Chapter 136 Should I Be a Fortune Teller?
It's impossible for me to become his apprentice; I can't exactly call him "master."
He looked so nonchalant and irresponsible; he didn't look like a teacher at all.
Junior brother, it's not out of the question.
On the way back, Song Chunxue walked ahead, feeling both scared and overjoyed.
Although she was almost scared out of her wits, she did get a share of the gold!
If it weren't for tonight's trip, she would never have met Jinzi in either of her lives.
Let alone owning it, you might not even be able to see it.
"Hmph, hmph..."
It's almost October, and this bird, which is said to be the night watchman, often calls out in the middle of the night.
If it's barking in front of someone's yard, it's definitely not a good sign.
Song Chunxue usually falls asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), and if she hears this, she will shrink into the quilt.
With Master Zhang following behind her, she became very bold.
Master Zhang walked so slowly that it made people quite anxious.
"Hurry up, or someone will see us when it gets light."
Song Chunxue turned to urge him on, but saw him suddenly stop.
In an instant, her hair stood on end, and Song Chunxue couldn't help but run to him.
"What's wrong?" She held her breath, afraid that he had seen something he shouldn't have.
“Observing the celestial phenomena,” Master Zhang looked up at the sky and said calmly, “Why don’t you go back first? I’ll go up to the mountaintop to meditate.”
"You..." Song Chunxue was furious. "Do you think I dare to go back alone?"
Although she could grit her teeth and grit her teeth to run back, the mere thought of it made her legs go weak.
“That’s fine too. It wouldn’t be good if my newly accepted junior brother was scared to death.” Master Zhang lifted his leg and walked forward. “I’ll come back when you get home.”
"..." It's quite troublesome, but Song Chunxue doesn't want to refuse right now.
After descending the steep mountain path and arriving at the sheepfold, Song Chunxue turned to look at him.
"That's enough, you can go up the mountain now..."
Unexpectedly, Master Zhang was already standing four or five meters away from her.
"Junior brother, go back first. I'll be back for something to eat after dawn. Don't start working in the fields so early. I'll teach you how to meditate when we get back."
After saying that, he turned around nimbly.
That straight back, like a patrolling general in the dark night, truly fearless of ghosts and gods.
Song Chunxue took two shovels and quietly went home.
Looking at the things the Taoist priest had given her, she was so excited she couldn't sleep. She wanted to take a closer look but didn't want to turn on the light.
I simply held it in my arms, and after dawn I would take a look at it a couple of times before locking it up.
Gold is such a valuable thing, it certainly can't be locked in a box.
What if they even steal the box?
After much deliberation, she put the bracelet in the box and stuffed the rest into the gap between the cabinet and the wall behind the old quilt.
The cabinet was very large, and it was covered with many old items, making it impossible for one person to move it.
Even if a thief came, he wouldn't think of moving the cabinet.
She wouldn't use those things unless absolutely necessary.
She drifted off to sleep.
I slept for at most an hour and a half. When the rooster crowed for the third time, it was already broad daylight.
After being woken up, Song Chunxue felt dizzy.
She rarely stays up late, except when she gets older and can't sleep at night and wakes up early in the morning; her sleep has always been good.
She was still relatively young, and feeling very sleepy, she felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded.
But she couldn't let the children know that she had gone to dig up the grave last night.
She got up as usual to tidy the house, feed the chickens and add hay for the donkey, and then washed her face to prepare soup.
Sanwa also got up and was reciting a book under the apricot tree by the sheepfold.
Seeing him so engrossed in his reading, Song Chunxue felt a surge of pride.
The other children had never gotten up this early to go outside and recite their lessons.
As she was adding a mixture of donkey dung, leaves, and dirt to the kang (a heated brick bed), the eldest brother stood at the entrance of the thatched kiln, a steamed bun dangling from his mouth, watching her.
"Mother, is Master Zhang home? Did he go out last night?"
Song Chunxue paused in her steps.
"I vaguely heard him talking in the middle of the night. I don't know if he went somewhere. I heard that some Taoist priests would climb over walls to steal things, and some would dig up graves."
"..." She, as the mother, also went to dig up graves last night, feeling extremely guilty.
"Although he has helped us a lot, Mother, it's still better to be careful. You can't be too careful, he's still a man."
How could Song Chunxue not understand what he meant? It's just that the eldest brother didn't care about these things before, but now he knows to worry about this?
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Song Chunxue said this and went about her business.
After being busy for a while, I returned to the yard. The fourth brother was up, having just washed his face.
He leaned close to Song Chunxue and whispered, "Mother, Master Zhang isn't sleeping in his room. Where did he go? Is anything missing from your room?"
"I heard they all have sleeping pills. What if they steal Mother's money box? Go and check on them quickly."
Just as Song Chunxue was about to say something, she heard Zhang Daoshi talking to the eldest brother outside the courtyard.
"That's right. I couldn't sleep last night, so I went to the nearby mountains to see if I could dig up anything good. Unfortunately, the mountains are too poor."
"Ah yes, the time from dawn to sunrise is perfect for meditation. In the middle and late part of the month, when the sun and moon shine together in the early morning, I can absorb the essence of heaven and earth. How can I sleep at such a good time?"
The Taoist priest walked into the courtyard as he spoke.
“Your third brother is very hardworking. He is very smart and remembers what he reads best at this time of day.”
"Oh right, I took out some talismans last time, but I forgot to give you a replacement talisman that can help couples get along. I happened to write two on this trip, so I'll give them to you."
The old man thanked him and came over to take the talisman.
"Of course, if I would like to stay another day, I hope you will not have any objections."
"Oh, by the way, I think your mother has a strong affinity with Taoism. Now that you're all grown up, you're bound to feel lonely and miserable. Rather than finding a man, it would be better to cultivate in seclusion, at least you'd have something to look forward to. Don't you think so?"
Song Chunxue carried two bowls of soup to the north room and happened to hear him say this.
She thought to herself, "Master Zhang is so thoughtful."
I'm afraid she might suddenly become delusional and frighten the children, so I'm letting them know in advance.
Life is full of disappointments. She had a very hard and tiring life in her previous life. Now that she is fifty and knows her destiny, she has a vague idea that she wants to learn something so that she can have something to look forward to.
Unfortunately, she didn't have that realization for long. Soon, because of her children's disappointments, she fell into a quagmire of pain and regret, and her heart was in turmoil.
Although she often finds inner peace now, she inevitably falls into new quagmires again.
"Come and have some soup."
Song Chunxue called out, and Sanwa and Zhang Daoshi came in from outside.
They chatted and laughed, and Master Zhang even patted Sanwa's head.
Song Chunxue frowned. He didn't want Sanwa to be exposed to this too early; he still wanted to get married and have children.
"The mountain you're backing is quite good; it's stable and secure. If you find the right location, you're sure to produce some outstanding young people."
Song Chunxue handed him the chopsticks, "Aren't you leaving today, Daoist Master?"
Master Zhang picked up a dark-colored flatbread, took a bite, and asked, "Junior brother, are you trying to get rid of me?"
"..." The third child and the fourth child were both stunned.
"Junior brother?" The fourth brother looked left and right, his gaze finally settling on Song Chunxue. "Mother, you won't abandon us to wander the world, will you?"
"Does Mother want to be a fortune teller?"
Sanwa looked at her intently, "Actually, it's good if someone can chant incantations to cure illnesses. It would be even better if they could draw talismans and read feng shui. Anyway, Mother is all alone, so there's no need to worry about being scolded by my father for not doing her job properly. Our village just happens to be lacking a shaman."
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