Chapter 93: Old Alley — Old Man Zeng
After the price was settled, Su Keke, right in front of the others, pulled three talismans out of her bag. The symbols on them were the same as the one she had used earlier.
She handed the talismans to Song Yuan and said, “I already prepared these yesterday. Use the method I just told you—burn them first, then steep with boiling water and drink. Once a day. After three times, I guarantee the filthy qi in your body will be cleared out completely.”
“Oh right—when you burn the talisman, it’s best to start from the tail end. That helps lock in the impurity-clearing spiritual qi inside. For the flame, it’s best to use matches, or use a lighter to light a red candle, then hold the talisman’s tail over the candle flame…”
At first Song Yuan was just listening, but halfway through he quickly opened his phone’s notes app to write it down.
“Master Su, which side of the talisman is the ‘tail’?”
“This side. Look down here—the direction of the lines goes like this, opening outward to both sides. It’s easy to remember…”
When the three of them left Song Yuan’s house, Qin Xing and Luo Man still looked dazed, while Su Keke’s face was blooming with joy. She stared at the deposit notification on her phone, counting the zeros in the amount.
After Luo Man came back to herself, she asked, “Keke, are all feng shui masters this powerful? You can casually earn tens of thousands that easily?”
Qin Xing also felt a heavy blow. In the future, even if she “gilded” herself in every possible way, there was absolutely no way she could earn this much money so quickly.
Su Keke giggled. “Because what we do is high-risk work. Something small like today is fine, but things like catching ghosts and dissolving sha—if you run into a fierce evil spirit, you could very well die on the spot. And if you leak too much Heaven’s secret, you’ll be punished by heavenly retribution…”
After Qin Xing and Luo Man heard about the so-called “five deficiencies and three lacks,” they didn’t envy Su Keke at all anymore.
“Since this line of work is so hard, Keke, why do you insist on getting into it?” Luo Man asked.
Qin Xing also nodded quickly. “Keke, it’s so dangerous. Why don’t you change fields?”
Su Keke gave a small “Mm.” “Shifu said I was born to eat this bowl of rice, and I also like it myself. Anyway, I’ve already lost my parents—so I match the ‘lonely’ part of the five deficiencies and three lacks. I probably won’t have any other heavenly punishment. Daxing, Manman, I really like this profession. I’m not planning to switch.”
Qin Xing and Luo Man exchanged a look, then each hugged one of Su Keke’s arms.
“Master Keke—starting from today, Manman and I are your good sisters. The kind that are like family.”
“Even though I have family, having them is worse than not having them. If you don’t mind, just treat me like your real older sister.”
“Hey, hey—don’t forget me.”
“You two are the little sisters. I’m the older sister.”
“Fine, fine—Big Sister Keke. You earned so much money today. Aren’t you going to treat your two little sisters to a big meal? Hehe. I know a place with crayfish—cheap and delicious. Shall we go?”
“Daxing, you even know a place like that?”
“Heh, Manman, that’s kind of insulting. Do you think I’m like those rich young ladies—dripping in gold and jade, gargling with bird’s nest? When I was little, I used to run around the army unit with my brother. I could take down three guys by myself. I’ve eaten the worst food, and I’ve done the hardest, toughest work!”
“Alright, alright. I misjudged you before. Our Daxing is the best—pretty and capable.”
“Where’s the crayfish? Let’s hurry and go eat. I’m starving.”
“I’m hungry too. Let’s go, let’s go.”
The girls walked off with arms slung over each other’s shoulders, laughter bursting out from time to time.
After eating, drinking, and having fun, the three went their separate ways. Qin Xing returned home, Luo Man went back to school, and Su Keke went back to Little Bridge Flowing Water.
Now, whenever Su Keke thought of that feng shui book she couldn’t fully understand, she felt especially motivated. Even if you made her sit in the study and read all day, she’d be more than willing.
But a text message interrupted Su Keke, who was so immersed in studying she couldn’t pull herself out.
Su Keke opened the message, and her eyes lit up in an instant.
Great-Grandpa Zeng?
She actually forgot!
Su Keke pulled open a drawer, stuffed the thick stack of talismans inside into her bag, told Auntie Lin that she had something to do and wouldn’t be eating dinner, then slung her small bag on her back and went out.
By the time Su Keke arrived, it was already around five or six in the afternoon. The sun was setting, but there was still leftover heat in the air.
Yet in this narrow, old alley, that heat seemed cut off outside. Walking inside, you could even feel a hint of coolness.
After turning a few corners with practiced familiarity, Su Keke looked toward a shop tucked into the corner of the alley.
It was a two-story little building with an antique charm. Above the carved wooden door hung a plaque with the ancient-style characters “Zengqing Hall” written in cinnabar. The plaque had clearly weathered many years—probably not less than a hundred.
On both sides of the plaque hung two red lanterns. They were a bit old, but wiped very clean, without any dust.
A faint breeze swept past. Whether the wind was too weak or the lanterns too heavy, the two lanterns at the door didn’t move at all. And with that slightly chilly wind, the scene gained an extra touch of eeriness.
Su Keke, however, seemed long used to it. She stepped through the half-open carved wooden door.
As she approached, the two strings of wind chimes at the entrance gently knocked against each other, producing a crisp series of sounds, as if reminding the shop owner that a visitor had arrived.
Though small, it had everything it needed—this shop was the same.
There were no electric lights inside. Only red candles were lit in several corners, their warm, dim yellow glow softly setting off all kinds of feng shui implements—talismans, luopan compasses, peachwood swords, writing brushes, feng shui hanging paintings—anything that could be used in feng shui, you could find it here.
Seeing there were no customers, Su Keke called upstairs directly, “Great-Grandpa Zeng, I’m here—!”
Not long after, creak-creak sounds came from the wooden stairs leading to the second floor.
An old man with a hunched back came down, holding an oil lamp.
When Su Keke saw him, her little mouth spread into a grin. “Great-Grandpa Zeng, if you hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve forgotten to come collect my share of the money—hehe.”
The old man wore a black long gown, his hair grizzled white. He looked over at Su Keke.
In the dim lamplight, the old man’s pupils seemed stained with a faint yellow glow, slightly yellowed.
He smiled. His voice was a bit hoarse, but not unpleasant. “Little Su girl is here.”
Su Keke stepped forward, supporting him with one hand while taking the oil lamp from his hand with the other. “Great-Grandpa Zeng, Shifu and I can’t get rich, and we don’t dare get rich either. But you’re different. If you swapped these candles in your shop for tube lights, it’d be so bright. And you don’t need to use this oil lamp either—it’s inconvenient.”
The old man said, “I’m used to it.”
Su Keke puffed her cheeks and stopped trying to persuade him. Great-Grandpa Zeng was just like Shifu—both were stubborn to the bone.
Stubborn Old Zeng took out an abacus and account book.
After a rapid clatter of beads—pa-pa-pa—he pulled two thick stacks of cash from a drawer and handed them to Su Keke. “This month, fifty of the talismans you drew were sold. Each one was priced from two hundred to one thousand yuan. Altogether, they sold for thirty-four thousand two hundred yuan. You get sixty percent, so that’s twenty thousand five hundred and twenty yuan.”
Holding those two thick stacks of cash, Su Keke rubbed them back and forth several times, not minding at all that there was a ‘money smell’ on them.
So exciting! It had been so long since she’d touched this much cash!
Sure enough—nothing beats the feeling of having the money in your hands, hehe.
