Chapter 76: Face Change
Jingwu lowered his eyes and looked at it. It was beautiful, but he really wasn't used to it.
She thought about it for a while and decided to go out wearing this outfit.
At noon, Jingwu arrived at South Street on time, entered Chen's Steamed Bun Shop, and brought out his own tables and chairs.
She had just sat down at her stall when Aunt Chen came over.
"Little Awu, you've finally come to set up your stall. I've been wanting to tell you this for the past few days. The Ren family, who live next door to me, have been getting beaten up every day. They're so afraid to even leave their house. This is truly karma!"
Jingwu immediately thought of the Ren Bei family, the little boy whose destiny had been taken away, and nodded: "Is it the wealthy family that took away Ren Bei's destiny?"
"Yes, I saw that man. He was burly and golden all over. He said that even though his son was dead, he wouldn't let the Ren couple get away with it." When Aunt Chen talked about this, her eyes couldn't help but shine. "It's really karma. When those two killed that child, they certainly didn't expect that this day would come for them."
As Jingwu listened to her rambling, a smile appeared in his eyes, and he occasionally chimed in with a few words.
A short while later, Yue Huai walked over from the other side of the street. He was dressed in dark green brocade, holding a pottery pot in one hand and two strings of candied hawthorns in the other. He sat down next to the girl and handed her the candied hawthorns.
"As soon as I stepped out of the inn, I saw a vendor selling candied hawthorns, so I bought two skewers. Here, have a taste."
Jingwu took it and replied with a smile, "Okay."
She took a bite, and the sweet and sour taste immediately spread in her mouth, making her eyes crinkle into a smile.
"It's delicious."
Yue Huai looked at her puffed-up cheeks, a smile in his eyes. As if by magic, he produced two teacups from somewhere and placed them on the table.
He took the earthenware pot and poured two cups.
"What's this?"
"Try this Pu'er tea."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up the bowl and took a sip.
The first sip was bitter and astringent, followed by a long, sweet aftertaste, making her more and more intoxicated with each sip.
Jingwu held the small teacup, looking at the carvings on it as he sipped the tea.
Yue Huai sat beside her without saying a word, just quietly watching her drink several cups.
After a while, the first divination of the day appeared.
An old woman dressed in a plain-colored dress plopped down in front of her. Her hair was neatly combed and adorned with two silver hairpins. She sized up the girl with her slanted eyes.
She pulled out ten coins, slammed them on the table, and said arrogantly, "You tell me, when will she lay an egg for me!"
The old lady reached out and pulled the person next to her, shoving her towards the table in a very unfriendly tone.
"I've been trying to conceive for ten years, and there's still no sign of pregnancy. The neighbors are all laughing at us behind our backs. How can I save face?"
The old lady's surname was Xu, and everyone around her called her Grandma Xu. She had two daughters and a son. Her daughters had all married young and now lived with their son and daughter-in-law.
She had always looked down on this daughter-in-law; she wasn't good-looking, and her family background wasn't good either. If it weren't for her son's affection, she would never have agreed to let her into the family.
Now, after ten years of marriage, there's still no sign of pregnancy.
Jingwu watched as her spittle splattered out, and with perfect understanding, he and the person next to him moved a stool back and sat down, setting up a barrier in front of them.
Then, he began to examine the woman closely.
The woman, dressed in blue, had her head bowed and her body trembling slightly, her eyes occasionally glancing at the person next to her.
Jingwu withdrew his gaze and said, "Give me the birth dates and times of your son and daughter-in-law."
Grandma Xu took out the birth information she had prepared beforehand and handed it over, giving her daughter-in-law a fierce glare: "Master, please tell me carefully what's wrong with this? Is it that people can't have children, or is it a feng shui problem?"
Jingwu calculated the birth dates and times, then pointed to one of the birth dates and asked, "Whose is this?"
“These are my son’s.” Old Mrs. Xu leaned closer for a look. “Master, have you calculated how many children my son is destined to have?”
Jingwu gave her a meaningful look, then said to the woman, "Although your family is not well-off, your brother and sister-in-law are kind. If you divorce and return home, your life will definitely be much better than in your husband's family."
Upon hearing this, the woman looked up abruptly, her pretty face still flushed. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Old Mrs. Xu beside her.
"I told you you can't have children, so get a divorce, divorce my son as soon as possible!" Old Mrs. Xu stood up abruptly and couldn't help but shove her a few times.
The woman, He Jing, was stunned by the shoving. She stood there, listening to the whispers around her, her face immediately turning red, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Her family was poor, and she had always been timid and didn't know how to fight back. After marrying into her husband's family, she was often bullied by her mother-in-law, but she didn't know how to resist and just swallowed her grievances.
He Jing timidly raised her eyes and looked at the master: "Master, is it really that I can't have children?"
Jingwu shook her head: "No, it's because your husband is not destined to have children. If you were..."
Grandma Xu jumped up, her eyes darting around, and then pointed to a birth date: "Master, you didn't make a mistake, did you? This is my son's birth date."
“I didn’t miscalculate. I even asked you about it.” Jingwu looked at her with a half-smile: “If you’re in a hurry to have a younger generation, then I suggest you have your son adopt one from an orphanage.”
Grandma Xu was stunned, but she quickly grabbed the hand of the person next to her and forced a smile.
“Jing’er, you know your mother. I’m just a little outspoken, I don’t mean any harm.”
It turns out her own son can't have children. If word gets out, who would dare marry into her family? She has to hold onto He Jing tightly and absolutely cannot let her get a divorce.
Grandma Xu had naturally doubted Jingwu's fortune-telling abilities, but the fact that everyone in the surrounding area said her fortune-telling was accurate dispelled her doubts.
Jingwu watched this rapid change of expression, his lips twitching in exasperation.
He Jing was bewildered by this change and did not respond for a moment.
Grandma Xu immediately took her hand and said with a smile, "We don't need to trouble outsiders with this matter. Let's go home, Jing'er, and I'll tell you slowly."
Aunt Chen, who had overheard the whole thing, couldn't help but exclaim, "Girl, you really need to think this through!"
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Xu glared at her fiercely, gripped her daughter-in-law's hand tightly, and hurriedly headed home.
Seeing her retreating figure, Aunt Chen couldn't help but ask, "Little A-Wu, will she get a divorce?"
Jingwu shook his head: "No, she's timid and easily swayed. Her mother-in-law's persuasion will definitely prevent her from getting a divorce. However, once her mother-in-law knows that her son is not destined to have children, she will stop deliberately making things difficult for her, and her life will be much easier from now on."
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