"...Quick, save him!!"
Accompanied by Zheng Fulai's terrified cry, after a moment of chaos, the Zheng family's gardener was the first to rush into the middle of the pond, reaching out and lifting the man in the Tang suit directly from the water.
After being lifted up, the man in the Tang suit's fingers instinctively twitched in the air a couple of times until his feet touched the ground.
The man in the Tang suit: ???
He tentatively stepped into the pond mud under his feet, and then... stood up?
As the saying goes, people always seem very busy when they're embarrassed. The man in the Tang suit looked at the water that was up to his waist, gave a dry laugh, and then tugged at his clothes and touched his head.
Compared to him, who had only swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, the middle-aged Taoist priest looked much more miserable. When he fell in, his cheek was cut by the stones on the edge of the pond, and blood was flowing freely. The torn flesh looked painful, and blood was still flowing out.
Wei Qilin hurriedly instructed the servants, "Quickly, fetch Doctor Fu!"
After seeing that everyone was alright, Zheng Fulai couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Only then did he belatedly realize... everything Master Xu had predicted had come true.
"Master, you're truly amazing!" he said excitedly, keeping his voice low for the injured person, unable to hide his excitement. "You predicted everything!"
The person who fell and cut their cheek, the person who almost drowned... it was all true!
The viewers in Xu Gui's live stream were in an uproar:
[Hiss, although I knew Xu Gui was good at fortune telling before, I didn't feel it this deeply before?]
[!! That's right, before I just thought it was amazing that Xu Gui could tell fortunes, but I didn't think she was that powerful. Now I suddenly realize that she's really amazing, really incredible!]
[This can already be considered a prophecy, right?]
It seemed that at this moment they suddenly realized: Ah, Xu Gui really is a diviner!
The fact that her fortune-telling was incredibly accurate seemed to have only just become deeply ingrained in their minds at this moment.
Someone offered an explanation: "Because Xu Gui's previous fortune-tellings had a certain delay, they weren't immediate, so the impact wasn't as profound. But this scene happened in just a few minutes, making it very impactful."
Especially the bloodied and mangled face of the middle-aged Taoist priest; the shock was even more profound.
Xu Gui… really is a fortune teller!
*
The Zheng family has a resident family doctor, so Dr. Fu was soon summoned.
While Dr. Fu examined the middle-aged Taoist priest, Zheng Fulai excitedly led Xu Gui to examine other problematic areas in their house—he had already felt Xu Gui had real skills, and now he had even more confidence in her.
"…This is our family's money tree!" Zheng Fulai led Xu Gui to see their two osmanthus trees, two very large ones, said to be over a hundred years old, with trunks as thick as a person's embrace.
There are naturally trees on the market that are generally called "money trees," which is what most people generally consider to be money trees. However, the Zheng family's money trees are these two osmanthus trees, planted when the house was built. Their placement was specially chosen, so the Zheng family calls them "money trees."
—In autumn, the osmanthus trees are covered in golden blossoms, looking like gold, a symbol of good fortune.
These two osmanthus trees are old, and when they bloom, they are truly magnificent, dazzling and radiant, practically bringing in wealth.
"...But since last month, these two trees have started to wilt," Zheng Fulai said worriedly. "They've started losing leaves every day. Look, it's only been a month, and half the leaves have fallen. This shouldn't be happening at this time of year." Xu Gui glanced
at the ground beneath the trees and indeed found a layer of leaves, neither too thin nor too thick, clearly fallen after being cleared away.
Xu Gui suddenly stepped onto the flowerbed, stroking the rough trunk of the osmanthus tree. He sighed, "...It's been over five hundred years. It's such a pity it's going to die like this."
While five hundred years isn't a long or short lifespan for a tree, the thought of how many generations it takes to grow a five-hundred-year-old osmanthus tree still struck him as a loss.
After all, the tree was older than Xu Gui himself, who was three hundred and twenty-one years old.
Xu Gui: "I've seen it in its eyes; it's truly a precious tree.
" "That Mr. Wei seemed very well-mannered. Is his family well-off?" Xu Gui asked casually, stroking the osmanthus tree's trunk.
"You mean Brother Qilin?" Zheng Fulai snapped out of his reverie and said, "Brother Qilin's family isn't well-off. He comes from a rural background, and people jokingly call him a golden phoenix that flew out of the mountains."
Zheng Fulai's tone was normal; he didn't mean to look down on rural areas, he was just stating a fact.
"He and my second sister were classmates in college. They both studied medicine, and they got together in their second year. They got married the year after graduation..." Zheng Fulai calculated, "They've been married for three years now, and their relationship has always been very good and loving."
Xu Gui said softly, "...Is that so?"
She moved her hand from the tree and said to Zheng Fulai, "These two trees aren't in any major problems. They're still alive. With a little more time, they'll gradually recover."
Zheng Fulai was pleasantly surprised, "Really?"
Xu Gui nodded.
