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

"是赤子，以凉册" in the blind slang means that the official is carrying a pistol.

Lin Hai was slightly startled upon hearing this, but quickly regained his composure. Qiao Yang heard the sounds of breathing rising and falling inside the room—

At least three or four people were scattered around, surrounding them completely.

Qiao Yang immediately became alert: if these people were public officials, then the two fortune tellers without travel permits or certificates would inevitably be questioned and harassed.

"Fellow villagers," Qiao Yang spoke first, his tone low and sincere, "I'm from Baodi County, and this gentleman is from Beijing."

We both came from poor families, wandering the streets and alleys, making a living by storytelling and fortune telling, just trying to support our families, with no other aspirations.

The room was deathly silent. The firewood crackled and popped in the heated kang (a traditional brick bed), a sound that sent chills down one's spine.

After a long silence, a man in his thirties finally spoke up and asked:

"Why not just stay in your hometown and live a peaceful life? Why bother wandering and living a life of constant displacement in another place?"

Qiao Yang looked at him, shook his head with a wry smile: "The situation over there is nothing like that outside the Great Wall. In our line of work, we only have some business in January and February. After the seasons are over, nobody comes looking for us."

Last year, Baodi was flooded again, and all the crops in the fields were submerged. The people couldn't even feed themselves, let alone have the spare money for fortune telling or listening to storytelling.

"BJ is a big city, it's better than the countryside," another person chimed in, his tone tinged with a tentative, appraising tone. "Would they really lack work there?"

Lin Hai quickly replied, his appearance becoming even more honest and unassuming:

"Baidu is bustling, but there are also many poor people. Besides, there are many educated people in the city, and the two of us can't recognize many characters—"

He deliberately emphasized his words, "Without any education, you simply can't survive. As long as you have enough to eat at home, who would willingly travel this far in the freezing cold to suffer in the northeast?"

Qiao Yang remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he sighed. It was truly ironic that both of them were educated men, yet now they were hiding in a remote, impoverished area, pretending to be illiterate and uncultured.

At this moment, the officer with the gun finally spoke, his voice deep and cold, brooking no argument:

"You two, tell the landlord's fortune."

After saying that, he slightly raised his chin in the direction of the landlord.

Lin Hai immediately understood and said humbly, "Brother, please tell me your birth date and time."

The landlord whispered his birth date, revealing himself to be a quiet and reserved man, a true farmer.

Lin Hai calculated with his fingers, while Qiao Yang stood quietly to the side, observing the movements.

The two concluded that the landlord must be a local farmer, most likely a poor peasant or a member of the farmers' association, otherwise the officials would not have made a special trip to visit him.

After calculating the birth charts, Lin Hai slowly said:

"This guy's fate is above average. He suffered hardship in his youth and worked in the fields all his life. Going hungry was a common occurrence for him."

But you are honest, responsible, reasonable, and understand the new rules. You not only take care of your own family, but also help your neighbors and work with them to make a living.

Things will only get better from now on; we'll have enough to eat and drink, and live a peaceful life.

As for sensitive topics like fortune and misfortune, good and bad luck, Lin Hai didn't mention a word about them. In such situations, saying too much is bound to lead to mistakes; it's safest to just touch on the subject and leave it at that.

Qiao Yang nodded inwardly. These words were both in line with the principles of fate and the current state of the world, and the balance was extremely well struck.

The man with the gun remained silent after listening. His sharp gaze swept back and forth between Qiao Yang and Lin Hai, as if trying to see right through them.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of the firewood, each sound particularly jarring.

After a long pause, the man with the gun spoke calmly: "Alright, you can go now. Keep going."

The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They quickly got up to thank him, hurriedly left the courtyard, and walked briskly eastward along the main road, their steps hurried, as if afraid that things would change behind them.

Just as I crossed a ridge, I suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps behind me.

"Excuse me... are you Mr. Qiao?"

A woman's voice, choked with sobs, suddenly rang out. Before Qiao Yang could reply, a pair of rough hands gripped his arm tightly and pulled him forcefully into the yard.

"Sir, please come inside! Please save me! My family all praise you for your accurate predictions. Please help me, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

Qiao Yang was being pulled forward by her, and he already understood. Seeing her so panicked and crying, something terrible must have happened at home.

