Chapter 090: Master Diviner

Bored at home, Xiao Yi sat before the computer, chatting enthusiastically with Dai Yunjiu.

"You should have had one marriage, but in your life there ought to be two or three women. The first woman will not stay with you until old age; she is probably no longer in this world. Although another woman came into your life later, the woman you end up with should be a young and beautiful one, much younger than you," Xiao Yi said, pretending to be an expert fortune-teller.

"That can’t be right. The woman I’m with now is a little older than I am. Your reading is off," Dai Yunjiu said.

"Has the woman you’re with now married you and given you children?" Yiyi asked.

"No," Dai Yunjiu replied.

"If she hasn’t, then she doesn’t count. She may only be a temporary lover," Yiyi said. "When I say a woman, I mean the kind who will grow old with you, the kind who bears your children."

"So, by your meaning, the woman I’m with now is only temporary and won’t last?" he asked.

"Yes, she won’t last."

"Let’s leave that question there for now. You can continue with the next one," Dai Yunjiu said.

"Judging from the line of children, you are destined to have two children in your life. From your palm, your first child should be a girl, and that child is not by your side at present," Yiyi said with great seriousness.

Seeing how closely Yiyi’s words seemed to match reality, Dai Yunjiu began to believe, in part, that she truly knew something about fortune-telling.

"Then what do you think of the life I’m living now?" Dai Yunjiu asked.

"Materially, your life is still relatively well-off, but your spirit is empty. Especially now, around the age of forty, you will have to endure a severe trial in matters of the heart. You are very troubled at the moment, but you have not yet found a way to solve the problem. Perhaps your present distress is tied to some past experiences in life, which is why, although you want to escape your current predicament, you have no good way out," Yiyi said, like an emotional expert guiding her patient.

"May I ask how old you are? You sound like a master fortune-teller. I greatly admire your ability," Dai Yunjiu asked.

"A woman’s age cannot be revealed casually. Sorry," Yiyi replied in a formal tone.

"Forgive my abruptness. I shouldn’t have asked your age like that," Dai Yunjiu apologized.

"It’s all right. I simply feel we aren’t familiar enough yet to ask each other’s ages. If you ever have troubles in matters of the heart, you can leave a message here anytime, and I’ll be sure to answer you," Yiyi replied.

"All right. Thank you for reading my fortune," Dai Yunjiu said.

"Don’t be so polite. Helping people solve emotional problems is my hobby. I have things to do now. Let’s talk another time," Yiyi said, using the excuse of being busy to take her leave, playing hard to get.

Dai Yunjiu was still deeply engaged in the conversation. When Yiyi said goodbye, he seemed not to have had enough, but since she had things to do, he could hardly keep bothering her. So he replied, "All right. We’ll talk again when you have time."

"No problem. I’m going offline now," Yiyi said her farewell.

Still seated by the computer, Dai Yunjiu stared at the screen with a disappointed expression. He could not understand how there could be such a master of fortune-telling in this world, someone who could read so much of a life from nothing more than a palm. Could fate truly be decreed by heaven? He shook his head, doubtful of destiny, yet at the same time believing that there really was such a thing as fate. His conflicted expression was hard to describe.

After Mingyue and Chi Zhaoming repaid the money, they returned home, where Situ was preparing dinner.

Dinner was extremely simple: just a bowl of plain noodle soup.

"Why did you make only one bowl of plain noodles? Don’t we have any eggs left?"

"You just took those tens of thousands of yuan to help Big Brother repay his debt. We have to start from scratch again. Eggs are something we should save whenever possible. If we don’t tighten our belts a little, who knows how long it will take before we can afford a house in the county seat?" Situ said, talking as he ate the noodles in big mouthfuls.

"Have you eaten, dear? There’s still some in the pot. I’ll serve you a bowl?" Situ suddenly seemed to remember and asked Mingyue.

"I have no appetite. I can’t eat," Mingyue said, then headed to the washroom to wash up and sleep.

Chi Zhaoming’s money was nearly ready as well, and Dujuan’s mood had improved somewhat. Still, whenever she thought that after the debts were repaid her home would be stripped bare, her heart felt heavy.

Looking at the cramped little house, tears again began to well in Dujuan’s eyes.

Turning to the dressing table, she saw those empty bottles and jars. Her cosmetics, she feared, would have to be the cheap kind for a very long time.

She thought of how, though she had never been wealthy, she had still been able to manage ordinary expenses. But now, even the branded cosmetics she had once used would have to bid her farewell. Her mood plunged straight to the bottom.

After the debts were paid, at Xiyu’s suggestion, the family went to the Prince Hotel for a celebratory dinner. Xiyu said it was a dinner for Father to say goodbye to yesterday.

