Chapter 34: The Knowledge of Names
In the afternoon, I told Chun a story.
The barber Zhang San and the fortune teller Li Si are from the same village.
The two of them would go to the market town ten miles away every few days.
Zhang San is a hairdresser and Li Si is a fortune teller. Their stalls are set up next to each other.
It has been like this for many years, going and returning together.
One day, the two of them went to the market town again, but this day was very strange: Zhang San didn't get a single haircut, and Li Si's business was also very bad, and even Li Si didn't have a fortune told. From early morning to dusk, neither of them did any business.
The two returned home unhappy.
Halfway through the journey, Zhang the Barber stopped and said to Li the Fortune Teller:
"Old Li, I've never encountered anything like this before. There's not even a barber. I'm really upset. How about I give you a haircut and you tell my fortune? We'll both be free, and it'll be like we're doing business together."
Li Shuanfu thought it was time for a haircut and that this was a good suggestion, so he agreed.
Barber Zhang borrowed a stool from someone on the roadside and started to tell Li's fortune and cut his hair.
Chunlai asked, "When he goes to town to get a haircut, doesn't he bring a stool?"
I said, "You nerd, his stool is stored at a friend's house in town."
So he borrowed a stool from someone on the roadside and gave Li Suanyun a haircut, and the two continued on their way.
On the way, Zhang the barber told his birth date and eight characters. Li the fortune teller took his turn and refused to give Zhang the fortune.
How could Zhang the barber agree to this? He insisted that Li the fortune teller tell his fortune, otherwise, wouldn't he be at a disadvantage?
Fortune teller Li said, "Brother, I can't continue to calculate this fate."
"We have to count even if we can't."
Fortune teller Li said, "When you go back, eat whatever you want and enjoy your last moments. You will be gone in three days."
Barber Zhang was not angry because he always believed in fortune teller Li.
When Zhang returned home, he told his two sons about the incident. They were furious because Zhang was a skilled barber, earned a lot of money, and was the family's breadwinner.
When the two brothers heard this, they went to fortune teller Li's house to cause trouble. Fortune teller Li said, "If you want to hit me, wait three days before coming back."
The two brothers refused to comply and beat up Li Suanyun severely.
As a result, three days later, Zhang the Barber really died.
I said, “That’s the end of the story.”
Chunlai said, "Master, you are telling me to see through things, but not to speak them out?"
"Yes. We can only guide, remind, and encourage. For example, the woman this morning had an unhappy marriage. If I told her she'd have to get married at least three times, it would have been a burden on her mind. She might even lose the desire to start a business."
Li Li Li, what’s the point of making money?
Let the divorce happen naturally in her life. She'll be able to think more clearly. She'll think, even though my marriage isn't great, my career is still successful."
Chun said, "I'm grateful for your advice."
After a while, a man came in, sat down as soon as he entered the door, crossed his legs, and said casually: "Master Wan, please help me choose a name for my child."
"What do you want?"
The man said, "What about yin and yang and the five elements? Those are not important. The name should be meaningful and have a pleasant pronunciation.
For example, your name is [Wanshanhong]. It sounds nice and has a history, taken from a poem by Chairman Mao.
There is also [Jiang Shuying], which is also a good name, coming from [Sparse shadows slant across the shallow water, and faint fragrance floats in the moonlight at dusk].
[Meng Wanzhou] This person's name is also well chosen - returning to the boat late at night, I accidentally wandered into the depths of lotus flowers.
After he opened his mouth for three sentences, I knew what he was going for, so I smiled and said, "There are no lotus roots in Canada, so she came here by mistake. She should go to Hunan or Hubei."
The man grinned.
I said, "You are also an educated person, so just pick one yourself."
"Please pick one. Everyone says you pick the best ones."
As soon as I heard it, I knew that this person had already chosen a name in his mind. The reason he came to me was simply to see how well I had chosen it. If mine was better, he would use mine.
"What's your last name? Male or female?"
He asked Chunlai for a piece of paper and wrote on it: My surname is Jia, I'm pregnant, but I don't know the gender of the baby.
When he wrote this line, I knew he was a challenger. He was here to compete with me in knowledge, so I said calmly:
"Jia, a minor surname. It's not included in the Hundred Family Surnames. It's mainly found in Mianyang, Jiange, Guanghan, Dengfeng, Dengzhou, Nanyang, and other places. Are you from Sichuan or Henan?"
He smiled and said, "I'm from Mianyang, Sichuan."
I wrote two words on the paper: Jiahe.
He looked at me.
I said, "Since I don't know whether it's a boy or girl, I'll give it a unisex name. [Jia] means beautiful, meaning praise. [He] means seedlings.
Together, they form a good seedling."
He smiled awkwardly and said, "Thank you."
Scan the money and leave.
After the visitor left, Chun said, "This person is a bit strange. We don't even know if he's a man or a woman, but he came here to give a name. Also, our lowest price is 200 yuan, but he only scanned 100 yuan."
I said, "He's not here to be named. He's a bit educated and here to show off his knowledge. His last name isn't [Jia], and he doesn't have a child to name. He's just here to test me."
"Look at the guy's expression. If he really asked me to pick a name, he wouldn't be so arrogant. Besides, most people would take the initiative to discuss it with you. But he acted like he was giving an order."
Chunlai suddenly understood. Then he asked, "Is it true that there are no lotus roots in Canada?"
"Really. That's why Wanzhou [accidentally wandered into the depths of the lotus blossoms] and lived there for several years."
Chunlai said, "Master, your knowledge is truly vast. If we don't consider the five elements when choosing a name, but only consider its meaning and rhyme, what are some of the secrets?"
I said, "First, try to connect it with the surname. Second, try to connect it with ancient poems and idioms."
Chun said, "Master, please give me an example."
I said, “Let me give you an analogy related to the surname.
If the surname is Ma and the child is a boy, you can choose [马遇伯] (Ma Yu Bo) - there are many good horses, but few good horse trainers. Hope he will meet a good horse trainer. Or you can choose [马千里] (Ma Qianli) - it means to make a thousand miles a day.
If the girl’s surname is Wang, she will be named “Wang Yaochi” because the Queen Mother of the West lives in Yaochi, which is a very beautiful place.
The surname Lu, for a boy, is named [Lu Huoqing], which is a homophonic idiom for the surname [Lu Huo Chunqing]
The surname is He, and the girl is named [He Qinglian] - the river water is clear and rippling.
…
I carefully taught Chunlai how to name something.
Chun said: "I read your novel "Promotion and Proof of Truth", and a reader summarized it for you, saying that you have a grudge against people with the surname [Tian]. The villains all have the surname [Tian], such as Tian Yi, Tian Ye, and Tian Fang, all of whom are against Lu Haoming.
They also said your names have a lot of meaning. The protagonist is called [Lu Haoming], and the supporting role is called [Liu Shiru], which implies that [Lu Haoming] will win and [Liu Shiru] will lose.
I asked, “Why?”
Chun said: "The reader said it was [Liu An Hua Ming], and the two names each contain one character."
I laughed out loud. "First, I want to thank this reader. Second, I really don't have time to think about so many things. There are so many characters, I just randomly gave them names."
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