Chapter 8, Special Professions

After he finished speaking, he tucked the copper coin into his bosom. I still wanted to ask him some questions, but he closed his eyes and fell asleep with his hands resting on his head

Once again, someone shouted, and I was taken aback. I looked down in the direction of the voice and saw a little person standing right in front of me. He was about the height of my thigh, which is generally referred to as a dwarf in such situations. This dwarf was a man, with the body of a child and the face of an adult. He was wearing a khaki shirt and sported a rock-and-roll hairstyle from the 1970s in America

After we found a cheap guesthouse to stay in, we went to attend the market. There were a lot of people. After the fat man took us around for a while, he said: "Do you know what the most fun thing at the market is?"

After a long day of hard work, everyone fell asleep, leaving only me and Lao Hei. I couldn't sleep because I was afraid that if I did, Lao Hei would come and touch my stick. He sat across from me, fiddling with a darkened copper coin. After thinking for a moment, I said: "You can lock that monster by yourself, so why do you need me to use my stick to lock it? Are you planning to take my stick away after I lock it up?"

Are you out of your mind? This is the heirloom left to you by your grandmother! To give it away like this is extremely unfilial, quickly put it away!

The overweight man, in a state of helplessness, could only turn back to look at me. I shook my head at him, indicating my stance that the matter could not be resolved. The overweight man stood up, pulled me a bit, and whispered, "Let's go outside and talk."

As the fat man spoke, he walked out. I held the stick and watched him, my heart filled with guilt

The fat man wanted to mediate, and after Old Black glanced at him, he said: "I want that stick"

The fat man began to shout loudly

At that moment, Lao Hei's entire face fell, and that knife-like gaze reemerged in his eyes

You need not worry about it. You keep the jade, I will give him the watch, after all, my uncle has plenty, I will get another one when I have money.

The old man mentioned by me and the fat guy is someone we encountered during our elementary school years. At that time, our elementary school had two entrances; the main entrance was generally for students, while the back entrance was typically for teachers and staff. Exiting through the back door led to a bustling commercial street, and the fat guy and I often went to the Youth Palace on that street to play, which is why we always sneaked out through the back door

When we arrived at the next room, the fat man finally spoke up: "Xiaoshan, what's wrong with you? I have never seen you so stubborn before. Have you really fallen for the female ghost in this stick?"

The overweight man behind me sensed that the atmosphere was off and hurriedly stepped forward to interject, saying: "It's quite windy and rainy outside, let's talk inside instead. Haha, it's nothing serious, once we discuss it, everything will be fine."

Outside, it is still pouring rain. At that time, I was leaning against the wall, holding a divination stick. All the experiences of the Mosuo people seemed to be a baptism for my life, leading me to begin believing that some invisible things truly exist

After some thought, I took an object out of my pocket. It was a piece of jade, the size of a thumbnail, tied with a red string. The surface of the jade was engraved with the image of Guanyin, while the back was smooth.

Shall we give this to him?

After a while, as the fat man and I passed in front of the old man, he suddenly called out to us both

That young man, young man...

Gathering nonsense

What does it mean

Inside the room, Lao Hei sat opposite me, his eyes still fixed on me. I frowned and remained silent, creating an atmosphere that felt awkward and heavy

The one selling used books at the north gate of the school? Oh my goodness, do you still believe what that old man said today? That's all nonsense!

To this day, I still remember the way he looked at my face, weathered and worn, resembling a carved statue. He gazed at me and suddenly broke into a smile, prompting me to ask if something was on his mind. He replied that in the future, he wanted to deal with ghosts and monsters. At that time, I was eager to go play and had no time to engage in idle chatter with him, so I pulled the chubby one along and left. Little did I expect that after that day, the old man never appeared again, disappearing completely.

He kept them in suspense, and seeing that everyone was unaware, he laughed heartily and said: "Of course, it must be selling livestock! There are people selling horses here as well. Do you want to take a look? Let's go and see..."

This question left me speechless, and I shook my head. However, Old Black laughed again, this time even more exaggeratedly, and said: "In this day and age, old items are valuable. Especially antiques, a vase is worth more than a box of gold. Do you know what is worth more than antiques?"

