Chapter 69: Endless Business Tricks
In the evening, my master didn't ask me to go over and sift tea or pour water.
I felt a little disappointed, as it was obvious that he and He Qiaobo had a secret conversation.
The next day, when I arrived at Youran Ju, the master was calm and composed, as if Mr. He had not come last night, and was sitting there reading.
While making tea, I noticed he was reading a vertically-typed book and asked:
"What are you reading?"
"The Plum Blossom Divination."
While we were chatting, a man came in and said with a depressed look:
"Master, do you still remember me?"
When I looked, I realized that it was Mr. Deng, the boss of the building materials store.
The master shook his head.
Old Deng looked surprised. "I got the character 'grind'. My last name is Deng."
The master still shook his head. I wanted to give him a reminder, but I swallowed the words back when they were on the tip of my tongue.
My master has a very good memory. He has told me many times that in this line of work, one must not only remember the people you meet, but also remember what you said to them.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to predict that someone would give birth to a girl last time and a boy this time?
Then why did Master say he didn’t remember?
Old Deng reminded him again, "Last time I asked for the word 'mo', you said the matchmaker was called a 'ma' person,' and advised me not to do this business. Don't you remember?"
The master smiled and said, "Of course you remember what I said. If I'm right, call me Master. If I'm wrong, call me Master. As for me, people come and go, and once I'm done with my mistakes, I'll forget them."
Old Deng felt embarrassed. "You're a master, not a mentor. Now, I'm stuck with 60,000 yuan. There's no business left, and I can't get my money back."
"What's the big deal? You have 60,000 yuan, but some people pay 10 million yuan just to pay tuition. How can you gain experience without paying tuition in life?"
I couldn't help but laugh.
Old Deng's face flushed red. "Master Xiao Wan, don't laugh. Sixty thousand yuan isn't enough to make me commit suicide, but my wife keeps asking me to do it. I might end up hanging myself one day."
After saying that, his eyes turned red.
The master then spoke: "Why can't I get it back?"
Lao Deng was furious: "This middleman, no, this Ma guy took 50,000 from me, saying it was for promotion. But he said it was too little and asked for another 10,000.
I thought, as long as the business can be done, it doesn't matter if I make less than 10,000 yuan. After he took the 60,000 yuan, he said every day that he was working on it, but there was no result.
He loves gambling, and I'm worried he'll lose the money, so I've been asking him for it back, but he's been coaxing me every time. I want to do a fortune telling to see if I can get the money back."
The master said nothing.
I said, “Write it.”
Lao Deng wrote a "reply".
I handed the paper to my master, but he refused to take it and said, "You can't get it back."
Old Deng's face trembled: disappointment, anger, and regret were all twisted together, and his face was distorted.
The master waved his hand and said, "If you have paid the tuition, I will not charge you any money. You can leave now."
Old Deng hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth, wanted to say something, but finally swallowed it, turned around and left.
I asked, "You're holding a grudge against him for not listening to you last time, right?"
The master shook his head. "How could I bear a grudge? Do you think people really listen to what we say? For others, it's just a reference. So, don't take yourself too seriously."
I blushed and said, "How do you analyze this word '回'?"
"Reply, two mouths, things like this usually don't involve written notes. So, if someone refuses to pay you, you can't justify it with words. If they don't pay you back, you won't have any basis for suing them."
I think this is really hard to write.
Master said, "This kind of thing relies on trust between individuals. It's hard to explain.
Why do underworld gangs prioritize trust? It's when they commit a crime, something shameful, that they emphasize keeping their word. It's when they can't document it in writing.
Modern people have discovered that promises are often unreliable, so they don’t care about signing contracts in advance, and even ask a third party to notarize important matters.”
Oh, that word "return" is very important. If the other party defaults on the payment, Lao Deng's money will be gone. I am really worried about Lao Deng - I am afraid that he will not be able to get his money back.
This is what it’s like when fortune-telling for others. You may be worried about them one second, but forget about it the next because there are so many people coming in and out.
At this moment, my cell phone rang. It was Village Chief Qiao.
I walked into the yard to answer the phone. Village Chief Qiao asked me to go fishing at his house this Saturday, and said that Director Zhang of the Xicheng District Urban Management Bureau would also be there.
I agreed. Just after I hung up, Mr. Deng called to ask if Master was home. After hearing my response, he said, "I'll come visit him right away."
