Chapter 210 Infallible Predictions, a Savior of the World!
As they say, stories don't happen without coincidences!
In this large forest area, there are five or six places where folk performances are held. You can run into one every time you turn around.
Lin Sicheng crept closer, only ten centimeters away, when he suddenly yelled, "Robbery!"
Gu Ming jumped up in surprise, leaping two feet into the air.
He suddenly turned around, his face darkening as he cursed, "Lin Chengwa, you Russian traitor!"
"Come on, curse again!" Lin Sicheng pretended to take out his phone. "I'll record it!"
Gu Ming reached out and grabbed Lin Sicheng by the neck: "Go ahead and record what you want!"
The two were joking around when Lin Sicheng took a moment to greet them, not forgetting to introduce them: "Hello Xinfang, this is Cousin Ye, Ye Anning!"
"Sister Anning, this is Xinfang, Gu Mingwa's girlfriend!"
Ye Anning smiled and said, "Hello!"
Li Xinfang's eyes lit up.
Gu Ming would nag all the time: "Xinfang, I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at you. I'm more accurate than a fortune teller. Have you ever met someone like that?" Lin Chengwa had finally met his match, but he deserved it.
Li Xinfang was very curious: what kind of person could make Gu Ming so shocked and be a good match for Lin Sicheng?
I finally met him today.
She is very beautiful, has a great figure, speaks softly and has a graceful demeanor.
Compared to her best friend beside her, she is indeed a little bit more eye-catching.
Looking her over, she introduced, "Assistant Ye, Gu Ming often mentions you, this is my friend Zhuang Yi..."
He pointed, and a girl sitting on the stone bench stood up. She was short, delicate, and frail.
At first glance, she really does have a bit of Lin Daiyu's temperament.
He was a bit introverted and didn't talk much. He said hello and then fell silent.
She was very quiet, and looked rather pitiful, but Ye Anning still noticed something amiss in the girl's eyes: when she looked at Lin Sicheng, the girl's gaze held a hint of curiosity. But when she looked at her, it was filled with scrutiny.
It seems she knows Lin Sicheng, but Lin Sicheng doesn't know her?
After a moment's thought, Ye Anning turned around, pursed her lips, and glanced at Lin Sicheng.
Lin Sicheng belatedly realized: This must be the girl that Gu Ming had mentioned a few times, saying that Li Xinfang wanted to introduce him to?
That was pretty awkward.
Lin Sicheng put his arm around Gu Ming's neck: "From a distance, you look like a giant dummy. What are you thinking about?"
"You're the one who's the idiot!" Gu Ming pointed at her. "Xin Fang wants this lantern; I'm solving a riddle!"
"Oh~"
Lin Sicheng responded and looked up: a lotus lantern the size of a washbasin, with a frame made of thin bamboo, covered with pink colored paper, and a candle inlaid in the center of a wire base.
Also known as lotus lanterns, they can be given as gifts between men and women, symbolizing a happy marriage. After making a wish, they are released into the water and floated away, symbolizing a long and lasting relationship.
Look closely, and you'll see two small red slips of paper hanging down beside it. One side says: ¥30, and the other side says: Forty-five days. Guess the Chinese character.
If you guess correctly, you can take it; if you guess incorrectly, you can buy it.
For Gu Ming, this wasn't difficult, but he lacked quick wit. He probably tried his best to impress Li Xinfang, but in his haste, he got stuck.
If we don't run into each other, fine; but since we do, we can't let Gu Mingwa lose face...
"Wow, this is pretty difficult?"
Lin Sicheng muttered to himself, circling the lamp once. When he turned his back to Li Xinfang, he puffed out his cheeks and said, "You came early, have you figured it out yet?"
Gu Ming's eyes darted around: "Almost there!"
He responded verbally, but in his heart he was thinking: Lin Sicheng puffed out his cheeks, could it be that he was "puffing"?
Definitely not, there's absolutely no connection between them.
That's "bloating?"
It doesn't seem like it...
