My name is Li Chuyi, twenty years old this year. I live with my grandpa and currently run a funeral wreath and burial clothing shop in a small county town up north. The shopfront is our own house, a two-story building. The ground floor houses our living quarters and the shop, while the second floor is rented out to four tenants.
Because our business deals with the dead, we've never been able to charge premium rent for the upstairs units. Many prospective tenants take one look at the funeral shop downstairs and immediately look elsewhere. So, the people who end up renting from us are usually those in tight financial situations, with no other choice. For example, the young guy living in the east room upstairs, a net cafe attendant, is already two months behind on his rent. Today, I'm going to demand payment. If he still can't pay, I'll kick him out.
The other tenants, though also struggling, at least pay their rent on time.
That morning, hearing the net cafe attendant come home from his night shift, I went through the back door of the funeral shop into the courtyard to collect the rent. I was already prepared to unleash my fury and put on my fiercest landlord face.
This net cafe attendant is a bit chubby, wears glasses, about 1.65 meters tall, nineteen years old—exactly a year younger than me. He's obsessed with online games. He only took the net cafe job because he couldn't afford internet fees elsewhere; apparently, being an attendant gives him free access to the computers.
He has a round, chubby face. His features are fairly regular, but unfortunately, he's not destined for wealth. According to his fate, he'll never hold onto money. Even if he stumbled upon a windfall, he'd blow through it quickly—otherwise, he'd face disaster. How do I know this? I'm not guessing. My skill in reading faces comes from my grandpa. Though we run a funeral shop now, before this, Grandpa was a fortune teller, reputedly known as a "Divine Physiognomist." But later, because of his readings, he offended some people, which indirectly led to my parents' death. After that, Grandpa never told another person's fortune. That's when he opened the funeral shop and started dealing with the dead.
Though Grandpa stopped practicing, he didn't want his knowledge to die with him, so he secretly taught me. However, he made me swear that while he's alive, I can't make a living by fortune-telling. After he's gone, he won't care. So, to this day, I've never officially told anyone's fortune or read their face. I don't even know if my predictions are accurate.
When I intercepted the chubby net cafe attendant in the courtyard that day, I let out a slight "Huh?" in surprise.
Seeing me, he was startled, probably guessing I was there about the rent. Before I could speak, he begged, "Can you give me one more day? I'll definitely pay you tomorrow morning."
I waved my hand dismissively. "Looks like you're about to come into a small fortune?"
I said this because I'd noticed a round, red bump on his forehead and the bridge of his nose.
He's nineteen. According to fate principles, to read his annual fortune, you look at the forehead (Tian Ting in physiognomy). If his Tian Ting is full and prominent this year, his luck will be strong. If it's flat, his luck is average. If it's sunken or crooked, his luck will be terrible.
Previously, his Tian Ting had been slightly sunken. For someone so young, a permanent wrinkle had already formed there, indicating no good fortune for his nineteenth year. But today, a red bump had appeared precisely on that spot, signaling a brief turnaround in his luck—one or two days of good fortune.
I deduced he'd come into money because a matching red bump had also appeared on the tip of his nose. The nose is a person's wealth star, also called the "Treasury Palace," governing financial luck. I'd previously concluded he'd never be rich because his nostrils flared upward, were large and hollow, resembling a pig's—the worst possible configuration for wealth in physiognomy. It signifies someone who can never accumulate riches.
But today, the red bump on his nose had caused slight swelling around his nostrils, making them appear smaller. This represented the ability to gather and hold wealth, meaning he was about to get some money soon.
So, when I spoke, the chubby guy gasped, "How did you know?"
I continued, "Not only do I know you're getting money, I also know how you're getting it."
The net cafe attendant urged me to tell him. My interest was piqued, so I went on: "Simple. You were playing a game, got a rare item, and you've already agreed on a price. You're selling it tonight. Right?"
He clapped his hands in amazement. "Landlord, you're incredible! I did get a great item! That sword I found can sell for over four thousand! Renminbi! Not game currency! Haha! That's three months of my wages! But how did you figure it out?"