After I informed Master, he nodded and said:
"Clean up the study."
I clean the house first, then make tea, arrange fruits and cigarettes.
Half an hour later, Master and Mr. Deng walked in, chatting and laughing.
After the master sat down, he said, "I've been away for over a month, and I've been resting for a few days since I came back."
President Deng laughed heartily:
"When you left, I had no one to ask for advice. Seeing that the government and Shengrun Company couldn't even move the Shen family compound, I ran to the city government without Master's consent and volunteered.
The master smiled and said, "Good news, good news."
Mr. Deng lamented, "I am helping the city government. It is a good thing, but it is also a difficult thing.
My method is that if the comrades sent by the company can't be persuaded, I will mobilize people who have relatives in the Shen Family Compound to go there. If they do a good job, I will reward them with 5,000 yuan. I don't care how they do the work.
The master asked with a hint of meaning, "I heard there were two troublemakers. Have you done your job?"
President Deng laughed out loud, "If I don't do my job well, how dare I come to your house to pay my respects? I think I'll invite you over there tomorrow to take a look at the feng shui of the resettlement area."
The master nodded.
Mr. Deng said seriously, "This is very important. I went to the Shen Family Compound the other day and asked the locals why few of them have become wealthy even though they live in such old houses.
The experts said last time that the road construction ahead would ruin the feng shui. When I build the new house, I must invite Master Hongyi to oversee it, and the people will applaud.
The master said indifferently, "You flatter me."
President Deng continued, "When you go, the people will feel hopeful. Who wouldn't want to choose a good site for their house, so that they can be prosperous and happy every day?"
The master smiled and said, "No problem. Shanhong has also learned modern Feng Shui and uses software to determine the direction."
Mr. Deng looked at me and said, "Shanhong, you should work on it for a while tomorrow. I know the software can be finalized in one go, but the people's level is not that high. If you finalize it in one go, they will think you are cheating. If you work on it for an hour, they will be convinced. This is different from... this is different from..."
I couldn't help but chime in, "It's similar to what a Chinese medicine practitioner does. He puts his left hand on his right hand, then his right hand on his left hand. The patient then feels that you are serious and that you are very kind to him."
President Deng turned his gaze towards his master: "As the saying goes, like father, like son. Now, a famous teacher will surely have a talented student!"
The master sneered, "He still needs to learn from you. You clearly know what to say, but you only say half of it, leaving others to fill in the blanks, giving away your cleverness."
Mr. Deng blushed, and mine flushed blood red. In front of someone like Mr. Deng, I behaved like a pig.
President Deng clasped his hands together and said, "Master, I only obey you."
The master smiled and said, "Apart from anything else, you were able to convince Old Lin and Old Liu. For this, you are worthy of being the richest man."
Mr. Deng quickly picked up his tea and took a sip, then laughed heartily. "Master taught me well, be kind to others. Be reasonable with troublemakers. When the demolition begins, I'll also give them some small projects."
When I heard this, I was struck by how seamlessly Mr. Deng switched between being a bad guy and a good guy. He's truly a master. No wonder even Master didn't dare to offend him.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Mr. Deng said goodbye.
The next day, Mr. Deng personally accompanied my master and me to the Shen family compound.
I first used the software to determine the direction, then took the compass, looked left and right. It took me an hour or so to finally determine the direction.
Sure enough, the people were very satisfied and said, "Master Wan, we feel at ease with you coming here. After all, you are an acquaintance and you are very meticulous."
I said that I would only do the preliminary work and the master would have to make the final decision.
Someone stuck out their tongue and said, "It's more detailed than embroidery."
I thought my acting was okay, so I performed for about an hour before calling my master to make the final decision.
The master looked left and right again carefully.
Lin Wuyue's wife pulled me to a deserted corner and said, "Master Wan, my husband is a pig. In the end, he agreed. I don't know what's wrong with him."
I whispered, "Sister-in-law, I told you a few years ago that you should move to a new house, but you didn't believe me. This is called fate, it was planned by heaven a long time ago, don't blame your husband. After moving, you will prosper and become wealthy."
She asked, "Really?"
I narrowed my eyes and said, "I predicted that you would move, and I predicted that you would become rich."
She thanked him quickly.
I feel a little sad. She is a pawn of others, and I am just a pawn of others.
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