Chapter 398: Tie Him Up

Chapter 398: Chapter 398: Tie Him Up

"Congratulations on the grand opening, Miss Ji!"

As Ping’an finished speaking, Zhou and Xu Laiyun also clapped along happily.

As for Dabao and Guan Shan, they were more composed. Still, the way the two of them—one big, one small—looked at her, it was clear they were happy for her. Of course, that might have just been Ji Huan’s imagination.

Meanwhile, Xu Laifu was still tirelessly pitching to a customer. "Ma’am, how about taking a look at this soy sauce? It’s perfect for braising meat or stir-frying. It gives the food a wonderful color, and the flavor is..."

This customer was clearly not as free-spending as the round-faced woman had been. She was much more cautious with her money, and after hearing the price, she immediately backed out.

She waved a hand dismissively and left before Xu Laifu could even finish.

Xu Laifu felt a little dejected, especially since he knew Ji Huan had already sold two packets of seasoning.

’Maybe the products really are the problem,’ he wondered.

Ji Huan reassured him, "Our prices are set at a point that will naturally filter out some people. It’s definitely not an issue with the products themselves."

"But..." Xu Laifu looked troubled. The high prices were unavoidable; the costs were what they were, and they couldn’t possibly lower them.

"Let’s wait a little longer. The people who shop on East Street aren’t that poor. They’re just unfamiliar with our products. Once they get used to them, the price won’t be the first thing they think about."

But with no business coming in, they couldn’t just wait forever.

Trying to pull people in off the street like they had before wasn’t working either. Nine out of ten passersby wouldn’t even give them a chance to finish their sentence.

Unable to sit still, Zhou and Xu Laiyun went back out to the street to hand out flyers and try to drum up some business.

A few customers were actually drawn in by the flyers, but after asking a round of questions, most of them left without buying anything.

By the end of the day, they had only made a total of three sales.

’Still, at least they were open for business,’ they thought. ’Things should slowly get better.’

However, things didn’t go as they had hoped. The next day, not a single customer came through the door.

On the third day, two people did come in, one after the other.

When the first one walked in, Xu Laifu and Zhou rushed from behind the counter to the door to greet them.

When they got a clear look at the visitor, they both froze. ’A Daoist?’

The Daoist had a white beard and hair and wore a shabby robe. A gourd hung from his waist, and he carried a bamboo pole. Tied to the pole was a tattered cloth banner with four words written on it: "Divine Fortune, Avert Disaster."

He entered the shop and began to walk around, looking it over.

He would look up at the rafters, then down at the cracks in the walls. Then, pinching his fingers together and closing his eyes, he began to mutter something.

’He’s obviously not here to buy anything.’

Xu Laifu still approached him politely. "Revered Daoist, you are...?"

The old Taoist’s eyes snapped open. He began to circle Xu Laifu, shaking his head with a grave expression.

"This is not good, not good at all..."

Xu Laifu felt a little uncomfortable under his intense stare. "What do you mean, ’not good’?"

The old Taoist stroked his beard. "Do you know why this shop of yours is so deserted?"

Before Xu Laifu could reply, he pointed at the man’s forehead. "It’s because your brow is darkened! You’ve fallen on hard times!"

Normally, Xu Laifu would never have been fooled by such talk.

But with business showing no signs of improvement for days, he was anxious and prone to overthinking.

Now, hearing the old Taoist say he’d fallen on hard times, he truly started to feel uneasy.

"If I may ask, Revered Daoist, in what way have I fallen on hard times?"

The old Taoist had him extend a hand. "They say, ’A man’s hands like cotton mean idle money is his to own; a woman’s hands like ginger root mean her coffers have overgrown.’ But you are a man, yet you have the hands of a woman! How can you possibly make money? Alas, blame neither heaven nor man; your fate was sealed when your life began."

Xu Laifu’s face fell. ’A moment ago he was talking about fortune, and now he’s talking about fate. Could it be true? Am I the one dragging the shop down?’

Seeing his reaction, the old Taoist’s eyes crinkled with a hidden smile. He said consolingly, "Layman, you need not worry. It’s not as if this cannot be remedied. Even fate can be changed, you know."

