Chapter 7 Scamming and Deceiving This comrade, your face is dark with misfortune...
After the reform and opening up, the state relaxed its control over feudal superstition, and those charlatans who relied on pretending to be gods and ghosts to cheat and swindle people in the old society gradually came into people's view again.
At first, some people would point fingers and criticize, but they gradually got used to it, especially in rural areas.
The feudal superstitious ideas of rural people are deeply rooted and cannot be dismantled by a few years of suppression. As soon as the state relaxes its control over feudal superstition, these old ideas will find loopholes and resurface.
Several years have passed, and there is already a growing trend of it becoming rampant.
Therefore, when Lin Jinshui, dressed in a Taoist robe, and Lin Jianyu entered the village, they were not only not driven away, but were also warmly welcomed.
If Lin Jinshui weren't so young, clearly a novice Taoist priest with no real skills, many people would have wanted to take them to their homes.
Lin Jinshui traveled from Nanzhao to Nanyue, passing through many villages, including many similar ones, and was already used to it. Lin Jianyu was born in the countryside and knew that most people in the countryside had not truly abandoned the old feudal superstitious ideas, especially the elderly. But she did not expect that charlatans were so popular in the countryside now. She did not know whether this village was an exception or if she was just naive.
In short, after Lin Jinshui exchanged a talisman for another hearty meal that she hadn't had in a long time, she seemed to see a secure job that would ensure she would never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of her life.
After leaving the village, she couldn't wait to say to Lin Jinshui, "Master, teach me how to draw talismans! I want to deceive people too."
“It’s wrong to lie.” Lin Jinshui frowned.
Lin Jianyu knew that lying was wrong, but lying meant she could eat! When it came to basic needs, right and wrong weren't particularly important to her.
However, seeing Lin Jinshui frowning, looking as if she strongly disapproved of her lying, she wisely changed her words, saying, "I misspoke, it's not lying, it's just trying to make a living."
"You can't lie just to get a bite to eat," Lin Jinshui said.
"What about the other two?" Lin Jianyu asked tentatively.
No matter how many times you say it, you can't lie.
"Okay." Lin Jianyu nodded perfunctorily, then changed the subject, "When will Master teach me how to draw talismans?"
"I'll teach you to read first." He can't even read a few characters, yet he wants to draw talismans. He doesn't know how difficult it is to learn talismans. He's studied for so many years and can only draw a dozen or so kinds of talismans, and he can't even draw them successfully every time.
"When will Master teach me to read?"
"I'll teach you once we find a place with abundant spiritual energy." Once they find a place with abundant spiritual energy, they won't have to keep running around anymore.
"Master, if you don't want to teach, just say so. Why make excuses?" There is no such thing as a place with abundant spiritual energy in this world.
"I do want to teach you. If you're in a hurry, I can teach you some first. Are there any characters you'd like to learn?"
"I want to learn my master's name."
Shouldn't you learn your own name first?
“I came into being before my master, so I should learn my master’s name first. This is called respecting the master and valuing the way.”
"You know quite a lot."
There's actually something I don't understand.
"Oh, tell me about it."
"Why does your teacher grow rice? Can't he grow wheat?"
Lin Jinshui: "..."
It's time to put literacy on the agenda.
The master and apprentice chatted along the way and soon arrived in town.
The town belongs to the port city. Although it is not large, it has become a bustling place due to the reform and opening up policy. The streets are filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares.
Lin Jianyu had witnessed this kind of excitement for two whole years. The place she used to live was even several times more lively than this place, so there was nothing surprising about it. But today she was particularly excited because she had a master who would buy her all sorts of things.
Food, clothes, and other necessities—whatever she wanted, Lin Jinshui would buy it for her without batting an eye.
The consequence of this was that the money and tickets his senior brother had prepared for him quickly ran out, and they still hadn't bought enough food for the winter.
In order to buy food for the winter, Lin Jinshui had no choice but to set up a stall to sell talismans.
The people of Nanyue have a strong sense of clan and a prevalent ancestral hall culture. As a result, most of them highly value feng shui. It is a city that has been severely poisoned by feudal superstition. The only city in China that can be compared with it is probably the neighboring Minyue.
Therefore, even in small towns, there are still people who are superstitious.
Along their journey, they encountered several fortune tellers and feng shui masters, but Lin Jinshui was the only one selling talismans.
But the lack of competition does not guarantee a thriving business.
There was no other way; given Lin Jinshui's age, with the master and senior monk present, no one would go to buy talismans from a greenhorn.
After sitting idly for an hour without anyone paying attention, Lin Jinshui decided to learn from the fortune teller not far away and actively solicit business, even copying his lines.
"Comrade, I see that your forehead is dark, indicating that you will soon suffer a bloody disaster. At best, you will suffer a head injury; at worst, you will be in mortal danger. I happen to have a talisman that can ward off disaster and evil, and protect you from misfortune. Would you be interested in purchasing it?"
He perfectly imitated the way fortune tellers solicit business, and his lines were flawless, but unfortunately, he encountered a materialist just like Lin Jianyu.
