Chapter 4, I truly am not a fortune teller with an iron mouth

These individuals are clearly free agents

The middle-aged man hurriedly flattered, "Yes, yes, you have a keen eye; that kid is indeed worthless, you truly have a gift for prophecy..."

Even if one is unaware of the layout of this vast city, these few individuals are simple workers who casually take on jobs like floating duckweed. This can be discerned from their occasional conversations with one another and the way they glance around their surroundings

The young man quietly shook his head: "I did not scold him, nor do I casually comment on others. It was he who asked me to be like him, and I merely reminded those around me. There are rules in every profession; at that time, my casual remarks were largely due to youthful exuberance. This profession values silence, which means being quiet and only responding when asked. However, perhaps due to his youth, this guy was excessively talkative on the mountain, completely lacking the demeanor of a sage who embodies the principle that silence is golden.

Indeed, the other party hesitantly began to speak: "Can you... help me calculate my financial luck? I am planning to buy a lottery ticket, and if I win, I will definitely reward you handsomely!"

The old man once said that throughout a person's life, one is constantly making choices, and even the smallest decision can potentially influence everything that follows

The essence of what is said about people is that nothing is absolute, and life is even more so

The young man smiled and was about to say, "With that standard and your gloomy appearance, how could there be any fortune?" However, he suddenly had a thought and turned to point at the other person's face: "It's all in the features... I don't see any fortune, but I can see the blue in your eyes and the white at your brows. The blue is like a floating color, and the white is like a lying sheep. If you continue to indulge in daydreams, thinking that money will fall from the sky, I can tell you that you are truly destined to walk a lifetime of misfortune with the word 'bad luck' hanging over you."

The young man maintained a calm expression that was somewhat amusing: "I said I am not a fortune teller! What I do is based on the analysis of facial features, how can it be related to lottery luck!" After saying this, he did not wish to engage further with the pale-faced individual, turning to walk away, intending to avoid him.

The young man twitched the corner of his mouth, refrained from explaining, and continued to gaze at the other person with clear eyes, waiting for further words

In this city, where one must constantly navigate slopes and uneven terrain, and where mechanical transportation is extremely inconvenient, the profession of carrying large goods with just a bamboo pole has been passed down for hundreds of years. The locals refer to them as "bangbang" based on their distinctive appearance. Their presence can be seen in any area with a moderate number of people, transporting everything from a delicate woman's bundle of vegetables to large household appliances during moves. They are essential for delivering goods to every corner of this mountainous city, making them truly unique to this place.

Young people often say: "Hard work has always been the foundation of wealth. If you continue to gamble, you will eventually end up poor..." Just as I was about to say a few more words, I suddenly saw a person at the bus stop over here, a man with his shirt off was heading towards the bus that had just arrived.

That's right, it's a vegetable basket that weighs less than 10 pounds when the two bags are combined

It turns out that one can be seen by others even while inside the elevator

In the eyes of wise individuals, getting angry with unrelated people is an act of folly, especially when one is not yet so hungry as to feel faint. This clearly serves as a reminder that to excel in one's work, one must first sharpen one's tools

The rope hangs effortlessly on both sides of the stick

But this time what he encountered was not a job, but a thin, middle-aged man with a sharp face and a somewhat sneaky demeanor who approached and secretly observed him. The young man immediately sensed it, turned his head, and when their eyes met, there was a moment of avoidance. The young man then smiled, standing in place and looking at the other with steady eyes

Shouldn't this five yuan be used to buy hemp rope instead

The young man, with his heart racing rapidly, was completely astonished; the difference between this big city and his distant mountainous county was too great. He used to think that the fleeting sights of the county town were already overwhelming, but now it seemed that there was an enormous gap between the dilapidated temple where he lived with the old man and the nearby chicken coop.

