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

Just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, as dawn broke, Qiao Yang and Lin Hai left Zunhua County and headed straight for Xinglong County.

Lin Hai walked briskly, a confident smile on his face, muttering to Qiao Yang as he went:

"That area is my old territory. The villagers are honest people. From the old folks to the young people, most of them believe in the Eight Characters (Ba Zi). They have to consult a fortune teller to choose a date for a wedding or to select a site for a house. We won't have to worry about business this time."

Qiao Yang's blind eyes lit up slightly, and a hint of anticipation appeared on his face. Although he couldn't see the dawn on the horizon, he had already mentally pictured the landscape beyond the Great Wall:

"I've heard that Xinglong is over the Great Wall, which is considered outside the pass. Business may be slow, but it's worth it to see different scenery."

The two hurried along and settled in a small inn in Malanyu Town before dark.

After breakfast the next morning, he continued north along the dirt road. When his horse-riding pole struck the cold, rough stone with a clang, Lin Hai stopped, his expression darkening.

"We've arrived. This is the base of the Shangguan Great Wall."

The wind, carrying the chill of the northern frontier, stung his face. Qiao Yang raised his hand to touch the cold city wall, his expression wistful. Memories of the past flooded back, and his voice softened considerably:

"Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall to defend against enemies, Meng Jiangnu traveled thousands of miles to find her husband and wept at the Great Wall, and the 29th Route Army resisted the Japanese devils on this Great Wall... Thinking about it makes my heart sink."

Lin Hai raised an eyebrow and casually asked, "When did you find out about these things?"

When I was a child, the older generation often said, "Build the Yellow River in the south to block the floods, and build the Great Wall in the north to block the Tartars."

Qiao Yang lowered his eyes, a trace of sadness flashing across his face:

"Back then, I was always curious about how magnificent the Great Wall would be, but I never imagined that when I actually stood here, I couldn't see it at all."

Lin Hai was silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a bitter laugh, tinged with both resignation and acceptance:

"I'm a bit stronger than you. I injured my eye when I climbed Badaling back then. It hurt like needles were pricking it. But the image of the Great Wall is etched into my bones."

"Brother Lin is also a man with a tragic fate," Qiao Yang sighed softly.

"What's the big deal? Even if you're blind, you're not blind at heart. You live a more enlightened life than many people who are fully aware of their surroundings."

Lin Hai waved his hand, regaining his cheerful demeanor, and straightened up, saying, "Since we're just killing time anyway, I'll sing you a section of 'The Great Wall Ballad'."

Before Qiao Yang could respond, he tilted his head back and began to sing, his deep voice carrying on the wind:

"The Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles, but beyond the Great Wall lies my hometown."

"The sorghum is plump, the soybeans are fragrant, gold is everywhere and there is little disaster..."

The wind carried the melody, but Qiao Yang gripped the horse's reins tightly, his blind eyes fixed on the northeast, his expression solemn.

After finishing the song, he let out a long breath and sincerely praised:

"Brother Lin, I only knew you were good at divination, but I didn't expect your voice to be even better than that of the opera stars. I'll have to learn to sing storytelling with drum accompaniment from you."

As he spoke, Qiao Yang spontaneously began to sing:

"The bricks and stones of the Great Wall are as hard as steel, but the blind man has a bright light in his heart."

I do not lament the darkness before my eyes; with my cane, I can still travel far and wide.

Having considered all the sorrows and sufferings of the world, I still keep my ambition hidden in my heart…

Lin Hai nodded repeatedly, and as soon as the music ended, he exclaimed in praise:

"Excellent! What a wonderful expression of having light in one's heart! We blind people must have this indomitable spirit!"

"That's right, with your skills, you can stand on your own two feet anywhere." Qiao Yang smiled frankly.

Before dusk, the two finally entered a large town outside the pass. Houses were built against the mountainside, and the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, along with the smells of cooking fires, filled the air.

