Chapter 110 [VIP]
Ji Nanke's carriage slowly drove away.
The blind man hurriedly packed up his fortune-telling stall, his movements exceptionally swift.
Zheng Si walked over: "I think..."
Before he could even sit down and finish speaking Gu Zhizhuo's instructions, the blind man declined, saying, "I just did a divination, and today is going to be very unlucky. I'll close up shop now. Please come back tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he took out a cane, tapped it on the ground, pushed the stall away, leaving Zheng Si behind.
Zheng Si initially wanted to order his attendant to stop the man, but then he remembered what Miss Gu had said: he had to pretend to be a down-on-his-luck, disillusioned man. He hesitated for a moment, and the man walked away. His muddled mind was still slowly contemplating: Isn't he blind? How can he walk so fast?
He shook his head, staggered back to the tavern, and mumbled, "Sister, she's gone."
Gu Zhizhuo ignored the drunkard and stared outside, asserting, "It should be him."
She could clearly see Ji Nanke talking to the old blind man. Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, the old blind man gave Ji Nanke a red lucky bag with the words "marriage" faintly visible on it.
Ji Nanke came to ask for a marriage charm?
For Xie Jing? The thought immediately crossed Gu Zhizhuo's mind. Xie Jing was devoted to her; she had no need to go to such lengths, unless it was for someone else, like the Ji family.
This is interesting!
Upon hearing this, Zhou Liulang's breath caught in his throat. He peered in the direction the blind man had left and hurriedly asked, "Sister, was that the old blind man who gave the talisman to Scholar Zhang?!"
Gu Zhizhuo nodded.
She picked up the folded lucky bag from the octagonal table and said to Zheng Si, "This should also be the gift he gave to the young master of the Liu family."
The hair inside belongs to the groom. With this hair present, through the blessing incantation of the marriage charm, Miss Zheng Liu will fall in love with the groom. Then, he will falsely accuse her, driving her to the brink of despair.
Zheng Si was stunned.
Zhou Liulang knew more and pulled him aside to explain.
Zheng Si: Really?!
Zhou Liulang nodded heavily: "Think about it, how could Sister Lin do such a stupid thing!"
Zheng Si gripped the wine cup tightly, and with a snap, the cup shattered. The broken pieces of porcelain pierced his fingers, and the pain instantly cleared his chaotic mind.
Hey, you little brat surnamed Liu!
"Liu Ling harbored resentment because of that concubine, and deliberately sought revenge!"
Zheng Si gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go and bring that blind man back."
Zhou Liulang's hatred was no less than his, and he also wanted to go.
"Wait a minute," Gu Zhizhuo interrupted, adding, "Young Master Zhou, find any excuse to ask the waiter where the blind man lives. Remember, don't act like you're about to start a fight."
Gu Zhizhuo was thinking that Ji Nanke hadn't gone far yet, and if they made too much noise and attracted Ji Nanke's attention, things would get messy later.
Zhou Liulang left quickly and returned quickly. As soon as he got back, he immediately said, "I live in Swallow Tail Lane. I told the waiter that I wanted to go to the old blind man to ask for a marriage talisman, and I gave the waiter a silver coin. The waiter immediately told me."
After he finished speaking, his eyes were fixed on Gu Zhizhuo, eagerly waiting for him to agree.
Gu Zhizhuo nodded: "Brother, let's go together too."
Too many people could not go. Apart from Gu Yican, only Zhou Liulang and Zheng Si, who were the most deeply involved, were brought along.
Gu Yican casually dismissed everyone else. The playboys didn't have the habit of going home so early, so they discussed going to see a play together in twos and threes.
"Brother Can, when you're done with your work, come find us at Xiangxi Tower!"
Okay!
"Let's have drinks together tonight."
Gu Zhizhuo went downstairs and mounted his horse.
Swallow Tail Alley is not far from Cat Street, at the intersection of the East and South City. Thousands of people live in this crowded alley. Entering from the alley entrance, you'll find a maze of lanes of all sizes. Most of the houses in the alley are low-rise bungalows, but there are also a few courtyards with one room per room, where seven or eight families often live.
At this time, many people are out working, and only children are running around in the alley.
The women washing clothes in front of the house would occasionally look up and stare at them. Even though they were just standing in the alley, they looked like they had been patched with silk and satin on their cloth clothes, which was particularly glaring.
How do we find it?
Zheng Si could hardly believe that such a place existed in the capital.
"Haven't you heard the saying 'the south is poor and the north is lowly'? There are many poor places in the south of the city, don't make a fuss." Zhou Liulang had come here to see Zhang Xiucai before, so he was already mentally prepared, which made Zheng Si seem like he had never seen the world.
He stopped a child carrying a bucket to fetch water from the well, gave him a few candies, and asked, "Do you know where the old blind fortune teller lives? Take me there, and these are all for you."
The child was covered in dirt, her face stained, and it was only when she spoke that you could tell she was a girl.
She shook her head: "I don't want candy, can you give me a copper coin?"
A young master like Zhou Liulang wouldn't carry copper coins. He touched it and pulled out a lotus-shaped silver ingot.
