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

The biting wind stung and chilled their faces, seeping into their very bones. Qiao Yang and Lin Hai, worried that the village officials from Dazhuang would catch up, anxiously probed the icy road with their horse-drawn poles, the crisp "tap, tap, tap" sound particularly clear in the quiet winter.

After passing through village after village, the two finally found their way into a town around noon and settled in a small inn to rest.

In the afternoon, they strolled around the town, had two fortunes told and drew three calligraphy scrolls, before returning to their inn.

Just after dinner, the shopkeeper suddenly leaned over and whispered:

"Gentlemen, there's another fortune teller staying at the shop who's with you.

Qiao Yang and Lin Hai were both somewhat surprised and immediately asked the shopkeeper to lead them over to pay a visit.

In the private room, the three gentlemen greeted each other with clasped hands, exchanged a few polite words, and introduced themselves.

The other party was Mr. Li from Tangshan, and he was of a high generation.

Qiao Yang quickly bowed and greeted them, his tone extremely respectful:

"So it's Senior Li. I'm Qiao Yang, a junior, greetings to you. My apologies for any disrespect!"

Mr. Li laughed and quickly got up to help him.

"I've long heard of Mr. Lin and Mr. Qiao's reputation. It's a real honor to meet them today!" After saying that, he quickly offered them seats and poured them tea.

As soon as he sat down, Qiao Yang took the initiative to bring up the previous incident and solemnly apologized to Mr. Li:

"Senior, I was presumptuous in discussing the marriage proposal for Wanxin Trading Company's daughter last time. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Mr. Li waved his hands repeatedly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh, let's not talk about that! You did absolutely nothing wrong. The young couple is living a happy and harmonious life now. It's all my fault for clinging to the principles of divination and not being flexible enough. I almost broke up their good marriage. Looking back now, I was too rigid and old-fashioned!"

The three of them got along very well and sat together, sharing their experiences as fortune tellers, from the principles of divination to human relationships. They chatted very congenially.

As it grew later and it became increasingly late, Qiao Yang and Lin Hai were about to get up and go back to their room to rest.

"Tap, tap, tap."

A very soft knock sounded, followed by the door creaking open slowly.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yang immediately stood up, bowed slightly towards the door, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Sir, are you here to have your fortune told?"

A middle-aged man stood at the door, wearing a dark blue cotton robe and a dog-skin hat. He was around fifty years old and slightly overweight.

The dim light of the oil lamp illuminated his pale face, his brows furrowed with panic that he couldn't shake off.

Upon hearing the question, the man bowed sharply, almost at a ninety-degree angle, his tone extremely humble:

"Yes, yes! I'm so sorry to bother you gentlemen so late at night, I'm really sorry to cause you trouble!"

His voice was tense, and he was deliberately lowering his voice, but he couldn't hide his anxiety. His eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to look at the three of them. It was clear that something was on his mind.

Qiao Yang asked him gently, "Which fortune teller would you like to have consulted?"

"Anyone will do! Anyone will do!"

The man readily agreed, his head bowed even lower, but his eyes kept glancing towards the door, as if afraid someone would see him.

After confirming that no one was following him, he gently closed the door behind him before lowering his voice and saying:

"I beg you gentlemen to show me the way and save me."

Qiao Yang smiled and turned to point at Mr. Li:

"This is Elder Li, a famous fortune teller from Tangshan. He's very accurate at divination. Why don't you let him tell you whether your fortune is good or bad?"

Mr. Li did not refuse, and sat up straight with a serious expression:

"In that case, please provide your birth date and time."

The man quickly gave his birth date and time. Mr. Li pinched his left knuckles with his right hand, rapidly calculating while muttering incantations under his breath.

His brow furrowed and relaxed intermittently, then after a while, he suddenly burst into laughter, his tone full of congratulations:

"Excellent! What a superb birth chart! Ren water flows like a river, and Jia wood reaches the sky; this is a life blessed with both wealth and honor!"