Lin Hai looked serious and instructed, "We'll split up at the street corner, each of us will find our own work, and we'll meet back here at sunset. Be careful in everything you do."

Qiao Yang nodded: "Okay, Brother Lin, please be careful too."

Walking onto the street, Qiao Yang took out a polished copper flute from his satchel and quietly played "Old Eight Boards," the clear melody echoing through the alley.

Soon, footsteps approached, and a woman came forward and led him to a courtyard.

After finishing his divination and collecting his money, he returned to the street to play his flute and attract customers again when a warm little hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

"Sir, come with me."

She was a girl of about ten years old, with a clear, crisp voice, carrying the straightforwardness of a child from the mountains.

Qiao Yang paused slightly, but his expression remained gentle as he calmly asked:

"Little girl, where are you taking me? Where are your parents?"

"Someone at home needs their fortune told, so the adults should wait at home." The girl said decisively, and without further ado, she picked up his horse-drawn pole and dragged him into the alley.

Qiao Yang immediately felt a sense of unease.

The smile on his face remained unchanged, but a hint of wariness crept into his eyes.

Who hires a fortune teller and then has a child lead the way? Besides, this girl is too efficient; she doesn't seem like an ordinary country girl at all.

What's even stranger is that the path she took became increasingly remote, and she didn't see a single person along the way.

Qiao Yang paused, a faint smile still on his face, and asked softly:

"Young lady, this alley is so secluded, do you live inside?"

The girl didn't turn her head, and vaguely replied, "Yes, almost there."

They walked in silence. The girl led him into a courtyard, which was quite spacious, and then took him directly into the main house.

The room was warm and smelled of firewood. An old woman was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). When she saw him come in, she quickly got up and helped him sit on a wooden stool.

"Sir, please take a rest, have some hot water, and smoke a cigarette before we talk."

"Thank you, Auntie." Qiao Yang bowed in thanks and got straight to the point, "Is it Auntie who wants her fortune told, or someone else in her family?"

"It wasn't me." The old lady shook her head, glanced into the inner room, her face full of affection, "I'm having my grandson's fortune told. He just turned 100 days old, and I want to see his destiny."

Qiao Yang asked for the child's parents' birth dates, quickly calculating with his fingers on his knees, and slowly said:

"The child's father is a Dragon (Earth element), the mother is a Tiger (Fire element), and the child is a Wood element. Wood generates Fire, which is compatible with the mother's birth chart, indicating a very auspicious sign. The mother and child will have a deep bond and enjoy great blessings in the future."

The old lady's face immediately lit up with joy, and she quickly asked, "What about him and his father?"

Qiao Yang's expression hardened slightly, and he paused for a moment before speaking:

"However... the child's fate clashes with the father's, so they may not be close in the future, and the child may even clash with the father's fortune."

The old lady's joy vanished instantly, and she leaned closer nervously, her voice trembling:

"What should we do then? Sir, do you have a solution?"

"It's not that difficult," Qiao Yang said, his tone softening. "Just find a godfather for the child, borrow the good fortune of an outsider to counteract the bad luck, and you can resolve it."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the old lady didn't say a word, but turned around and left the house with the child in her arms.

They neither spoke to him nor gave him any money for the divination; they simply left him, an outsider, in the house.

Qiao Yang stood alone in the room, muttering to himself over and over.

What's going on here? Normal people, upon hearing a solution, would either thank you happily or hesitate and ponder it. What kind of family does this? After the divination, they didn't even mention the divination fee, but instead remained silent, leaving this clueless outsider all alone in the main hall.

Did I miscalculate my destiny?

Did this divination inadvertently uncover a secret that this family dared not reveal to others?

The house was eerily quiet. The only sound was the wind whistling past the courtyard wall outside the window. There were no footsteps, no voices, and even the children's cries had disappeared.

The entire courtyard was like a jar that had suddenly been sealed shut.

Qiao Yang slowly tightened his grip on the horse pole, the gentle smile on his face long gone.