After entering the room and sitting down, I heard the intermittent coughing of two elderly people coming from the kang (a heated brick bed). They must have been the woman's parents-in-law.

He took out his pipe, lit it, and took two deep drags, still puzzled: What kind of hardship could drive a country woman to this point?

Before he could ask anything, the woman's sobs began uncontrollably, broken and filled with grievance:

"Sir... my wife wants to divorce me!"

He consulted a fortune teller who said our birth charts were incompatible and that we were destined to clash. We've been together for eight years, and our two children are all grown up. What incompatibility could there be?!

Qiao Yang paused slightly in the hand holding the tobacco pouch.

Since the implementation of the new Marriage Law, divorces have gradually increased in rural areas. Many arranged marriages have ended, and some wronged women have taken the initiative to seek a way out.

However, there are always some heartless men who take advantage of the new regulations to change their hearts and abandon their wives and children to find new lovers.

The family in front of us has clearly encountered this kind of situation.

"Tell me your and your man's birth dates."

Qiao Yang extinguished the cigarette and began to do some calculations:

"Your sister-in-law is a fire element person, and your husband is a water element person. There's an old saying in the countryside that water and fire don't mix, which seems like they're incompatible. But there are different kinds of fire and water, so you can't just say things like that."

His tone was calm and his words were clear and unambiguous:

"Your sister-in-law's fire is the sun's fire, in the sky; your husband's water is the ocean, on the ground. He can't extinguish you, and you can't harm him. At most, you two will bicker and have some minor squabbles. It's not like you're destined to be incompatible, much less to the point of divorce."

The woman's crying suddenly stopped, and then, her pent-up grievances erupted completely, and she cried out in a heart-wrenching manner:

"He works for the government, he gets paid, and he's educated! It's obvious he's been bewitched by some vixen outside!"

Just because I didn't have a son and only had two daughters, they find fault with me every day, argue with me all the time, and make things difficult for me in every way!

After listening, Qiao Yang fully understood the cause and effect, sighed inwardly, and spoke to comfort him:

"Don't overthink it, and don't be afraid. The rules are what they are right now. If you don't give in, he can't get a divorce on his own. Once his initial excitement wears off, he'll eventually have to take care of his family and settle down."

"That heartless bastard! How dare he!"

The father-in-law on the kang (a heated brick bed) suddenly roared, his voice rough and piercing, "He really dares to abandon his wife and daughter! I'll break his legs and his spine!"

The mother-in-law also gritted her teeth, her tone resolute and forceful:

"If he dares to bring any woman from outside into the house, I'll kill myself on the spot! I'll make sure the whole village knows, and he'll be branded as unfilial and heartless!"

As he was leaving, the woman walked him to the main road, muttering to herself, each word filled with despair at having nowhere else to turn.

Hearing that last sentence, Qiao Yang's heart sank:

"If he's determined not to leave us, the three of us... I'll take my two daughters and jump off a cliff to die in front of him!"

Qiao Yang immediately stopped and patiently tried to persuade and enlighten the woman. He finally managed to calm her down before turning around and leaving.

That evening, back at his lodgings, Qiao Yang recounted the entire incident to Lin Hai, ending with a deep sigh:

"The whole family, young and old, is comprised of that heartless and cruel man. The woman has been driven to the brink of despair, and her mind is becoming increasingly extreme. If this continues, someone will die sooner or later."

Lin Hai listened with a sense of helplessness: "This woman is truly pitiful. But we're just itinerant fortune tellers; how can we interfere in other people's family affairs?"

Qiao Yang was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Hai with a determined expression: "I have come up with a plan."

"What method?"

Qiao Yang leaned closer, lowered his voice, and carefully explained his plans.

"Great idea! That's brilliant!" Lin Hai thought it was feasible more and more as he listened, his eyes lighting up. "This method is reliable, and it might really work to keep that man in check and save this family."

Qiao Yang didn't respond, but silently took out his pipe and lit it again. In the dim night, the firelight flickered, obscuring most of his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

He wasn't entirely sure if this method would work.

But when lives are at stake, if we can lend a hand, we can't just stand by and do nothing. Some things, even if we know they're difficult, we still have to try our best.