Part 2 Chapter 21 Fang Wanjin
I woke up the next afternoon and talked to Qin Yiheng on the phone. He came to my house and drove me straight to the largest small commodity wholesale market in our area.
I was quite excited when I heard him say that he was going to find an expert, but I didn't expect that he would bring me to such a place. I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. I asked him a question, and he told me to try to be lively and speak louder when I met people later, because the old man was a little hard of hearing and didn't like people who talked little.
This really tests my acting skills. What is considered lively? The kind that jumps around and even has to put on blush? This old man's preferences are really in line with the standards of an expert, and they are unique.
After getting off the car, I followed Qin Yiheng through the wholesale market, thinking about it, and finally stopped in front of a store. Qin Yiheng told me that we had arrived, and then he pushed the door open first. I was not in a hurry, and looked outside. I guess this store sells things like Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, or paper-cuts, which are all pasted on the doors of homes. It looks quite festive. There are also two big red lanterns hanging outside the door, but there is no obvious sign, and I don’t know what the store is called.
I thought to myself: "This is what is called 'a great man hiding in the city'. The shops in this small commodity wholesale market are small, but the goods are not cheap. I wanted to invest in a few shops earlier, but they were snatched away before I could make a move. This old man can afford to rent a shop just to sell Spring Festival couplets. Is the profit really that high?"
Anyway, let's go in and take a look. I put out my cigarette and pushed the door open. Qin Yiheng was already sitting down and chatting with an old man, and the paper with the typo was on the table.
The old man didn't look very old. There weren't many wrinkles on his face and his beard wasn't long. He was wearing an Adidas sportswear and looked like an ordinary old man. When he saw me come in, he nodded at me and smiled in a rather lewd way.
Qin Yiheng didn't introduce anything to me. He just pointed to a plastic stool next to me and asked me to sit down, then continued to discuss with the old man.
Qin Yiheng spoke loudly, and the old man's voice was also loud. The two of them shouted back and forth for a long time, but I could hear them clearly. Qin Yiheng asked the old man if there was any meaning to these words.
The old man picked up the paper, squinted his eyes and looked at it for a while, then laughed and said, "This thing is not a word, it's called a lot. Many fortune tellers used it in the past, and it can predict many things, except for marriage. It is sometimes used in prisons, for example, on certain days, it is said that the King of Hell only accepts an odd number of ghosts on that day, and the number of death row prisoners to be executed is an even number, so they will use lots to draw a person to delay death, as a way to give face to the King of Hell. This thing has many strokes, which can be opened and filled in. In detail, it is somewhat similar to an intelligence game, and it really tests people's IQ. When predicting, a lot is shown first, and then the person who draws the lot fills in a stroke based on his feeling. Finally, the person who starts to calculate from this stroke will be the one who is most heaviest and will be spared death."
The old man's voice was clear, but I was confused. Who were these internal publications for? A fun game? Isn't this nonsense? I looked at Qin Yiheng, but he winked at me and then clapped his hands. I understood what he meant and quickly followed suit, almost cheering for the old man.
The old man looked around and nodded, indicating that he was quite satisfied. He picked up a gel pen and continued to talk while writing on the paper: "The characters created by our ancestors contain the mysteries of the universe, and are not as simple as they seem. Take these fortune sticks for example. The reason why they are ever-changing and can be used to predict good or bad luck is because of the strokes. This stroke contains the five elements. The so-called vertical stroke is a straight wooden stick, which is wood; the so-called horizontal stroke is an endless horizontal line, which is earth; the so-called dot is a diamond dot, which is gold; and the left and right strokes are placed on the left and right of the character. The left is fire, which represents conflict; the right is water, which represents leakage. These are just the most basic strokes. If we talk about them in detail, it will be a long story."
"So, this small stroke on the lot is not so simple in the eyes of those who know the business. Combined with the birth date of the person who filled in the stroke, there will naturally be conflicts or mutual benefits, which will lead to the difference in the importance of this lot."
The old man's story was indeed very interesting and enlightening. I couldn't help but nod my head in approval before Qin Yiheng reminded me. The old man also praised me, "You are very sensible." He casually took out a box of dry tobacco leaves from his pocket, rolled one, threw it to me, and lit one for himself, and continued, "Generally speaking, this kind of lot is just like this. As for the one you brought, it must be one of them. It's just that these lot are written in a somewhat irregular way. One of the five elements is removed from each one, so it looks so complicated and obscure."
