Chapter 32: Divinatory Symbol

China had always valued educated merchants, but in earlier years, literary men who ventured into business rarely made big money. They couldn’t let go of the scholar’s pride; talk of money would make their faces flush and leave them flustered. Ye Dongping was like that now.

“Uncle Ye, if we can buy it cheaply, why pay more?”

Feng Kuang didn’t understand. Wasn’t the whole point of toiling through the streets and alleys to earn some hard-earned money? If others didn’t recognize the value of something and he could buy it cheaply, it was a willing transaction. No one could say anything against it.

Upon hearing this, Ye Dongping was momentarily stunned, as if only then remembering his current identity. He waved his hand somewhat despondently. “You… Ah, do as you please. But one thing: no cheating, tricking, swindling, deceiving, or stealing. If I find out, we won’t need to keep this Recycling Station open.”

When saying the latter part, Ye Dongping’s expression turned very serious. Having no hope of returning to the ivory tower for scholarly pursuits or mechanical work, this was the bottom line he could still uphold.

“Uncle Ye, don’t worry. I, Feng Kuang, am not a person with shallow vision. Taking small advantages might work for a while, but not for a lifetime. I understand this principle.”

After hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Feng Kuang nodded very seriously. Although he sometimes enjoyed playing petty tricks, he deeply understood that honesty was the foundation of being a person. Losing that, a country boy like him would also lose the foundation for establishing himself in the city.

“Alright, Feng Zi. You drank at noon and probably didn’t eat much. Come, let’s eat together.”

With the serious discussion over, Ye Dongping motioned for Feng Kuang to sit down. The rice he had steamed was ready by now, and the fragrance of rice filled the room.

“Dad, I’ll serve the rice…” Having worked most of the day, Ye Tian was already hungry. He eagerly filled a bowl of rice for everyone.

Feng Kuang had brought back quite a bit of pork head meat. Paired with the fragrant rice, the first meal Ye Dongping and his son had in this new home was exceptionally delicious.

After the meal, it was already past five in the afternoon. The sun had set in the west, casting a long shadow of the Recycling Station across the wild field.

The room was a bit stuffy, so all three of them sat in the yard. Feng Kuang even stripped off his clothes, took a bath with water from the hand pump well, and changed into a checkered shirt and bell-bottom pants, just like the young people in the County Town.

Apart from seeing someone dressed like that from the tractor when entering the county, this was the first time Ye Tian saw such clothing. He couldn’t help but say, “Brother Feng Zi, these clothes look really good…”

Upon hearing Ye Tian’s words, Feng Kuang said proudly, “Of course! These bell-bottoms cost twelve yuan.”

Saying this, as if afraid Ye Dongping might misunderstand, Feng Kuang looked at him and explained, “Hey, Uncle Ye, I didn’t use the Recycling Station’s money for this. This was given to me by my uncle.”

“There’s no need to explain. I trust you, Feng Zi. From now on, if you need to spend money, just tell Uncle Ye what it’s for. You’re also the Boss of this Recycling Station. When going out to have fun, you shouldn’t look too shabby either.”

Seeing Feng Kuang’s nervous expression, Ye Dongping smiled. He had been through his teens and twenties too, and back then, he was even more vain than Feng Kuang.

In Ye Dongping’s era, military uniforms were the most popular clothing style. Anyone who could have a military uniform plus a military cap would absolutely be the focus of attention when walking in school.

However, fights caused by this were endless. Some children from poor families specifically went to rob the clothes of children from military compound families, leading to the rise of tough guys in all districts of Sijiu City.

Of course, back then Ye Dongping was a good kid, only following behind and cheering others on. But thinking back to those wild and youthful days, a smile still appeared on his face.

“Hehe, Uncle Ye, I won’t spend money recklessly. I only bought these clothes because I was afraid of being laughed at when in the city. Don’t worry.”

Upon hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Feng Kuang chuckled. He turned to look at Ye Tian and said, “Ye Tian, I’ll take you to see a movie later. Want to go?”

“Of course I want to go! You promised me, Brother Fengzi.”

Ye Tian had been thinking about this. Just moments ago, he was considering whether to subtly remind Brother Fengzi. He didn’t expect him to bring it up himself.

“No. We just arrived; don’t go running around.” Ye Dongping’s single sentence made Ye Tian’s face fall, looking pitifully at Feng Kuang with pleading eyes.

“Uncle Ye, let me take Ye Tian out to have some fun. They’re showing the United States’ ‘Superman’ tonight. I hear it’s really good.” If Ye Tian couldn’t go out, Feng Kuang would also feel awkward about going out to play on their very first day. So, he began pleading for Ye Tian.

“‘Superman’? Not ‘Shaolin Temple’?” Ye Tian sounded disappointed upon hearing this.

“It’s even better than ‘Shaolin Temple’! I hear the man can fly in the sky and even race against trains.”

Seeing Ye Tian’s disappointed look, Feng Kuang gestured animatedly. However, he hadn’t seen the movie either; it was all hearsay.

“Feng Zi, we just arrived in the city and aren’t familiar with the outside. Better not go to such places too often.” After thinking for a moment, Ye Dongping still shook his head.

“Dad, it’s fine. I did Physiognomy for Brother Fengzi. He won’t run into any trouble recently. Huh? That’s not right.” As Ye Tian spoke, he looked at Feng Kuang. But when he saw Feng Kuang’s eyebrows, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

When he did Feng Kuang’s fortune-telling in the morning, Feng Kuang’s eyebrows were still tightly knit. Now, perhaps because he had bathed, his right eyebrow had suddenly become somewhat scattered. In Physiognomy, this signified being quick to anger and prone to attracting bloodshed misfortune.

“Arcane Repository!” Seeing Feng Kuang’s facial features, Ye Tian also became uncertain. He summoned the Luopan in his mind, input Feng Kuang’s birth details, and cast a divination for him.

“Hmm? The sign of decay breeding worms… the Gu hexagram contained within the Guimei hexagram…” Seeing the Divinatory Symbol displayed in his mind, Ye Tian felt conflicted.

This was the 54th and 18th hexagrams among the 64 hexagrams. The latter signified a young man stirring with spring feelings, a tender affection. However, both contained minor ominous signs. That meant if Feng Kuang really went out today, he might indeed encounter a Blood Disaster.

“Brother Feng, let’s not go today. I see your complexion looks obscure. If you go out, you might encounter misfortune.”

If this were in the countryside, Ye Tian probably wouldn’t care. After all, the divination only showed a minor bad omen; at worst, he’d get a bloody head. But on their first day in the city, he still felt some fear towards places where city people gathered.

Ye Dongping originally didn’t want the two to go out. Hearing Ye Tian’s words, he immediately said, “Feng Zi, listen to Xiao Tian. You know how capable he is.”

Unexpectedly, before Ye Dongping’s words even finished, Feng Kuang interrupted in a muffled, urgent voice, “Uncle Ye, no. Even if I don’t take Ye Tian, I have to go myself.”

“Brother Fengzi, you… do you have something else going on?” Ye Tian understood Feng Kuang’s thoughts. He must have made a date with a girl. Otherwise, the divination wouldn’t show such a sign.