The old man noticed Fan Cheng staring at him without speaking and asked, "Young man, are you selling this item or not? I'll give you ten thousand, which is already a generous offer. If you don't believe me, go ask next door.""This item's market price is around one million, old man. Don't try to fool me," Fan Cheng was certain he wouldn't easily believe the old man in front of him. The little girl had told him that this was a bronze item, and the old man also said it was, but claimed it was a replica. Either way, he was more inclined to trust the little girl.The old man laughed, "You know about this? I've been in the antique street for twenty years, and I've never been wrong."Fan Cheng smiled, "Well, forget it then. Since you don't want it, I'll ask around. If no one offers a reasonable price, I'll just keep it as a collection. Someday, I'll find the right person." With that, he quickly wrapped up the bronze vessel and was about to leave.The old man grew a bit anxious. Most people he encountered were easy to deceive, and he could tell that this young man didn't know anything about antiques. How could he be so sure that this item was genuine? And to top it off, he had also guessed the price perfectly. If it was bought for one million, he wouldn't be losing anything, and could even sell it for around one hundred twenty thousand at an auction, or even up to one hundred fifty thousand. He could make a profit, but he was reluctant to let go. How could someone who knew nothing about antiques be so hard to fool?"Hey, hey, wait a moment, young man," the old man finally called out. He could tell that the young man wasn't joking.Fan Cheng turned back, "So, are you buying it or not?"The old man sighed, "Alright, come here, let's have a proper discussion."Fan Cheng said, "If you don't give me a reasonable price, there's no point in talking."The old man laughed bitterly, "You're a tough one, huh? Fine, come here. I'll definitely give you a fair price."Fan Cheng felt a bit uneasy, but seeing that the old man had softened, he knew the item was indeed genuine, just like the little girl had said.Fan Cheng placed the item back on the counter, and the old man carefully examined it, using a magnifying glass to inspect it. In his heart, he thought, "Not bad, perfect condition, no damage. This is indeed a genuine item worth the price." Of course, he knew that in business, you couldn't be too honest.The old man said, "Young man, you probably don't understand antiques, right? Can you tell me why you're so sure this item is worth one million?""Someone told me that this bronze vessel with taotie patterns is genuine," Fan Cheng replied, not hiding anything.The old man was curious, "Did your family tell you this?"Fan Cheng shook his head, "It was a stranger."The old man was even more puzzled. In this day and age, there were people like that—meeting a priceless antique and not trying to deceive anyone, but instead telling the young man the true value and letting him sell it? He found it strange. Then, Fan Cheng continued, "She's a very good person. We met only once. This item was almost bought by someone else, but she told me not to sell it.""Old man, are you buying it or not?" Fan Cheng asked again."Alright, alright, I'll buy it. One million, I'll give you that," the old man said, wondering how he could lower the price a bit.Fan Cheng repeated, "I told you, this item is worth one million. If you offer less, I won't sell it."The old man sighed, "Alright, one million it is. But who is this wise person who told you this price? I really don't have any profit from this. What's your bank account number? I'll transfer the money directly."Fan Cheng provided his account number, and the old man began the transfer. When Fan Cheng heard the message notification on his phone and saw the six zeros, his heart started racing. The money had been transferred. Fan Cheng was about to leave.The old man hurriedly called out to him, "Young man, who is this kind person? Can you introduce me to them? Anyone who can recognize that this item is genuine and knows it's worth one million must be highly skilled, and they seem like a good person. I'd love to make their acquaintance."Fan Cheng shook his head, "I don't really know her. I just know she's a… fortune teller." He remembered the large characters written on the stall. "She's a feng shui master, and she sets up a stall at the Wufu Overpass.""Ah," the old man was stunned for a moment. He knew the Wufu Overpass well, it was a gathering place for fortune tellers, but they were mostly old, blind men who just fooled people. He was left speechless. Could it be that this young man had been deceiving him from the start? A kind person telling him that this item was genuine and worth one million, and it turned out to be from a feng shui master, a little girl? Who was he fooling? The old man felt ridiculous, realizing he had been duped by a young man.The young man in the rattan chair didn't care at all, just flipped over and continued sleeping. The old man sighed, thinking that the shop might not last much longer if the young master didn't care.After leaving, Fan Cheng was still full of excitement, his head in a daze. The little girl had warned him about the financial loss. If it weren't for her, he would have sold the item to the customer who offered fifty yuan. He had been trying to sell it for half a month, and no one had shown interest. At the time, fifty yuan seemed like a good deal. If it weren't for the little girl's reminder, he would have lost a fortune.He wasn't a dishonest person. Since the