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Chu Yuening lifted her teacup, swirling its contents, and said, "No, his optimism stems from his ability to quickly recover from emotional turmoil. This time will be no different, it'll just take a bit longer."

No one would feel good after being betrayed.

The neighbor continued.

"It's clear that Mr. Zheng deeply loves his wife. Seafarers earn well but the job is grueling, which is why they have such long breaks. Yet, he chooses to endure the hardships at sea for his spouse and children."

"Exactly, the vast ocean with barely any entertainment and only a few fellow crewmates – it must be incredibly lonely."

"One can only wonder what choice Mr. Zheng, with such profound love, will make."

"In truth, some things can be overlooked if you choose to turn a blind eye."

Chu Yuening ceased her attention and turned to the last person, "Next."

The next visitor was quite young, a lanky preteen boy of twelve or thirteen. His bony shoulders struggled to fill out a loose T-shirt that hung past his knees, covering a pair of tight jeans. The jeans were dust-covered and riddled with irregular holes. On his feet were a pair of flip-flops.

The holes were haphazardly placed, some above the knee, others at the hem, revealing that the jeans had worn out naturally, not artificially ripped for fashion's sake.

The young boy clutched his handful of scattered Hong Kong dollars and approached the dessert stall. With a thud, he knelt down and began pounding his head on the ground, weeping bitterly.

"Master, please save my sister."

Bang, bang, bang.

Dust rose around the boy with each strike, as if he would truly perish if Chu Yuening refused his plea.

The hearts of the neighbors ached for the pitiful child. Knowing that the few scattered dollars were insufficient for a fortune-telling session, they all reached into their pockets to contribute.

Chu Yuening gently lifted the little boy, sensing his trembling body as she softly reassured him, "Don't be afraid, I'll help you."

As they walked through the temple street, the dust on his face was washed away by his tears, leaving two streaks. Upon hearing that the master was willing to assist, he promptly held up all his money.

At around twelve or thirteen years old, he was only about a meter and forty centimeters tall. Concerned that Chu Yuening might not reach, he stretched on his tiptoes, making an effort to hand her the money.

"Mas... Master, t... this is all the m... money my f... family has. P... please, h... help us," the little boy stammered.

Chu Yuening gazed at the crumpled and soiled stack of money. In the high-priced Hong Kong, it was rare to see one-dollar bills anymore, yet here they all were.

Counting them over and over, she estimated there were only about twenty dollars.

Unbothered, she accepted the money with a smile. "Alright, I'll help you."

Seeing that someone had finally come to his aid, Min Xiaohui's face lit up with a grateful smile. "Th... Thank you, Master."

Chu Yuening picked up on the boy's stutter. Rising from her seat, she lifted the ice cream chest and scooped out a bowl of syrup, placing it in front of him.

"Have something to eat first."

Min Xiaohui's throat gulped at the sight of the syrup. He hugged the bowl protectively. "Th... Thank you, M... Master. I... I need to t... take it t... to... Sis... Sis."

Chu Yuening inquired, "What happened to your sister? Do you have her birthdate?"

Min Xiaohui shook his head while holding the syrup, then a thought crossed his mind, reddening his eyes. He sniffled. "Sis... Sis, she... she wants to jump off a building."

Perhaps due to the urgency of the matter, Min Xiaohui's stutter momentarily disappeared.

The neighbors grew even more anxious.

"Oh dear, if your sister is going to jump, you should call the police, what good is finding a master?"

"Alright then, tell us where your house is, and we'll call the police."

"Heavens, hurry up and call the police. Don't wait until your sister jumps and we're still standing here doing nothing."

Min Xiaohui clutched his sweet soup, his head bowed.

His voice was low and despairing.

"It...It won't help. Dad and Mom both jumped to their deaths, and then my...my cousin, followed by my younger cousin. He's...even younger than me."

"I...We, our whole family...all jumped to our deaths."

Chapter 97

Everyone present fell silent.

The person who was about to call the emergency line using the landline also paused.

Min Xiaohui muttered, "The villagers… They all say that there might be… a problem with our family's feng shui. We need to… find a master."

"When Cousin died… we called the police, but… they couldn't save him. Cousin secretly found another place to jump."

He shook his head frantically. "I… want to save Sister. I don't want anything to happen to her!"

He was terrified that his sister might secretly jump off a building just like Cousin had.

The police uncles were all very nice, but they didn't have the time to come and save his sister every day.

The whole family had jumped to their deaths.

If not for how pitiful Min Xiaohui was, everyone would suspect that someone was deliberately making up a story to elicit sympathy.

Chu Yuening bent down to grab a red plastic bag from the stall and then reached up to take the peach wood sword hanging on the glass cabinet. She asked, "Is Sister safe now?"

"Safe," Min Xiaohui nodded.

"Well, let's go take a look at your place first," Chu Yuening said, noticing Shanpo in the crowd. Apologetically, she added, "Shanpo, you might have to help me pack up the stall."

"No problem," Shanpo replied, pushing her way through the crowd and rolling up her sleeves.

The tiny old lady revealed her bony arms and grinned, "Don't you dare underestimate Shanpo. Clearing two tables would take me mere minutes."

Then, she glanced at the ice cream box, wearing a regretful expression. "Such a shame to waste the syrup. How about this?"

"Does anyone want the syrup?"

As soon as Shanpo finished speaking, the neighbors lined up spontaneously.

"I'll definitely buy some syrup! After listening to Ning Ning's fortunes, a cup of syrup is like living the life of a deity."

"I want one too. The other day, it was sold out when I came, so it's my turn today, right?"

Some who had already bought syrup started joking around, "Shanpo, again you worry about the syrup not selling. You should be more concerned about your fruit stall. Should we neighbors help you clear that out instead?"