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

A few days later, the bruises and swelling on Xue Si's face had mostly subsided. Touching his now smooth cheek, his longing to find his wife grew even stronger.

He carefully wrapped all the money he had scraped together from his home in oiled paper, tucked it inside his clothes, and excitedly boarded the long-distance bus from Baodi to Tianjin.

The car bumped along the way. Xue Si sat upright, his ears perked up, listening to the others' enthusiastic discussions about the prosperity and liveliness of Tianjin, which made him yearn for it even more.

He secretly plotted. Qiao Yang only stayed there for a few days, but he became very successful and even brought home a wife who looked like a fairy.

Having studied fortune telling and divination for two years, I could easily double my money if I could fool two or three clients. Then, by giving the money to my sweetheart, getting married would be a sure thing.

Xue Si only feared one thing—meeting a prostitute. Not only would he have wasted his money, but he wouldn't even have consummated the marriage before becoming a cuckold for no reason.

As soon as the car entered Tianjin's urban area, a cacophony of noise hit us. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, bicycle bells ringing, and pedestrians chatting and laughing mingled together, creating a deafening din.

Xue Si hired a rickshaw and found a small inn near Quanyechang to stay in. He also rented a small set of tables and chairs, and in a conspicuous spot with a lot of people, he hung up a white cloth sign that read: "Divine Calculator Xue Si, Predicting Good and Bad Fortune, Foretelling Happiness and Misfortune."

He cleared his throat and shouted loudly, "Fortune telling, physiognomy, character analysis, predicting good and bad fortune—no charge if it doesn't work!"

Following Qiao Yang's example, he straightened his back slightly, adopting an unfathomable posture, his fingers resting on the edge of the table, quietly waiting for the guests.

Passersby hurried by, mostly glancing at his shabby fortune-telling stall before walking past without even stopping for a moment.

Xue Si began to panic. Was it because he hadn't shouted loud enough? Or was his signboard not impressive enough? Qiao Yang had clearly done it this way, so why was no one paying attention to him?

As the sun began to set and the streets were tinged with a twilight glow, Xue Si finally heard a steady footstep stop in front of the stall.

He was overjoyed and immediately sat up straight, adopting a professional demeanor.

The visitor was a middle-aged man who spoke softly and calmly. He first asked about the price of the fortune telling before slowly sitting down on the small stool opposite him.

Xue Si listened carefully to the other person's tone and thought to himself: This person is gentle and honest, and will definitely be easy to manipulate.

First, describe the ups and downs of his fortune, then offer a solution; he'll be eager to pay up. This one deal should earn him enough for several days' meals.

The man gave his birth date and time, and Xue Si pretended to do some random calculations on his fingers. After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice deliberately deep:

"You are born with the element of 'Gold in the Sea,' and all five elements are present in your four pillars of destiny, with the day and month stems and branches all being favorable elements. According to astrology, you should have been a person of great wealth and high status."

The man nodded slightly, a hint of conviction on his face.

Xue Si heard no objections and was secretly pleased; he had finally succeeded in intimidating him in the first step. From now on, the more dire the bad luck he described, the more willing he would be to spend money to change his fortune.

He immediately changed the subject and began to make things up:

"Unfortunately, your birth chart indicates that wood and fire are unfavorable elements, and your birth chart contains the inauspicious energy of wealth-robbing and injury."

In this way, wealth is completely washed away, and one is destined to be entangled with poverty. As a child, one will surely suffer hunger and cold, enduring all kinds of hardship. As an adult, one's dwelling will be cramped, without even a comfortable place to stand.

These crude and blunt words immediately attracted the attention of many passersby. They gathered in twos and threes around the fortune-telling stall, whispering among themselves, all wanting to see how accurate the blind fortune teller's predictions were.

The middle-aged man's brows furrowed sharply, and his face darkened. He didn't react immediately, but silently looked at Xue Si.

Xue Si sensed something was amiss, but remained persistent. Wasn't that how fortune-telling always worked? If he pressed further, the man would surely pay up to avoid trouble. He began:

"However, it's not without a solution. If you want to turn your bad luck around and escape poverty, I can offer you some guidance. It's just that the fee for this divination will be higher than for a regular fortune telling."

The words had barely left his mouth when the man could no longer contain himself. Without a word, he pulled two banknotes from his pocket, slammed them hard on the divination table, and his voice suddenly turned cold:

"That's utter nonsense!"

Having said that, he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left, his back view clean and decisive, without the slightest hint of lingering affection.

The onlookers then saw clearly that the middle-aged man walking away was slightly overweight, dressed fashionably and respectably, wearing shiny leather shoes, and carrying an elegant briefcase.

