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"Of course! I'll get them right away." Xiao Jiang and his wife emerged from the kitchen, both witnessing the joy on each other's faces.

It was great that their father was hungry!

The doctor had mentioned that as long as the elderly man regained his appetite, there wouldn't be any major health issues.

His wife, even more excited, urged Xiao Jiang, "I'll prepare the meal. You quickly go and buy some more sugar water for Father."

That sugar water was miraculous! It actually managed to rejuvenate their father.

If he drank it a few more times, would he fully recover?

The more Xiao Jiang thought about it, the more thrilled he became. His heart leaped with excitement, almost reaching his throat. He eagerly agreed, "Sure, I'll go buy two more cups right now!"

What was fifty yuan compared to this?

This was far more effective than those ginseng roots costing thousands of yuan!

Unfortunately, Xiao Jiang didn't have the chance to rush out.

Chu Ji's dessert stall had already sold out.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky and temperatures rose, a portion of the guests remained, having shed their coats as they curiously waited outside the shop.

Until finally—

Chu Yuening asked the first three customers to stay and apologetically smiled at the others still present. "I'm so sorry for keeping everyone waiting."

"Nah, it's alright. Master Chu, don't worry about it," a cheerful, dark-skinned brother assured her. "We're just here to catch a glimpse of the real thing since we didn't get enough on TV."

Many followed suit with their own comments.

"Exactly, Master Chu, go ahead and do your thing."

"Yes, we're just happy to witness the excitement."

Many in attendance had come specifically for Chu Yuening's fortune-telling. They all wanted to see if Master Chu's abilities were as miraculous as they appeared on television.

Thus, no one was willing to leave.

Chu Yuening didn't persuade further and returned to the feng shui shop.

The first customer was a young girl.

After taking her seat, the girl surveyed the surroundings with a sense of unease, placing her backpack on her lap. She exclaimed, "Master Chu, your place is really lovely. The decoration style is quite unique."

"Thank you," Chu Yuening replied, sitting at the table. She lifted a small teapot by the side and, following custom, poured a cup of tea. Then, she looked up and asked, "Would you like some?"

Xia Huan shook her head.

Putting down the teapot, Chu Yuening inquired, "What would you like to have read?"

Surprisingly, Xia Huan didn't answer immediately but leaned forward, resting her hand on the table's edge, and whispered, "Master, can you also read someone else's fortune?"

This was the first time Chu Yuening had encountered someone willing to pay for another person's fortune. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "It's possible if you have their birthdate. But are you sure you want to spend two hundred yuan on someone else's reading?"

"Y-yes, I'm sure," Xia Huan answered, though her grip on the two hundred yuan notes betrayed her hesitation. She lingered in indecision for two minutes.

Seeing Xia Huan's discomfort, Chu Yuening smiled gently and said, "If you change your mind, we can end it here."

"No, no, no." Xia Huan shook her head repeatedly upon hearing that it was about to end.

The night before, she had watched a fortunetelling program where Master Chu seemed like a deity, able to discern the destinies of those he read. She was astounded and decided to take down the address from the television early in the morning just so she could join the queue on site.

"Actually," Xia Huan bit her lip, "I'm still a student. With my monthly allowance and part-time job, I only earn a thousand dollars."

After she finished speaking, Chu Yuening understood.

In the high-cost city of Hong Kong, living off a thousand dollars a month required great thriftiness.

It was only the beginning of the month, yet Xia Huan was willing to spend two hundred dollars on a fortune reading. This was undoubtedly a significant burden for her.

However,

Xia Huan didn't dwell on it for long. With a heroic air, she placed two hundred dollars on the table. "It's okay. For the sake of rescuing my best friend from misery, this divination must be done."

Chu Yuening examined the meticulously preserved Hong Kong dollars and nodded. "If we're indeed going to calculate, provide me with the birthdate of the person involved."

"Alright." Xia Huan took out a black notebook from her backpack, flipped through a few pages, and passed it over. "I double-checked with my best friend. This is her boyfriend's birthdate."

"The birthdate of the boyfriend?"

"Since you're saving your best friend from misery, shouldn't you use her best friend's birthdate for the calculation?"

Hearing the commotion at the door, a troubled look appeared on Xia Huan's face.

"Not many know this, but I'm calculating her boyfriend's birthdate for the sake of her best friend."

The neighbors were confused.

"To help her best friend, wouldn't it be quicker to calculate using her best friend's birthdate?"

"Could it be that her boyfriend isn't treating her well?"

As Chu Yuening calculated the birthdate, she looked at the last neighbor who spoke and smiled. "You hit the nail on the head. Her best friend's boyfriend really isn't much."

She calculated as she spoke, "An excess of metal and water means that water represents the kidneys and emotions. In a person's eight characters, a male with overly strong metal and water elements tends to be sentimental, fond of mingling with the opposite sex, lustful, and has poor self-control, easily succumbing to temptation. Her boyfriend cheated on her, and not just once."

Xia Huan was surprised that Chu Da could discern someone's character just by glancing at their birth chart.

Recalling something, she forced a bitter smile. "Excellent, finally someone can see through the true nature of scumbags. That guy really isn't a decent person. He would always ogle women. There was one time when he..."

Xia Huan hesitated, unsure if she should share this incident. "We went on a trip together with three people. When my friend went out, he came to knock on my door."

Of course, Xia Huan didn't open the door.

It was late at night, and being alone with a man in a room, she was afraid her friend would misunderstand.

When she didn't answer, the guy sarcastically taunted from outside, "Putting on an act, huh?"

Chu Yuening, studying Xia Huan's facial features, frowned. "Your friend doesn't believe you, right? I can tell that you've warned her more than once."

"Yes," Xia Huan sighed. "My friend said that there was a problem with the faucet in the adjacent room, and he just wanted to borrow the bathroom for a shower."