a long time. When we met, I introduced Mr. He as a friend of my master, who wanted to go to the countryside to get some fresh air.

Mr. He smiled and said, "Oh, there's such a big old yard. I'll go take a look around."

Lao Lin hurriedly said, "I'll accompany you."

The three of us entered the yard.

This alarmed the residents of the courtyard, and many people greeted me, calling me by various names: Master Wan, Master Wan, Comrade Wan, Mr. Wan...

Suddenly, a voice came from the front door: "Teacher Wan is here?"

I looked back and saw that it was the village party secretary.

Secretary Shen strode briskly across the corridor and extended his hands for me to shake. I hurriedly introduced him, "This is Mr. He, a friend of my master."

He held Mr. He's hand with both hands and shook it several times: "Welcome, Mr. He, my last name is Shen, I used to be the owner of this yard, but I'm not the owner now."

I added, "The village secretary."

Mr. He said with a humorous smile: "If I had met you in the past, I would have called you Master."

Secretary Shen also laughed and said, "Times have changed. Now we call him old man."

It was obvious that Mr. He was very satisfied with the yard, but he concealed it by saying:

"I have a soft spot for old houses. I love to visit these grand courtyards. Shanhong said your Shen family's courtyard is nice, and I immediately became interested. Now that we've met the owner, you have to introduce him to us."

Secretary Shen added, "There are quite a few people here: Chinese, foreigners, township leaders, county leaders, city leaders, and leaders from the provincial cultural relics department. I've practically become a full-time tour guide."

I interrupted, "Your ancestors must have had many stories. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to build such a large compound." Secretary Shen was forthright: "Come on, let's talk while we walk."

Wherever he went, Secretary Shen would tell a story.

If we go back more than a hundred years, it was like this:

A young man named Shen often carried a load of kiln goods (jars and pots) on his shoulder and walked between distant and nearby villages. One day, he tripped over a rope while walking, and his body fell, causing the kiln goods to fall to pieces.

He was afraid of being beaten by his father when he returned home, so he sat on the ground and cried bitterly. He cried until his tears dried up. Just as he was about to get up, an old man walking with a cane came over.

The old man saw the young man's face covered with tears and saw the broken pieces of kiln goods scattered on the ground. He said, "Why are you crying? It's a good thing."

The young man said angrily, "What good thing is this?"

The old man said, "You can't go home. If you go home, you will be beaten up."

The young man nodded.

The old man asked, "Do you have any money left? If so, take some rice and tell them you've sold all the kiln goods and that all the money went to the rice."

The young man thought this was a good idea, but he didn't have much money and couldn't collect much rice. He still couldn't hide it when he got home.

The old man saw what he was thinking and said to him pitifully, "I have some money on me. I'll give it to you."

The young man was puzzled. Why would someone give him money for no reason? While he was wondering, the old man said:

"I've observed the celestial phenomena and predict that in three years there will be a severe drought, and no crops will be harvested. When you have money, harvest the grain and you will become rich."

The young man asked, "Sir, if you can predict so well, why don't you ask your family to harvest the grain?"

The old man smiled and said, "Family? I don't have any family." Then he left.

Mr. He smiled and said, "Every house has a legend."

Unexpectedly, Secretary Shen became anxious and said word by word: "This is not a legend, it is absolutely true."

After that, young people would harvest grain whenever they had some extra money. Three years later, a severe drought struck, and the harvest was completely wiped out, causing widespread suffering. This was how my ancestor earned his first fortune.

From then on, he made a fortune by doing rice business. The young man traveled a lot, gained a lot of experience, and built this house.

Mr. He nodded as he listened, but I observed that he was just going through the motions, his eyes were completely attracted by the exquisite carvings.

After watching for more than an hour, I finally finished. However, the villagers were not as enthusiastic as Secretary Shen. They greeted me when they saw me, while those who needed to bask in the sun did so, and those who needed to take care of their children did so.

Secretary Shen called me aside and whispered in my ear, "He's coming to invest?"

I shook my head. “I’m not sure.”

Secretary Shen said eagerly, "If he can buy the house and develop it into a tourist destination, the courtyard can be well protected, and the villagers can rebuild elsewhere. It won't cost much."

I encouraged, "You can ask him."