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She hung the newly written boards advertising fortune-telling and feng shui in front of her cart. Just as she finished setting up, a customer appeared.

"A bowl of purple sweet potato coconut milk sago, please, boss," said a lady wearing sunglasses as she approached the dessert stall.

"Coming right up," Chu Yuening eagerly took the order, her eyes curving with delight as she imagined a brighter future ahead.

Managing both fortune-telling and dessert-making, how could she possibly starve?

The lady raised her hand to rest her sunglasses on her nose bridge, eyeing the signboard next to her quizzically. "Fortune-telling and feng shui?"

She then turned to Chu Yuening, who was preparing the dessert. "You do this too?"

Next door, Lin Jiahua lifted his newspaper, displaying the bold headlines, and pointed at them. "Did you see the Hong Kong Morning Post? Ye Tianliang murdered his wife for insurance fraud – the truth was uncovered by Master Chu here!"

"Is it really that accurate?" The lady, half skeptical, removed her sunglasses. "Why don't you give me a reading as well?"

Chapter 4

The lady was dressed in a light yellow padded shoulder suit with a scarf elegantly tied around her slender neck, giving off the air of a wealthy Hong Kong socialite.

Chu Yuening took a glance and decided it was best to clarify the price beforehand to avoid any disputes later on. "For a fortune-telling session, it's one hundred yuan per reading."

"Really? The uncles and aunties at Wanchai Street only charge twenty-one yuan," He Shifei exclaimed, pushing her sunglasses back up her nose.

Chu Yuening understood the disparity in pricing and that it was natural for clients to be skeptical. She patiently explained, "You get what you pay for. Similar-looking coats can have two different prices and qualities – one from Wanchai Street and another from Alliance Commercial Building."

"Should you change your mind, it's perfectly fine."

He Shifei shook her head. "I do go shopping often, and I understand the principle you're talking about. They say you get what you pay for, so I'll trust you this once."

Chu Yuening's mood lifted with the new order, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "Take a seat, I'll prepare this purple sweet potato coconut milk sago dessert for you."

He Shifei didn't protest further, settling into a small, cramped table with her bag in hand.

Rolling up her sleeves, Chu Yuening retrieved a clean bowl from the food cart's foam container. She then scooped a soft, purple sweet potato from the ice cream box, its pale lavender tenderness blending with translucent sago pearls. Two cubes of ice followed, before she poured in the rich, aromatic coconut milk.

A delightful, subtly sweet purple sweet potato dessert was now ready.

Chu Yuening placed the sterilized spoon in the bowl and turned around to put it on the small wooden table. "Shall we start with the sugar water?"

He Shifei nodded. Still wearing her sunglasses, she tasted the sugar water with the spoon. The refreshing sweetness slid down her throat, dispelling her early morning gloom.

As He Shifei's discontent subsided, she praised repeatedly, "This sugar water tastes great."

Chu Yuening took a wooden stool and sat across from her. After He Shifei finished the sugar water, she wiped her mouth with a tissue from her bag, reapplied her lipstick, then looked at Chu Yuening.

"Are we ready to begin?"

"Yes, but..." Chu Yuening interlaced her fingers and gently rested them on her temples. "You'll need to take off your sunglasses."

Upon hearing that Chu Yuening was going to do another reading, Zhang Jiande rushed out of the tea restaurant with a cigarette holder in hand. Standing next to Lin Jiahua, he took a puff of smoke. "What now? Ningning is doing another fortune-telling session?"

Curiosity piqued by Uncle Jian's story, Lin Jiahua pushed up his glasses. "Let's see how it goes."

He Shifei reluctantly removed her sunglasses, revealing her haggard appearance. Her eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, explaining why she had worn shades.

He Shifei said awkwardly, "Let's start then."

Chu Yuening clasped her hands together, studying He Shifei's face intently before she began.

"You're 32 years old. You lost your mother at the age of eight, and with your father occupied with business, he couldn't raise you. After nine, you lived with your aunt."

He Shifei's eyes widened in disbelief, deeply astonished.

These were events from her childhood that she had never shared with anyone outside her family. Even her childhood friends believed her aunt was her biological mother.

"You've investigated me? How did you know all these details?"

"Life experiences are etched on one's face. I can discern your past just by looking at you."

He Shifei had assumed that fortune-telling pertained to the future, its accuracy to be determined later. To her surprise, Chu Yuening could read her past with a mere glance.

She thought to herself: A hundred yuan well spent for this revelation.

After her explanation, Chu Yuening continued.

"After reaching adulthood, you moved back home to live with your father. Due to years of estrangement, your relationship with him wasn't harmonious. However, as he was your only remaining family, you were willing to tolerate his peculiar temperament."

"You wished that your father would occasionally show you the same concern as other parents do. But today, you're deeply disappointed."

Chu Yuening paused here, "Because your father has found a new love, and this new love..."

"...is your childhood best friend."

He Shifei's face contorted in pain. She tried to defend herself, but her words fell short, leaving her powerless. All she could do was take a tissue to wipe away her tears, acknowledging that Chu Yuening had hit the nail on the head.

A collective gasp echoed around them.

"Wow, an older husband and a younger wife is quite an explosive combination."

Lin Jiahua, puzzled, inquired, "Since Father has already lost his wife, why can't he have a girlfriend?"

"You're all clueless," Zhang Jiande shot him a sideways glance, pointing at He Shifei while adjusting the strap of his suit over his belly. "She's her best friend, so they're probably around the same age. If her father lavishes attention on her friend, who will care for her? They say a person's childhood affects them their whole life."

Someone chimed in, "Older husbands and younger wives can have true love too."

Shanpo, holding a peachwood comb, was grooming her hair. With more people gathering to watch, she took advantage of her small frame to squeeze her way two spots closer to the center.

"What true love? In my opinion, that young lady must be after his money to be with an older man. Otherwise, what could she possibly gain? His stale old-man scent?"

He Shifei shook her head in distress. "Anyone else would do, why Ah Xian? I've made it clear to Father: if Ah Xian stays, I leave, and if I stay, she goes. As long as they choose to be together, I won't step foot back home."