*fraud fortune-teller, bluffer
This translation was originally posted on
https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Club 7
Shen Qingzhi looked at the cards for a moment, nodded, and said, "You will encounter a noble person who will assist you. That person will accompany you through life's low points."
Wen Qi's eyes carried a hint of disdain, thinking: She has already told you, do you still need to say it?
"But..." Shen Qingzhi pinched her fingers, mimicking a magic stick.
"Do you think the shape of '7' looks like a hook? '7' is also the number of turning points, which means that your friend can only accompany you through part of the journey, not the whole journey.”
"If you rely on that person for more than '7' units of time, it means you've gone too far. Their companionship will no longer be a support but will become an obstacle to your future development."
Nonsense!
Wen Qi's face darkened. She exhibited considerable restraint to refrain from directly retaliating in front of the camera. Her tone, however, carried a peculiar edge, "Oh, according to your logic, if it's past '7', then my situation isn't resolved yet."
"Don't rush, I haven't finished calculating." Shen Qingzhi remained composed and then placed another card on top.
Ace of Diamonds.
"The Ace represents your career, a dominant number. This indicates your career can reach a high position, but before that, you need to truly become independent to exceed the Ace."
At this point, Wen Qi naturally also perceived the underlying message from Shen Qingzhi's words. She turned around to pour herself a cup of tea, leaving only the back of her head facing the Magic Stick Shen.
After finishing her tea, she chuckled, “Ha, so your meaning is that I should live a solitary life and solely focus on my career?”
"Not exactly." Shen Qingzhi picked up the remaining cards in her hand, her movements becoming more adept.
"The final card, the King of Hearts. From the card's perspective, it seems that Teacher Wen Qi's romantic fate might appear relatively late. However…”
"'K' represents royalty, indicating that when Teacher Wen Qi's destined partner appears, it will be magnificent and extraordinary.
"But before that, one must pass through the twelve steps from 'A' to 'Q'."
"This '12' here can be seen as twelve hours, twelve zodiac signs, or the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, representing from morning to night, from spring to winter, from start to finish.
"During this process, there needs to be ample patience and preparation. Without impatience and the urge to leap forward, only then can one embrace the romantic fate infused with the aura of royalty."
This rather lengthy impromptu speech left Shen Qingzhi speaking with such vivid detail, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
After Shen Qingzhi finished speaking, she couldn't help but praise herself in her heart.
Originally not in the best of moods, Wen Qi was actually amused by Shen Qingzhi's words. "The aura of royalty? Could it be that I'll be marrying into royalty in the future? Our country doesn't have a monarchy."
Shen Qingzhi held her chin with one hand, stroking her non-existent beard, playfully shaking her head. "The divine secrets cannot be revealed."
However, Wen Qi wasn't willing to let her off easily. "You make me patiently wait with just a mention of 'romantic fate,' but if it doesn't work out later on, will you provide an after-sales service?"
Shen Qingzhi lifted her head and locked eyes with Wen Qi, her charming face expressing sincerity. "Sincerity leads to wisdom."
Wen Qi:...
I can't stand this anymore.
Observing Wen Qi's changing expression, just before she was about to explode, Shen Qingzhi timely added another line.
"As long as Teacher Wen Qi remains sufficiently sincere, passes through the number 12, and if there isn't a grand, royal-level romantic fate, you can come to me for a reckoning."
Expressed with such conviction, Shen Qingzhi's words influenced Wen Qi to some extent, momentarily making her believe.
Immediately, she shook her head, thinking she might have been misled earlier.
Shen Qingzhi was someone who was committed to completing what she started. Despite Wen Qi shooting numerous glares her way during the divination process just before, Shen Qingzhi persisted in flipping over the array of playing cards placed on the table one by one.
The cards were shuffled thoroughly this time, displaying various suits and numbers. Shen, with her persuasive tongue, astutely interpreted Wen Qi's interpersonal relationships and future prospects.
Finally, she didn't forget to connect her previous explanation about the resolution, weaving a somewhat logical conclusion that sounded quite reasonable.
Ultimately, it's unclear how much Wen Qi believed. Nevertheless, Yu Kexin had completely become a fervent fan of Shen Qingzhi by now, clamoring to apprentice under her to learn fortune-telling.
This translation was originally posted on
https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"Perhaps another day," Shen Qingzhi collected the playing cards on the table, her expression deep and inscrutable. "Today, I've divulged too many secrets. I need to restore my energy before I can once again unveil the cards of fate."
Standing up from the table, Shen Qingzhi happened to notice a middle-aged woman in an apron emerging from the kitchen; it took her several seconds to recognize that she was Huang Yuanxi.
Teacher Huang has only been in the kitchen for an hour, and her temperament has changed quite a lot.
I don’t know what the black heart looks like now.
It was obvious that they had only been apart for less than half an hour, but Shen Qingzhi began to miss her uncontrollably.
"Wen Qi, Qingzhi, Kexin, I just found out there are no bamboo shoots in the kitchen. Could you all go to the backyard bamboo grove and dig some?" Huang Yuanxi spoke while pushing aside the straw in the corner, revealing a hoe and a basket behind it.
"No problem." Shen Qingzhi, the youngest of the three, was the most active. Fortune-telling was really a mental job, and her brain cells were overloaded in less than half an hour. She needed to do some physical work to adjust.
Three farm workers held tools in hand and stumbled around in the backyard for nearly two hours before they managed to dig out a few bamboo shoot tips riddled with holes.
Shen Qingzhi carried the basket on her back and sent it to the kitchen like a treasure.
At this time, the two cooks had already prepared most of the dishes, and Huang Yuanxi was setting the dishes in the yard.
Shen Qingzhi took off the basket on her back and stood next to Gu Jinrong to clean the bamboo shoots, showing a rare well-behaved look.
