L.F-Hist.Novelist Chapter 258 Xu Fenghua: "Then can you help me calculate whether my offspring will be a boy or a
Chapter 258 Xu Fenghua: "Then can you help me calculate whether my offspring will be a boy or a
"What do you know!"
A gruff voice retorted.
He was a middle-aged man with a kind face, wearing a coarse cloth garment covered in patches.
"The old gentleman isn't that kind of person! I came to him for fortune telling three months ago, dressed even worse than I am now, without a single penny to my name. The old gentleman glanced at me and said we were destined to meet, and he told my fortune without charging me a single cent!"
He paused, his voice filled with gratitude:
"The old man's prediction was incredibly accurate! He said I'd have a stroke of good fortune in three months, and I didn't believe him at the time. But guess what? Two months later, I found a bag of silver outside the city—a full fifty taels! Fifty taels! Enough for my whole family to live on for three years!"
As he spoke, his eyes reddened.
"If the old man really favored one person over another, would he have told my fortune for a penniless man like me? Would he have done it for free? You people, you have no affinity with him, so you doubt the old man, really..."
He shook his head and said nothing more.
The surrounding crowd immediately fell silent.
Those who had been skeptical just moments before lowered their heads, not daring to say anything more.
The young master, meanwhile, had already eagerly sat down in front of the old man.
"Old sir, please tell my fortune! I want to know if I have any luck in getting an official position!"
The old man nodded.
He reached out and picked up the few rusty copper coins on the table.
The copper coins looked extremely ancient, their surfaces blurred, yet they exuded an indescribable charm.
The old man placed the copper coin in his palm and gently clasped his hands together.
Close your eyes.
He was muttering to himself.
The voice was very soft and low, and it was impossible to hear what was being said.
Everyone around held their breath.
Time seemed to slow down dramatically at that moment.
Only the faint sound of gongs and drums drifted from afar.
finally--
The old man opened his eyes.
He gently tossed the copper coin into the air.
The copper coins traced an arc in the air, and then—
"Clatter".
It landed on the table.
The old man looked down at the arrangement of the copper coins.
A moment later, he raised his head and looked at the young man.
A faint smile appeared on his aged face.
"Congratulations, young master," he said, his voice steady and firm, "you are now eligible for the rank of third grade official."
The young master's eyes widened instantly!
"Third...third rank?!"
His voice trembled with excitement, "Sir, is what you're saying true? Can I really become a third-rank official?"
The old man nodded.
"The divination indicates that the young master is indeed destined for officialdom. Although the process may be somewhat bumpy, he will eventually rise to the third rank."
Upon hearing this, the young man stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
A moment later, he suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to the old man.
"Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much, sir!"
He took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, weighing ten taels, and placed it on the table with both hands.
"Sir, this is a small token of my appreciation; please accept it!"
The old man looked at the silver ingot and gently shook his head.
"As I've said before, I won't charge a single penny to those who are destined to be with me."
The young man quickly waved his hand:
"Sir, this is a token of my respect; please accept it! Otherwise, I will feel deeply indebted!"
The old man looked at him and remained silent for a moment.
Then, he nodded slightly.
"In that case, I will accept it."
The young master then beamed with joy, thanked him repeatedly, and then, with two servants, happily squeezed out of the crowd.
Once again, a murmur of envy arose from the surrounding crowd.
"A third-rank official! That's a third-rank official!"
"This person is really lucky to have met such a wise old man."
"You bet! I wish I had that kind of luck."
"A third-rank official? Really?"
"If it was calculated by people from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, how could it be false?"
"This young master is incredibly lucky!"
"I'd also like to have my fortune told! Sir, do you think I'm destined for this?"
Many people began to push forward, wanting the old man to tell their fortune.
But the old man closed his eyes again.
He regained his calm and detached demeanor from before.
It was as if those who flocked to him seeking divination had nothing to do with him.
As Xu Fenghua watched this scene, her sarcasm deepened.
He was appointed as a third-rank official?
Anyone can say something like that.
Anyway, it won't be fulfilled for decades, by which time the old man will be long gone.
Even if that young master did become an official, he wouldn't come back to him. If he didn't become an official, he certainly wouldn't come back. After all, who would admit to being deceived back then?
A perfect scam.
Xu Fenghua shook her head.
She turned around, ready to leave.
But just then—
"Old sir."
A languid voice sounded behind her.
Xu Fenghua's body stiffened slightly.
She turned her head.
Qin Mu had already stepped forward and stood in front of the stall.
The lamplight shone on his face, casting his handsome features in a half-light, half-shadow.
