Chapter Fifty-Three: A Match Made in Heaven

Upon hearing that the clues to the Ming Dynasty’s Fourteen Tombs were hidden in the Celestial Master’s Cave, no one was happier than Yue Leiting. Even though he had lost to Lan Qing once again today, after more than twenty years of defeat, he had grown numb to it. As long as he could find the Ming Fourteen Tombs, Yue Leiting truly intended to stop. If this wager with Lan Qing went on any longer, he feared that by the time he breathed his last, Lan Qing would still not leave this Yiyuan.

Lan Qing was in an exceptionally good mood today, especially after seeing Gu Anqi—the daughter of an old friend, which stirred memories and emotion. Perhaps it was the recollection of the past that prompted her to insist that everyone stay for a meal, and she even cooked personally.

As Yue Leiting continued to sip his tea nonchalantly, Yue Qianling, annoyed, snatched the cup from his hand and nodded towards the kitchen. Yue Leiting understood immediately and chuckled as he hurried off to help.

Gu Anqi was just about to join Lan Qing and chat in the kitchen when Xiao Lianshan pulled her back.

“Can’t you be a little more perceptive? This is Thunder Bro’s once-a-year chance for a meeting under the magpie bridge! Why bother joining them when Aunt Lan and Thunder Bro are having a rare, moonlit chat together?”

Only then did Gu Anqi realize and, patting Xiao Lianshan’s head, she grinned, “Well, you’ve grown clever in just a few days, haven’t you?”

I was still preoccupied with thoughts of the Celestial Master’s Cave. Clearly, this was no longer a secret; that mysterious figure knew far more than I did, and much earlier. There was no time to lose—I planned to leave for the cave as soon as I got back.

Turning around, I was startled to find Yue Qianling standing behind me; as I spun, I nearly bumped into her forehead.

“How do you walk so silently?” I asked.

“Qin Yanhui, I didn’t expect this from you,” Yue Qianling replied, her expression half-amused, half-serious.

“I... I haven’t done anything to provoke you today, have I?” I asked in surprise.

“Not me, but you’ve provoked my dad!”

“Thunder Bro?!” I racked my brain, smiling in confusion. “When did I provoke him?”

“Don’t play dumb. Don’t think I don’t know. There’s no one else here now, so I’ll give you a chance to confess,” Yue Qianling said, blocking my path with a stern face.

“Confess? What is there to confess?” I asked, feeling wronged.

“Fine, if you won’t talk, I’ll go tell my dad right now that the only reason he didn’t win against my mom today is because you meddled,” Yue Qianling threatened, turning to leave.

Panicked, I grabbed her. “You mustn’t make trouble over this. I did it for Thunder Bro’s own good—he can’t be allowed to win. Besides, Aunt Lan’s intentions are deep and thoughtful; don’t let her decades of sacrifice for you and Thunder Bro be in vain.”

“How ridiculous. My dad could have won today. My mom left home when I was only three, and now, with a chance to return with me, you interfered. What are you really up to?” Yue Qianling’s voice grew louder. Worried that Yue Leiting might overhear, I hurriedly dragged her toward the garden.

“Do you know why your dad hasn’t been able to win for over twenty years?”

“Bad luck, I guess. I’ve never seen anyone as unlucky as him. Statistically, he should have won at least once in twenty tries, but he’s never won a single time.”

“It’s not that simple.” I smiled softly. “Don’t forget what Aunt Lan is skilled at.”

“...” Suddenly, Yue Qianling seemed to recall what Lan Qing had mentioned earlier and exclaimed in shock, “Are you saying... my mom deliberately didn’t let my dad win?”

“Did you notice the pond we passed when we came in?” I asked.

Yue Qianling nodded.

“There are several stone boats in there—this is the ‘borrowing arrows with straw boats’ setup.” I pointed to the pond. “Didn’t you notice that your dad always sits facing those stone boats? That’s deliberately arranged by Aunt Lan. In the tale, Zhuge Liang profited greatly from the straw boats. With Thunder Bro always seated there, how could he not lose everything?”

Yue Qianling shook her head. “You’re making things up. I’ve come with my dad every year. It’s true he sits there most often, but sometimes he and my mom swap seats, and he still never wins.”

I smiled calmly. “Aunt Lan is no ordinary person. Gu Anqi is already a feng shui expert, but she learned from her father, Gu Liancheng, who was Aunt Lan’s senior. Would Aunt Lan be any less capable?”

“Then what else is at play here?” Yue Qianling seemed to find my words convincing.

“There are three willow trees at the entrance—two in front and one behind, with a large green stone in the middle. The willows hang low but never touch the stone. What does the stone look like to you?”

“It looks... well, rather like a pig with its head raised.”

“What’s your dad’s zodiac sign?”

“He’s a pig!” Yue Qianling immediately realized there was more to this. “Does that have anything to do with it?”

“That stone in the center is indeed shaped like a pig with its head up, trying to eat but never quite reaching the food. The three willows, two in front and one behind, form an upside-down ‘pin’ character, which means ‘mouth’—and upside down, nothing can be eaten. This is called the ‘three mouths with no food’ formation.”

Yue Qianling shook her head in disbelief, but with a hint of amusement. “No wonder my dad always loses by just a little. So it’s my mom’s doing.”

