Siheyuan Fortune Telling: Starting from a Buyer to Become an All-rounder

Xu Dongsheng left the courtyard and followed the route he took last time. Soon he arrived at Shichahai. At the same place, he took out the fishing rod and put bait on it. This time Xu Dongsheng had meat, so he used rabbit meat and cornmeal to make a little bait. Although digging earthworms is the cheapest, where can you find earthworms in the land by the Shichahai?

So Xu Dongsheng made a bait, which was only the size of a one and a half year old baby's fist. After Xu Dongsheng hung the bait on the fishhook, he put the rest into the hemispherical space. If it was left outside and seen by others, it would be a disgusting thing.

Xu Dongsheng had just cast his fishing rod into the lake when he felt something moving underwater. He then lifted the fishing rod up and caught the fish. The fish was not small, so Xu Dongsheng tried to fish for a while before pulling it up. He did not expect that Yan Suanpan was not good at other things, but he did a good job with the fishing rod. Xu Dongsheng caught a black carp weighing 19 pounds.

"Brother, you are amazing. You actually caught such a big herring. Wow, if such a big herring falls into the hands of a gourmet, he can definitely make at least five ways to eat it."

Xu Dongsheng just got the fish up and was about to tie its dorsal fin when a middle-aged man came up to him and told him that the black carp was a good thing. Xu Dongsheng knew it was a good thing. The black carp weighed nearly 20 kilograms and was brought to the purchasing department at the price of 50 cents per kilogram. That meant the task was to deliver more than 90 kilograms.

Xu Dongsheng looked over. The middle-aged man was about forty years old. He was wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. The most important thing was the pair of shiny leather shoes on his feet. Although he had forehead wrinkles, there was not a single white hair on his head and his face was ruddy. It was obvious that he was not a poor man. He might be a gangster in Beijing.

"Well, it's OK, just 19 pounds."

Xu Dongsheng didn't know the man's identity, nor did he want to know. However, it was the first time for Xu Dongsheng to catch such a heavy fish. Since someone came up to praise him, Xu Dongsheng didn't pretend and accepted the compliment. If it were a fisherman in his previous life, he would have been hanging around the gate of the community for a long time, so that no one would know that he had caught such a big fish.

"Nineteen pounds?"

Hearing Xu Dongsheng give an exact number, the middle-aged man was puzzled for a moment, then looked at Xu Dongsheng.

"Well, I'm a buyer, and I can tell at a glance how much the fish weighs. I'm not bragging, my eyes are a scale, no matter if it's fish or shrimp, I can tell at a glance how much it weighs."

Xu Dongsheng smiled and told the middle-aged man that his eyes were his scale. To be honest, after all, although this ability is rare, it does exist, so Xu Dongsheng said it without hesitation.

"You really have the talent for purchasing. Brother, how about selling me this fish? I'll pay fifty cents a pound."

Then the middle-aged man looked at the fishermen around him and found that everyone was just staring at him, but now that the old man came, they also knew that the fish should have a buyer. If the deal was not reached, they would come again.

"Sir, I'm going to take this fish home to eat. If you like it, you can give me something in exchange. We won't talk about business. Is that okay with you?"

Xu Dongsheng looked at the people around him and did not agree to let the man sell it directly to him. This was in public. Shichahai belonged to the country. It was fine to eat the fish he caught himself, but if he sold it, wouldn't that be using public property to fill his own pockets? If he was reported, he would be dead.

"Well, I didn't think about it. How about this? I don't have anything with me. This is a book I found on the construction site yesterday. If you like it, how about exchanging it for this herring?"

Hearing Xu Dongsheng calling him "Master" all the time, the middle-aged man's attitude towards Xu Dongsheng became better, and he also expressed his approval of Xu Dongsheng's wit. Then he took out a small booklet from his pocket. It looked like an ancient book made of some kind of leather. There was nothing on the cover of the book. Xu Dongsheng took a look at it. This thing was actually worth one thousand yuan?

"Let me see?"

Xu Dongsheng's expression remained unchanged, and he extended his hand to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was delighted to see that Xu Dongsheng did not refuse, and then handed the booklet to Xu Dongsheng.

Xu Dongsheng took the booklet. It was not big, only as wide as a pair of palms put together. He turned to the last page and saw that the booklet had a total of sixty-four pages. Then Xu Dongsheng turned to the first page.

[First hexagram] Qian represents heaven - Qian hexagram

The best hexagram: Qian: Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen.

Xiang says: A trapped dragon gets water and good luck comes. He can't help but feel happy. All his plans will come true and his fortune will gradually improve. It symbolizes the sky, the dragon, and the pure yang and health, indicating prosperity and strength.

