Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

After rushing back to Baodi from Tianjin, Qiao Yang first made sure his master was safely at home before turning around and slowly making his way towards Southwest Village.

As soon as I entered the village, I was greeted by a lively scene—the relief grain sent by the county had been brought back, and men, women, and children were crowding at the street corner, noisily distributing the grain.

Those with sharp eyes spotted Qiao Yang immediately, and an uproar ensued:

"Hey, hey, hey! Look! Isn't that Qiao Yang?!"

A gasp rang out, and a group of people swarmed around him, dozens of eyes fixed on Qiao Yang with envy, surprise, and curiosity, almost as if they wanted to see right through his outfit.

His elder brother, Qiao Kai, looked him up and down three times, clicking his tongue in amazement:

"Brother! You look nothing like a shabby fortune teller these days! You're clearly a wealthy tycoon who just came back from Tianjin!"

Standing to the side, Wu Junsheng, a burly man with a sallow complexion, also gave a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration:

"When you left last month, you were wearing a coarse cloth robe, and now, just a few days later, you've returned dressed in such respectable attire—truly impressive!"

Wu Shengtou, short in stature and with a long, donkey-like face, quickly squeezed forward and carefully touched Qiao Yang's silk satin shirt. His fingertips brushed against the smooth, cool fabric, and he secretly lifted a corner, glimpsing the clean, delicate white lining underneath. His eyes widened instantly.

"This...this piece of clothing...it must cost at least ten yuan, right?"

Qiao Kai immediately snorted, his face full of disdain, as if to say, "What do you know, you country bumpkin?"

"A few dollars? You're dreaming!"

Kong Laosan, the primary school teacher standing nearby, slowly spoke, appearing knowledgeable and worldly-wise:

"Young man, you're no good at studying, and you're even less adept at business. This decent silk shirt must be at least in your early thirties!"

Qiao Yang smiled faintly, his expression calm and composed, without hiding anything.

"I accompanied my master to the hospital in Tianjin a while ago. I had heard that Qianxiangyi's clothes were made of good material, so I bought two pieces."

He gently patted the exquisite tote bag in his hand:

"Look, there's also a long gown made of indigo fabric inside."

Wu Shengtou's already dark red face instantly turned a deep liver color. His Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed hard, and pressed on, asking:

"So, how much did this outfit cost?"

Qiao Yang's tone was calm and expressionless:

"Teacher Kong is right. The shirt costs over thirty yuan, but this long gown costs a full fifty yuan."

As soon as he finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the air around him. Many people were so shocked that they stuck out their tongues. Fifty yuan was equivalent to an average family's expenses for a year!

Qiao Kai, having seen more of the world, nodded repeatedly:

"Not much! This is genuine Suzhou and Hangzhou style, decent to wear and lightweight, definitely worth the price!"

Wu Qian, Wu Shengtou's uncle, squinted his glassy eyes again, staring at the black cloth shoes on Qiao Yang's feet, and leaned forward to examine them closely:

"Qiao Yang, your shoes look rather unusual, don't they?"

Qiao Yang answered casually:

"This isn't expensive, it's only a little over two dollars."

"My God!" Wu Shengtou exclaimed and jumped up on the spot, "A pair of cloth shoes costs more than two yuan, and you call that not expensive?!"

Qiao Yang chuckled at his exaggerated reaction, took a paper package from his waist pouch, opened it, and found two exquisitely packaged boxes of Tianjin cigarettes:

"These were a gift from a friend in Tianjin. We're sharing them so everyone can experience the taste of city life."

Wu Jun quickly took it with both hands, opened it, and distributed it to everyone. A rich and pleasant smell of smoke instantly spread across the street corner.

Qiao Kai took a puff and nodded repeatedly in approval:

"Smooth! This cigarette is really easy to smoke, not harsh at all, it's like drinking the finest tea!"

In the midst of the commotion, a little girl with pigtails came skipping over; it was Qiao Yang's niece. She grabbed his arm and pulled him home.

"Uncle! You're home! Grandma made a whole table of delicious food, just waiting for you!"

Watching Qiao Yang, dressed smartly, being affectionately pulled away by his little niece, Wu Qian curled his lip and sighed sourly:

"Hey, I never expected this blind fortune teller to be doing so well! Looks like he made quite a bit of money on this trip to Tianjin!"

Kong Laosan, fanning himself, slowly said:

"As the old saying goes, 'There are houses of gold in books.' This is what people call—returning home in glory!"

Wu Qian chuckled, his words laced with sarcasm:

"He might actually make a fortune in the golden house. But he shouldn't even think about his beautiful wife, should he?"

With his blind appearance, what pretty girl would be interested in him?