You were poor when you were young and suffered a lot, but your luck changed when you turned twenty. Everything went smoothly for you, and your life became more and more prosperous. You had no worries about food and clothing and became very wealthy!

Mr. Li became more and more excited as he spoke, praising the man's fortune, family business, and children, describing his life as extremely auspicious.

But Qiao Yang's expression slowly darkened.

This man spoke politely and acted reservedly, but the few official words he occasionally uttered were spoken with perfect pronunciation and intonation, something that no uneducated person from the countryside could possibly say.

Coupled with the fact that he rushed over late at night and acted furtively, Qiao Yang immediately understood—this was no ordinary commoner, but clearly a landlord!

He coughed lightly twice, signaling Mr. Li to stop talking, but Mr. Li was engrossed in his calculations and didn't notice at all, continuing to utter auspicious words.

After hearing this, the man showed no sign of happiness. He just sighed, reluctantly left the money for the fortune telling, and hurried away as if someone was chasing him.

Once the footsteps had completely faded into the distance, Mr. Li turned to look at Qiao Yang and Lin Hai, and asked smugly:

"How was my divination just now? Did I make any mistakes?"

Lin Hai thought for a moment and said, "Judging from the birth chart alone, it is indeed a superior life of wealth and nobility. Senior's judgment is absolutely correct."

Seeing that Qiao Yang hadn't spoken, Mr. Li asked again:

"Brother Qiao, what do you think?"

Qiao Yang stood still, his expression calm, but his tone was sharp:

"Excuse my bluntness, but this birth chart is real and indicates a good life, it's just a pity that he was born at the wrong time."

Mr. Li was taken aback, utterly puzzled: "What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it carefully, senior. Is the official language he occasionally uses something an ordinary farmer would use?"

Qiao Yang’s voice was clear and cold, and every word he said hit the nail on the head. “Now that the new China has been established, the people are in charge of their own affairs and everyone feels at ease. Who would sneak around to have their fortune told in the middle of the night?”

He dares not come during the day, and is so flustered at night; there's only one reason—his class background is bad, he has something to hide!

Lin Hai nodded repeatedly, suddenly understanding:

"That's right! Even with the best birth chart, hiding like this won't guarantee a peaceful life in today's world!"

Mr. Li was taken aback upon hearing this, and abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Qiao Yang.

"That makes sense! Absolutely right! The younger generation is truly formidable!"

Qiao Yang and Lin Hai stayed in the town for two days. After saying goodbye to Mr. Li, they continued to head northeast.

They hadn't walked far when they entered a village deep in the mountains. Qiao Yang took out a copper flute from his pocket, and just as he put it to his lips, before he could finish playing the tune, his wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly!

The horse-drawn pole in his hand was forcibly grabbed!

The man was very strong. Without saying a word, he dragged him into a mud house next door.

Qiao Yang's heart tightened, but he dared not make a sound. He gently tugged at Lin Hai's sleeve with his other hand, signaling him to stay close and not to make any rash moves.

Why isn't this person saying anything?

Qiao Yang's mind raced—was he mute? Or had his fortune-telling for the village chief of Dazhuang been exposed, and they'd tracked him down here?

No, it's only been two days, the news couldn't have spread that fast...

He listened carefully; the other person's footsteps were steady and powerful, clearly indicating he was a middle-aged man.

No matter how carefully he listened, he could only hear the footsteps of three people around him. The man remained silent, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Pushing open the door and entering the room, a wave of warmth washed over him. Qiao Yang subconsciously reached out to touch the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), but before he could sit down, the man who had brought him in sat heavily on the kang.

In that instant, Qiao Yang's fingers accidentally touched the other person's waist and felt something hard and cold.

He was startled and immediately used a coded message from the fortune-telling trade, lowering his voice to say to Lin Hai:

"He is a child of innocence, with a cool heart!"