"Is this silver?" The girl had never seen silver before, and she happily accepted it. "I know, I know! Come with me."
"It stinks."
Zheng Si covered his nose. A strong stench filled the alley, and there were unidentified water stains on the corners of the walls. When he turned around, he saw Miss Gu casually turn into the side alley, her beautiful embroidered shoes, adorned with pearls, stepping on the muddy ground.
Zheng Si gritted his teeth and quickly caught up.
Ultimately, I'm here for Lin Jie'er's sake, and my dawdling is really inappropriate.
The alley was even dirtier, with rats scurrying around and the ground slippery. Gu Yican offered her his hand for support, his brow furrowed. "Little sister, shall I carry you?"
"don't want."
She's been to mortuaries filled with the dead; what place can't she go? The stench of rotting corpses is far worse than this.
The little girl led them through a maze of turns until they arrived at a small courtyard.
She pointed inside and said enviously, "This is it. Blind Chen is so rich, he lives in a whole courtyard by himself." Her eyes were full of longing, "When I grow up, I want to gouge out my eyes and become a blind fortune teller."
"Nonsense," Gu Zhizhuo said softly. "Don't you have any other jobs in your alley?"
"Yes," the little girl counted on her fingers, "There's a scholar who lives up ahead, but he can never pass the exams and can't earn any money. There's also a chamber pot sitter, an embroiderer, a curtain hanger..."
What does "hanging half a curtain" mean? Gu Zhizhuo didn't understand and turned to look at Gu Cancan.
Gu Yican hesitated for a moment, then said, "The brothel." His sister was different from other girls; she didn't have so many taboos.
The little girl said happily, "But none of them earn as much as Blind Chen. Blind Chen can live in a big courtyard."
For her, a courtyard that was less than a single step inside was already considered a large courtyard.
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
Gu Zhizhuo gently patted her forehead with his fingertip: "What kind of skill is it to gouge out your eyes and become blind? With these eyes, you can find a pharmacy to work as a pharmacy apprentice, and later become a resident doctor. You can also live in a big courtyard."
"A pharmacy?"
There were no doctors in this alley. The little girl asked in bewilderment, "Would a pharmacy take a baby girl? My dad said that baby girls are a money pit. They're useless when they grow up. It's better to hang up half a curtain early so we can make some money."
But she refused, because Zhou, who lived across the street from her, had her father steal all the copper coins she earned to buy alcohol.
She wanted to earn lots and lots of money, so that even if her father took some, she would still have money to pay for her mother's medical treatment.
"Of course." Gu Zhizhuo felt a little pity. "If you want to be a doctor, go to Baijitang on Zhuque Street and find Manager Su. Tell him that I sent you there, and that my surname is Gu."
Su Zhan's apprentice medicine boy has graduated, and he's recently been thinking of taking on another one.
So what if she's a girl? Girls can not only be healers, but also doctors.
The little girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "I want to be a doctor. I'll go right now."
Clutching the silver ingots Zhou Liulang had given her, she ran off quickly. Even if the clinic wouldn't accept girls, she still had the money to hire a doctor to see her mother.
Gu Zhizhuo stared at her retreating figure, lost in thought.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Knock on the door!" Gu Yican deliberately raised his voice. "We finally found out that Blind Chen's amulets are incredibly effective, so hurry up."
This was said to the neighbors.
Zhou Liulang knocked on the door, and after a short while, an old woman hunched over and opened the door a crack.
She had already heard their commotion while she was inside. Her hazy eyes peered through the crack in the door, and she said with an air of superiority, "My immortal..."
"Let's go inside and talk, let's go inside and talk."
Gu Yican squeezed through the crack in the door.
The old woman shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Who let you in? Get out!"
Before he could finish speaking, the door slammed shut, and Zhou Liulang expertly bolted it shut.
The old woman immediately realized something was wrong, but it was too late.
Zheng Si looked displeased and placed his unsheathed sword against her shoulder.
Robbery? The old woman trembled with fear. Although her family was the richest in Yanziwei Alley, their combined wealth couldn't compare to the jade ring on this young master's hand.
"Don't make a sound."
The old woman quickly covered her mouth and shook her head vigorously, indicating that she would not say a word.
Where is the old blind man?
"She's inside." The old woman was a helper hired by Blind Chen to do laundry and cook. Seeing that they were there to cause trouble, she wisely kept quiet.
Zheng Si pulled her inside.
He was filled with rage and kicked the door open.
Blind Chen was hiding gold melon seeds when the sudden noise startled him, causing two seeds to fall to the ground. He angrily shouted, "What are you doing! I told you not to come in!"
He turned around and saw that it wasn't the old woman who helped him. He quickly rolled his eyes, revealing most of the whites, reached forward and groped around, then tilted his head and said hoarsely, "Who are you? What do you want with this old blind man?"
Zheng Si locked the door and released the old woman.
Gu Zhizhuo walked towards Blind Chen: "You can't see?"
Blind Chen's heart pounded, and beads of sweat covered his forehead. Seeing their hostile looks, he wondered if he had offended anyone, and said in a serious tone, "This old blind man of mine has been blind since birth."