Confucius shook his head in disapproval:

"That's not necessarily true. Since ancient times, talented men and beautiful women have always been a perfect match. With Qiao Yang's talent, finding a good wife shouldn't be difficult for him."

Standing to the side was Wu Shengtou's mother, Wu Hushi, whose body was round and plump, like a small, full-bodied jar. Upon hearing this, she curled her lip in a vicious sneer, secretly rolled her eyes, and let out a cold laugh:

"My son's eyes are perfectly fine, and he hasn't even gotten married yet. How could he possibly be the one to blind Qiao Yang? Just wait and see, he'll be crying later!"

As the sun slowly set, it painted the rooftops of Southwest Village red, but the gossip in the village was only just beginning to spread.

No one knew that this blind fortune teller had long harbored a deep and untold love story in the bustling city of Tianjin.

As soon as Qiao Yang stepped into the house, his mother, Wang Xiuming, rushed forward, grabbed his hand tightly, and tears instantly streamed down her face.

Her rough hands kept stroking his cheeks, then gently brushing across his downcast eyes, while she repeatedly murmured:

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Mom was so worried about you in Tianjin..."

Qiao Yang comforted him gently with a smile:

"Mom, I'm perfectly fine. I met a helpful person in Tianjin, and I'm safe and sound."

But the smile on Wang Xiuming's face faded quickly, and he lowered his voice, his face full of worry:

"Second Head, you may be living a glamorous life in Tianjin, but you'd better watch out for the gossipy mouths of those women in the village."

Especially Wu Hushi, who gossiped behind your back every day, saying things like, "You're blind, what clean money could you possibly earn outside? You probably just cheated and swindled it..."

The faint smile on Qiao Yang's face slowly faded, and his eyes became calm.

He had long known that the villagers always viewed him with two eyes—on the one hand, they sympathized with his misfortune of sudden blindness, and on the other hand, they envied his extraordinary abilities.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. He Quan poked his head in and chuckled:

"Qiao Yang, are you home? Someone outside is looking for you. They said they've heard a lot about your abilities and came specifically to ask you to take a look at their situation."

Qiao Yang raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had only been in the village for less than half an hour when the news spread faster than the wind.

As soon as I got up and stepped into the courtyard, I saw a well-dressed, composed middle-aged man with his wife and child, waiting respectfully at the door.

Upon seeing Qiao Yang, he immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in a humble manner.

"This must be Mr. Qiao. I've heard so much about you. I'm from a neighboring village and came all this way to ask you to read my child's birth chart."

Qiao Yang nodded calmly: "Let's go inside and talk."

The villagers who had been watching the commotion suddenly swarmed around half the courtyard, making it impossible to move.

Wu Hushi, with her small, bulging body, squeezed her way to the front of the crowd, her eyes wide open.

She wanted to see for herself what tricks this blind Qiao Yang could come up with!

Qiao Yang asked the visitor to give him the child's birth date and time, then gently pinched his fingers together and spoke slowly in an instant:

"This child's birth chart indicates a weak constitution, suggesting many misfortunes in childhood. Didn't he almost lose his life a couple of years ago?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stood up in shock:

"Sir, you're amazing! It was when I was three years old that I fell into the river and almost didn't survive!"

A commotion immediately erupted in the crowd, with gasps of amazement rising and falling.

Qiao Yang's voice was calm, steady, and powerful:

"It's not a major disaster, it's just that he's destined to have a water-related calamity. Keep a close eye on him from now on, and don't let him get near rivers, ditches, or ponds. After he turns twelve, everything will be fine."

The man nodded repeatedly, then eagerly pressed for an answer:

"Sir, how will his studies go? Will he be successful?"

Qiao Yang understood; how could such an active child sit still? He smiled faintly:

"He's got a knack for studying, but he's too wild and can't sit still. You all need to keep a close eye on him and discipline him. He'll be able to get into a good university and won't have to toil in the fields."

With just a few words, he convinced the family completely, their faces filled with trust.

Before leaving, he insisted on stuffing a thick sum of money into Qiao Yang's hand, expressing his gratitude profusely before respectfully departing.

The villagers who had just been watching the spectacle now looked at Qiao Yang with completely different eyes—

What started as envy and jealousy has transformed into genuine awe.

Wu Hu's lips twitched, her heart churning with bitterness, but she still wouldn't let it go, muttering under her breath:

"Hmph, it was just a lucky fluke, nothing more..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Quan glared at him fiercely: "If you're so good, why don't you do it yourself? Don't talk nonsense here! Qiao Yang is truly skilled!"

Wu Hu's face flushed red and then turned pale, unable to utter a single word in retort. She could only let out a heavy snort, then, looking utterly dejected, squeezed her way out of the crowd, cursing under her breath as she went.

"A bunch of biased bastards, all protecting Blind Qiao! Just you wait, I'll deal with you later!"