Zheng Fulai said happily, "That's good... You don't know, these two osmanthus trees in my house smell so good when they bloom. When they bloom, the whole mountain is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, and the osmanthus cakes made with their flowers are especially fragrant. It would be such a pity if they died."
"But my grandfather forbids everyone from picking osmanthus flowers, saying it will ruin the feng shui of the house, so we always pick them secretly." He said this very softly, and then whispered, "If these trees survive, I'll secretly pick a few branches for you when they bloom again this year."
Xu Gui looked at his sly expression and accepted it very seriously.
Afterwards, the two strolled around the Zheng family's house. They discovered that Zheng Fulai's house not only looked big, but it was actually quite large. They walked for half an hour and still hadn't seen the whole thing. Moreover, the scenery was very diverse, truly a beautiful view every ten steps.
Zheng Fulai initially assumed Xu Gui was just like the others, casually checking the feng shui of their house. She herself was quite serious, saying, "I'm checking things out."
However…
seeing her bright eyes and enthusiastically wandering around, Zheng Fulai began to have some doubts: Was she really checking the feng shui of their house? Was she sure she wasn't just strolling around admiring the scenery?
Zheng Fulai muttered to himself, but dared not utter a word. He still believed that Master Xu was a truly skilled person, perhaps genuinely examining every aspect of their house.
He shouldn't doubt the master.
Fortunately, Xu Gui's leisurely stroll allowed the viewers to see exactly what the Zheng family's house looked like. Their expressions were just as enthusiastic as Xu Gui's; if someone were to enter the live stream now, they would all say, "The audience mirrors the host."
It's not that their expressions differed, but rather that they were exactly the same.
At noon, Zheng Fulai took Xu Gui to lunch. Xu Gui also saw the rest of the Zheng family, who were actually Zheng Fulai's second sister, Zheng Feibao.
The Zheng family was relatively small; Zheng Fulai's father's generation had only three brothers, and by Zheng Fulai's generation, there were only five children in total. Zheng Fulai was the youngest, and he was also the only child of his parents.
He had four older brothers and sisters, but currently only Zheng Feiran and his second sister, Zheng Feibao, were at home. So, it was just the three of them at lunch, plus Zheng Fulai's brother-in-law, Wei Qilin, and now Xu Gui and his sister.
As for Zheng Fulai's grandfather, he was said to be unwell and had been eating in his room recently.
The people in the reception room were taken to another dining room by the servants and didn't eat with them.
After they were seated, Xu Gui asked Zheng Fulai curiously, "Your brother is called Zheng Feiran, and your sister is called Zheng Feibao, so why are you called Zheng Fulai?" Shouldn't it also be Zheng Fei×?
Zheng Fulai answered in a low voice, "Before I was born, our family business ran into trouble, and the company was on the verge of collapse. But right after I was born, the company suddenly turned things around, and the situation was averted. My grandfather said it was because I brought good fortune to the family, so he named me Fulai..."
He suddenly glanced at Xu Gui and asked accusingly, "Don't you think it sounds like a dog's name?"
Xu Gui's gaze shifted slightly. "...I didn't say that."
Zheng Fulai muttered, "You all clearly think so."
Xu Gui asked, "Have you ever thought about changing your name?"
Zheng Fulai was surprised and retorted, "Why would I change it? This name is so auspicious! It embodies my grandfather's and my parents' good wishes for me. I don't want to change it."
Hearing this, Xu Gui couldn't help but look at him with amusement. After all, most people would cry and beg to change their names if they thought their names sounded like a dog's, so it was rare to see Zheng Fulai so readily agreeing.
The two were whispering to each other when a gentle voice suddenly came from beside them: "Fu Lai, are these the two friends you mentioned?"
Zheng Fu Lai looked up and saw his aloof and elegant second sister, Zheng Fei Bao, staring at him. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, they are both my friends. This is Xu... Xu Gui, Miss Xu, and this is..."
When he got to the cameraman, he suddenly stopped, turned to look at him, and whispered, "Big brother, what's your name again?"
Hearing this question, Xu Gui also turned to look at the cameraman, her face showing curiosity—come to think of it, she didn't seem to know the cameraman's name either.
Cameraman: "..."
"My surname is Yang, and my name is Yang Hao Lin," he said.
Zheng Fu Lai sat up straight, looked at Zheng Fei Bao, and said, "Second sister, his name is Yang Hao Lin."
Zheng Fei Bao: "..." She heard him.
Zheng Fulai felt a little embarrassed by her gaze and quickly explained, "Miss Xu is my friend. I haven't met Yang Haolin before, so I don't know his name."
The other woman nodded, "Yes, yes, I came with Teacher Xu."
"Teacher Xu?" Zheng Feibao grasped the key point and looked at Xu Gui, asking curiously, "Is Miss Xu a teacher?"
Xu Gui: "...More or less?" Giving guidance is like being a life mentor, right? So this counts as a teacher.