With a hint of suspicion, Lin Sicheng straightened his chest muscles and then subtly touched his stomach.
After more than ten years of brotherhood, their tacit understanding was unparalleled. Gu Ming's eyes lit up: Fatty?
Haha... Forty-five days, which is half a month, doesn't that add up to getting fat?
The two exchanged a glance. Gu Ming pretended to think for a moment, then exclaimed, "Hey, boss, isn't this a 'fat'?"
Outside the pavilion, the shopkeeper was selling sachets. He glanced back and said, "Yes, they're fat. Young man, pick one yourself and bring it over so I can register it!"
"Huh, it really is the character for 'fat'?" Lin Sicheng was surprised and gave a thumbs up. "Gu Mingwa, you're amazing!"
Gu Ming feigned modesty: "It was just a sudden inspiration!"
Li Xinfang felt something was off: Gu Ming had been staring at this lamp for ten minutes straight, sweat beading on his forehead. How come he suddenly understood everything as soon as Lin Sicheng arrived?
Did the two of them exchange a secret signal?
Ye Anning didn't speak, only pursed her lips. Zhuang Yi stood quietly at the corner of the pavilion, giving Lin Sicheng a meaningful look.
It was tied quite well, and the materials were of good quality. Gu Ming used a bamboo pole to carry it and handed it to Li Xinfang.
Li Xinfang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Gu Ming, why don't you pick one for Yiyi too?"
"No problem!" Gu Ming patted his chest. "Zhuang Yi, do you want a lotus lantern too?"
Why bring up something you shouldn't say: She's all alone, who is she with?
With Lin Sicheng?
Li Xinfang glanced at Lin Sicheng and casually pointed: "Pick a vase!"
Similarly, all three lanterns cost thirty yuan and are also riddles.
Let's look at the riddle again:
Liu Bei wept bitterly, while Liu Bang laughed heartily.
Everyone was not left behind.
A lone figure stands amidst falling blossoms, while swallows fly in pairs in the light rain.
Gu Ming didn't even bother to think, and quietly gave a wink.
Lin Sicheng didn't say anything, but put his hands behind his back and pretended to walk around the lantern once.
When he got to the middle lamp, he winked twice furtively.
Gu Ming squinted: What do you mean, two, or two?
Two...wait, two?
Gu Ming suddenly looked up and stared at the most beautiful lamp in the middle: a person standing alone is "亻", and two swallows flying together is "两". Put them together, isn't that two?
The two brothers had been playing with pacifiers since they were little, and in the blink of an eye, the secret code was exchanged.
Gu Ming chuckled, "There are two of them, boss, shall I pick them?"
The shop owner was busy with business and didn't even turn his head: "Pick them!"
Li Xinfang was taken aback: How long have they been together? Doesn't she understand Gu Ming?
He's not stupid, he's just a little slow to react. Gu Ming can guess it, but he would never be this fast.
They must have exchanged secret signals with Lin Sicheng.
But the problem is, she doesn't know how the two fought.
The lantern was handed over. Li Xinfang smiled but didn't say anything. Zhuang Yi said thank you and then glanced at Lin Sicheng.
Ye Anning scoffed inwardly.
The two best lamps were taken, and there was nothing else to see, so the group left the Agarwood Pavilion.
Descending the steps leads to Xingqing Lake, which was called Longchi (Dragon Pool) during the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) and Yang Guifei (Yang Yuhuan) enjoyed the flowers in spring, boating in summer, fishing in autumn, and admiring the snow in winter.
The ice was frozen solid, with a dense array of colored lights surrounding the Bagua formation in the middle.
After looking around, Ye Anning pointed to a spot not far away: "Let's go take a look over there!"
Lin Sicheng glanced at it: Dragon Hall, the main hall of Xingqing Palace?
The main lamp on the roof is bigger than the house itself.
That's obviously not something you can guess, and it's probably not for sale anyway. But the beams and pillars under the hall are densely packed with lanterns.