Knowing he'd definitely pay the rent tomorrow, I didn't push him to leave. I just told him to get some rest and remember to pay up tomorrow. Relieved at the extra day, he didn't question further and darted upstairs.
As for how I knew it was from gaming? Simple. He's obsessed with games. Besides being a net cafe attendant, he has no other job. He'd also bragged to me before about making money from gaming.
Also, the red bumps on his face were a sign of staying up late, straining his mind, and getting inflamed. If he were just doing his attendant duties at night, it wouldn't be so taxing. He'd told me he could sleep during his shift if he wasn't gaming. If he was exhausted, it was because he'd stayed up playing. Putting it together, it wasn't hard to deduce his windfall came from gaming.
Fortune-telling often works like this. If you get the major trend right upfront, much of the rest is educated guessing. Of course, if the initial reading is wrong, the guesses will be wrong too, and you'll be called a fraud.
After the net cafe attendant went back to his room, I returned to the funeral shop through the back door. Grandpa was in his rocking chair, watching a tiny black-and-white TV playing some opera—not my thing. I started tidying up an order a customer was supposed to pick up later.
The customer's mother had died, so he was buying two wreaths from us. I'd already folded the wreaths and prepared the condolence scrolls to go with them, all packed in a bag, ready for him.
As I organized things, Grandpa said, "You did well reading that kid earlier. But you missed one thing."
I asked what it was. He replied, "You forgot he can't hold onto money. You should have told him to prepay three or four months' rent after settling this month. Otherwise, he'll spend it all by next month and be late again. It's better for us, and for him."
I quickly agreed. I definitely didn't want him late again next month. After all, the money I earn now is my future wife-fund—savings to get married someday.
I continued tidying the wreaths in the shop, occasionally stepping outside to see if the customer had arrived. He'd paid a deposit, but the balance was still outstanding.
After pacing by the door a few times, I came back inside. Grandpa said, "Don't wait. He won't come today. When he was here yesterday, I saw from his face that he'd face a calamity today. By now, he's probably gotten into legal trouble or landed in the hospital. So, we keep the deposit. We don't need to give him the goods."
Hearing this, I put the wreaths away. Grandpa's predictions were never wrong.
I instinctively asked why Grandpa hadn't warned the man yesterday to be careful. Grandpa closed his eyes, a flash of anger crossing his face. "Have you forgotten my solemn oath? I will never help anyone again. I may observe their fate, keep it to myself, or discuss it with you—but I will never tell the person involved. Or I'll die instantly. Do you want me dead?"
I waved my hands. "Alright, alright, don't be mad. You don't have to tell them. Looks like no business today. I'm going to see my girlfriend. Xiaohua's mom invited me for lunch today to talk about us. If she agrees, Xiaohua and I are set. You'll have a granddaughter-in-law."
Grandpa smiled faintly. "Oh? Then go ahead."
Xiaohua is my girlfriend. Her full name is Cai Xiaohua. She's fairly pretty, just a bit short—under 1.55 meters. She works at a clothing store in the county mall. I met her while shopping for clothes once, and we hit it off. But because Grandpa and I aren't well-off and can't afford an apartment in town, her mother has strongly opposed our relationship.
As for me? I'm decent-looking, but I dropped out after two years of high school—no diploma. Besides the funeral shop, I have no other income. Plus, our family isn't wealthy. So finding a girlfriend at all wasn't easy. I'm determined to fight for my love with Xiaohua.
Lately, though, Xiaohua has been a bit distant. To win her back, I splurged last week—bleeding out over 500 yuan—to buy her a dress. Mind you, my own t-shirts and shorts are all bargain-bin finds.
But the money wasn't wasted. Xiaohua finally convinced her mother to let me come for lunch today.
So before going, I needed to dress my best and make a strong impression on Xiaohua and her mom. Of course, I also had to head to the county mall first to pick out some respectable gifts for Xiaohua and her family.