Aunt Wu had come this time specifically to find someone to help her with a reading.
Her son and daughter-in-law had been married for several years, but they had yet to have children. Both had gone to the hospital for examinations, and it turned out there were no issues with either of them. Over the years, she had been so anxious about this matter that she had grown plenty of white hair.
She wasn't a wicked mother-in-law, nor would she ever make things difficult for her daughter-in-law over such a matter, much less drive a wedge between her son and his wife.
But she dreamed of holding a grandchild in her arms. Whether it be a grandson or granddaughter, she didn't ask for much, just one would be enough. It was such a simple wish, yet it had never come true.
The reason she had appeared at Tongtian Bridge today was essentially out of desperation.
Initially, she had planned to find an older Master for the reading. However, after seeing Zhong Niangyao's performance, she changed her mind. She felt that this young girl in front of her seemed more capable than the others. So she decided to give it a try.
Even if there really was some loss, it was just a matter of the fortune-telling fee.
Zhong Niangyao glanced at Aunt Wu before her a soft smile, "You can go back now!"
Upon hearing such words, Aunt Wu was instantly stunned, "Young lady, what do you mean? You won't do the reading for me? Why not?"
She didn't understand; although she had been watching the commotion just now, she hadn't offended this young girl from beginning to end. Why was she unwilling to read for her now?
"Elder lady, I suggest you make a call home and ask around first," Zhong Niangyao's lips curved into a mysterious arc, "If you still insist on me doing a reading for you afterward, then I'll do it."
Despite being filled with questions, Aunt Wu still took out her phone and dialed her son. She wanted to see what kind of medicine this young girl was really selling.
The instant the call connected, before Aunt Wu could even speak, her son's excited voice came through.
"Mom, mom, Xiao Ya is pregnant, she's pregnant. She's already been to the hospital for a check-up today, and it's been two months."
"What?" Aunt Wu immediately stood up, and her voice rose several notches, yet she couldn't tamp down the excitement in her tone, "Are you telling the truth?"
Then came a ceaseless stream of words from the other end of the line, but Aunt Wu didn't find it annoying at all – on the contrary, she grew even more excited.
The onlookers who had been there were all confused at this point.
After a while, Aunt Wu finally hung up the phone and looked at Zhong Niangyao with eyes shimmering, "Master, you are so accurate. No wonder you didn't do a reading for me; it turns out my daughter-in-law is already pregnant!"
The crowd, initially puzzled, now also had their realization. Their gazes towards Zhong Niangyao were filled with the same glint of astonishment.
Now, they truly believed that this young girl, despite her age, had real talent.
"Master, is it a boy or a girl that my daughter-in-law is carrying?"
Aunt Wu sat down again, looking at Zhong Niangyao like a cat that had seen a fish, "I don't really care whether it's a boy or a girl; I just want to know in advance."
What she said was indeed the truth: after so many years without a pregnancy, the gender didn't matter. Of course, if possible, she still hoped for both a grandson and a granddaughter. Nevertheless, she also understood that some things just couldn't be forced.
Zhong Niangyao shook her head, "Whether it's a boy or a girl isn't important, what's important is that your wishes will ultimately be fulfilled."
Aunt Wu's eyes lit up, "You're saying—"
"Shush!"
Zhong Niangyao put her index finger to her lips, "The Heavenly Secret must not be revealed."
"Thank you, Master," Aunt Wu thanked her repeatedly, "Master, how much is the fortune-telling fee?"
"A hundred will do."
After thinking it over, Zhong Niangyao pulled out a piece of talisman paper folded into a triangle from her pocket, strung it with red thread, and handed it to Aunt Wu, "Let your daughter-in-law wear this, and never take it off."
Seeing the talisman paper handed over by Zhong Niangyao, Aunt Wu frowned, "Master, what do you mean?"
"Just follow what I say," Zhong Niangyao did not give another explanation, "This talisman is different from the fortune-telling fee, it costs ten thousand yuan."
Upon hearing such a price, Aunt Wu was immediately startled. The talisman was like a hot potato; she wasn't sure whether to take it or not.
Moreover, she somewhat suspected she might have encountered a scammer, and that everything up until then was just a coincidence.
Not only Aunt Wu, but the surrounding people also felt the same. Otherwise, why would a small piece of talisman paper cost ten thousand yuan? It's known that at Tongtian Bridge, the most expensive talismans sold by people did not exceed one thousand yuan at most.