They come in all sizes, with diverse shapes and beautiful forms. The most beautiful are the palace lanterns: their frames are made of carved wood, either hexagonal or octagonal, covered with colorful painted gauze, and adorned with red tassels all around.
The painting is a silhouette landscape, demonstrating considerable skill and a high level of artistry. Even if the artist isn't a famous one, they are definitely an expert.
Inside, candles were lit, and the silhouettes on the lamp surface kept rotating, vivid and lifelike.
The so-called revolving lantern is this thing, also known as the coiled dragon lantern or the fairy music candle.
It must be very expensive, and the riddles must be very difficult.
"Go take a look. If we're lucky, we can pick one for my junior brother!" Lin Sicheng stepped down the stairs. "Do you want one?"
Ye Anning pursed her lips: "Yes!"
Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi exchanged a glance: they had just come from that side and only glanced at it.
Because those lights were only meant for people to see, not for people to guess: "Death is lighter than a feather," a line from the *Records of the Grand Historian*...
How many characters are in the Records of the Grand Historian? 530,000. Who has nothing better to do than memorize that?
They're also ridiculously expensive: eight hundred for one lamp.
After a moment's thought, the group followed.
As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps, Ye Anning pointed to a hexagonal palace lantern: "How about this one?"
Lin Sicheng glanced at it: "It's made of wire, not very sturdy, the pattern is a bit too simple, and it doesn't spin!"
"Oh~" Ye Anning nodded, then looked to the side.
Gu Ming followed behind and glanced at it: it wasn't a revolving lantern, just an ordinary palace lantern made of bamboo strips, but it was much prettier than the two lanterns in Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi's hands.
Now look at the riddle: Eighteen on the left, eighteen on the right, two fours equal eight, one eight equals eight.
Let's look at the price: one hundred.
After looking at them for a while, he looked at Li Xinfang and Zhuang Yi again: "Do you want to change? If you do, let Lin Sicheng help you guess!"
Gu Ming, are you finally giving up on pretending?
Li Xinfang was both amused and exasperated: "It's so beautiful, of course I want to exchange it. But you sent me a lantern, and you expect Lin Sicheng to guess what it is?"
Besides, although it's a word puzzle, it's really hard to guess. She and Zhuang Yi just spent more than ten minutes figuring it out.
"So what? He's my brother. If we get married, you'll be his sister-in-law!"
Li Xinfang punched him: "Who's going to marry you!"
Gu Minghun didn't care and raised his head: "Lin Chengwa, what character is this?"
Lin Sicheng succinctly replied: "Fan!"
After a moment of hesitation, Li Xinfang started drawing in her palm. But after drawing for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out.
The left and right eighteen is easy to understand; it's just two "wood" characters. The bottom one plus eight makes a "big" character. But what about the middle?
"Lin Sicheng, why is the '爻' in the middle also an '八'? Is it because it looks like two '八'?"
"No, it's based on the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams: the yang line is 乂, representing nine, and the yin line is 乂, representing one. Yin and yang cancel each other out, resulting in eight... And because there are only four strokes, it's 'two fours equal eight'..."
Li Xinfang's eyes widened in surprise: No... it's just a riddle, isn't this making things difficult for me?
Of the several thousand people in the park right now, how many understand the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams?
Gu Ming was about to rush off to exchange the lamp when Li Xinfang pulled him back, glanced at the lamp in Zhuang Yi's hand, and then looked up:
"Lin Sicheng, could you pick out a cup for Zhuang Yi too... Hmm, this one is pretty too: Ziyou, playing ancient variety shows, what is this?"
"I need to think about this," Lin Sicheng said thoughtfully, then looked at Ye Anning. "Do you know anything about this?"
He can even recite the Analects of Confucius, how could he not know it?
Ye Anning smiled and said, "Mouse play! Ziyou was a disciple of Confucius. His surname was 'Yan' and his given name was 'Yan'. 'Yan' is the same as 'mouse'. 'You' means play, so it is extended to mean 'mouse play'!"
