Psycho. Ghosts? Whatever. - Chapter 4 - How Much Can This Little Money Stockpile...
After a moment, Jiang Cheng finally responded:
“Currently, we haven’t launched this service yet. If we do in the future, I’ll make sure it’s arranged for you.”
“Alright then…”
Bai Yuan nodded, picked up his bag, and left the police station.
“Captain, do you really believe him?”
At this moment, two security officers approached Jiang Cheng.
“Believe it or not, he came here to report an incident, so you two need to take this seriously!”
Jiang Cheng glanced at them.
“…”
The officers quickly lowered their heads, thinking to themselves:
But isn’t this just too absurd…
“Okay, if he comes back, send him straight to me!”
Jiang Cheng said no more and turned back to his office.
…
“Did he believe it or not…”
Back at home, lying on the couch, Bai Yuan wondered about Jiang Cheng’s reaction.
His expression seemed to show belief, but perhaps it was just professional conduct. This left Bai Yuan somewhat uncertain.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it.”
He shook his head, muttering to himself, “The real issue now is, I can confirm I’m not crazy. Ghosts and spirits do exist in this world!”
“Is it that the world has always been this way and I just never noticed, or is this a recent change?”
His eyes filled with contemplation,
If there really has been a drastic change in the world, then he needed to consider what steps to take…
“Going by the usual script, should I be stockpiling supplies? Building a safe house?”
Bai Yuan opened an old, locked drawer nearby, which contained a pile of money,
He carefully picked it up and began counting,
“A total of 1332.5 yuan1…”
His gaze then turned to another drawer, which also contained a stack of money, quite a substantial amount.
“Adding the five thousand here, I have over six thousand yuan in total…”
His expression was somber as he looked out the window, murmuring:
“Forget it, let’s just keep living day by day…”
What can this money even stockpile…
And this was all his savings,
His parents had died in an accident when he was young, leaving him a house and a sizable sum of money.
But over the years, the money left by his parents had all been spent,
Now, Bai Yuan had to support himself through school and by running a stall,
Currently, he was in his final year of high school, with the national college entrance exam not far away, and light was at the end of the tunnel,
As for college fees, he could strive for some scholarships, plus part-time jobs during his free time, he should be able to make it through until graduation,
At that point, he would, like most people, find a job, earn money, marry, and have children.
This was the future Bai Yuan envisioned for himself.
“I still need to get into college…”
“As for the world’s anomalies, I trust the authorities will handle them, and they probably don’t concern me much…”
Though Bai Yuan had learned about the anomalies of the world early on,
Apart from a bit of illness, he had no other resources and naturally couldn’t do much.
At this moment, his gaze turned to the window, murmuring:
“It’s the weekend, I should set up my stall early…”
…
In Ping’an City’s Nan District, on the bustling overpass,
“Yuan, you came early today?”
Liu Banxian, wearing small sunglasses, was setting up his stall, with a sign in front reading ‘Fortune Telling, Feng Shui2, Evil Dispelling, Dream Interpretation’…
“Just got nothing else to do, came early.”
Bai Yuan responded, setting up his own stall in front of him, all filled with various small items.
“I remember you’re in your senior year, aren’t you?”
Liu Banxian raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you studying?”
“No choice, need to make money.”
Bai Yuan shrugged, “Unless you, sir, would like to support me? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back after I graduate from college!”
“Forget it! You know my financial situation, plus I’m not even sure if I’ll live to see you graduate.”
“Can’t you predict that?”
“If I were that good, would I be here on the overpass?!”
Liu Banxian gave him a look,
“Besides, kid, I always feel like you’ve been leeching off me these years…”
“What do you mean ‘leeching’? I have a business sense, okay?”
Saying this, he looked at his stall, filled with Safety Talismans, Evil-Repelling Talismans…
Whenever Liu Banxian finished telling a fortune, Bai Yuan could always sell quite a few…
“Also, Old Liu, this is called merchandising, get it?”
Bai Yuan smirked, continuing, “Besides, we’re mutually beneficial. See, some people buy a talisman and then think about getting a fortune told by you.”
“We’re the perfect partners!”
“…”
Liu Banxian was momentarily speechless, the other’s point was indeed valid…
“If it really comes down to it, I’ll repay you well once I’ve made it big.”
Bai Yuan also knew that their partnership was mainly due to Liu Banxian, who could also stock Safety Talismans, while Bai Yuan was not much of a fortune teller…
What was most unsettling was that his business was doing somewhat better than Liu Banxian’s…
“Just make it to college, kid.”
Liu Banxian wasn’t too concerned, knowing Bai Yuan’s situation and was quite accommodating.
The overpass was bustling, a busy part of Nan District,
And having told fortunes for many years, Liu Banxian had earned some recognition in Nan District, and their daily income was not bad, enough to cover living expenses.
Soon, the time approached ten o’clock at night,
The overpass became quiet, and the stallholders began packing up to go home,
And just then, a middle-aged woman hurried onto the overpass, her gaze urgent, quickly focusing on Liu Banxian’s stall.
“Hmm?”
Liu Banxian’s expression shifted, instantly realizing a customer had arrived,
His business was usually slow, but any customer meant pure profit at no cost.
“Are you the Liu Banxian from the overpass?”
“Indeed, that’s me. Are you looking to check your fortune or have a specific question?”
“Well…”
The woman looked around, making sure no one else was listening, then spoke softly:
“My child seems to be possessed…”
“What?!”
Liu Banxian was taken aback, momentarily at a loss.
“I need your help…”
“Possessed?!”
Though Liu Banxian had been a fortune teller for many years, he had never dealt with this kind of business before,
He usually just read palms and tested fortunes, mostly theoretical work,
But exorcising spirits involved practical action, a whole different matter.
“Please, I need your help.”
Seeing his reaction, the woman spoke again: “If you can solve it, I’m willing to pay five thousand yuan.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Banxian had yet to react, but Bai Yuan’s expression immediately changed, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.
In this small city where the average salary was three thousand yuan, five thousand was no small sum.
Moreover, real wealthy people wouldn’t normally turn to a roadside fortune teller for help…
Footnote:
- Yuan(元): Yuan (yuán) is the basic unit of currency in China. The symbol for yuan is ¥, 1 yuan ≈ 0.15 USD.
- Feng Shui(风水):Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese practice that involves selecting and arranging living environments to influence luck, health, and wealth. It is based on the theories of the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) and the Eight Trigrams, aiming to achieve harmony between humans and nature.
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