Chapter 163: Old Man, You've Gotten the Wrong Idea, You Want Him to Only Marry Me, Right?
Superstition, gods, and all that!
The people in temples and shrines rely on their ability to talk and convince others. After all, many people come to burn incense and pray, so surely some of them will get what they want, right?
To Lin Yibai, this was more about psychological suggestion and comfort than about actually achieving some vague wish.
The old man in the temple pinched the red paper fish in his pocket and smiled widely, assuring,
“Don’t worry, we are honest here, whether young or old, sincerity brings results. Since this is your wish, I will definitely help.”
How did it become Lin Yibai’s wish?
The old man seemed to have an idea of what she meant, but it wasn’t entirely clear. He seemed to misunderstand a bit. Maybe he thought Lin Yibai liked the boy but couldn’t say it out loud, so she needed his help? But it didn’t matter to Lin Yibai if he misunderstood. As long as the goal was achieved, that was enough.
Lin Yibai walked back along the small road. Xia Changyu had been waiting for a while.
If she didn’t meet him soon, she might need to check the women’s restroom to make sure he didn’t fall in there.
As soon as they met, Xia Changyu showed no signs of impatience from waiting. Instead, he asked with concern.
“Why is there so much sweat on your forehead? Your clothes around your neck are all wet. Did you eat something bad? Are you feeling okay?”
Instead of enjoying themselves more, he cared more about how the girl was feeling.
Lin Yibai had run hundreds of meters in the heat, so of course, she was sweating! She quickly made up an excuse to cover it up.
Now, what was more important was going to that small temple. Otherwise, all her careful planning would be for nothing.
“I’m really fine,” she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Then, pulling Xia Changyu’s sleeve, she urged, “Come on, hurry up! I heard that small temple is the most effective one here!”
She didn’t know if it was really effective, but she had spent 200 yuan on it, so surely the old man would have lots of good things to say.
She walked ahead.
But wait, wasn’t this her first time here? Shouldn’t it be exciting and new?
Xia Changyu, though, didn’t think so. He had already noticed something strange. He had seen Lin Yibai skillfully avoid the gravel and rubble and even warn him about holes in the path.
How was she so familiar with this place?
Xia Changyu saw a stove and asked, “Do you want to buy incense and paper money?”
Earlier, when they were at the temple, she had paid. He didn’t want to keep letting her pay for everything. That would make him look useless, like someone who just eats off others.
But Lin Yibai had already paid, so she didn’t want to spend more. She shook her head and said,
“No need.”
She was just as decisive as any guy. Without looking around, she went straight to the middle of the temple, took the bamboo fortune stick container, and handed it to Xia Changyu, saying,
“Hurry, draw another one! It’s very effective.”
Xia Changyu still had a lot of doubts but took the container and shook it. Soon, he drew the third fortune.
The fortune read:
“I advise you to stop hesitating. Your fortune is good, your clothes and food will be abundant. Harmony and happiness are with you, and when the time is right, you’ll gain a great treasure.”
Wow! It was a very good fortune!
This was easy to understand. Anyone with a little literacy could tell it was a positive omen.
Xia Changyu’s face brightened, and he couldn’t help but smile, saying, “This fortune, I don’t think we even need to interpret it. I just glanced at it, and I understand it.”
“Not going?” Lin Yibai became anxious.
She had planned everything carefully. She had run hundreds of meters and was sweating all over. Now he was telling her not to bother?
“No way!!” she said firmly. She added, “You can’t just look at it and think it’s enough. This kind of fortune needs someone professional to explain it, okay?”
Xia Changyu still thought that as long as he understood the meaning, that was enough. He didn’t want to make any more trouble. He was also worried that the person interpreting the fortune might tell him to buy incense and paper money again and start saying nonsense.
The bad thing about this was that it could easily be misunderstood.
Lin Yibai immediately gave him a stern look and asked with a humph.
“What are you so scared of? Don’t tell me you’ve read too many fake-deep emotional quotes! You get one bad fortune and suddenly think something like, ‘Sixteen readings, none of them are good. Sixteen love fortunes, all of them say heartbreak’? Come on... we’re about to graduate college, let’s stop falling for these cheesy and outdated sad quotes!”
She was especially annoyed by this kind of thing in the “ancient style” community. The last time she did a project for her rival, involving ceramics and ancient styles, she had been shocked by the emotional, dramatic people in that community, so she really didn’t think it was necessary.
People should always think positively.
“Why is it about separation?” Lin Yibai slightly curled her lips, with some youthful energy and disapproval. “Why can’t it be ‘Sixteen signs, and all of them are good. Sixteen love signs, all saying happiness’?”
Xia Changyu smiled. He really liked the optimistic attitude of the girl in front of him. It felt like, in an instant, all his gloomy feelings disappeared.
He kept listening, laughing more and more.
This girl was even talking about social values in front of the idols, all for his mood.
“Come on, use your scientific worldview, your active mindset, and your materialistic spirit.”
Soon, they arrived at the old taoist’s table.
He had already accepted a favor from the little girl, and now he was faced with a rare good fortune for love. However, the priorities still had to be set.
The money had come from Lin Yibai, not from Xia Changyu. So, the main focus was Lin Yibai, with Xia Changyu supporting her. The old taoist began to speak.
The old taoist looked at the fortune and first nodded, then shook his head and said,
“This is indeed a very good fortune! If you ask for money, you’ll get it, but for love...”
Xia Changyu’s face changed. “What?”
Oh no, what was the old man going to say? If he started babbling about how love wasn’t going well, was he ready to smash this little temple?
But Lin Yibai remained calm, as steady as ever.
The old taoist didn’t hold back and directly said, “As for love, it’s also very good, but this love...”
Xia Changyu asked, “What do you mean?”
Now he really wanted to see what nonsense the old man would say.
The old taoist replied, “You will have a wife.”
Xia Changyu: Seriously?
The old taoist continued, “But you need a girl who is beautiful, who can bring you good luck, and whose fate matches yours perfectly. She will be the best one for you as a wife.”
So, who could it be?
It turned out that the old taoist thought Lin Yibai came to him for help because she liked the guy next to her. He assumed she was asking for help for him, to make sure he didn’t feel bad.
As the saying goes, ‘Take the money, and help avoid trouble.’
Now, the old taoist had tied this love fortune to them!
“It’s her,” the old taoist pointed at Lin Yibai and said very confidently, “She’s perfect for you. There’s no better match than this.”
Lin Yibai was stunned. Wait, she just wanted the old man to say nice things to her rival, to make him feel better. She didn’t expect this.
Was the old taoist implying that Xia Changyu couldn’t marry anyone but her?
Looking at Xia Changyu’s silly happy expression, it was obvious.
It seemed like fate was decided. He was going to chase after her now.