Gu Ming rolled his eyes and quickly went down the steps. Just two minutes later, someone came over carrying a long fork pole.
They even looked at them carefully for a few moments, as if they suspected them of cheating.
Then they picked down the lanterns, which turned out to be the two they had just guessed.
Lin Sicheng then pointed to the side: "Excuse me, Master, could you please bring these two as well? 'Abundant food and clothing,' from Mencius, Book of Liang Hui Wang, Part 1: 'The common people are neither hungry nor cold...unconscious: meaning ignorant, a reference to Sun Tzu's 'knowing heaven and earth'..."
The staff were stunned when they saw the two revolving palace lanterns on the beams of the hall: No... are you here to cause trouble?
Didn't you see the "1200" hanging on the lintel?
But if someone guesses it, can you really refuse to give them the prize?
He stared at Lin Sicheng for a long time before finally turning the lamp down.
Li Xinfang was stunned and speechless. He subconsciously turned his head, while Zhuang Yi lowered her eyes.
As a matter of convenience, Lin Sicheng also guessed a lantern for Gu Ming. The five people carrying lanterns walked through the main hall, attracting countless gazes.
The last two lanterns were fine, but the three revolving lanterns were the only three wooden landscape palace lanterns that were exchanged today.
The carved lantern was quite heavy and inconvenient to carry, so Gu Ming suggested putting it in the car before turning around. The group walked around the Dragon Hall and along the corridor to the main entrance.
The folk performance troupe moved to another location, while the iron flower troupe prepared molten iron. All the lanterns in the square were lit up, and there were even more people than in the afternoon.
Lin Sicheng glanced at his watch: "It's only five o'clock. Do you want to wait and watch the ironwork?"
Ye Anning was somewhat tempted, but after thinking for a moment, she shook her head: "Let's go back and eat hand-pulled noodles!"
"Would my mom let you go hungry?"
"It's impolite to go back late!"
The two whispered among themselves, and Li Xinfang sighed inwardly: They've already met each other's parents?
Unfortunately, the falling flowers are full of affection, but the flowing water is indifferent.
He was just bored, so why did he take Zhuang Yi to Xida University?
Just as he was feeling annoyed, Gu Ming pointed ahead and said, "Hey, a Taoist priest... a Taoist priest watching the folk performance?"
The group turned around in unison: not far away, only seven or eight steps away, stood a thin Taoist priest at the entrance of a side room of the Xingqing Palace.
His long hair was tied in a bun, his long beard flowed freely, and he held a jar of incense in his hand, wisps of smoke rising one after another. He exuded an air of otherworldly grace, with a youthful face and a pine-like demeanor, just like someone who had stepped out of a television drama.
Seeing this kind of attire in the city nowadays feels quite conspicuous, but seeing it from behind a Taoist priest makes it even more conspicuous:
A small storefront, with a Bagua (eight trigrams) hanging above the entrance and couplets in gold on a black background on either side:
The trigrams are arranged according to the pre-heaven order, and Qian and Kun establish the extremes to generate odd and even numbers.
The principle encompasses Taiji, and the movement of water and fire utilizes Kan and Li.
Gu Ming glanced at it twice: "Lin Sicheng, what do those two sentences mean?"
Lin Sicheng squinted: "A prophet with unwavering certainty, a savior of the world!"
Gu Ming scoffed, "What a big mouth you've got!"
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Sicheng started walking over. Gu Ming was taken aback: "What are you doing?"
"Let him calculate for me when I'll become rich."
"You're really bored... You might as well come to me for a fortune telling?"
Lin Sicheng was obviously just making things up, but the key was the incense burner that the Taoist priest was holding: two cranes, an ancient pine tree, and auspicious clouds and waves surrounding the borderlands... golden light appeared and disappeared, and bronze shone brightly.
At first glance, it really does resemble the gilded cloud and crane incense burner from the time of Emperor Yongzheng (the Yongzheng Emperor)...
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