Chapter 3 Formal Apprentice
Since the new store opened, I have been delivering soup noodles to the Taoist priest every day.
A month later, I sent it back.
Two months later, I still sent it.
After delivering the powder, I happened to see the Taoist priest fortune-telling for someone, and I sat aside and listened curiously.
It’s strange that my sister didn’t blame me for coming home late.
It wasn't until the third month that I realized something was wrong. My sister didn't assign me any work.
One day, I asked, “Sister, what do I do?”
My sister looked at Mrs. Li and curled her lips at me.
Wan Shanhong, the creative person of the prestigious "Foshu Noodle Shop" and the unknown (because he doesn't want people to know) planner, is just washing dishes and picking vegetables?
"I also have a share of the credit for this store. How about we set up a joint-stock company?"
My sister's face suddenly changed when she heard this. She said sternly, "Shareholding system? Your brother-in-law and I are already family, and we're not divorced. Are you saying we should give you some shares equally? When did you ever contribute capital?"
My brother-in-law helped me by saying, "Shanhong has contributed greatly to the store's growth and development. It's only right that we give him some shares now..."
My sister was drinking tea when she threw the cup down and pointed at me angrily, "Wan Shanhong, are you trying to piss me off to death? You're not even close to splitting up the family business, and you want to? Besides, what qualifications do you have to do that?"
I wanted to clarify: I was the creator of the Buddha tree myth. I was the one who invited Master Hongyi to come, but I held back. I knew she could erase my achievements with just one word and accuse me of talking nonsense.
"Sister, I also want to start my own business. How can a man rely on you for food? Why don't you lend me some money so I can start my own business?"
When my sister heard this, she burst into tears and said, "Brother, we were so poor in the past, we couldn't even afford to eat, and we were as close as one family. Now that we have a little money, does our family love no longer exist?"
After she finished crying, she called her parents. My parents, who didn't know the truth, called and scolded me. My father, in particular, pointed out my three sins:
First, I don't have a deep affection for my sister. She accepted me when I couldn't find a job.
The second is to use the opportunity of delivering powder to avoid work. He is lazy by nature.
Third, I can't do big things and don't want to do small things. Washing dishes is much easier than frying noodles, but I still get upset.
So, I, a senior executive of the "Foshu Noodle Shop", was reduced to a full-time "delivery man".
One day, I suggested to my sister that we hang a banner outside the store that reads “Eat Buddha tree powder and establish a connection with Buddha.”
As a result, this seventh-grade graduate had no idea of the great role of advertising. Instead, he scolded her, "Don't meddle in the affairs of the store. If you do, I get annoyed."
I simply didn't go back to the store. After delivering the rice noodles, I sat at the Taoist priest's house and listened to him tell fortunes for others. After the people left, I asked the Taoist priest why he could tell a lot about people from just one word.
Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest didn’t bother me, nor did he ask me why I didn’t want to go to work, and he even taught me occasionally.
Not only did the Taoist priest not bother me, even his wife smiled at me when she saw me.
His nanny, Aunt Chen, would pour me a cup when she poured tea for the guests.
Compared to my sister Wan Shuixiu, the Taoist family is so much warmer to me.
It was the end of July, and I was delivering rice noodles again. The Taoist priest had just finished eating when a man came in, bowing with both hands: "Hello, Master!"
The Taoist priest stood up and clasped his fists: "What brings you here, Mr. He? Please take a seat."
The man came in carelessly and sat down on the chair opposite the Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest hummed at me. I immediately went to make tea.
Mr. He asked, "Where is the Master's wife?"
The Taoist priest smiled and said, "She and Aunt Chen went to burn incense."
Mr. He laughed and said, "My memory is so bad that today is He Bo's birthday."
I was standing after the tea was served. The Taoist priest pressed his hand and motioned me to sit down.
Mr. He turned around and glanced at me, which made me feel embarrassed. I thought he had something private to discuss with the Taoist priest, so I stood up and prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest said: "His name is Xiao Wan, it doesn't matter, just tell me what you have to say."
Mr. He narrated slowly.
He had a project in Guangxi that he was bidding for. His mother was critically ill, so he rushed back home. He wanted to use a fortune-telling technique to determine if his mother could hold off for another ten days so he could finish the Guangxi project.
The Taoist priest smiled slightly and said, "Write a word."
Mr. He wrote the word "want" on the paper.
The Taoist priest said, "He won't die within half a month."
Mr. He leaned forward and asked, "How did you measure it?"
I was also very curious, so I raised my butt and stretched my neck.
The Taoist pointed at the word "想" (think) and said slowly, "The way you write this word is unlucky. The first stroke of the brush is the character '木' (wood), which represents a coffin. If the coffin is placed in place, death is inevitable.