"How pitiful," Gu Zhizhuo said sympathetically. "Luckily, I studied medicine in elementary school and I'm best at treating blind people."
Blind Chen: ?
What's the meaning?
Gu Zhizhuo took out a silver needle as long as her palm. Holding the end of the needle, she thrust it into Chen the Blind Man's eye without any hesitation.
Her movements were extremely swift. A flash of silver light appeared in Blind Chen's pupils. He screamed in fright and fell to the ground with a thud.
He stopped rolling his eyes, his right eye was bloodshot, and he looked at Gu Zhizhuo in horror.
"Is it cured?"
With trembling lips, Blind Chen wisely said, "Alright, alright. I can see now. Your medical skills are truly excellent, young lady."
Zhou Liulang silently stepped aside, his eyes a little sore.
Gu Zhizhuo dragged a wooden stool down and said, "I have something to ask you."
Chen the Blind Man stood there with his hands clasped, his right eye half-open and half-closed, and said cautiously, "Please ask me anything. This old blind man never lies." He added as an afterthought, "I tell fortunes to earn a living, I've never... never harmed anyone."
Zheng Si was about to speak when Gu Yican stopped him with a look.
Gu Zhizhuo rested her chin on her hand, sizing him up.
He claimed to be an old blind man, but he was at most forty years old.
The little girl said he was the richest man in the alley, but his blue cloth clothes were patched in several inconspicuous places, his eyes were cloudy, his cheeks were drooping, his hands were placed in front of him, his fingers were short and thick, his skin was rough and bruised, and he didn't look like a Taoist disciple at all.
It's definitely not Daoist Changfeng!
There was no need for Daoist Changfeng to pretend to be blind.
"Your marriage charm is very effective?" Gu Zhizhuo asked, his voice clear and bright.
Blind Chen was taken aback: "Young lady, you've come to ask for a marriage charm?"
"I ask, you answer." Gu Zhizhuo tapped the wooden table. "Understand?"
Blind Chen shrank back in fright, as if he were being watched by some wild beast. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I understand. The old blind man's marriage talisman is indeed effective."
"Who gave it to you?"
"yes……"
“Don’t say you drew it yourself.” Gu Zhizhuo crossed her arms on her knees. “I don’t believe you.”
The old blind man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said tremblingly, "It was given to me by a true immortal."
"What does it look like?"
“He’s in his forties or fifties, this tall, and looks like a living deity from a painting…” the old blind man said. “He said his Taoist name is Changfeng.”
Gu Yican had heard his sister mention this Daoist Changfeng. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in them.
Gu Zhizhuo said coldly, "Go on, where did you meet them?"
"In the outskirts of Beijing. I met him by chance. Master Changfeng said that I had a connection with Taoism. He regretted that I had not been able to enter Taoism in my early years and had lived a muddled life in this mortal world. He asked me if I was willing to accumulate some merit for my next life. Later, he gave me ten marriage talismans."
"Where's the talisman?"
"It's gone."
Gu Zhizhuo pressed further, "That's all?"
Blind Chen nodded vigorously, cold sweat dripping down his forehead: "It's really all gone. I gave them all away, without taking a single penny." Except for the last one, the girl had given him so many gold melon seeds, and he had been greedy for a moment.
He emphasized, "I, the old blind man, am helping people."
Helping someone shouldn't be wrong, right? He didn't do anything immoral.
"Help someone?" Zhou Liulang almost laughed in anger. "Who did you help, Scholar Zhang?"
Blind Chen nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Scholar Zhang, alas, he is a pitiful man. He has only an old mother at home, and no land to make a living. His mother washes clothes for others every day to earn him a living. Now that his mother is old, she broke her leg a while ago and can no longer wash clothes. Scholar Zhang can only go out to set up a stall to sell calligraphy and paintings, but he can't earn much money a day. The mother and son go hungry every day."
Gu Zhizhuo thought of the divination he had performed and his expression turned strange.
Blind Chen: "If he could find a wife, wouldn't his life be much better?"
Zhou Liulang angrily said, "It's his own fault for not being able to make a living. He can't even support his own mother. He deserves to die!"
“That’s not how it works,” Blind Chen argued. “If he gets a wife, she’ll bring a dowry to help with household expenses, take care of his mother, and at the very least, do some extra work. Scholar Zhang should just focus on his studies; he might pass the imperial examination next year.”
Zhou Liulang: !
His fourth sister was surrounded by a dozen maids and servants since she was a child. She never had to lift a finger. He would be moved for half a year if she made him a purse.
According to this blind man, his pampered fourth sister deserves to squander her life?!
Zhou Liulang clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
Blind Chen blinked his throbbing right eye and said matter-of-factly, "A woman's duty in life is to be a good wife and mother. She shouldn't be arrogant and incompetent just because she's living a good life in her parents' home."
Gu Zhizhuo lightly tapped his forehead with his fingertips.
Zhou Liulang couldn't take it anymore, so he rushed over and punched him twice in the face.
Zheng Si's face was also gloomy. He stepped forward to block Zhou Liulang, grabbed Chen Xiazi's collar, and asked through gritted teeth, "What about Liu Ling? Why did you help Liu Ling harm my sister!"
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
