Chapter 35: The Little Huckster—Shamefully Shaken
Assistant Wu—Wu Zongbai—felt that he must be overthinking things. How could he possibly feel like he was being swindled by the little cutie?
How was that even possible?
The little cutie was so kind, so considerate, so pure—how could she ever cheat him?
Cheating people was something only frauds did. The little cutie was a fake charlatan but a real master.
“Here, I happen to have two on me. I can sell these to you first.” Su Keke rummaged around in her small black bag and pulled out two… slightly squashed red lucky pouches.
She pinched the pouches until they puffed back up, then handed them over.
Wu Zongbai took the lucky pouches and examined them for a long while.
They looked no different from the decorative lucky pouches sold at street stalls.
One cost maybe ten-odd yuan, while this one… cost five hundred.
Seeming to sense his doubt, Su Keke took the initiative to explain. “They look similar to the lucky pouches sold at street stalls or small shops, but they’re very different. These pouches have all been infused by me with the primordial qi of heaven and earth.”
Wu Zongbai carefully put the two pouches away and said with understanding, “So it’s like those consecrated Buddha statues—imbued with spiritual energy, so they can ward off evil and neutralize bad luck?”
“Yes, that’s more or less it. What really works isn’t the feng shui trinket itself, but the heaven-and-earth primordial qi infused into it—what we call spiritual energy.
Feng shui tools without spiritual energy are ‘dead’ and can’t perform their intended function.”
After hearing this, Wu Zongbai took the pouches out again and studied them closely.
Su Keke laughed. “Assistant Wu, are you trying to see the spiritual energy on them? Only people in the field can see that—you won’t be able to.”
Wu Zongbai put the items back into his pocket and asked, “Then when can Miss Su sell me the remaining two lucky pouches?”
Su Keke blinked. “Assistant Wu, have you heard of Zengqing Pavilion?”
Wu Zongbai: “…No.”
“It’s a feng shui shop jointly run by my master and another feng shui practitioner. They sell all kinds of feng shui trinkets—turtle charms for dispelling evil, qilins, Five Emperor Coins, demon-slaying swords, you name it. They also sell various talismans.”
At this point, Su Keke lowered her voice, looking as if she were about to reveal a world-shaking secret. “Assistant Wu, let me tell you—about thirty percent of the talismans there are drawn by me, so I get a commission every month. Hehehe.”
That sneaky little laugh made people want to laugh along with her.
“I’ll send you the address in a bit. Besides these Zengqing-brand lucky pouches, if you ever want to buy any feng shui items for dispelling evil or praying for blessings, you can go there. The owner has set up a small spirit-gathering formation inside, so the little items there all carry some spiritual energy. If you buy there, you won’t get scammed.”
Wu Zongbai: “…”
Really? Then why did he feel even more like he’d run into a scam ring?
“My personal suggestion is to also buy two strings of Five Emperor copper coins and place them at this year’s two annual illness positions—the due west and the southeast. Not only will they dispel evil, they’ll also boost your health luck.”
Thinking of something, Su Keke added, “When you go, just say I sent you. The owner will give you a discount.”
Wu Zongbai: The scammer vibe just got even stronger.
“I don’t have cash on me. Can I transfer the money to you by phone?”
Su Keke let out an “ah,” scratching her head awkwardly. “But my phone doesn’t have transfer functions.”
As she spoke, she pulled out her antique phone from her bag to show him.
Once again, Wu Zongbai felt that Su Keke and her master might be cave dwellers.
What era was this already, and she was still using such an antique phone?
In the end, Wu Zongbai handed Su Keke one thousand yuan in cash.
Hugging that small stack of bills, the little girl’s fingers flew as she counted—ten bills again and again. Accompanied by the soft fluttering sound of paper, her eyes shone brightly.
Her adorable expression made Wu Zongbai feel so charmed that he almost wanted to put another thick wad of cash into her hands just to let her count to her heart’s content.
After counting the money several times, Su Keke put it back into her bag. Her eyes curved into slits, only two glimmers of light peeking out. “I just talked about Assistant Wu’s wealth and career luck, but there’s one thing I haven’t mentioned yet—your romance luck.”
Wu Zongbai immediately choked on his saliva.
Romance luck…
“Assistant Wu, have your elders at home been urging you a lot these past few years?” Su Keke asked.
“Yes. After all, I’m already thirty-six. My parents are anxious to hold a grandchild. But this kind of thing can’t be rushed,” Wu Zongbai sighed.
Su Keke grinned. “Then next time you go home, you can tell them that this year you’ll meet your other half. In your zodiac year there are both inauspicious and auspicious stars. Guided by the auspicious ones, Assistant Wu will have peach-blossom luck this year.”
Wu Zongbai was half-believing, half-doubting. You could even see that?
He was busy like a spinning top these days—where would he find the time to date?
“Also, Assistant Wu can wear a black obsidian pendant of a jade rabbit holding a bottle.”
“Why a rabbit?” Wu Zongbai asked curiously.
“In zodiac destiny theory, the rabbit is the Dog’s noble spirit. It brings benefactors and blessings to Dog people—boosts career prospects, improves interpersonal relationships, and helps resolve the clash with Tai Sui in one’s zodiac year.”
After a pause, Su Keke squeezed her eyes at him, her little dimples deepening unevenly. “It can also attract wealth and romance~”
Wu Zongbai was a man with strong willpower. In the past, this kind of talk would never have shaken him. But now—
He was shamefully shaken.
“Assistant Wu, I’m recommending this place to you because I know everything there is genuine. If you wear fake goods, not only will they fail to improve your luck, you’ll also pick up the bad karma of the seller,” Su Keke said seriously.
Wu Zongbai really wanted to laugh.
At the end of the day, wasn’t the little cutie just trying to get him to go to that Zengqing Pavilion and drum up some business?
“Miss Su, I still feel a bit insecure. How about you recommend a few more items for dispelling evil and boosting luck?”
Su Keke’s small mouth parted slightly, then she lowered her head, a bit embarrassed. “Um… this is already enough.”
“Oh right, Assistant Wu—can I rearrange the house a bit?”
Wu Zongbai smiled. “You should ask Fourth Master about that personally. In my opinion, as long as you don’t touch Fourth Master’s bedroom and study, the furniture in the other areas can be moved around as you like.”
Su Keke immediately sent Qin Mochen a text message:
Uncle, I want to rearrange the house. Is that okay?
Wu Zongbai stole a glance and was quite surprised.
Fourth Master had actually given the little cutie his private phone number.
When Su Keke didn’t get a reply for a long time, she asked Assistant Wu, “Is Uncle still busy at this hour?”
“Fourth Master is always busy. Miss Su can do something else first. Once Fourth Master is done, he’ll reply—”
Ding.
Su Keke’s antique phone rang.
Qin Mochen replied: Okay.
Less than two seconds later, another message came.
Qin Mochen: If you need to replace anything, just tell Assistant Wu directly.
Assistant Wu, the gold-medal assistant, was instantly slapped in the face.