After hearing his words, the man not only showed no interest in buying the talisman, but also scolded him, saying that he was too young to learn anything but the ways of a swindler, cheating and deceiving people everywhere, and promoting feudal superstition. He said that one day he would be dragged out and criticized.
After cursing, he spat on him and Lin Jianyu, and then left without looking back.
Lin Jianyu watched his departing figure and was about to turn around to comfort Lin Jinshui, who had suffered a setback, when he suddenly tripped over his own feet, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground. As he fell, his forehead unfortunately hit a protruding rock, and he bled.
The wound wasn't large, but it was definitely a head injury with blood flowing freely.
Lin Jinshui, who was also watching him leave, muttered to himself, "I told him his face was dark and he was going to have a bloody disaster, but he didn't believe me. Now he's suffering!"
When he told those things to that man, Lin Jianyu didn't believe him, thinking he was just learning and showing off his newfound knowledge. She never expected him to be such a jinx.
With that skill, coupled with his bluffing tactics, as long as he doesn't encounter materialists like her, he'll have no trouble finding business.
Look, business is coming to our door!
The person who came to the door was not the same man from before.
As a staunch materialist like Lin Jianyu, even though the man was badly injured, he didn't believe Lin Jinshui's nonsense. He just thought it was bad luck, got up from the ground, covered his head, and walked away cursing.
He may not believe Lin Jinshui, but many others do.
He had just called Lin Jinshui a charlatan quite loudly, and many people passing by had overheard it.
At first, these people were skeptical, after all, Lin Jinshui was quite old. But after seeing that the man had really fallen and was bleeding from his head, their attitude changed completely, and they all scrambled to have Lin Jinshui read their faces.
Lin Jinshui showed them the talismans one by one, explaining both the good and the bad points, making it all sound very reasonable. Those who believed him and weren't short of money or tickets would buy the talismans he recommended, while those who were short of money or tickets or didn't believe him would just join in the fun.
Before long, the talisman paper he brought from his sect sold out. He didn't make a fortune, partly because he sold it cheaply, and partly because he didn't bring much. He wanted to draw on the spot, but he didn't have enough yellow mounting paper. However, it was enough for them to buy food for the winter.
After selling out of talisman paper, Lin Jinshui packed up his stall and took Lin Jianyu to buy food for the winter, and also some yellow paper for mounting.
After shopping, it was already late, so the master and apprentice found a nearby guesthouse to stay for the night.
That night, Lin Jianyu took the new clothes Lin Jinshui had bought for her and took a hot bath.
After taking a shower, she looked surprisingly fair-skinned, with nice features, though she was a bit thin.
Lin Jinshui was used to seeing her covered in dirt and grime, so when he suddenly saw her in new clothes and looking clean and tidy, he almost didn't recognize her.
"After you wash yourself, you look quite like a little girl."
Lin Jianyu wanted to say that she was originally a girl, but before she could finish speaking, she suddenly realized something and quickly changed her words, saying, "Does our sect accept girls?"
"They didn't say they wouldn't accept, but no one has ever accepted." Their entire sect is made up of men; there isn't a single girl.
"It's good that you didn't say you wouldn't accept her." Lin Jianyu breathed a sigh of relief, then said something surprising: "Congratulations, Master, on becoming the first person in the sect to accept a girl as a disciple."
"What do you mean?" Lin Jinshui was a little confused.
“I’m a girl, I don’t have a penis,” Lin Jianyu said, pointing to herself.
Lin Jinshui: "..."
Lin Jinshui was momentarily at a loss for whether to be shocked that she was a girl or that she didn't have a penis, although they seemed to be the same thing.
"A little girl..."
"Um."
"Why choose clothes for a boy?" Lin Jinshui suspected she was acting.
"Because it looks good." Lin Jianyu was choosing clothes for the first time since she was a young woman getting married, so she only cared about choosing what she liked, regardless of whether the clothes were for boys or girls.
"How can you prove it?" Lin Jinshui still didn't believe she was a girl.
Lin Jianyu thought for a moment and chose the simplest and most direct way to prove it: "I can take off my pants to show you." As she spoke, she even pretended to take off her pants.
Before Lin Jinshui could even process what was happening, he shouted, "Stop right there!"
Lin Jianyu cooperated by stopping her actions of taking off her pants and asked him, "Do you believe me now?"
"Believe it or not, you're not allowed to take your pants off." Lin Jinshui was speechless at this brat.
"What if I have a little penis in my pants?"
"Whether you have a small... or not, you are not allowed to take it off."
"Boring." Lin Jianyu yawned and climbed into bed listlessly. "I'm sleepy. Master, do you want to come up and sleep with me?"
"No." Lin Jinshui refused without even thinking.
“You’ve changed. You used to sleep with me.”
“I didn’t know you were a girl before,” Lin Jinshui said. “Besides, we only slept together before, not together.” He always slept in meditation, while she lay sprawled out on her back beside him.
"Can't girls sleep together?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"No." Lin Jinshui shook his head.
"You're going to drive this little girl crazy."
"It's discrimination, not anger that makes you die," Lin Jinshui subconsciously corrected her.
"Admit it!"
Lin Jinshui utterly disregarded it.
"Cover me up properly and go to sleep."
"oh."
...
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