If someone asked, "Who is the easiest person to make money from these days?" A savvy Jewish businessman would say, "Of course, it's women and children." However, in Liang Chen's view, the answer can actually be simplified: it's girls.
The place where there are the most young girls is undoubtedly schools. Hence, Liang Chen set up a stall at the entrance of Jiangdong University, specializing in selling small accessories that girls like. In a day, he could make a profit of seventy to eighty yuan.
The reason why he came to Jiangdong city was because of a promise he made back then.
Two years ago, when Liang Chen was still in his second year of high school, he and his girlfriend Xiao Jing made a promise on the playground that they would try to get into the same university in the future. In the end, Xiao Jing got admitted to Jiang University, but unfortunately, he failed by a difference of three points.
Both families lived in the same small town. Xiao Jing's family was not well-off, her parents were both honest farmers, she also had a younger sister and a younger brother. The family could not afford to have all three children in school at the same time.
To fulfil his promise to his girlfriend, he braved his parents' scolding and disappointment and traveled a long way to this unfamiliar city, taking on the important task of earning tuition and living expenses for his girlfriend.
Therefore, the money Liang Chen earned, apart from the necessary living expenses, was mostly given to Xiao Jing.
It was another bustling evening. University students came out of the school in pairs or groups of threes. Liang Chen began to shout loudly, "Good luck jades on sale at a cheap price, only twenty yuan each! Buy my jade, guarantee you won't fail your exams, and your love life won't end. Each piece cost only twenty yuan..."
If it were this time last year, he would have never been able to yell it out, but after these few months of trials and tribulations, not only had his skin darkened, but his face had also become tougher, lying without even blinking.
These fake goods, which cost just one yuan and fifty cents each, were instantly transformed into good luck jades worth twenty yuan. As long as he could sell three or five pieces, it would be a successful day. The girls are just interested in something pretty and cute, nobody would be foolish enough to think these were real jades.
Before business could even start tonight, suddenly a peculiar tall, skinny old man walked towards him. The man was dressed in a very worn-out robe, with his hair styled into a daoist bun, looking rather other-worldly.
He walked straight up to Liang Chen, said "Boundless is the heavenly honor," then asked with a warm smile, "Young man, do you want to be wealthy?"
Liang Chen was taken aback, studying the old Taoist priest closely and jokingly asked him, "Who doesn't want to be wealthy? Could it be that the Taoist priest is going to show me the way?"
"Indeed." The old Taoist chuckled mischievously, pointing to the ground beneath Liang Chen, "You see, you're so close to the sewer manhole cover, where dirty gas surges upward. Even a bit of wealth aura would get dispersed. And there's this building behind you, exhibiting the 'counter-arch evil'..."
After the old Taoist's detailed explanation, Liang Chen glanced down at the manhole cover and looked back at the building towering over him. Feeling that there seemed to be some truth in the priest's words, he then asked, "Where, then, do you think I should set up my stall, master Taoist?"
The old Taoist smiled and said nothing. He pulled out three copper coins - one large and two small. The larger one had an unusual shape, adorned with the eight-diagram symbol. The middle hole of the coin wasn't the regular square, but a round one.
Grasping the three coins, he lightly shook them thrice. After interpreting the divination symbols, he pointed seriously towards a particular direction and stated, "Today, the God of Wealth resides in the southeast. You should set up your stall there. You're guaranteed to make a great fortune."
Liang Chen quickly followed his finger and noticed he was pointing towards the entrance of an alley on the opposite diagonal side. It was approximately a couple hundred meters away from their current location. It wasn't located on the main road, which meant fewer people passing by.
The old Taoist gave an impassioned promise. Liang Chen saw that the old man asked for no compensation. He didn’t seem to have any reason to cheat him, so he did as suggested, packed up his stall, and moved to the alley entrance.
However, after almost half an hour of waiting, no customers came by. He found this peculiar and glanced at his old spot, only to find out that the old Taoist had set up a stall at the very same place where Liang Chen had his stand before!
"Darn it! So that's his game. After all his talk, he just wanted to take my spot. That old swindler!"
Liang Chen was furious. He quickly packed his belongings and went up to confront the old Taoist.
Arriving at the stall, Liang Chen asked him angrily, "What do you think you're doing, old man? Is it amusing to trick people?"
One food stall was always adjacent to another at the entrance of the University City. If you didn't secure your spot early, there would be nowhere left to set up the stall. Liang Chen, who had been tricked by the old Taoist into moving to the alley entrance, was furious.
“When did I ever lie to you? You, a mere mortal, cannot suppress this archer's curse. I...”
The old Taoist wanted to argue, but Liang Chen cut him off: "Enough of your pretentious talk! Move out of the spot now!"
Seeing that he couldn't continue the charade, the old Taoist decided to roll up his sleeves and scolded, “How could you talk to me like that? Haven't your parents ever taught you respect for the elderly and love for the young? Or is this spot exclusively signed in your name?"
"You lied and now you're justifying it? You old scammer, give me my spot back right now!"
But the old Taoist was no pushover. Trusting his height advantage over Liang Chen, he retorted loudly, "What did I lie about? You were the one consumed by greed who voluntarily gave the spot to me. Besides, aren't these fake jades you're selling deceiving others?”
The argument between the two soon attracted bystanders. Upon seeing Liang Chen wasn't backing down, the old Taoist decided to twist the story, accusing Liang Chen of bullying the elderly and forcibly seizing the stall. The accusation left Liang Chen fuming. He approached and started dragging away the old Taoist's stall.
The argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Although the elderly Taoist looked frail due to his age, his blows were relentless. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a solid copper compass which was easily a couple of pounds, and ruthlessly hit Liang Chen on the head a few times.
Blood started to stream from Liang Chen's wounded head, covering his face and dripping onto the ground. The shocking sight alarmed the bystanders, and soon, someone called the police. As the sirens became audible, the crazy old Taoist suddenly grabbed Liang Chen's arm, demanding him to hand over some Bagua coins.
Not wanting to be taken to the police station, but unable to shake off the Taoist's firm grip, an incensed Liang Chen roared: "What Bagua coins? I didn't see any! Do you have no shame? You beat me up and now you're trying to frame me!"
"Frame my ass, do you know the origin of these Bagua coins? They are treasures inherited from the Feng Shui Master Yuan Tiangang of the Tang Dynasty! They can't be bought with any amount of money. I'm sure you stole them. Return them to me immediately!"
The Taoist's previously neat topknot had come undone in the scuffle, making him look like a specter. Even when they were brought into the police station, he was still shouting loudly about performing an exorcism that would lead to the annihilation of Liang Chen's family.
The police found the situation tricky to handle. To resolve the misunderstanding, Liang Chen undressed completely, allowing the officers to confirm that he did not have any Bagua coins on him. Only then did the old Taoist seem to come back to his senses and give up his claims reluctantly.
In the end, both parties were fined 500 yuan each under public security sanctions and were released that very night.
Feeling incredibly frustrated, Liang Chen cursed his bad luck. He only had 130 yuan left. With a sigh, he started worrying about how he was going to pay his rent and meal expenses for the month. His girlfriend, Xiao Jing, would have enough for her living expenses next month, but his bills were still a problem.
"Damn it! If it weren't for that con artist, would I have been fined? 500 yuan! My efforts this week have been in vain..." Cursing bitterly, Liang Chen felt a pang of regret over the lost money, his stomach chose that very moment to grumble with hunger.
Despite the hardships, life had to go on. The enticing aroma from the nearby barbecue stall made his mouth water, but he did not feel like spending the money. He settled for a bowl of the cheapest salted noodle soup from the noodle stall, calling it dinner.
Later, he pulled out his knock-off cell phone and called Xiao Jing to invite her out for a meal the next day and hand over her living expenses. Unexpectedly, her roommate, Baozi, picked up instead. Surprised, he asked, "Didn't Xiao Jing take her phone? Why are you answering it?"
Baozi, whose full name Liang Chen didn't even know, was Xiao Jing's close friend. Xiao Jing often brought Baozi out with them, so Liang Chen was quite familiar with her.
"Oh my, Xiao Jing has gone to tutor and forgot her phone on the bed. She probably won't be back until after 10 o'clock. Were you planning to ask her out? That's so considerate of you. I wish I could find a boyfriend like you..."
Baozi was well aware of the relationship between Liang Chen and Xiao Jing. She was quite envious of Xiao Jing for having someone as loyal as Liang Chen and often teased Liang Chen whenever possible.
Since Xiao Jing was absent, Liang Chen and Baozi casually chatted for a couple of minutes before hanging up the call. Liang Chen's head was throbbing with pain, having swelled up a few large bumps. He planned to head to a clinic to buy a bottle of iodine tincture to disinfect wounds, as he couldn't afford to let them get infected in this sweltering heat.
However, as he passed by a Western restaurant, out of the corner of his eye, he unexpectedly saw a familiar silhouette making its way into the establishment. Whether it was the body shape, the attire, or even the figure from behind, the woman resembled his girlfriend, Xiao Jing, considerably.
"Hadn't she gone to tutor? How did she end up in a Western restaurant, and who is that guy with her?"
A sense of foreboding crept into his heart. Even though he desperately hoped he was mistaken, he still found himself instinctively walking towards the restaurant. Looking through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling window, Liang Chen's stare landed and froze. At that moment, it felt as if he had taken a heavy blow to the chest, the pain left him breathless. It was truly his girlfriend, Xiao Jing!
In his sight was the familiar figure, having a joyous conversation with an unfamiliar man while using a knife and fork to cut a steak. There was a glass of red wine on the table, and adjacent to the wine glass was a mobile phone...
She obviously had two phones with her!
Despite the restaurant server's attempts to stop him, Liang Chen, filled with fury, stormed into the Western restaurant. Standing in front of the two, without sparing a glance at the man, he directly asked Xiao Jing, "What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be tutoring? Now you're at a Western restaurant?"
Xiao Jing's smile froze on her face, and she lowered her head in silence. Surprisingly, the man stood up, shoved Liang Chen, and rudely asked him, "And who the hell are you? What my girlfriend does is none of your business!"
"Your girlfriend?" Liang Chen retorted with a bitter laugh. It was hard to believe that his girlfriend of four years, whom he deeply loved, could betray him. Swallowing his rage, he asked the man coldly, "How long have you two been seeing each other?"
The well-dressed man, looking every bit the part of a young master from a wealthy family, looked at Liang Chen's bargain-price outfit of jeans and a T-shirt and arrogantly responded, "Two months. So what? Are you harboring designs on my girlfriend? I warn you, stay away from her, or bear the consequences yourself!"
While Liang Chen wasn't intimidated, he didn't feel like arguing with someone completely unrelated to him. He stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Jing's hand, and shouted, "Come out with me! Explain what is going on!"