Chapter 16
After the ceremony, the group arrived at the temporary parking lot next to the construction site. Many luxury cars, including government officials’ cars, were parked here, indicating that the owner of the cemetery, Zhou Runhua, had a considerable social network in Rui City.
Shang Tingzhi’s Bentley faced the entrance of the parking lot. When Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang walked to the car, Shang Tingzhi casually opened the car door for Xia Leyang and then circled around to the right side to get in himself.
However, when he circled around to the rear of the car, Li Shan, passing by, patted his shoulder and asked with a curious look, “What’s going on, Old Shang?”
Shang Tingzhi was a bit puzzled, furrowing his brows slightly, “What’s wrong?”
Li Shan pointed with his chin to Xia Leyang sitting in the car, “You even opened the door for your assistant?”
Shang Tingzhi: “…” He overlooked this detail.
“I noticed it a long time ago. Is he really your assistant?” Li Shan nudged Shang Tingzhi with his shoulder. “Just now, Tang Fengyi stood outside the entire time, while this tender-skinned kid sat next to you.”
Shang Tingzhi didn’t bother explaining much, “He’s somewhat special.”
Li Shan raised an eyebrow, giving a sly smile, “Do you know you can’t find a girlfriend, so you’ve changed your preference?”
Li Shan was Shang Tingzhi’s childhood friend, aware that Shang Tingzhi was single and having trouble finding a wife. So, when he saw a good-looking guy with special treatment following Shang Tingzhi, he immediately thought of a possibility.
“You seem to have a lot of free time?” Shang Tingzhi asked expressionlessly. “Do you want to come to my house for dinner?”
Li Shan, who was already twenty-nine, had gone through numerous girlfriends. As he approached thirty, discussions about his love life became more frequent. Yang Wenting and Shang Jianye would kindly introduce him to blind dates, and he couldn’t refuse, so he had to spend time meeting them.
According to Li Shan, this was because Shang Tingzhi had no hope of getting married, so his family focused their efforts on him.
“Forget it, forget it, I’m scared.” After saying this, Li Shan waved to Xia Leyang, who was curiously watching the two of them through the car window. Then, he asked Shang Tingzhi, “Does he live with you at the Gu Mansion?”
Shang Tingzhi replied casually, “Yeah.”
Li Shan raised his eyebrows and teased, “Still not admitting it?”
Shang Tingzhi frowned, and Li Shan quickly changed the subject sensibly, “How’s that female ghost in your house?”
Before moving into the Gu Mansion, Shang Tingzhi had asked Li Shan to check this ominous house. Eight people had died here over time, but Li Shan only found one ghost.
At that time, Li Shan couldn’t capture the ghost, and since Shang Tingzhi wasn’t afraid of such things, he didn’t pay much attention.
However, thinking about some recent events, Shang Tingzhi slightly furrowed his brow and said, “Her presence is becoming stronger.”
Li Shan patted Shang Tingzhi’s shoulder, “If there’s a problem, call me anytime. I’ll bring a powerful magic tool next time.”
After parting ways with Li Shan, Shang Tingzhi sat in the car. The interior had already dispelled the heat, and the coolness against his skin felt comfortable.
Tang Fengyi slowly drove the car out of the parking lot. Xia Leyang turned to look at Li Shan, who was driving a big Benz. He curiously asked, “Do Taoist priests really know how to drive?”
“Daoists don’t just live in the mountains.” Shang Tingzhi said.
Xia Leyang withdrew his gaze and asked Shang Tingzhi, “Does he really catch demons?”
“Yeah.” Shang Tingzhi didn’t want Xia Leyang to sarcastically say they were practicing feudal superstition, so he chose not to elaborate. However, unexpectedly, Xia Leyang asked on his own, “Can he capture the female ghost in the Gu Mansion?”
Shang Tingzhi was somewhat surprised, raising an eyebrow, “Do you believe he can?”
“Well.” Shang Tingzhi himself didn’t like the female ghost causing trouble, “I’ll have Li Shan come over and take a look sometime.”
The black sedan entered the affluent area to the east of Mount Luoyi. Shang Tingzhi was unsure how long he would stay at home, so he let Tang Fengyi leave first.
When the two arrived at the villa, it was noon. Whether it was an illusion or not, Xia Leyang always felt that today, Yang Wenting and Shang Jianye were more enthusiastic towards him than last time.
“Yangyang, try this.” Yang Wenting picked up a piece of sauced spare ribs and put it in Xia Leyang’s bowl. “Our housekeeper has won the city’s cooking competition. Give it a try.”
Shang Tingzhi also hired a housekeeper to cook at the Gu Mansion, but her culinary skills were indeed inferior to the housekeeper in this family.