“That’s not all. The earthen bridge cuts the stream in two—water represents wealth, and earth conquers water. Crossing the bridge ensures that, before Aunt Lan, one will lose any wager. There are also two magpies before and after the bridge, making four in total. Four is a homophone for ‘death’ in Chinese, turning magpies, birds of fortune, into dead birds—how could one not lose everything?”

“Oh, so that’s why. I saw you tell my dad to take off his shoes and walk through the water instead of crossing the bridge.”

“My original plan was to help Thunder Bro win...”

“I knew it! You were up to something. Are you jealous of our family being reunited?” Yue Qianling shot me a glare.

“I told Thunder Bro to avoid the bridge and walk through the water so that wealth would follow him. Then I placed willow leaves on his feet, breaking Aunt Lan’s ‘pig with no mouth’ setup. As long as he looked down, he’d see the leaves, just like a pig lowering its head to eat.”

“Then why did my dad still lose?”

“I told Thunder Bro to take out his lighter and aim it at the stone boats in the pond at the entrance, while simultaneously removing the willow leaves from his feet.”

“My dad’s lighter?” Yue Qianling asked, puzzled. “Why?”

“Think about it—what are the tips of arrows made of?”

“Metal, of course!”

“And the lighter?”

“The lighter is also metal!” Yue Qianling suddenly understood. “You’re saying you made my dad fulfill the ‘borrowing arrows with straw boats’ legend, but instead of arrows, he lent his fortune—his luck—to the boats.”

I smiled and nodded, thinking Yue Qianling was quite clever.

“But why would you do that?”

“Because of the beauty mark at the corner of Aunt Lan’s mouth,” I said, my smile fading into regret. “It’s not a beauty mark at all—it’s a ‘bitter star’ mark. I was curious why Aunt Lan left you when you were three. How hard it must be for a mother to leave her own child! When I saw that mark, I finally understood her painstaking intentions. She did it entirely for you and Thunder Bro.”

“For me and my dad? That’s your logic?” Yue Qianling asked in astonishment.

“A mark of bitterness on the face brings harm to one’s dearest. If the child is a girl, disaster follows if she stays close.”

“What do you mean?”

“People with a ‘bitter star’ mark bring misfortune to those nearest them. If their child is a girl and she stays nearby, calamities never end.” I sighed. “Aunt Lan is an expert in divination and physiognomy. She knew better than anyone the consequences of her own mark. To avoid harming you and Thunder Bro, she could only keep her distance. The mark is inauspicious, but it brings prosperity to a husband. As long as she stayed away from you two, your lives would go smoothly. Thunder Bro is proof—he’s had sixty years of good fortune, all thanks to Aunt Lan’s blessings.”

Yue Qianling’s eyes filled with tears. She had never imagined that Lan Qing had sacrificed so much for her and Yue Leiting. She recalled how, as a child, she had resented Lan Qing for leaving.

“She never told us, bearing it all alone,” Yue Qianling murmured.

“Aunt Lan kept silent because she knew Thunder Bro’s temper. If he knew the truth, he would never have let her go. That’s why she claimed she left because he was involved in shady business, and that she’d only return if he beat her at their annual game.”

At dinner, Yue Qianling grew uncharacteristically quiet. Fearing she’d spill what I’d just told her, I sat beside her, ever watchful.

Lan Qing, too, noticed Yue Qianling’s mood and joked, “What’s wrong today? You’re usually the chattiest. Is my cooking that bad?”

Yue Qianling forced a smile, trying to cheer her mother up. “Mom, I had no idea you were so skilled in divination. Why don’t you do a character reading for me?”

Lan Qing laughed, clearly pleased. “The sun must be rising in the west today! You’re a graduate student—since when do you believe in these things?” Suddenly, she grew thoughtful. “You’ve grown up, Qianling. This year, your peach blossom luck merges with your marriage house, the red phoenix star is beside you—love is in the air. Let me divine your marriage fate.”

“Mom, not this again.” Yue Qianling blushed, lowering her head, perhaps remembering how I’d also predicted her romance. Curiosity got the better of her. “Let’s just do a single character, then.”

“Very well. But there are rules. I’ve retired for years. If you want a character reading, you must pay.”

“Mom, you’re too greedy! Charging your own daughter?”

“That’s not it. This craft is handed down from the ancestors. Every reading requires respect for the spirits. The money is an offering to the gods.”

Yue Qianling pouted and handed her ten yuan. “Is this enough?”

“It’s all about sincerity—it doesn’t matter how much. Which character do you want to read?”

“This place is called Yiyuan, so I’ll choose the character ‘Yi’.” Yue Qianling was clearly trying to stump her.

“‘Yi’—the character looks like two little people under a roof, signifying innocent companionship. Two people living under a roof form the character for ‘wild goose’. You seem distracted as you ask, your words double-layered—a ‘mouth within a mouth’, which forms the character ‘return’. ‘Yi’ is the same as ‘easy’. You hold money in your hand; in ancient times, money was represented by ‘shell’, and ‘shell’ plus ‘easy’ becomes ‘bestowed’. This means your marriage is a heavenly match—two innocent lovers living in harmony. When the wild goose returns, your destiny will arrive.”

“Yanhui?!” Yue Leiting suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of water, slapping my shoulder. “Ha! Didn’t I say you and Qianling were made for each other?”

Lan Qing looked at me in surprise. “Your name is Yanhui?!”

I nodded, bewildered. Lan Qing glanced at Yue Qianling, who sat quietly, blushing, her head bowed, and seemed to understand as well.