Things you hope for: You should only seek on your own and not rely on others.

Feng Shui: The cave is flat, and the child is the ninth. It is a noble place for burial and auspicious, but controversial.

Pregnancy: first child girl, second child boy, or twins.

Transaction: Completed on the days of Xu and Hai.

What you ask for: If you have help from a noble lady or a monk or nun, it will be accomplished. Don’t doubt it.

Seeking a job: There will be a noble person to promote you, very auspicious.

House: There are houses in front and behind, and doors facing each other on both sides, so be careful of fire and candles.

Looking for someone: Meet in the southeast, and you can see him/her on the way on the ninth day.

Diseases: cold and heat, headache, hot body and nervousness.

Ci theory: The lawsuit is reasonable, and the character with the word "kou" as the radical or "cao" as the radical can mediate and bring peace.

Marriage: There are two matchmakers. If the one with a mouth sign or a straw hat fails, the chosen girl must be beautiful.

Silkworms in the field: 70% harvest.

Meet the noble: You can meet the noble on the day of Yixi Chou.

Travel: Do not travel alone, but travel with friends, auspicious. In the woods.

Traveler: One person is traveling alone, and his companions are scattered. On the ninth day, there will be news, and he will be able to return home within ten days.

Catching a thief: It is urgent. Hide in a temple. There are two or three roads in front of and on the left and right of the door where people often pass by. Or hide in the bamboo forest.

Lost: Look for it in the southwest near the temple. If you see anyone, ask them. If it is an object, look for it in the place where wood and stones are piled up.

Seeking wealth: It is advisable to do so on the days and hours of Hai, Lun, Wei, Yin and Wu. It is better to seek on your own.

This is a book of Yijing. It does not have line statements, but only hexagram statements and assertions. Coincidentally, Xu Dongsheng's yellow list requires hexagram statements and line statements, but interpreting the hexagrams requires translating word for word, which is still very troublesome. If you shake the hexagram in the future and just see whether it is suitable for traveling, wouldn't that be very simple?

Moreover, it is not just about travel, there are other things on it, which can be used as a reference in the future. I didn’t expect that this black carp could have such great value?

"Are you sure you want to exchange this with me? This booklet looks quite ancient, who knows what kind of antique it is."

Xu Dongsheng flipped through the booklet casually, and then looked up and down at the middle-aged man in front of him. He could take out such a thing at will, could he be engaged in this kind of work? But he didn't look like that?

"Even if it's an antique, it's not worth much. This thing was dug out from an old house. I've already read the contents. It's not very useful. Even if it's an antique, it's not worth much. Just don't regret it. If we fight, it's a done deal."

The middle-aged man looked at Xu Dongsheng like this. Although Xu Dongsheng hid his expression, he could still tell that Xu Dongsheng liked this thing. He guessed that Xu Dongsheng thought it was an antique and could still be worth some money. However, he didn't know that he had studied this thing thoroughly and estimated that it would only be worth fifty cents if it was consigned to a store. So looking at Xu Dongsheng's expression, he estimated that he was a little satisfied but not much, so he smiled and told Xu Dongsheng not to regret it.

"Well, since you said so, let's switch. Take the fish, and we'll be even."

Xu Dongsheng nodded, then handed the 19-jin herring to the middle-aged man, who quickly picked up the hemp rope that Xu Dongsheng had tied to the fish's dorsal fin.

"Okay, we're even. My name is Xiao Yitu, and I'm currently the warehouse manager for the Beijing Construction Engineering Team. I live in the courtyard at No. 13, Dengzhan Hutong, Beishuncheng Street, Xicheng District. If you have anything good, you can come find me. I promise to give you a satisfactory deal."

Xiao Yitu took the fish in his hand and felt it shaking. He was immediately overjoyed and told Xu Dongsheng his name and address. He told Xu Dongsheng that if he had anything, he could go to his place and give it to him. He would then give Xu Dongsheng something of corresponding value.

"Okay, no problem. If there's anything good, I'll definitely send it to you."

Xu Dongsheng nodded, then put the booklet into his pocket, actually putting it into the hemispherical space.

"Okay, I'll be leaving now. See you later."

After getting a satisfactory answer, Xiao Yitu said goodbye to Xu Dongsheng while holding the fish. The taste of the fish would be much worse if it was dead, so Xiao Yitu did not stay long.

"See you later. Slow down."

Xu Dongsheng sent Xiao Yitu away. The bait on the fish hook had been swept clean. Xu Dongsheng took it as a nest, picked up the fishing rod, put the bait on it again, and cast the rod down.