Then he asked Qin Yiheng: "Where did these things come from?"
I see that Qin Yiheng doesn't seem to want to tell the old man, but the current situation may not solve the problem if he doesn't tell him.
Qin Yiheng hesitated for a moment before telling the old man the origin of this thing, but he did not say that it was from the company's internal magazine. Instead, he said that he accidentally found it when he was helping a friend move. It was handwritten in a few old books in his friend's house. He was very curious about it, so he came to ask about it.
The old man nodded, coughed lightly, and told Qin Yiheng: "I actually have a guess of my own, but I think it's a bit far-fetched. To me, this thing doesn't seem to be testing anything, it seems to be a missing person notice."
The old man's words left me dumbfounded, and Qin Yiheng looked surprised as well.
The old man probably expected this reaction from us. He laughed twice, picked up a pen, wrote and drew on the paper for a while, then handed the paper to Qin Yiheng.
Qin Yiheng stared at the paper for a few seconds, his brows almost twisted together.
My curiosity was like a cat scratching inside my chest. I looked up for a long time, but due to the limited angle, I could only see the back of the paper. I simply stood up and took a few glances. The paper was a mess, just like the draft paper used by students for exams. I couldn't see anything. I had no choice but to sit down again and wait patiently for them to explain.
As a result, neither of them talked about this matter again after that. Instead, they started chatting about family matters, asking each other about their recent situation.
Following the conversation, the old man asked Qin Yiheng if he had seen Liu Quezi recently. He said that Liu Quezi had come to visit him a few months ago, bought him a few pairs of Spring Festival couplets, and gave him a hat, saying that it would keep him warm when the weather got cold. He also threw him two thousand yuan and left a message, saying that he would not come to visit during the New Year if he had something to do, so it was considered as a New Year's greeting to the old man in advance.
Qin Yiheng's body shook slightly when he heard the old man talking. My heart skipped a beat as well.
According to the old man, Liu Guizi had come here before he disappeared, and from what he left, it was obvious that he was going to disappear for a while. Could he be in cahoots with the fake Liu Guizi?
I glanced at Qin Yiheng, and he curled his lips at me. I guess he was afraid that I would interrupt him, so he quickly took over the conversation and asked the old man what the hat looked like.
The old man didn't notice that we were up to something. He happily took the hat and handed it to Qin Yiheng.
The hat is black with a red border, and it looks good. I didn't touch it, so I don't know what it is made of, but it looks like leather. Qin Yiheng took it in his hand, looked at it inside and out, nodded, praised the quality of the hat, and put it on the table.
My seat was two steps away from the table. I didn't notice Qin Yiheng holding it in his hand just now. Now from my angle, the hat is a little higher than the average hat. I don't know if it's a design error or if this style is popular this year. Anyway, it's very unpleasant at first glance. However, I saw that the old man liked the hat very much, so I held back and didn't say anything. I simply lit a cigarette to cover my mouth.
After smoking a cigarette, Qin Yiheng and the old man had almost finished chatting, so he said goodbye to the old man, carefully put away the paper, took out a stack of money from his wallet and put it on the table. The old man didn't say anything polite, smiled and sent us out the door, stuffed two couplets into Qin Yiheng's hand, and turned back.
After we got out of the door, I finally spoke after holding it in for a long time. I wanted to ask him something, but I hadn't figured out where to start. But Qin Yiheng said that we could talk about it after we got in the car, and took me out of the wholesale market.
After getting on the car, Qin Yiheng did not start the engine in a hurry to return. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and pondered for a while. He told me that the old man's surname was Fang. He was one of the few fortune-telling masters in China. Although he looked young, he was actually in his 90s. When he was prosperous in the early years, he had several teahouses. He was called Fang Wanjin. As the name suggests, people would ask him for fortune-telling. As long as he opened his mouth to tell you, the bottom line was 10,000 yuan. Although the old man was smiling, he actually had a bad temper. When he was in a bad mood, he would speak very aggressively. Therefore, he angered a big shot who came to fortune-tell. He was severely punished by the other party, and the teahouse was closed. Finally, the old man rented a small store in the wholesale market. It looked like it was selling Spring Festival couplets and New Year paintings, but it was actually a fortune-telling business. So, when asking old man Fang to comment on the characters just now, no one opened their mouths. Old Man Fang also thought of him as an old acquaintance, otherwise, as long as he opened his mouth, he would have to put ten thousand yuan on the table, and that would be considered a deal.
