After Transmigrating Into An Idiot - Chapter 4

The woman gathered the strands of hair that had been blown loose by the wind beside her ear, then carried the table onto the bridge. She casually found a spot and stopped there, then spread out the white cloth in her hands, placed three copper coins on it, and finally took out a yellow-covered book before sitting down calmly.

The people around who had been sizing up this side also clearly saw the three large characters written on the white cloth: Divine Fortune-Teller.

Everyone: “…”

A beauty who looked like a celestial fairy was actually a swindler—ah, ptooey, actually a fortune-teller.

Qiu Liang was no less shocked than anyone else. Song Jianshuang had actually come here to set up a fortune-telling stall.

Was this woman really a noble young lady from the capital?

Wasn’t she some charlatan from who knew where?

Song Jianshuang, however, seemed used to being stared at like this. With practiced ease, she ground ink, picked up the brush, and added another line to the white cloth: Ten wen per reading. Ask only good or ill fortune, not one’s future path. No accuracy, no payment.

Qiu Liang forcibly suppressed the astonishment in her heart, adjusted her expression, and walked over with a wooden face. She stood behind Song Jianshuang without moving.

Everyone’s gazes merely landed on her for a moment before moving away again, returning to size up Song Jianshuang.

Song Jianshuang casually flipped through the book in her hands. Her expression was calm and unruffled, as if not even thunder could move her. Added to her bright and captivating appearance, she truly seemed to carry a faint air of being detached from the mundane world.

But only faintly. It was not enough to make passersby take out ten wen and toss the copper coins a few times.

Thus, after being briefly amazed, everyone returned to normal.

A quarter of an hour later, quite a few people had looked Song Jianshuang over, but not a single person had paid for a divination.

Qiu Liang had also observed for a quarter of an hour. This bridge on South Street was lively, but the people coming and going were all ordinary farming households, because the goods sold by these small stalls were cheap.

Ten wen was nothing worth mentioning to a wealthy household. Even casually rewarding a beggar would be more than that. But to a farming family that was not well-off, that was a day’s food money.

If an old Daoist priest with an immortal, sage-like bearing had set up a stall, perhaps some people would have believed him. But when it was a young woman with a face as beautiful as a flower, anyone would think she was some young miss from a household out amusing herself.

Any farmer with a bit of sense would not waste their hard-earned money just to help someone have fun.

Qiu Liang stared at the back of Song Jianshuang’s head, full of confusion.

There was no reason this woman could not have noticed these things. Yet she remained steady as Mount Tai and showed no intention of changing locations.

Perhaps finding it boring, Song Jianshuang turned back to look at Qiu Liang, the meaning in her eyes dark and unclear.

Qiu Liang immediately grew vigilant and revealed a foolish smile.

Song Jianshuang stared at the person who appeared to only know how to smile foolishly and said warmly, “Miss Qiu, why not have your fortune told? You can help me get my first customer.”

Before Qiu Liang could say anything, she continued, “In any case, outsiders don’t know we’re acquainted. How about Miss Qiu plays the shill for me once?”

Qiu Liang: “…”

She truly wanted to thank her. Did this woman think other people were idiots? Even if they did not know the two of them were together, could they not hear their conversation?

Did this woman not see that everyone nearby was looking in their direction?

Qiu Liang remained completely still. Her eyes blinked blankly, as if saying: What does your business have to do with me? Whether you get customers or not has nothing to do with me. Don’t interfere with me pretending to be stupid.

Song Jianshuang smiled and slowly raised one finger. “The reward is one tael of silver.”

Qiu Liang: “…” She actually wanted to tempt her with profit. This hateful woman!

In the blink of an eye, Qiu Liang was already sitting across from the wooden table. Her hand had swiftly picked up the three copper coins on the table. Although she still looked dazed and foolish, her whole body gave off a well-behaved air.

Song Jianshuang could not help being amused. The corners of her lips curved silently, and she said softly, “Silently recite in your heart whether this stall can successfully get its first customer today. Then shake the copper coins six times.”

Qiu Liang honestly did as she was told. One wen could stump even a hero, and for one tael of silver, she could shake the coins sixty times.

To be honest, seeing the two of them act like this really did make a few people gather around.

They definitely were not trying to take the opportunity to look at the beauty. They were purely here for the excitement, to see what skills this beauty had. Really.

Qiu Liang watched her nose, her nose watched her heart, and she became like a machine for shaking copper coins. She shook them three times in a row.

In her mind, she kept silently reciting: It’s all for the silver. It’s all for the silver…

“Stop. Let me look it up.” Song Jianshuang interrupted Qiu Liang’s movements, flipped open the yellow-covered book, and found a chart of hexagram sequences. “The upper three lines are Xun. Continue.”

Qiu Liang closed her eyes for a moment. It was all for the silver. If it were not for that one tael of silver, she would never accompany this woman in blatant swindling. This fraud Song Jianshuang was actually consulting a book to tell fortunes. She was truly convinced.

She was not the only one who was convinced. The expressions of the few onlookers were also quite colorful.

Watching a beauty tell fortunes was indeed pleasing to the eye. Even when she was fooling people, she did it so openly and honestly. She truly did not treat these spectators as outsiders.