The tips of the bamboo shoots were very fresh, and the skin was still hairy. Shen Qingzhi's tender hands were very white and soon turned red from the pricks.
"Hiss~"
The very light intake of breath didn't escape Gu Jinrong's ears. She quickly turned off the fire and gently held Shen Qingzhi's hand, examining it carefully. “What's wrong? Did something prick you?”
"It's okay." Shen Qingzhi retracted her hand, but Gu Jinrong still held it.
She suppressed the urge to act coquettishly and whispered: “The skin of this bamboo shoot is a bit prickly. I'll be more careful later.” Gu Jinrong turned on the nearby faucet, grabbed Shen Qingzhi's hands, and rinsed them under running water until her soft palm regained its cleanliness, then released them.
"I'll peel the bamboo shoots. Can you help me stir-fry the seasoning in the pot?"
"Mm."
The two swapped positions. Gu Jinrong fished out one of the bamboo shoots. Unlike Shen Qingzhi, she didn't peel layer by layer around the outside. Instead, she used a knife to remove several layers of skin along the belly of the bamboo shoot, then gently pulled at the shaved area with her fingertips, peeling off thick layers of skin safely and efficiently.
Shen Qingzhi watched in amazement from the side but didn't forget about her own task at hand.
She may not have much experience in the kitchen, but heating the seasoning was no problem. With a few stirs, the pungent aroma filled the air, stimulating her nose and making her eyes water.
Meanwhile, Gu Jinrong was peeling the bamboo shoots and still managed to hand a wet towel to Shen Qingzhi beside her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Do you need to cover yourself too?"
"I'm standing beside the stove; the fumes don't reach me."
"Oh."
The conversation abruptly ended. Shen Qingzhi covered her nose and mouth with a wet towel while handling the spatula. Finally, she managed to stir-fry all the seasonings thoroughly and turned off the stove.
At this moment, Gu Jinrong had finished peeling all the bamboo shoots, leaving them ready for washing and cutting before cooking.
One kitchen expert was accompanied by a kitchen newbie, yet they had an implicit understanding, exuding a sense of tranquil harmony.
Since leaving to set the table, Huang Yuanxi hadn't returned, turning the small kitchen into their own two-person world.
This feeling is somewhat subtle, sometimes resembling an old married couple, while at other times, pretending to be polite.
Gu Jinrong poured the chopped bamboo shoots into the iron pot filled with seasonings. Shen Qingzhi consciously gave up the right to use the spatula, but still stayed there and forgot to make room for Gu Jinrong.
The sunshine came in through the window crevice, decorating Shen Qingzhi's hair tips and shoulders. The golden warm light outlined her as a very fluffy little rabbit.
Gu Jinrong smirked, emitting a pleasant sound, not reminding a certain silly rabbit to move, but rather snugly sticking by her side, facing the iron pot.
Due to the inconvenience of her right hand being squeezed, Gu Jinrong simply moved the spatula to her left hand.
As it stirs and stirs, the aroma of bamboo shoots and chili pepper mix together, but it is not as exciting as before.
Shen Qingzhi stared at the pot intently, the glutton in his stomach was quietly aroused, and his body became warm.
It wasn't until Gu Jinrong took the clean porcelain plate and put it on the pot that Shen Qingzhi realized that she had been sticking close to Gu Jinrong's right arm during the entire cooking process.
It's over. If the part just now is broadcast, viewers across the country will see me in a daze leaning on the black heart.
Shen Qingzhi's belated realization made her take two steps back, attempting to compensate with flattery.
"Senior Gu is really good at cooking. This is a rare opportunity to steal a skill from her at close range. I really made a profit."
Gu Jinrong turned off the fire, glanced at her sideways, and deliberately tried to undermine her, "You haven't even tasted it, yet you claim I'm good at cooking. Isn't that just flattery?"
Of course, it's flattery, why say it out loud?
While Shen Qingzhi muttered this in her mind, she said, "How could it be flattery? Food involves appearance, aroma, and taste. This spicy stir-fried bamboo shoot not only looks and smells good but naturally, it won't taste bad either."
"Really? Then you can verify whether the conjecture you just made is correct." Gu Jinrong said and picked up a piece of bamboo shoots with the serving chopsticks and offered it to Shen Qingzhi's mouth.
The usually natural movements made Shen Qingzhi stunned. It was not because he was afraid of being too intimate, but thinking about the three people sitting outside. Would it be inappropriate to steal food at this moment?
Gu Jinrong seemed to see Shen Qingzhi's concerns and said in a natural tone, "Try it for me and see if it's cooked."
Oh, she wants me to try the dish.
Shen Qingzhi no longer had any worries and took the bamboo chopsticks to bite into the fragrant, spicy, and tender piece of bamboo shoot. The freshness and spiciness instantly moistened her eyes.
Although the temperature in her mouth was a bit hot, she wrapped the bamboo shoot in her mouth, sweating while chewing, reluctant to spit it out.
Gu Jinrong witnessed Shen Qingzhi's chewing process, which lasted only a dozen seconds or so, yet it made her perform a series of Sichuan Opera facial changes, each expression remarkably pleasing to the eye.
"Drink some water." Gu Jinrong thoughtfully handed over the glass of boiling water.
Shen Qingzhi drank half a cup to relieve the hot feeling in her mouth.
"Is it cooked?"
"Delicious!"
“Then let’s take it out to them."
Carrying the stir-fried bamboo shoots, Shen Qingzhi walked with proper posture. She internally evaluated her current performance as somewhat proper. However, on her way to the courtyard, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
As she walked along, she saw three other guests sitting at the dining table chatting, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
That's not right. Should the food be tasted to check if it's cooked after plating? Would the audience think Gu Jinrong has a low IQ?