A half-smile played at the corners of his lips as he looked at the old man.
"Sir," he began, his voice soft yet exceptionally clear amidst the noisy crowd, "look at my wife and me—"
He reached out and pulled Xu Fenghua to his side.
"Is there any chance for us to be together?"
Xu Fenghua's pupils contracted slightly.
She looked at Qin Mu.
I looked at his smiling, unfathomable face.
A complex and indescribable emotion welled up within me.
This old man is clearly a fraud.
What's so interesting about it?
But Qin Mu insisted on going up and asking.
What exactly does he want to do?
The old man raised his head and looked at Qin Mu.
At first, his gaze was just a casual glance.
But the moment he saw Qin Mu's face clearly—
His brow furrowed slightly.
then,
The old man's eyes!
His eyes widened suddenly!
Incredulous light suddenly flashed in those cloudy old eyes!
His hand suddenly rose.
His fingers trembled as he calculated something.
He was muttering incantations, his voice rapid and disordered.
The surrounding crowd was stunned.
They couldn't understand how this usually composed and dignified old man could suddenly turn into this.
The old man calculated for a moment, then finally stopped.
A fine layer of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
He raised his head and looked at Qin Mu.
Those cloudy old eyes were now filled with awe.
He opened his mouth, his voice trembling so much it was almost inaudible:
"Of course..."
He swallowed hard and continued with difficulty:
"Young master and I..."
He swallowed again, took a deep breath, and then finished speaking:
"What a coincidence!"
Xu Fenghua looked at the old man's pale face, trembling hands, and terrified eyes.
The sarcasm in my heart vanished without a trace in an instant.
This old man—
Did they really see through Qin Mu's identity?
That's why you were so scared?
Xu Fenghua's fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve.
But Qin Mu seemed completely unaware.
He simply smiled, walked over to the old man, and sat down on the wooden stool in front of the stall.
His posture was casual, and his expression was composed.
"Since we're destined to meet," he said, his gaze falling on the old man's face, "then tell me your fortune."
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, alright, please sit down, young master."
He had already sat down.
The old man then realized his lapse in composure, and quickly took a deep breath to force himself to calm down.
"What does the young master wish to calculate?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
Qin Mu looked at him and smiled.
The smile was gentle, yet it sent a chill down the old man's spine once again.
"It's not for me to calculate."
Qin Mu said, his gaze was as deep as an abyss:
"Instead, let's calculate for the Qin Dynasty—"
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"How much longer can it exist?"
The moment the words fell!
The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly!
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Qin Mu in disbelief!
That's a huge no-no!
This is a huge taboo!
In front of everyone, ask how long the Qin Dynasty can last...
This is punishable by death!
The old man's face turned deathly pale instantly!
He jumped up from the ground with a start, waving his hands frantically, his voice trembling with fear:
"Young master! You can't say things like that!"
"How could a mere old man like me possibly predict the fate of a nation!"
"You're shortening my lifespan! Shortening my lifespan!"
As he spoke, he almost knelt down.
Qin Mu smiled gently as he looked at him.
"In that case," he said, his tone as casual as if he were chatting, "then let me have my wife's fortune told."
He turned his head and looked at Xu Fenghua.
He reached out his hand to her.
Xu Fenghua looked at him, a complex emotion welling up inside her.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out her hand and walked to his side.
I sat down on another wooden stool.
The old man's gaze fell on her.
A complex emotion flashed in those cloudy old eyes.
Xu Fenghua met that gaze and her heart skipped a beat.
The old man looked at her and slowly spoke:
"What does Madam wish to calculate?"
Xu Fenghua fell silent.
She sat there, countless thoughts flashing through her mind in an instant.
What do you want to calculate?
What should she be considered?
To calculate one's own fate?
Planning for the Xu family's future?
The old man also looked at Xu Fenghua.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
Then, he took a deep breath, suppressed his fear, and resumed his demeanor as a hermit.
"Has Madam made up her mind?" he asked.
Xu Fenghua opened her mouth.
What do you want to say?
she does not know.
She didn't want to calculate anything.
But just then—
A thought, as if by some strange twist of fate, flashed through her mind.
The thought came without warning, yet it was like a bolt of lightning that cleaved through the chaos in her heart.
Her hand unconsciously went to her lower abdomen.
There, it remains as flat as ever.
But she knew that a life was being conceived there.
One of her and Qin Mu's children.
She opened her mouth.
The words just slipped out:
"Then help me calculate it—"
She paused, then took a deep breath:
"What will my descendants be like?"
Is it a man or a woman?