When I told her I wanted to find a master, Sister Wu didn't ask any more questions.
Give me an address so I can go find Master Jin.
However, before hanging up, he repeatedly reminded me that Jin Ye's abilities were undeniable, but his temper was a bit bad.
I didn't take it seriously. It's normal for capable people to be arrogant.
When my grandfather was alive, people would bring gifts to ask him for favors, but he would kick them out along with the gifts. He would refuse to see them, regardless of their status.
I suspect that my grandfather died because he offended someone. Otherwise, how could he have died so suddenly when he was perfectly healthy?
But that's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that.
...
Jinye runs a small shop specializing in paper money and paper offerings at the Wuhua Funeral Supplies Wholesale Market.
Before we arrived, we thought it would be a desolate and lonely place, since it sells items related to death and should have a somewhat eerie and quiet atmosphere.
However, the scene before us was far beyond our expectations.
The market was bustling with activity, a sea of people.
The narrow passageway was packed with people coming and going, and a crowd gathered in front of each stall.
Various paper-made objects were piled high on the stall, including realistic mansions and villas, paper yachts, and even several paper figures drawn to resemble popular celebrities.
Su Mingyang nudged me with his elbow and said with a grin, "Old Chen, look at this, the treatment after death is really not bad. We live and work our butts off, and we don't even know when we'll be able to live in a villa and drive a luxury car. But this guy has a yacht and a helicopter. It's better to be dead than alive."
I glanced at him and said, "How about one of you dies?"
"Pah, pah, pah! Children say the darndest things!"
Su Mingyang spat three times, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked me where Jin Ye's shop was.
I glanced at the address Sister Wu sent and said, "Sister Wu didn't give me the house number, she just told me that Master Jin's shop is called Wangsheng Pavilion. Why don't you go and ask around? I'll go to the supermarket next door and buy two cartons of cigarettes."
Su Mingyang agreed.
When I came out after buying the cigarettes and alcohol, I saw Su Mingyang and an old man fighting next to the public toilet.
The old man was thin and looked to be in his seventies or eighties. At that moment, he was being lifted into the air by Su Mingyang by the collar, just like a little chick.
How did a simple request for directions turn into a fight?
When I saw it, Su Mingyang's fist was already raised, looking like he was preparing to deliver a heavy blow.
The old man was a tough nut to crack. He closed his eyes and taunted, "Go ahead and hit me if you dare. See if I lie down and try to extort money from you."
Su Mingyang, who had a short temper, widened his eyes upon hearing this and prepared to throw a punch.
Fortunately, I managed to squeeze into the crowd and grab him in time.
What would happen if that punch landed?
If you win, you go to jail and lose money; if you lose, you're hospitalized and lose money as well.
What are you doing?!
Su Mingyang pointed at the blood-stained sanitary napkins on the ground and cursed, "This old bastard followed a young girl into the women's restroom to peep, and when I caught him, he even stuffed sanitary napkins into my pocket, accusing me of stealing them!"
These words caused an uproar in the audience.
The old man wasn't angry. He calmly straightened his slightly wrinkled collar, then pointed to his slightly open eyes.
"With eyesight like mine, let alone if I went in to spy, even if you stood in front of me with your legs spread apart, I still couldn't see you!"
Not only me, but Su Mingyang was also dumbfounded.
The old man's eyes seemed to be shrouded in a thick, murky gray-white fog, like two dark, dry wells, lifeless and without light.
He is blind.
"No, he really just now..."
Su Mingyang pointed at the old man, his face flushed and his neck thick with anxiety, and he could barely speak.
I quickly stepped forward to stop him, and said to the old man with a big smile, "Sir, I'm really sorry. My friend may have made a mistake and lost his mind. Please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."
The old man sneered, "I don't think you've lost your mind. You just think I'm old and easy to bully, right? Young people should learn some good things. Back in my day, just the fact that you went into the women's restroom would have been enough to get you arrested and shot!"
"you……"
Upon hearing this, Su Mingyang became so angry that his neck swelled up even more, his cheeks puffed out, and he was determined to argue.
When I realized something was wrong, I quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him away.
While pulling him, she whispered in his ear, "Don't be impulsive. We have important business to attend to. Don't cause trouble at this critical moment."
Su Mingyang angrily shook off my hand: "Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that the old man is old, I would have definitely beaten him up!"
I said, "Alright, let's get down to business first."
Su Mingyang wasn't someone who didn't know what was important or urgent. After grumbling a couple more times, he went with me to inquire about the location of the Wangsheng Pavilion's shop.
I had heard from Sister Wu that Master Jin was very powerful, and I subconsciously assumed that the paper fire shop that Master Jin ran must be very high-end.
Even if it's not exactly magnificent, its scale must be considerable.
But when we finally found it after asking around, we even doubted whether we had gone to the wrong place.
The shop was located in an inconspicuous corner of the street. The storefront was narrow and cramped, and the paint on the walls had long since peeled off, revealing the rough bricks underneath.
A dilapidated wooden door was half-open, its hinges rusted, and a creaking sound came from the door panel when the wind blew through the cracks.
A faded sign hangs on the door, the words blurred, but the three characters "[Wang Sheng Ge]" can be barely made out.
Through the dusty little window, you can see that the shop is dimly lit, with paper effigies piled up haphazardly, making the space seem even more cramped.
It was completely different from the grand and spacious shop we had imagined.
"You must have gotten the wrong person."
Su Mingyang looked at the dilapidated sign and couldn't believe it. He even asked me to call and confirm.
I suggested we go in and take a look; perhaps they're just hiding their true abilities.
Often, truly capable people disdain outward appearances.
Upon entering the house, I saw an old man sitting in a recliner with his eyes half-closed.
Holding a radio in his left hand and a palm-leaf fan in his right, he swayed gently to the rhythm of the Beijing opera playing on the radio, tapping out the beat.
"Damn, isn't that the old man from earlier?"
Su Mingyang exclaimed in surprise.
I also had a bit of a toothache, so I stepped forward and tentatively asked, "Mr. Jin?"
"Oh?"
Jin put down the radio, his eyes half-open, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"What? You missed earlier, so you've chased me all the way home?"
These words made Su Mingyang so embarrassed that he wished he could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes on the spot.
"Mr. Jin, we were wrong just now, please forgive us!"
Su Mingyang was a man who could bend and stretch, so he quickly forced a smile and apologized.
"I will not forgive!"
When I realized something was wrong, I quickly and respectfully handed over the two large packs of Da Zhong Jiu liquor that I had bought from the supermarket earlier.
"Mr. Jin, I apologize for my previous offense. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."
Jin hummed in agreement and took the cigarette, saying, "I appreciate your kind gesture. You may leave now."
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