419 The Secret About the Past 37 (2/2)
Upon hearing that it was an elderly man who answered, An Xiaoning immediately said, ”Hello, Uncle. I'm An Xiaoning from the city, I heard that you are revered by many and exceptionally skilled in fortune-telling. My husband went missing during a tsunami, and we don't know if he's dead or alive. I'd like to seek your help to deduce if he's still alive. I'm a fortune-teller myself, but sadly, I can't seem to read his fortune and fate.”
”Get your people to stay in the yard. You may enter alone.”
”Yes.” An Xiaoning gestured for Fan Shixin and the bodyguards to leave. ”Wait for me down there.”
Fan Shixin immediately proceeded as instructed with his subordinates.
”Come in.”
An Xiaoning pushed the door open gently. It was not dark inside the house, and there were two windows at the sides which were left widely open.
She entered to see an elderly man sitting right in the middle of the room.
He was sitting on a quilt on the ground. The room was extremely plain and minimalistic, without even a bed in sight. Clearly, the elderly man was sitting on the spot where he would usually sleep.
An Xiaoning stepped forward and bowed to him respectfully before greeting, ”Hello, Uncle. I'm An Xiaoning.”
The elderly man opened his eyes and said, ”Please take a seat.”
Since there were no chairs, An Xiaoning sat directly onto the ground, just like he did.
”What are your husband's birth characters?”
”He was born on the 16th of October, Year XXXX at 12 noon.”
”What's his name?”
”Jin Qingyan.”
”Where is he from?”
An Xiaoning told him Jin Qingyan's home address.
”You mentioned that you were a fortune-teller?” asked the elderly man.
”Yes, Nun Jingxin was my Master. She took me under her wing when I was young, and I grew up with her on the mountains.”
”Were you born in the middle of July?” he asked, though he sounded very certain.
”Yes, how did you know, Uncle?”
”You're a rare one. You're a gifted individual who's naturally spiritual and psychic. You're fated to stand out be extraordinary. Shall we strike a deal?” he asked with a smile.
”What do you mean?”
”I'm getting too lonely living here by myself. If you're willing to move in here with me for a month and accompany me to chit-chat, cook, or feed the chickens and cattle, not only will I tell you whether or not your husband's still alive, I'll also tell you everything else about him.”
It was a house nestled deep within the mountains and woods, with no reception or connection to the outside world at all.
However, she knew that in today's society, such problems could easily be solved with money.
Thus, she agreed right away without hesitation.
”What a straightforward little lass. The living conditions here are too minimalistic and simple, I'm afraid you'll have a hard time adapting,” said the elderly man, grinning from ear to ear.
”Uncle, I can live in a luxury mansion, and I can similarly thrive in a dilapidated place with simple living conditions. If you're able to manage, why won't I be as well?”
”Great,” said the elderly, who admired her determination.
From that moment onwards, Fan Shixin became the tool of transport between the house and the city. In order to allow her laptops to function properly, Fan Shixin brought a special adapter which would allow for long-range connection and for mobile network signals to be received.
According to An Xiaoning's instructions, he visited her at the house every day with the sole purpose of reporting to her about the company matters and did not bring along any food or quilts.
An Xiaoning moved into the elderly man's house together with her bodyguards, Xiao Huang, Xiao Bai, and Xiao Zi. They had all their meals together and lived harmoniously in peace and joy. They would often gather in a circle to chit-chat merrily.
Day after day, the routine continued, regardless of rain or shine.
From that day onwards, An Xiaoning did not ask the elderly man a single question regarding Jin Qingyan.
However, she was constantly counting the days in her heart.
Time passed from April to May.
She lived there for one entire month. Due to the fact that she was away for a month, the acknowledgement ceremony with her Godparents had to be postponed.
Fortunately, both the Jin and the Lin families agreed to wait for her to return before holding the ceremony.