Every two days, a bus departs from the town to the city, and upon arrival in the city, one can find a way to the train station to return to Shanghai. The bus will depart tomorrow, coinciding with the market days in the town. Everyone is young, and such market gatherings are rare in Shanghai, making it all quite novel for them

Indeed, the watch has brought us the rain that allows us to take shelter here for a night. You cannot deny that Old Hei is quite considerate; such is the way of the world

In the fourth grade, an old man selling used books came to the back door. His stall was quite small, about the size of four desks placed back to back. The old man appeared to be in his seventies, looking quite spirited, with a face full of wrinkles and creases. He usually did not pay much attention to people. When selling books, he did not engage in small talk; there was a small jar beside him, and customers were expected to drop their money into it themselves if they wanted to buy a book

Old Hei smirked coldly and said, "You are not stupid either"

The fat man immediately displayed a look of confusion, as he momentarily failed to grasp the meaning of my words

The fat man sighed, removed his watch from his wrist, a genuine Rolex, which was worth a considerable amount at the time. It was a gift from his uncle to his father, and then passed down to him. Whenever we went out to have fun, as soon as the fat man displayed this watch, the girls around us would flock over.

The voice was very sharp, resembling that of a child. At first, I did not pay attention until my sleeve was tugged by someone. When I turned around, however, I saw no one.

I shook my head slightly, and after a brief moment of contemplation, I spoke: "Fatty, I believe this stick might be an opportunity for me."

I still do not understand

The fat man anxiously shouted while pushing my hand back. I frowned and said, "What should we do?"

What are you doing? I asked in a low voice, feeling a sudden tension in my heart

The dwarf man before me spoke up, and right from the start, he mentioned my stick, which took me by surprise.

I know he didn't understand, and after organizing my thoughts a bit, I spoke up: "Do you remember that old man we met when we were kids?"

I shook my head again, but I saw Lao Hei raise the darkened copper coin in his hand, waving it in front of me as he said: "These are the unique antiques."

I muttered a curse under my breath, and everyone returned to the mountain path, then proceeded towards the town. Upon arriving in the town, I finally reunited with a few others, but we made an agreement not to mention what had happened last night, simply stating that we had found a place to take shelter from the rain

I asked curiously

Yes, young man, are you selling that stick you have on you

I believe this is not nonsense; perhaps this trip to Yunnan was arranged by fate.

"That guy, Brother Black, wants your stick. Will you give it to him or not? If you won't, then come up with a solution," the fat man shouted discontentedly

In Shanghai, especially for those living in the urban area, it is rare to see large livestock such as horses and cattle. A few young people, upon hearing this, immediately became interested and a group of them hurried off in that direction. I followed behind, and after just a few steps, I heard someone calling me from behind

The market of the ethnic minorities is very lively, with each stall selling completely different items, including food, mountain products, and local specialties. Of course, there are also clothes and even children's toys for sale

I frowned and did not respond. He turned to look at me, sizing me up thoroughly before saying, "Do you know what kind of business I am in?"

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, and my voice has risen a little. The stout man frowned at me; he knows my temperament and is quite stubborn. Although he appears easygoing, he actually has his own ideas, and once he is set on something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

Today we mistakenly entered your room, and we should apologize for that. We are not bad people; after all, we did help you catch that thing, didn't we? If you could show some mercy, please don't hold it against us.

I said softly

Old Hei let out a cold laugh and said something thought-provoking: "People always desire things that are out of reach. Beautiful women, endless wealth, eternal life. There are certain things that ordinary people cannot encounter; if one could sell these unattainable things to them, it would surely yield a considerable profit. This is what I do..." There are certain things that ordinary people cannot encounter; if one could sell these unattainable things to them, it would surely yield a considerable profit. This is what I do..."

The next day, after the heavy rain had passed, we set out again under the bright sunshine. Lao Hei stood at the door, wearing the fat man's watch, and called out with a smile: "Come gather again in the future"

The tone was akin to that of a domineering bandit, forcefully stifling the words of the fat man.

What do you call me

Why not give it?

Here, here!