In Nanfeng District, the streets were lined with small eateries bustling with patrons enjoying their meals. I had been wandering for quite some time, several times almost daring to scatter the earth I carried, but each time I hesitated. After all, it was my first time doing something like this. Despite my previous brimming confidence, I was now gripped by fear at the decisive moment.

I dreaded the thought of someone in uniform tapping on my shoulder, inquiring about my actions.

Eventually, after aimless wandering, I found myself by a small river. The sight of it sparked a light in my eyes, and a plan began to form in my mind.

Shunde, known as the hometown of aquatic products, boasted abundant water resources. At the time, my reasoning was simple: once the pale green earth entered the river, it would dissolve into mud, surely going unnoticed by anyone.

Glancing around to ensure no one was in sight, I quickly unzipped my backpack, ready to pour the earth into the river.

"Wait! Stop right there!"

"What are you up to!"

A clear, sharp call from behind startled me so much I nearly tumbled into the river.

With my heart pounding and courage faltering, I turned to see a girl with her hands on her hips, pointing at me.

She was dressed in a school uniform, her hair tied back in a ponytail, her cheeks flushed. On her arm was a red armband emblazoned with the words "River Cleanup Crew."

"That's right, you! What are you looking at? What were you about to throw into the river, huh? Planning to dump trash, are you?" she accused.

My backpack's zipper was still halfway open, and in a panic, I waved my hands frantically, "No... no, I wasn't dumping any trash."

"Nonsense! I saw everything. What's in your bag? Let me see!" she demanded loudly, approaching me.

As she advanced, my soul felt as if it had fled my body. In a moment of heated panic, I grabbed my backpack and started to run.

"Hey, kid, stop!"

She chased after me relentlessly, and we both began running along the moat.

But as I ran, my foot slipped, and I fell straight into the moat...

The pale green earth from my bag sank to the bottom upon contact with water. I couldn't swim, and in my frantic flailing, I swallowed several mouthfuls of river water and screamed for help.

It was the girl who saved me in the end.

Her name was Li Jing, a local from Shunde. At that time, she was a junior at Shunde No.3 Middle School. She was covering for her mother that day, who was responsible for managing the trash on the moat's surface.

After being pulled out, I was drenched like a drowned rat, but internally I breathed a sigh of relief because my bag of pale green earth had dispersed, and I hadn't been caught.

The girl, drenched from the rescue, grabbed my clothes and demanded, "Why did you run? You can't even swim a stroke; do you have a death wish? What's in your bag?"

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Blushing, I replied, "I just slipped accidentally and fell into the river. My bag had books in it, they're gone now, but it's okay, I can just buy new ones."

She looked me over, clearly skeptical of my story.

"I think you're up to no good, kid. There's been a spate of electric fishing in the area lately. You're coming with me to see my mom. You're not going anywhere until she says you can leave."

"Let's go!" She said to herself and tugged at my clothes, pulling me forward.

I waved my hands frantically, loudly clarifying, "I'm not involved in electric fishing, I'm not involved in electric fishing."

But I certainly couldn't tell the truth either. If I admitted that I was into tomb raiding, that would be even worse, a crime greater than electric fishing.

Several times I thought of running away, but in the end, I didn't dare. I knew that if I ran, given this girl's tenacious nature, she might end up implicating our entire group.

Li Jing's home was right by the moat, and at that time there was a footbridge over the river, which you had to cross to get to his house.

There were several street vendors on the bridge, selling children's toys, insoles and socks, and one stall that was particularly eye-catching—a fortune-telling stall.

The fortune teller there was in his fifties, wearing round sunglasses, with a pack of five-yuan Hard Pack Red River cigarettes by his side. He chain-smoked, lighting up a new one before the last had even finished.

"Wow! Little Li Jing is more capable than your mother, caught another one littering, have you?" The fortune teller sat on his stool, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

The girl, Li Jing, basked in the praise, a smug look on her face as she said, "Semi-immortal Li, exactly. This guy started running as soon as he saw me, even fell into the river. I suspect he's into electric fishing."

The fortune teller puffed out smoke, enveloping himself in clouds of it until he was almost obscured.

"Ah, electric fishing, that's not good, young man. Those involved in electric fishing damage their fortune and are bound to face retribution."

Li Jing chuckled and said, "Old Li Six, I called you 'semi-immortal Li' in jest, and you take yourself for a real demi-god? That's hilarious. Last time you read Aunt Li's hexagram, you predicted her pig would be pregnant with piglets within a month. And what happened? Three days later, Aunt Li's pig got diarrhea and died! Where are the piglets?"

The fortune teller coughed twice and said, "That pig just had bad luck; it's not that my prediction was inaccurate. If you don't believe me, how about I cast another hexagram for you?"

The girl doubled over with laughter, pointing at the fortune teller, "No, I dare not let you divine for me. You must be out of business for days. If you're going to predict, do it for him. Tell me if he's involved in electric fishing," she suddenly pointed at me.

Somehow, in a daze, I ended up having my fortune told.

The fortune teller first inquired about my date of birth, then he produced a turtle shell, within which lay three Qianlong Tongbao copper coins.

He shook the shell in all directions, and the three coins fell out onto the table.

Whether by coincidence or not, all three coins landed face down, with two stacked atop one another and the third lying solitary some distance away, the coins separated by a notable gap.

I remember distinctly, the fortune teller's playful smile vanished as he stared at the coins, seemingly stupefied for a long while, his Honghe cigarette burning down to the stub.

Snapping back to reality, he glanced at Little Li Jing, then at me, sighing and shaking his head incessantly.

The girl, still smiling, asked, "Old Li Six, out with it. What's the verdict? Is this kid into electric fishing or what?"

The fortune teller lit another cigarette, taking a deep drag. He looked at me with a profound gaze and said, "Young man, you're no simple matter..."

Feeling guilty, I cautiously asked him what he saw.

He chuckled and said, "Deep waters, shallow pool; the shallower the pool, the more turtles. You are the most valuable turtle in that pool, yet you cannot escape your fate— to be caught, slaughtered, and turned into a bowl of soft-shelled turtle soup."

I was truly infuriated at being called a turtle back then.

Now, reflecting on his words...

They were indeed pearls of wisdom...

I returned once after that but never found the fortune teller again. When I asked around, some said he had succumbed to lung cancer a couple of years ago due to excessive smoking and lack of money for chemotherapy. Others said he had left Shunde, his whereabouts unknown.

If I could meet him now, I would willingly pay a handsome sum for this gentleman to cast one more hexagram for me.

To see if I, Xiang Yunfeng, will ever settle down.

To see where I should head next. (To be continued)

*******

I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/7b136c