At the table, the gloomy look that had stayed on Dujuan’s face for days finally eased into a faint smile.

"You promised me and Xiyu that you would never do that again. I hope you will keep your word," Dujuan said, looking at Chi Zhaoming.

She did not bring up that other word again, because she no longer wanted to touch the painful term that had hurt her so deeply. She did not want to look back on those exhausting days for body and soul. She wanted Chi Zhaoming to say goodbye to yesterday, and she herself was also bidding it farewell.

Being asked that way, Chi Zhaoming thought of the several ten-thousand yuan debt he still had not confessed to Dujuan. He knew very well that this hidden matter would become a ticking bomb if he kept avoiding it. But one thing he was clear about was that he absolutely would not stop here. He still wanted to recover what he had already lost.

So his answer was somewhat feeble. "I know."

That weak reply left Dujuan and Xiyu unsatisfied. They both knew that such an uncertain answer revealed only one thing: Chi Zhaoming’s resolve to break this bad habit was still not firm. Dujuan said, "From the way you answer, it sounds as though you’re unwilling. Don’t let me and our son be disappointed in you again. We can only help you this far. You’d better take care of yourself from here on."

Chi Zhaoming said nothing, because he truly had nothing to say.

After dinner, the family of three returned home, and the matter was finally brought to a temporary close.

With nothing to do at home, Xiao Yi wore Yiyi’s account on QQ and chatted merrily with Dai Yunjiu, laughing so hard at times that she doubled over, at others waving her hands and feet in delight.

Ever since his first conversation with Yiyi, Dai Yunjiu’s mind had been haunted by the image of this woman online. He imagined what she might look like: lively and adorable, or mature and steady? In his mind, he even sketched out a portrait of a pure and lovely beauty.

That innocent beauty stood upright before him. Yiyi wore a shy expression, gazing at him with open admiration. He stared blankly at the computer screen, looking at Yiyi’s avatar in his QQ contacts, sitting there motionless for nearly two hours, waiting for that avatar to light up online.

Suddenly, he saw Yiyi’s avatar turn colorful, and he knew she had just come online. Dai Yunjiu felt a little excited. He moved closer to the desk, settling himself into a more comfortable position by the computer, ready to type and chat.

A question from Yiyi appeared on the screen: Are you there?

At the same time as the words appeared, the computer gave its message alert.

He hurriedly leaned toward the computer and replied: I am here.

Are you at home now, or at your workplace?

I’m in my office right now.

Are you busy?

Not busy, not at all.

I mean, if you’re busy with work, go ahead and take care of your business. You don’t need to mind me.

Mm. If something comes up, I’ll handle it myself.

A few days ago, I read your fortune. Was I accurate?

You were fairly accurate, though only in general terms.

Of course. Fortune-telling is like that. Being basically right already counts as accurate!

You have this talent for reading fortunes for others. Do you make your living from it?

How could I? It’s only a little trick. Relying on this to earn a living would be far too unreliable, wouldn’t it?

Not necessarily. There are plenty of fortune-tellers. Making their living from it is also a skill.

That’s true. There are many people who live by fortune-telling.

Xiao Yi, using Yiyi’s account, chatted back and forth with Dai Yunjiu online. Suddenly, Dai Yunjiu changed the subject and asked, "I suddenly want to know, Yiyi, what are your hobbies?"

"My interests are very broad. For example, I like reading and exercise. I also like the arts. My piano even won some pretty good placements in Dahe once!"

"Really? I know almost everyone who has placed in the Dahe piano competition. Let me think and see who you might be."

Yiyi seemed to have forgotten that Dai Yunjiu had once been a musician and was fairly familiar with the situation in Dahe. How could she have told him she had once won an award in a piano competition? Wouldn’t that let him know who she was? She instinctively covered her mouth, feeling she had let something slip, and quickly corrected herself.

"Sorry, I misspoke. I meant the calligraphy and painting competition."

"Oh, I see. I’m not all that familiar with people in the calligraphy and painting competition," Dai Yunjiu replied. "You said you like exercise. Another day, I’ll take you out for some exercise?"

"Take me out for exercise?" Yiyi asked.

"Yes. Didn’t you say you like exercise? I do too. Especially boxing. That’s my favorite," Dai Yunjiu said with swagger.

"Boxing is a man’s sport. How could I, a girl, like such a brutal thing? Whenever I watch a boxing match, I get dizzy. Once I even fainted on the spot. So I never watch such bloody sports anymore," Yiyi said.

"If you don’t like boxing, I can take you to do something more refined, like badminton or table tennis. Would that be all right?" Dai Yunjiu asked.

"That should be fine. Those are my strong suits. You might not even be my match."