“Mrs. Yang, you should eat too.” Xia Leyang was savoring the spare ribs, feeling that Yang Wenting’s gaze towards him was extremely affectionate. It seemed like, compared to Shang Tingzhi, he was Yang Wenting’s son.
However, Yang Wenting didn’t forget Shang Tingzhi. She picked up a bunch of chives and put it in Shang Tingzhi’s bowl, saying, “Eat quickly, it’s good for vitality.”
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
Xia Leyang: “?”
In his heart, Xia Leyang sighed that Chinese parents were indeed more concerned about every aspect of their children compared to Western parents. At this moment, he recalled a certain embarrassing performance one night, didn’t think much about it, and also picked up a bunch of chives into his own bowl.
Shang Jianye asked with concern, “Does Yangyang need it too?”
Yang Wenting nudged him with her elbow, “Why do you care so much? Just let him eat.”
“No, I like eating chives.” Xia Leyang certainly wouldn’t admit that he also wanted vitality. He casually found a reason.
“Then eat more.” Yang Wenting picked up a whole plate of chives, put some in Xia Leyang’s bowl, and then poured the rest into Shang Tingzhi’s bowl.
“Not enough, tell Auntie.” Yang Wenting said to Xia Leyang.
Looking at the green mass in his bowl, Xia Leyang thought he couldn’t eat so much. However, when he looked at the mountainous pile of greenery in Shang Tingzhi’s bowl, he awkwardly nodded, “Okay, thank you, Auntie.”
After lunch, Shang Tingzhi went to the study. Xia Leyang followed and took a look, finding Shang Tingzhi reviewing historical materials. Soon, he became extremely bored, yawning continuously.
“Tired?” Shang Tingzhi glanced at Xia Leyang with a faint look while holding an ancient book.
“Yeah.” Xia Leyang responded listlessly. After eating, he always felt like sleeping, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Come with me.” Shang Tingzhi put the book aside, then led Xia Leyang into a room next to the study.
“This is my bedroom; you can rest here for a while.” Shang Tingzhi said.
Xia Leyang looked around curiously and found that this place was indeed different from the rooms of his peers. He pointed to the complex circular pattern on the ceiling and asked, “Is this for bringing good luck?”
The circular pattern was actually the hexagrams of the sixty-four guas, unrelated to good or bad luck. Xia Leyang’s question showed that he had no concept of the things left by his ancestors.
Shang Tingzhi sighed helplessly, “No, it’s for easy memorization.”
Xia Leyang looked at Shang Tingzhi and then at the pattern on the ceiling in surprise, “Do you have to memorize such a complicated thing?”
“Do you still think I rely on nonsense for my work?” Shang Tingzhi asked.
Xia Leyang awkwardly scratched his head. He hadn’t expected that there would be so much knowledge in these feudal superstitions.
“Rest well.” Shang Tingzhi didn’t say much more, “I’ll call you later.”
After Shang Tingzhi closed the door, Xia Leyang lay down on the large bed in the middle of the room. It was only then that he noticed, aside from the pattern on the ceiling, the wardrobe door next to it was also covered with complex diagrams and mnemonics.
Previously, he had always thought that Shang Tingzhi made a living solely by talking, but he didn’t expect him to put so much effort into it.
It seems this charlatan still has some skills.
Xia Leyang fell asleep drowsily. When he woke up, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon, but Shang Tingzhi hadn’t come to call him.
He came out of the bedroom and ran to the study door, took a glance, and found that the desk was full of books, and Shang Tingzhi’s figure was almost drowning in the wall of books.
Xia Leyang tactfully did not disturb Shang Tingzhi, directly going to the living room on the first floor.
At this time, Shang Jianye and his old friend had gone out for tea and weren’t at home. Yang Wenting was sitting on the sofa, watching a melodramatic TV series.
“Yangyang, awake?” Yang Wenting patted the spot next to her, “Come over and have some fruits.”
Xia Leyang nodded and sat beside Yang Wenting. He picked up an apple slice and asked Yang Wenting, “What exactly is Shang Tingzhi investigating?”
“This is how Hua Hua’s work is. When he goes out to check Feng Shui, it may take several days to gather information,” Yang Wenting said, “Don’t think he’s neglecting you.”
Xia Leyang found it strange. He was just curious about what Shang Tingzhi was doing. What did it have to do with being neglected?
He didn’t dwell on it, casually asking, “I thought Feng Shui was simple.” All you had to do was make things up.
That was his initial thought, and now it had slightly changed.
“It’s not simple at all, Yangyang,” Yang Wenting said, “There are many frauds in the Feng Shui industry. Those frauds can easily claim to understand Feng Shui, but our Shang family has genuine expertise.”
