Chapter 16
After finishing the wings, Master Zhang moved on to the drumsticks. After finishing both thighs, he finally stopped pulling at the rest of the chicken. Yueming breathed a sigh of relief for the chicken and her stomach. If she ate any more, her father, the doctor, would have to prescribe a prescription before she could leave.
Master Zhang peeled off the black membrane from the chicken leg bone, held it up to the sun, and then took a toothpick from the table and poked it at the bone, reciting a few words. After a moment, he excitedly said to the chieftain and Lan Yingde, "Si Ping Gua, all four signs are there, it's Si Ping Gua!"
When the people present heard that it was the Siping hexagram, they immediately burst into cheers, especially the people from the caravan, who shouted the loudest and most enthusiastically.
Han Tusi was also very happy and said to Lan Yingde, "Yingde, this time you will surely have smooth sailing and be safe."
Lan Yingde leaned forward slightly: "Thank you for your kind words, Master."
Very satisfied with the result of the divination, Han Tusi waved to Tao Dadao beside him and said, "Reward."
Tao Da had a servant hand a basket to Master Zhang, the fortune teller. Inside was pork, salt, rice, and a few silver coins. Master Zhang accepted it, gushing with auspicious words and wishing him well, his toast becoming even more joyful. Having finished patting the toast, Master Zhang turned to Lan Yingde, changed his address, and repeated the auspicious words. Seeing this, Changsheng let go of Yueming and hurried over to Lan Yingde, handing him a red envelope.
Lan Yingde took the red envelope and handed it to Master Zhang, saying, "Thank you for your hard work today. Take this little money for tea. Take the remaining chicken and Master Panfu with you."
Master Zhang accepted the red envelope and said politely, "I'm grateful to the chieftain and Mr. Lan for thinking highly of me. I can't say it was hard work. Today's divination is really good. Why not leave the rest to your family for their good fortune?"
When Changsheng heard this, his eyes widened and he wanted to curse, "You don't even know whether you have washed your claws or not. You have touched this chicken all over. And you actually want my junior sister to eat your leftovers. Do you think your mouth is inlaid with jewels?"
Lan Yingde knew what Changsheng was up to when he saw his expression change. He gave him a warning look and said gently, "My daughter lives in the Tusi Mansion. If she takes this thing back, she will have to share it. But there are so many relatives in the Tusi Mansion that there may not be enough to go around. It would be bad for anyone if this blessing was lost. Master, you should bear the burden!"
Master Zhang said a little embarrassedly, "But I was in a hurry to go out today, and I didn't bring anything to hold it."
Changsheng rolled his eyes quietly. "It's not enough to just have meat; you need a pot too. You didn't bring anything to put it in?! Didn't the chieftain just give you a basket? It's still hanging in your hand!"
Lan Yingde said with a smile: "It's not convenient for us to carry this pot on the road. If you don't mind that it's used, you can take it away."
Master Zhang was overjoyed. Today's harvest was truly bountiful. He kept saying, "Don't mind, don't mind." This pot could be sold for at least two yuan!
Seeing Master Zhang leave happily, the caravan gathered around to look at the four holes on the chicken leg bones. They smacked their lips in amazement, saying, "This chicken, which has been offered to a celestial being, is so different! I never see these little holes on the bones of the chickens I casually kill at home. Why is that?"
"You're asking nonsense, right? If I knew this, I would be the one eating the meat."
"He poked it with a toothpick, right? I saw him poking it with a toothpick for quite a while!"
"He can poke a hole in a bone with a toothpick. If he had this, he could even tell fortunes and rob a bank."
The group was having a heated discussion. Lan Yingde saw his daughter looking over here curiously, but she didn't come over, with a strange smile on her face.
He walked over and asked with a smile: "You are smiling so sneakily, did you steal the oil?"
Yueming bit her lip to suppress her laughter and said, "When you gave him the money, I was really afraid that his greasy hands would touch your shirt."
Thinking of the scene just now, Lan Yingde was amused: "What nonsense! I don't believe it." She laughed as if she was the only one sober while everyone else was drunk. Could she be worried about his long gown?
Yueming approached Lan Yingde and waved to him. Lan Yingde lowered his head and leaned forward to listen. Yueming stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear: "The old lady at home once told me that those who read fortunes with chickens are all reincarnated hungry ghosts. They cheat people out of food and drink under the pretext of reading fortunes. The best meat of a chicken is all given to them for fortune-telling, and the rest are the unpalatable chicken feet and chicken bones. She also said that she dared not say she wanted to eat chicken and had to use the name of ghosts and gods. If killing a chicken can tell fortunes, what is the use of God?" At the end, she couldn't help laughing so hard that she fell forward.
Lan Yingde was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After Charles successfully brainwashed the old woman in his family, she had no reverence for the various gods and Buddhas in China and believed in Jehovah wholeheartedly.
He said to Mingyue, "Everyone has faith in their hearts. As long as this faith is good and positive, we shouldn't laugh at them."
Yueming put her hands behind her back and shook her body coquettishly: "Oh, I didn't say anything, it was the old lady who said it. I know it's good to hear more auspicious words when you go out. You don't have to worry, I don't have to worry, it's a happy thing for everyone, I won't laugh at him."
Seeing that Lan Yingde looked helpless, she asked again, "Dad, do you have faith?"
Lan Yingde was silent for a moment before saying, "Dad has one too."