Song Jianshuang’s expression did not change as she said, “The lower three lines are Zhen. It corresponds to the forty-second hexagram of the Book of Changes: Increase.”

After a pause, she explained, “A transaction will succeed, and joy will be encountered upon going out. Great fortune. It seems I can get my first customer today.”

Song Jianshuang’s gaze was calm, and her expression was serious. If one had not witnessed the entire process from the side, she really might have been able to fool someone who did not know the truth.

Unfortunately…

Everyone was not blind. This beauty was learning and selling it on the spot. How could she possibly be accurate?

Seeing this, Qiu Liang stood behind Song Jianshuang again. She had truly had enough. Could this woman be any more outrageous? Did she only grow a pretty face and not a brain? Did she think everyone else was stupid?

Song Jianshuang, however, did not seem embarrassed at all. She looked at the onlookers and asked with a smile, “May I ask if anyone here is willing to have a divination done?”

As soon as her words fell, the people who had been watching the excitement immediately retreated several steps and quickly dispersed.

A smiling beauty was lovely to look at, but once spending money was mentioned—sorry, whoever wanted to watch could watch.

Behind her, Qiu Liang was not surprised at all. This was only reasonable. Unless someone was truly an idiot, or had no lack of money, they would not come listen to Song Jianshuang’s nonsense.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw a young man walk over.

The young man wore a long robe and held a folding fan in his hand, looking like a scholar.

“Miss… Daoist, can one have a fortune told here?”

“Call me whatever you like. Please sit, Young Master.”

Song Jianshuang gathered the three copper coins together and opened the yellow-covered book again.

Seeing that there really was an idiot willing to spend money just to buy a beauty’s smile, the crowd surged back over. There were even more people watching the fun than before.

Being stared at by so many people, the young man inevitably became somewhat restrained. He stammered, “This one’s surname is Gu. My parents passed away early, and my grandfather is a butcher in the West Market…”

“Young brother, if you keep talking, you’ll explain your entire family background. Hurry up and say what you want to ask.” Someone who liked excitement interrupted the young man.

This young man was far too honest. Fortune-telling was supposed to be done without revealing one’s background and relying entirely on the other person to calculate accurately. Yet nothing had even happened, and he had already explained everything himself. He really was lacking a few screws.

Hearing this, the rather simple-minded Young Master Gu also felt it was inappropriate and hurriedly explained, “It isn’t that I don’t trust you, Miss. It’s just… I thought that explaining things clearly would make the reading more accurate.”

Song Jianshuang did not mind at all. “Young Master Gu, please say what you wish to ask. It is enough to state your question carefully and specifically.”

Hearing Song Jianshuang’s gentle voice, Young Master Gu finally could not hold back and blushed. The question about marriage that he had originally wanted to ask stuck in his mouth, and what came out instead was, “I want to ask whether I can pass the autumn examination and become a xiucai this time?”

After saying this, he felt somewhat disappointed, yet also a little relieved.

Opening his mouth and asking about marriage would inevitably make him seem rash. Changing it to a question about scholarly achievement also made him appear ambitious.

“First shake the coins three times.”

Young Master Gu did as he was told. It had originally only been a question he changed to casually, but at this moment, he inexplicably began to feel nervous. He did not have much confidence in this autumn examination. If he passed, that would be best. If he did not, he would take it as gaining experience.

But who did not hope for good things in all matters? He hoped even more that he would succeed in one attempt.

“The upper three lines are Gen. Shake them three more times.”

The copper coins fell three more times.

“The lower three lines are Qian. It corresponds to the twenty-sixth hexagram of the Book of Changes: Great Accumulation.”

Young Master Gu tightened his grip on the folding fan in his hand, becoming unconsciously nervous. “Miss, how should this hexagram be interpreted?”

Song Jianshuang closed the book and said, “Keep your feet on solid ground, and you will surely become something. Great fortune.”

Young Master Gu’s face brightened. “So that means I can pass this time?”

Song Jianshuang shook her head, however. Her hand landed on the white cloth, pointing at those words as she said, “Ask only good or ill fortune, not one’s future path.”

Judging by the hexagram, there should be news of good luck.

Such simple words were naturally something Young Master Gu could understand. Great fortune—did that not mean he would pass?

He quickly took out ten copper wen and placed them on the table. “Miss, I also want to ask about marriage.”

Song Jianshuang unhurriedly put away the copper coins and said faintly, “One must not grow greedy in all things. Here, each person may only receive one divination a day. Young Master Gu, please take care.”

Seeing disappointment appear in the young man’s eyes, an old man beside him walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Jin’er, the results will be posted tomorrow. Once your name appears on the list, it won’t be too late to come ask for another divination.”

If she was inaccurate, wasn’t it written on the cloth? No accuracy, no payment. The ten wen should be returned.

“Grandfather.” Young Master Gu hurriedly stood up, somewhat at a loss. When had his grandfather arrived?

Butcher Gu did not say much. He glanced at Song Jianshuang, then turned and left.

As Young Master Gu followed him, he kept looking back and asked, “Miss, will you come again tomorrow? Even if I don’t pass, you don’t have to return the money.”

Song Jianshuang answered, “At this time and place, I will await good news from you, Young Master.”

That was a promise. She would come again tomorrow.