But the second radical saved the character. Look at the character 目 (eye). The last stroke doesn't have a closing mouth, which means it doesn't have a 'closed eye'.
At this point, the Taoist priest waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and go to Guangxi to do business."
Mr. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Master, how do you think it can be delayed for half a month?"
"Let's talk about it later." The Taoist priest waved his hand again.
On the way home, I thought, it would be great if I could meet Mr. He next time to verify whether what the Taoist priest said was right or wrong.
So, from then on, after delivering the rice noodles, I would refuse to leave.
I stayed at the Taoist priest's house as an auditor all day long.
One day, two days, three days, there was no sign of Mr. He.
A month later, I finally met him.
That day, Mr. He hurried into the room and pulled out a few bundles of bills from his bag. My goodness, there must be at least 20,000. He put the bills on the table and said:
"Your calculations were so accurate last time. I got the 500 million yuan project without any problems. I just finished my mother's funeral. A big boss's mother passed away, and I have to go right away. Thank you, Taoist priest. We'll talk some other day."
The Taoist priest didn't refuse. It seemed that accepting such a large amount of bills was a common thing for him. He called to the inner room, and his wife came out and took the bundle of bills away directly.
My heart was filled with excitement. How many bowls of rice noodles would four chefs have to make to make back the money?
At that moment, I had an idea. Since my sister didn't like me staying in the store and thought I couldn't work, why not become a disciple of the Taoist priest and learn fortune-telling?
For several days, I was surrounded by this strange thought.
One day, a man came with two packs of cigarettes to thank the Taoist priest and said that he had found his car keys.
After the man left and there was no one in the living room, my strange thoughts suddenly burst out.
I don't know where I got the courage from, but I stood up from my chair and imitated the movements in the TV series: I knelt on the ground and said, "Master, I want to take you as my master."
The Taoist priest helped me up and asked kindly, "Is there a Buddha statue growing on your tree?"
My face flushed crimson, and I dared not look at him. I knew he must have known it was me.
"Why do you want to be an apprentice?"
I wrote essays well, but I was bad at math and English, so I didn't get into university. I came to Wuxiang to help my sister. My sister always complained that I didn't have enough physical strength, so she asked me to wash dishes and pick vegetables... and it all came out in one gulp.
The Taoist priest sighed and said, "It's pretty much the same as it was in my past. When I was young, I worked for my uncle in a grocery store. I wasn't physically fit, so he kicked me out."
"And then?"
"On my way home, I stopped by a Taoist temple to ask for a drink of water. There I met my master, Hong Yuan. He felt sorry for me, asked about my background, and then took me in. He then taught me the art of physiognomy and fortune-telling."
When the Taoist priest said this, I knew he was willing to take me in as his disciple. I quickly said, "You must take me in. I don't want to fry noodles or wash dishes."
He didn't say a word.
"How about I recite to you 'The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital,' 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow,' and 'Ode to the Afang Palace.'"
He said thoughtfully, "You and I should be destined to be together."
Fate? I was a little surprised.
"One night, I had a dream. I dreamed of Master Hongyuan. My master asked, 'Do you still like to eat rice noodles?' I said yes. My master said, 'A young man will come to visit you today and will bring you rice noodles in the future.'"
When I heard this, I suddenly understood why the Taoist priest would check the feng shui of my family's shop and why he asked me to send him rice noodles. He didn't refuse even after a month of sending them. When I went to audit his class, he didn't ask why I didn't want to go to work.
At that moment, I stood up, bowed and kowtowed.
"Respected Master, please accept my sincere greeting."
The Taoist priest helped me up and said, "Go back and ask your family first."
When my sister heard that the Taoist priest was willing to take me in as his disciple, she clapped her hands in joy and said, "You can't do manual labor, so it's good for you to learn this. Then I won't have to worry about you anymore."
She still knew some of the rules, and in the afternoon she took me to the Taoist priest's house, saying that she wanted to have a banquet to welcome me as a disciple.
The Taoist priest shook his head and said to my sister:
"There's a rule in my line of work: we don't accept locals as apprentices. You're from out of town, so I'm willing to give it a try. If he's not cut out for it, you'll have to go back to the noodle shop after a year."
If you are gifted, then you can learn from me for a few years. Call me Teacher first, and then Master when you recognize me."
My sister said, "What ceremony should be held and what etiquette should be prepared? Please give me some advice, teacher."
"In our sect, we don't hold initiation ceremonies, only graduation ceremonies. Let's dispense with that for now."
My sister was stunned, speechless for a long time. I knew the Taoist priest was a man of his word, so I said, "Then I will obey the master's orders. I will kowtow to the master once more."
In my third year in Wuxiang, by some strange coincidence, I finally stopped doing manual labor. I became a disciple of Taoist Master Hongyi, learning fortune-telling, feng shui, and divination.
That year, I was twenty-one years old.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