After Qin Yiheng finished speaking, he took out the paper that Old Man Fang had reviewed and showed it to me. I looked at it carefully for a while, and it was really similar to what I had thought before. It was indeed like a rough paper, with several vertical formulas, and I didn't know what was being calculated.
I thought to myself: 'I can get 10,000 yuan with just a few transactions? This money is too easy to make!'
When I asked Qin Yiheng, he explained to me that this was the five elements birth pattern calculated by old man Fang. Although it only had a few strokes, the mystery contained in it was extraordinary. Judging from the conclusion drawn by old man Fang, this thing could really be a missing person notice, because the first four signs represent the year, month, day and time respectively, and when combined together, it is a birth date, and old man Fang did not calculate the other sign, so we have no way of knowing what it is. Anyway, this thing is really problematic.
Qin Yiheng's tone suddenly became serious when he said this. He stared into my eyes and said, "The reason why Old Man Fang said this missing person notice is outrageous is because the calculated birth date is Jiawu year, Bingyin month, Yimao day and hour."
He pronounced each word clearly, and each word was like a sledgehammer hitting my chest.
The time he mentioned is so familiar to me. Although I never mention it, I still think about it when it's late at night. Isn't this the date engraved on the coffin board? Jiang Shuo died on the day of Yimao in the month of Bingyin in the year of Jiawu. Isn't this the date of my death?
I quickly lit a cigarette and tried to calm myself down.
There are too many questions that are hard to figure out. I have never taken this so-called death date seriously, but I still feel a little panic instinctively. It is better not to mention it. Once I mention it, I feel very uncomfortable.
I pondered it for a while and felt that this missing person notice was really outrageous. Let's not talk about whether it has any connection with my so-called death date. Just talking about this date, it's a few years later. Even if it's a missing person notice, how can it be looking for someone in the future? According to the birth date, this person hasn't been born yet! What's there to look for? Or maybe Mr. Fang made a mistake in his calculations, and this is still my death date? Damn, why do they want to curse me to die on that day?
I asked Qin Yiheng, "Is this definitely a birth date? If it's just a time, then it could be a record of an event or a future plan." He listened, shook his head seriously, and said, "This was deduced using the Tui Yang method, so your guesses are untenable. The only thing that can meet the conditions is a person's birth date. I'm sure the person who published these lots would not put in the birth date of an animal."
After Qin Yiheng finished speaking, the car fell silent. I didn't really think about anything, I just didn't want to talk. After ten minutes, he finally broke the silence and said, "Today's trip was not in vain after all, and I accidentally got information about Liu Quezi. When I heard what old man Fang said, I thought Liu Quezi had left some clues, but I looked at the hat carefully and there was no mystery. Now it seems that Liu Quezi hasn't met with any accident, and he must have hidden himself when he saw that the situation was not good."
"But there are still some strange things. Since Liu Quezi anticipated the danger, why didn't he ask for help? Although Fang Wanjin is now in decline compared to the past, he is still a man with extensive connections and great skills. In this circle, he is considered a well-known figure. Logically, he should be able to handle some things more than enough. Since Liu Quezi came to say goodbye , he could definitely ask Fang Wanjin for help."
Listening to Qin Yiheng's muttering, I also guessed that old man Fang was so old that even if he was strong, his legs and feet would definitely not be as flexible as before. It seemed that Liu Guizi didn't want to cause trouble for the old man.
Qin Yiheng shook his head and said, "Even if this is true, Liu Quezi can still ask me for help."
My head was dizzy and I was too weak to think, so I simply closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Suddenly, I understood that the reason why Liu Quezi didn't ask anyone for help was that the trouble he encountered could not be solved by others. He knew that asking for help would be useless, so he could only bear it himself or hide. In this case, he didn't kill someone and run away, right?
I quickly told Qin Yiheng the conclusion I had drawn. He exclaimed, "Ah!" and said that my speculation was very reliable. Then he lowered his head and thought for a while, but still shook his head, saying that it was impossible to find the answer by guessing now. I'm afraid we have to start with Hongda Group. We can only wait and see. After that, he started the car and returned along the same route.