His clothes were smart and stylish; he didn't look like a poor person at all.

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on. Their eyes were full of mockery as they looked at Xue Si, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter. The laughter was jarring, making Xue Si blush and feel completely flustered.

He was both flustered and ashamed, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He never expected that this seemingly honest man would turn out to be such a respectable person. His loose tongue had really gotten him into a mess.

After this incident, Xue Si's business became completely deserted.

For the next few days, he would set up his stall at Quanye Market at the crack of dawn and not pack up until nightfall. Not only did he not get any customers who came to have their fortunes told, but not even a single passerby would give him a second glance.

Occasionally, someone would pass by, but they would only sneer in disdain and walk away quickly, as if he were something filthy.

Xue Si didn't have any real skills; he usually relied on spouting nonsense to fool the country folk.

Now that he's in Tianjin, a city teeming with hidden talents, let alone a truly skilled fortune teller, even seasoned street vendors are far more capable than him. How could he possibly steal even a single business opportunity?

The longer he waited, the more anxious he became. Touching his dwindling savings, his heart pounded with worry. If things continued like this, forget about making money; he feared he wouldn't even have enough to eat or sleep.

Sunday arrived in the blink of an eye. The area around Quanyechang was teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder, and the noise reached the sky.

Xue Si sat guarding his deserted fortune-telling stall, his stomach growling with hunger. His money was dwindling, and he was frantic, scratching his head in frustration.

Left with no other choice, he made up his mind. This was the last day; if he didn't make a sale soon, he would have to go home. He couldn't afford to lose even the money he would have spent on a bus ticket.

Just when he was almost in despair, a rough voice suddenly rang out, filled with impatience: "Blind man, tell me your recent fortune!"

Xue Si's heart skipped a beat, as if he had grasped a lifeline; finally, guests had arrived. No matter what, he would say the nicest things to make them happy, and that would surely earn him some money.

He knew very little about Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny) and just randomly calculated with his fingers based on intuition, and his words were full of flattery:

"Sir, your birth chart indicates exceptionally strong wealth; you will never lack food or clothing, and will enjoy both fortune and prosperity. In just a few days, unexpected wealth will come your way, and riches will be unstoppable!"

But not only was his calculation a complete mess, he also talked about the other party's family affairs in a rambling and nonsensical way.

The man in the short jacket was a porter. He toiled day and night but earned very little. Full of doubt, he came to ask about his future, hoping to hear some honest advice.

After hearing Xue Si's incoherent ramblings, the man flew into a rage, his face turning bright red, and pointed at Xue Si's nose, cursing loudly:

"You blind swindler! How dare you try to fool people in Tianjin! I'm just a manual laborer, barely able to afford food, and you think I'd make a fortune? Make your mother's bullshit!"

Before the cursing had even finished, the man, enraged, stepped forward and shoved Xue Si repeatedly. His thick hand slammed hard into Xue Si's shoulder.

Xue Si had become tongue-tied and dared not resist. He staggered and fell to the ground, frantically shouting:

"You...you mustn't hit me! Let's talk this out!"

Filled with fear, he couldn't discern directions in the darkness and could only let the other person push and shove him. He was filled with regret; he should have known better than to boast. Now he hadn't earned any money and was going to get beaten up.

But the man wouldn't listen at all. He kicked over Xue Si's fortune-telling stall, trampling the tattered divination cloth under his feet, scattering the divination sticks, books, and other tools all over the ground in a mess.

Xue Si curled up on the ground, letting the other party bully him, unable to even find a way to escape, and was extremely miserable.

After a long while, Xue Si was forcibly pulled away by passersby who couldn't stand it any longer. The man spat and left, cursing.

After this incident, Xue Si's reputation as a swindler was completely ruined in the Quanyechang area. Passersby avoided him like the plague, and no one dared to come to him for fortune telling anymore.

He groped his way to pick up the scattered belongings, slowly straightened up, and felt deeply aggrieved.

He couldn't understand why Qiao Yang, who also practiced fortune telling, had such a smooth-sailing career, while he had ended up like this. Was he really just not cut out for this profession?

As the capital he brought from home dwindled day by day, and his purse grew increasingly empty, Xue Si was frantic, pacing back and forth like a cat on a hot tin roof. He kept muttering to himself:

"Why doesn't anyone come here to have their fortune told... Qiao Yang can make a fortune here, why can't I..."

He was filled with fear and regret. If he continued like this, forget about making money; he might have to beg his way back to Baodi. Did he really have to slink back like this, becoming a laughingstock among the villagers?