“So, does the placement of a tree inside a house really have an impact?” Xia Leyang became interested and asked curiously.
“Of course,” Yang Wenting said matter-of-factly, “If the tree is not well cared for, it can attract pests, affecting the living environment. Moreover, if the tree withers, it may make the homeowner feel uncomfortable.”
Xia Leyang pondered, realizing that it might be true. He then asked, “So, does it really have nothing to do with financial luck?”
“You can’t say that either.” Yang Wenting wagged her index finger, “Some people are very superstitious. They need positive reinforcement. For example, the withered tree just now might make the homeowner think there’s something wrong with their luck, giving themselves a psychological suggestion.”
“On the contrary, if they nurture the tree well, they might believe that their luck will improve, that they can make money. They will seize every opportunity, work with a different mindset, and that will lead to different results.”
Xia Leyang listened with wide eyes, admitting that what Yang Wenting said made sense. In this way, Feng Shui wasn’t entirely nonsense; it was closely related to psychological suggestions.
“Don’t think that Hua Hua randomly points out things to those bosses. They are all very willing to listen,” Yang Wenting continued, “Actually, he doesn’t randomly point things out. The changes he makes can bring positive effects.”
Xia Leyang, seeming to understand and not understand, nodded thoughtfully. He felt that this knowledge was quite complicated. He asked, “So, how much time does it take to learn what he does?”
“That depends on talent,” Yang Wenting said proudly, “Hua Hua has great talent. When he was in his teens, he could already identify water veins in Loyi Mountain.”
At this point, Yang Wenting clapped her hands, “Oh, I almost forgot. Let me show you Hua Hua when he was a child.”
After saying this, Yang Wenting got up and went upstairs to get a photo album. Xia Leyang was practically shining with anticipation, almost rubbing his hands in excitement.
Childhood photos recorded a person’s embarrassing moments. Shang Tingzhi now was tall and handsome, and Xia Leyang wondered what he looked like as a child.
Yang Wenting quickly came down with the album. Xia Leyang flipped open the first page, revealing a young boy with a red dot in the center of his eyebrows, rosy cheeks, and lipstick applied.
Xia Leyang burst into laughter, “What expression is this? Why was he so arrogant as a child?”
“He wasn’t happy when taking those artistic photos.” Yang Wenting said, “He insisted that lipstick was for girls.”
Xia Leyang laughed heartily, continuing to flip through.
Shang Tingzhi was a handsome boy even in his childhood. The photos in the album started from when he was three or four years old and continued until his teens.
As Xia Leyang flipped through, he suddenly saw a photo taken in the large courtyard of his family’s residential area.
At that time, Xia’s family had not yet moved to the current mansion but lived in an apartment building in a small community.
In the photo, Shang Tingzhi stood with his hands on his hips, holding a cute little boy. They both looked serious as they stared at the camera.
The little boy was probably four or five years old, only reaching Shang Tingzhi’s chest. The boy seemed unaware of the photo being taken, gazing at something on the street.
The more Xia Leyang looked, the more familiar the boy seemed. He tilted his head, looking closely at the album. However, before he could figure out who it was, Yang Wenting suddenly interrupted his actions.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Yang Wenting took out the photo from the album, “You and he also took a photo together back then.”
Xia Leyang was stunned, “Is this me?”
“Yes, look at those big watery eyes. It’s definitely you.” Yang Wenting held up the photo for comparison, “Neither of you has changed much.”
“Why don’t I remember?” Xia Leyang turned his head to look at the photo in Yang Wenting’s hand, “Did I know him when I was a child?”
“It’s normal if you don’t remember. It was about twenty years ago.” Yang Wenting put the photo back in the album, “We brought him to your house that day for some business. The moment you saw him, you liked him so much. You kept calling him ‘Brother, Brother’ and followed him around.”
Xia Leyang: “How is that possible.”
“Don’t doubt it. You two have such fate,” Yang Wenting looked at Xia Leyang with a smile, “If it weren’t for fate, could you two have progressed so quickly?”
Progressed quickly?
For a moment, Xia Leyang didn’t understand what Yang Wenting was talking about. He could only think that she meant they got familiar with each other quickly.
He thought it was forced by the parents anyway; he originally didn’t intend to get close to Shang Tingzhi.
But in front of the parents, Xia Leyang couldn’t refuse to give face, so he said, “He’s a good person, reliable.” He just liked to act cute.
Yang Wenting said, “That’s good. If he bullies you, just tell me.”
Xia Leyang pursed his lips, thinking that her son was the one bullying him, but he couldn’t say that in front of the parents. So, he chose to remain silent.
Unexpectedly, Yang Wenting casually asked, “By the way, did he bring you back?”
Xia Leyang: “?”