"Then... how can it be remedied?"

The old Taoist tilted his head back and stroked his beard again.

"’To borrow a helping hand with ease is to find your fortune on the breeze.’ I, this humble Daoist, am willing to lend you a hand... however..."

As he spoke, he held his palm out to Xu Laifu.

’Is he asking for money?’

Xu Laifu snapped back to his senses.

"I have no money. Revered Daoist, you should go help someone else."

Hearing him refuse so bluntly, the old Taoist clicked his tongue. "Young man! You mustn’t underestimate fortune! When your luck is bad, at best you lose your wealth, at worst you lose your life! Even if you don’t care, I, this humble Daoist, cannot bear to see you suffer..."

"Then just let me suffer my fate."

Xu Laifu had always felt that whether they were monks or Daoists, the moment money was mentioned, their holy aura vanished.

Of course, monks and Daoists had to eat too. But the man before him felt more like a common street swindler.

The Daoist’s first few lines had admittedly hit home. But thinking about it calmly, anyone could see that business was bad and that his face was clouded with worry. It wasn’t surprising the man had said what he did.

So, unwilling to waste any more words, he put an arm around the man’s shoulder and began to escort him out.

"Hey, hey! Don’t! My fee isn’t expensive, I, this humble Daoist, only need a few coins..."

The old Taoist had one foot out the door, but he planted his other foot firmly and refused to budge, leaning his body backward with all his might.

This only made Xu Laifu more certain that the man was a fraud. He stopped holding back and pushed with all his strength.

"Wait."

Guan Shan had been in the backyard teaching Dabao. Ji Huan went to watch them for a while, and when she returned, she heard a commotion in the front of the shop.

She hadn’t thought much of it at first, but when she saw the distinctive gourd at the old Taoist’s waist, her eyes narrowed. Instead of going out immediately, she lifted the door curtain just a crack and listened.

"Invite the Revered Daoist in. Ask him to read my fortune."

The old Taoist looked and saw a beautiful young woman emerge.

’Ah, a young woman,’ he thought. ’They’re much more reasonable!’

He hastily shook free of Xu Laifu and hurried over to Ji Huan.

He looked Ji Huan up and down, nodding as he did so.

"Fortune comes from the heavens; one need not seek it. Madam, not only do you have a favorable countenance, but your future fortune is also exceptionally good!"

Ji Huan shook her head. "That’s not right. Look again, more carefully."

She leaned her face a little closer.

The old Taoist was taken aback. ’I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?’ he wondered. ’Who doesn’t like to hear good things about themselves?’

He stroked his beard again, walked a circle around Ji Huan, and said with conviction, "This old Taoist is never mistaken."

"Still not right. Why are you contradicting yourself, Revered Daoist?"

’Contradicting myself?’ The old Taoist’s heart skipped a beat. ’Oh no,’ he thought, ’don’t tell me she’s someone I’ve scammed before.’

’No, with a face like that, I’m sure I’d remember scamming her.’

"It seems the Revered Daoist doesn’t remember."

Ji Huan smiled.

"Don’t you think my brow is darkened, that my fate is cursed, that my birth chart lacks fortune and my destiny is fraught with peril? Or that I’m plagued by petty people, offending the gods, fated to earn wealth but never keep it, or destined to bring misfortune to my parents? Or maybe I’m lacking metal, wood, water, fire, *and* earth in my five elements? Don’t you think I must change my name, alter my destiny, fix my feng shui, and pray to the gods—and that the best way to resolve it all is to spend a little money to avert disaster?"

’Good heavens!’ The old Taoist was dumbfounded. ’I’ve run into an expert!’

’She knows all the tricks of the trade. How am I supposed to fool her now?’

’The situation’s gone south. Time to make a run for it!’

"Oh, my, what is the lady saying? You are indeed born with a blessed countenance..."

The old Taoist tried to laugh it off as he shuffled toward the door.

The smile vanished from Ji Huan’s face, her expression turning cold in an instant.

"Tie him up!"