Chapter 10: Bitterness — A Pauper for Life
Peach Blossom Town had a Peach Blossom Village.
In Peach Blossom Village stood Peach Blossom Mountain.
On Peach Blossom Mountain sat a rundown thatched hut, where an old shaman and a little shaman lived.
When the little shaman, Su Keke, returned, it was already very late. She pushed open the door lightly, tiptoed in, and had only taken two steps when a hearty old voice came from the inner room.
“You’re back.”
“Master, you’re still not asleep?” Su Keke pulled the lamp cord, and dim light filled the shabby hut.
The furnishings inside were simple: a wooden chest, long benches, and a wooden table.
The table was quite large, piled high with thick stacks of books, leaving only a narrow empty space.
In that space lay a notebook and a pen. On the mud wall hung a string of Five-Emperor Coins and a straw hat. Several compasses were casually stacked in a corner.
Old Su came out wrapped in his clothes and sized her up.
“Good. No missing arms or legs. If you’d come back any later, this old man would’ve gone to collect your body.”
Su Keke laughed. “Didn’t you read my fortune, Master? I’m destined to live to a hundred.”
“Oh right, Master—this time not only did I get rid of that seductive ghost, I also landed a big job!”
Excited, Su Keke told him all about meeting the rich ‘Uncle.’
The little old man opened his mouth, then closed it again, thinking that his apprentice really did have good luck. Doing this kind of job was much better than hunting ghosts—at least it put his mind at ease.
Su Keke grinned like a little mouse that had stolen some oil.
“Master, I’m going to Uncle’s place tomorrow. Take good care of yourself. There’s some loose change in the chest—you can buy something to eat when you set up your stall.”
“Apprentice, that’s exactly what I wanted to tell you,” Old Su said. “I’ll be going on a long trip soon. Some old friends invited me to go treasure hunting.”
Su Keke let out an “Ah,” her big eyes widening.
“Master, with your fate, even if you find some treasure, you won’t be able to take it with you.”
Old Su rolled his eyes at her.
“It’s not treasure for getting rich. It’s feng shui artifacts for protection. You’ve already graduated as my apprentice, so I’ll also see if there’s something suitable for you.”
The moment Su Keke heard this, she hugged his arm and started acting spoiled.
“Grandpa, you’re the best to me.”
When Old Su heard the word “Grandpa,” he almost jumped in fright.
“You little brat! How many times have I told you—not to call me Grandpa! Are you trying to shorten my life?”
Su Keke pouted and muttered softly,
“Master, I’m not your real granddaughter anyway. It should be fine, right?”
“Am I the master, or are you?” Old Su snapped.
“My fate is bad enough already—three defects and five infirmities, and I’ve hit two of them. I don’t want to be cursed to death by you.”
Su Keke lowered her head slightly, feeling a little sad.
She was an orphan, picked up by her master. He had told her that she was fated to harm her relatives and elders.
Everything in the world followed its own laws of operation and cycles of cause and effect. Peeking into heavenly secrets invited punishment from the Dao of Heaven; forcibly changing karma would bring unforeseen calamities.
Those in their line of work—reading the heavens to know fate, yin-yang and feng shui, the Book of Changes and the Eight Trigrams—inevitably leaked heavenly secrets. As a result, they could not enjoy a complete destiny like ordinary people. This was Heaven’s punishment, manifested as the Five Infirmities and Three Deficiencies.
The Five Infirmities were: widower, widow, orphan, childless, and crippled.
Old without a wife was called a widower; old without a husband, a widow; young without a father, an orphan; old without children, childless; and bodily defects, crippled.
The Three Deficiencies were: wealth, power, and lifespan—also understood as fortune, rank, and longevity.
Su Keke had grown up without parents, which meant she had committed the “orphan” of the Five Infirmities. As for Old Su, because of his hotheaded youth and excessive leakage of heavenly secrets, he had not only committed the “widower” infirmity, but also the “wealth” deficiency among the Three Deficiencies.
Money could not stay in the old man’s hands. Even if it did, he couldn’t spend it on himself—otherwise, something bad would surely happen.
He was destined to be a pauper for life.
Looking at the little broken hut he lived in, Old Su wiped away a tear of bitterness.
What was the use of earning so much money anyway?