As soon as his eyes lit up, he immediately followed suit, and naturally, the middle-aged man who wished to get rich also joined in after hearing half of it

What should we do then

This is merely the simplest way to change the current situation

One who is well-versed in knowledge and strategy, the young man who originally intended to follow Lord Xu in his quest to benefit the world secretly nodded in agreement, realizing that engaging with the world is indeed necessary

It seems I have been enveloped by this gaze, and the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before approaching: "I saw you scolding that staff member at the job fair earlier, and I thought you had good insight"

The young man followed the plump housewife as she carried the basket of vegetables back home, and curiously accompanied her into the elevator again

It is a gaze filled with timidity, anxiety, or fear when looking at this modern city, in short, it is completely lacking in confidence

If I had really acted on impulse just now and spent this 5 yuan, wouldn't I have no money left to buy tools

An ordinary person, destitute and stranded on the streets of such a city, would likely feel anxious and helpless, with no relatives to turn to and no place to seek refuge. However, this young man remains calm and composed, devising a plan for himself, leisurely waiting for a means of livelihood while carrying that black wooden stick.

In the social structure described by the old man, every profession should have its own associations, and the lower-tier individuals, such as those involved with cars, boats, shops, feet, and teeth, should band together even more closely, akin to the principle of capturing the leader before the followers. Being a lone wolf is not his goal; instead, he intends to return to the taxi stand where he used to pick up jobs, continuing to save some money while searching for clues.

The resolute young man walked out of the gate of the high-rise residential complex, passing by the numerous shops and small stores outside the community. In comparison to the roadside noodle shop that had previously driven him away, the small noodle stalls here were much simpler and would certainly not refuse a customer like him. However, the young man only bought a plain steamed bun to satisfy his hunger before hurriedly returning to the main road

Having long heard about the features of this big city, the exceptionally clever young person, who had yet to experience it, could discern from observation what the numbers and arrows indicated regarding the floors and the opening and closing of doors. After paying five yuan, they completely forgot to eat, and curiously rode the elevator up and down several times, until a sudden voice from the corner of the cabin exclaimed, "Hey! What have you been doing going up and down in there?" prompting a hasty retreat.

Without rashly approaching to greet, I observed from a distance for a while and then left with a sense of disappointment

Young people truly have a feeling akin to the saying "a blessing in disguise," as they happily bought five pieces of hemp rope from a roadside hardware store. Now, I am also a proper worker!

At a roadside flower bed, he filled a handful of water from a leaking faucet and ate it with a steamed bun, finding the taste of the city's clear water quite unpleasant. The young man, who longed for the clear spring by the dilapidated temple, soon found the few stick-wielders he had seen earlier

Nestled between mountains and rivers, the city of Jiangzhou, surrounded by two rivers, has developed a unique occupational group known as the Bangbang Army, owing to its rich history of dock culture and mountainous terrain

Little did he know that the person closely followed him: "Master, could you take a look for me? How is my face... is it a face that will bring wealth?"

There are many interpretations of entering the world, but in the lineage of the young people's ancestors, it means to wholeheartedly engage in life. After all, all observations of people must be based on an understanding of human emotions and the dynamics of worldly affairs. Since childhood, I have often accompanied the old man to observe the myriad aspects of human nature at rural markets and county streets. Otherwise, merely focusing on the subtleties of observing expressions in the art of reading people, which involves countless variations of facial expressions, cannot be cultivated in isolation in a dilapidated temple on a mountain. Now that I see a broader world, it is natural to seek a deeper understanding. As for Lord Xu... Let's wait and see.

The young man, confidently shouldering a stick, rewrapped the small bundle around his waist, tightening it against his stomach as if to alleviate his hunger, while swinging the hemp rope above his head as he walked towards the bus station

"Haha, I am really clever!" Unlike other workers who prefer to gather in crowded places, the newcomer chose a rather inconspicuous taxi stand, the very spot where the woman in the white dress had just alighted. He observed that a higher proportion of taxi passengers carried large items, and those individuals seemed to care more about their status, often favoring workers to assist them with their belongings. He merely wandered around the signpost like a squirrel discovering a fruit tower, and immediately someone called out to him to take two bags of vegetables and raw meat back home.

Just like sitting down immediately to eat a big bowl of noodles when one is not starving, young people want to seize the opportunity to integrate into the profession of a porter. He does not truly intend to become a porter, and although he sees no distinction in the value of professions, labor is not his primary occupation after all