Zheng Feibao nodded slightly.
"Tch." At this moment, a sneer suddenly came from the side. It was Zheng Feiran, who had already taken his seat. Seeing everyone looking over, he said without batting an eye, "Excuse me, I just thought of something funny."
He smiled, his expression and demeanor still appearing poised and elegant, leaving no room for criticism if one ignored his earlier sneer.
Zheng Fulai knew perfectly well he was mocking her and couldn't help but glare at him angrily.
It was precisely because of Zheng Feiran's attitude that he introduced Xu Gui to Zheng Feibao as a friend, to avoid any further suspicion. After all, once Master Xu resolved their family's issues, his second sister and the others would know that Master Xu was truly a capable person.
However, this didn't stop him from complaining to Zheng Feibao.
"...Second sister, look at Brother Feiran!" He immediately looked at Zheng Feibao.
Zheng Feibao glared at Zheng Feiran, who shrugged and remained silent. Zheng Fulai immediately looked at him smugly.
Xu Gui was somewhat curious about Zheng Feibao.
From her appearance, Zheng Feibao's first impression was that she was unapproachable—noble and aloof, with a cold demeanor that almost made people afraid to look directly at her. However, once she spoke, this aura diminished considerably. She had a very gentle and delicate voice, very soft, completely different from the impression her appearance gave, creating a striking contrast.
She was speaking softly to Wei Qilin beside her. Although the couple didn't engage in any overtly intimate gestures, the atmosphere was harmonious and intimate, an atmosphere that seemed impenetrable to outsiders.
The servants had already brought the food, so Xu Gui turned her attention back to the table. However, as she looked away, she caught sight of Zheng Fulai beside her and suddenly paused.
"Hmm?" Xu Gui's eyes widened as she carefully examined Zheng Fulai's face.
Zheng Fulai, somewhat bewildered by her gaze, asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Ah..." Xu Gui pondered, looking at him, and said, "I just noticed that your face seems to have suddenly changed a little. Could it be because of my intervention?"
she muttered to herself.
Zheng Fulai: ? ?
"Has it gotten better or worse?" he asked somewhat nervously.
Xu Gui glanced at him again, then suddenly sighed and said, "I think we should eat first. I'm afraid you won't have time to eat later."
Without explaining further to Zheng Fulai, she picked up her bowl and began to eat, and ate very earnestly—Xu Gui always took every meal very seriously because she genuinely felt that human food was truly delicious. Even fish, which she was tired of eating, could be prepared in many different ways, allowing her to have a different dish every day.
In this situation, eating was simply a pleasure, so of course she wanted to fully enjoy the pleasure of eating.
Zheng Fulai, however, sat there completely bewildered after hearing her words: ...So what did Master mean by that? What did she mean by not having time to eat later?
Was something going to happen?
Zheng Fulai was lost in thought, and the food tasted like cardboard, but thankfully, he could still manage to eat a few bites.
On the other side of the table, Zheng Feibao and Zheng Feiran were talking quietly—their family didn't have a custom of not speaking while eating; in fact, they enjoyed talking while eating, though only casual conversation. Serious matters weren't suitable for the table.
"I heard you consulted several masters about the feng shui of your house," Zheng Feibao asked Zheng Feiran. "Did they find anything?"
Hearing this, Zheng Feiran glanced at Xu Gui instinctively, then said, "I don't know yet, but two of them seemed like frauds. Not only did they not find anything wrong, they even got into a fight in the backyard, drawing blood. In the end, we had to trouble Dr. Fu to come over. It was very unlucky."
Zheng Feibao asked, "What about the others?"
Zheng Feiran frowned. "I can't see anything about the others yet, and I don't know if they're frauds either, but..."
He suddenly glanced at Xu Gui, and said meaningfully, "What do they think the Zheng family is, that they can come and go as they please? If I find out they're lying to me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Hearing this, Zheng Fulai felt that these words were specifically for Master Xu's ears, and subconsciously glanced at Xu Gui, only to see Xu Gui eating very seriously. It was as if he hadn't heard Zheng Feiran's words at all.
At this moment, Xu Gui put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "Ah, I'm full..."
The others, who had only taken a few bites of food: ?? So fast?
Xu Gui suddenly looked at Zheng Fulai and said, "Shouldn't you go visit your grandfather?"
A few questions appeared on Zheng Fulai's face at first, then he seemed to realize something, suddenly stood up from his stool, and rushed upstairs.
"…Zheng Fulai, what are you doing?" Zheng Feiran looked at his actions in surprise. Seeing Zheng Fulai head straight upstairs, she couldn't help but stand up and subconsciously follow him.
Zheng Feibao looked at her husband in confusion: "What's going on?"
Wei Qilin didn't answer her. He was looking at Xu Gui, his eyes deep and heavy, with some extremely subtle emotion surging in them, an emotion that Zheng Feibao found utterly unfamiliar.
A few seconds later, he turned back to look at his wife.