little girl had helped him out, even though she hadn't asked for any payment, he decided to give her something in return. He calculated his expenses: twenty thousand to pay back relatives, twenty thousand for his father's chemotherapy, and another twenty thousand for a house for his father to retire in. The remaining forty thousand would cover his father's medication, and with that, he and his sister could manage for two more years. The doctor had said that after two years, his father's condition might stabilize, and they wouldn't need expensive medication anymore. He could keep ninety thousand, and the remaining ten thousand would be given to the little girl as a reward.Fan Cheng was so excited that he immediately went to the bank, withdrew ten thousand yuan, and took a taxi to the Wufu Overpass. The little girl was still there, her stall unchanged. She was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed. As soon as Fan Cheng arrived, she opened her eyes."Did you sell it?" she asked."I did," Fan Cheng nodded excitedly. "Just like you said, it sold for exactly one million." He then pulled out a thick stack of money wrapped in a black bag and said, "Sister, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, my father's illness, and me and my sister, we were about to give up. You saved my father's life. I really don't know how to thank you."He handed her ten thousand yuan.Gu Qin took five thousand and returned the other five thousand to Fan Cheng. "Five percent is enough. Do more good deeds. I'll help you avert a calamity, and the karmic retribution will fall on me. If you do more good deeds, the consequences will be lighter for me."Fan Cheng was stunned. Seeing Gu Qin's serious expression, he didn't think she was joking. He quickly nodded, "Master, I understand." From the little girl to now calling her "Master," Fan Cheng completely believed that this young girl was a remarkable feng shui master."Master, I'll leave now," he said. Suddenly, he felt a bit uneasy. He hadn't thought about it before, but now that he noticed, she was just a young girl, and she had put five thousand yuan into her small bag in front of so many people. What if someone took notice?"Master, would you like me to go with you and put the money in a bank account? It's too crowded here, and if someone notices, it could be a problem."Gu Qin thought for a moment. "Then you can help me deposit it into an account," she said. She didn't have a card yet, but she remembered Cheng Yinxiang's card number.Fan Cheng went to the bank, and after finishing his errands, he headed straight to the hospital.After Fan Cheng left, Gu Qin looked at the sky. It was still early, and although it was cloudy, there wasn't much sunlight. She continued to sit cross-legged with her eyes closed.Everyone walking by the Wufu Overpass could see a young girl sitting in front of a feng shui stall with her legs crossed. It looked odd to them. There was a temple nearby, so many people knew that the Wufu Overpass was home to many fortune tellers, but they had never seen such a young girl. Some young people thought it was amusing and even took a few photos of
Gu Qin with their phones.These photos later appeared in a popular forum under the entertainment section. A post titled "[Entertainment Gossip] Cute Girl Pretends to Be a Feng Shui Master. Today's Scammers Are So Unprofessional" was uploaded with Gu Qin's picture.Such posts didn't attract much attention on the forum. Most people were more interested in other gossip. The post quickly sank to the second page with only a few comments on Gu Qin's appearance."Her features aren't bad, though her clothes are a bit old-fashioned. I'd give her an eight.""How can she be cute? She's probably just a little girl with her eyes closed. Maybe her eyes are small and slanted when she opens them. She only deserves four points.""How could her eyes be slanted? You can see the double eyelid fold in the photo above. That's a natural double eyelid.""Maybe she got eyelid surgery.""Didn't see any scarring from surgery. Honestly, this photo is pretty clear. Couldn't it be a publicity stunt?"In the end, the post got only a few replies and faded away.Gu Qin, of course, didn't know about this. She stayed for another two hours, but no one came to ask her for a reading. On the other hand, the other fortune-tellers at the bridge had quite a few customers.After two hours, she stood up, and the other vendors couldn't help but comment, "This little girl is so strange, all mystical and cryptic. Who knows if she really has any skills or if she's just playing a scam."Another vendor said, "She's definitely a scam. A young girl like that can't possibly know anything. Liu Banxian has been around for years before he started gaining any reputation, but this girl is trying to take shortcuts."After all, the situation seemed too coincidental. Fan Cheng had only been there for half a month, and Gu Qin had come in and immediately figured out everything about the antique and its value. They just couldn't believe she wasn't working with Fan Cheng. If she truly had the knowledge, why not just quietly take the antique for herself? Why would she tell him about it so openly? They didn't believe that this girl had real abilities.Gu Qin didn't mind what they thought. If she had true skills, time would tell. She went back home and cooked some noodles, ate them, then studied for her afternoon lessons. At five o'clock, she prepared dinner, fried three dishes, and heard a knock on the door. She opened it, only to be stunned when she saw who was standing outside.