Here, Yang Laoliu patted his chest and guaranteed in front of the Han Tusi that the goods were there and the people were there, but if the goods were lost, the people would die. The Tusi was so angry that his teeth ached. He just counted it as a good omen, what nonsense are you talking about?
After expressing his loyalty to the chieftain, Yang Laoliu came to find Lan Yingde. Seeing Mingyue, he said, "This must be your eldest daughter. She really has the demeanor of a lady from a wealthy family."
Yueming...how did you know that?
Lan Yingde introduced Yang Laoliu to Yueming: "This is Yang Guotou who went to Lashio with Dad. Call me uncle."
Yueming called out obediently, "Hello, Uncle Yang."
Being called uncle by the lady, Yang Laoliu blushed immediately: "Miss, this... I am such a rough man, how can I be worthy of your uncle? Just call me Laoliu."
Lan Yingde said from the side: "Given your age, it's only natural for her to call you uncle as a child. What's the question of whether she deserves it or not?"
The relationship between the caravan and the owner of the goods was, to put it mildly, a cooperative one, and to put it bluntly, little different from that of servants. Seeing Lan Yingde praising him so highly, Yang Laoliu felt a mixture of emotions. He reached into his pockets, thinking, since he had called him uncle, he had to give him a gift. But he searched his entire body and couldn't find anything decent. He simply pulled out a handful of silver coins from his bag and stuffed them into Yueming's hand: "Here, uncle will buy you some candy."
Yueming held a handful of silver dollars... This uncle is really valuable!
She quickly refused: "Uncle, you are too polite. I can't accept this."
Yang Laoliu firmly held her hand and said, "Why can't I accept this? It's only natural for an uncle to buy candy for his niece."
Yueming... My dad asked me to call you uncle just to be polite, not to become sworn brothers with you.
Yueming looked at her father for help.
Lan Yingde took the silver dollars and kept only one for Yueming, returning the rest to Yang Laoliu: "What kind of candy would cost so much money? One is enough."
Yang Laoliu held the bag tightly and refused to agree: "Why should I take it back after I gave it to someone else? I can't let her call me uncle for nothing. If I give it to her, it's hers."
Lan Yingde forcibly ripped open the sack and put the silver dollar in it, scolding him, "You haven't even asked for money from your wife yet, why are you throwing money away?"
Yang Laoliu scratched his head and said to Yueming embarrassedly, "Well...niece, wait for your uncle to come back from Lashio and buy you something nice. Burmese jade bracelets are really nice. Your uncle will buy you a few as a dowry."
Yueming smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry about me. It's a long journey. I hope you and father take good care of yourselves. Your safe return will be the best gift for Yueming."
This educated child knows how to speak, and his words are both polite and heartwarming.
Changsheng came over and told them that the time had come. Lan Yingde patted Yue Mingde on the shoulder and wanted to give her some advice, but there were too many things to tell her, and he didn't know what to say. In the end, he just said to her: "Dad is gone, you have to take care of yourself."
Yueming held back her tears and said, "I heard from Miss San that the mosquitoes here are very fierce. If you get bitten, you will most likely get malaria. Don't try to save trouble on your journey. Make sure to use wormwood and mosquito coils before going to bed. Don't skip meals just to hurry, or just eat some dry food and make the journey."
Lan Yingde nodded, turned around and got on the horse that Changsheng had brought over, and said to the crowd, "Let's go."
Changsheng was about to get on the horse when Yueming called him, "Senior brother, please take good care of my father." Before he could finish his words, tears started streaming down his face.
Changsheng stretched out his thumb to wipe away her tears and said softly, "I will, don't worry."
Yueming choked up and said, "You should also eat well and use mosquito coils when you sleep."
Changsheng nodded vigorously. He really couldn't bear to see his junior sister's sad face anymore. He gritted his teeth, turned around, and got on the horse.
Yang Laoliu was just cherishing this newly born niece. Seeing Yueming sad, he rode on his horse and said to the group of men leading the horses, "Guys, let my niece listen to you."
The caravan agreed in unison, whipping out their whips and lashing them across the bluestone pavement. Their combined force was like the spinning tops Lan Yingde had taught her when she was little.
Yueming watched Lan Yingde and the goods carried by the caravan walking farther and farther away, and turned back only when he could no longer be seen.
Seeing her red eyes, Yin Tai said distressedly, "Silly child, your father is just out running some goods and will be back soon. Why are you crying so sadly?"
Yueming said embarrassedly, "I couldn't help myself when I thought about being separated from my father just a few days after reuniting with him."
Yin Tai took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face. "Look at your crying face. I won't listen to those Buddhist stories tonight. Let Yunan sing you some songs that little girls like to listen to, to make you happy."
Yuyan took Yueming's arm and pretended to be jealous: "Madam is so good to you. If I want something from Madam in the future, I will ask you to go to Madam and cry. Madam will definitely give it to me."
Yueming was amused and burst out laughing.
Yin Tai also covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed, pointing at Yu Yan and saying, "You're getting more and more naughty."
Han Yunkai heard that he could order music tonight, so he took the opportunity to act coquettishly to Yin Tai: "I want to be happy too. I want to listen to "Eight Hundred Wives Defeat the Yuan Soldiers"
Yin Tai glared at him and said, "Get out of my way."
Han Yunkai...even your own son is no use, right?
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