Cha Wenbin is a man who, despite being neither arrogant nor humble to anyone, truly does not want this kind of life. Too many people regard him as a lofty deity, some with reverence, some with worship, and even more for their own benefit in seeking the future.

  Everyone is like this, who wants to predict their own second half of life, but Cha Wenbin said that it's always been a half-truth. What is called a half-truth? That is, when fortune-telling and physiognomy are done, only half is told.

  It turns out that fortune tellers saying half a sentence is an unspoken rule in their industry, mainly for two reasons:

  The first reason is that the heavenly machine cannot be revealed too much. Everyone has their own destiny, and in the fate, there are predetermined fortunes and misfortunes for each person. If all of these were to be broken and solved by humans, it would disrupt the order of things. Daoist priests can perform some rituals and communicate with spirits, but they inevitably have to interact with things from another world. Talking too much about this is equivalent to ruining their livelihoods, so how can there be a good outcome?

  Up to now, his daughter is the best example. Another thing, a true Taoist will not rely on selling these things for money. If you take too much benefit from the little ghosts and exchange it for your own, I'm afraid there's only one outcome: having money to earn but no life to spend it.

  The second reason is actually still to avoid mistakes. This Taoist study is a very profound thing, ancient and modern, who dares to say that they have already broken through the heavenly way, can predict the future? There are too many questions in this, and it's too complicated, ordinary Taoist practitioners may only need to uncover one small corner of it, and there will inevitably be times when they make mistakes or go wrong, so some words are often spoken more vaguely.

  For example, the sentence "Don't go out next Wednesday" is based on this principle. He may know that day is unfavorable to you, but what specific thing it is, maybe he knows or maybe he doesn't, but just by saying so, you will obey and not go out.

  That day, nothing happened, you stayed at home safely and thought: this person is quite accurate, staying at home today really didn't have any problems. In fact, before that, the fortune teller had already given you a hint, that day was originally unfavorable to you, he told you a way to resolve it, as long as you followed this method, you could avoid it. By the next day, looking back, wow, yesterday really did let yourself avoid it, and inevitably thought that person's calculation was accurate, it was him who helped oneself pass the disaster.

  If yesterday something that was supposed to happen to you didn't happen because of his words, then he can't be said to have revealed the will of heaven. Because all he did was tell you what he was going to do, without saying how you would originally have been affected.

  So, speaking half-truths is a profound study. With the richness and depth of Chinese language, no matter how you explain it, you can always find a way to save face. However, the difference between a high-minded person and a deceitful one lies in that the former speaks half-truths to avoid heavenly punishment but still conveys the true principle, while the latter speaks half-truths purely to cover up lies and deceive people.

  As for how to distinguish, real Taoist priests are often very poor and will not accept other people's money. If they really want to give, they will take a small amount, but it is not for their own use. It is used to buy incense, candles, offerings, and paper money to pay respects to those friends in another world who have been offended by them.

  It had been about a month since he had been living like this, and Cha Wenbin felt that he could no longer continue. In the provincial capital, this big city, there was no tranquility or ease that he wanted, more and more people regarded him as a god-like figure, which made him feel very disgusted. Just in time for the Qingming Festival, he also prepared to return to sweep his grave, thinking that after this day, he would continue to go back to Hongcun to be a farmer.

  That night, a large group of people gathered at the He family's place to drink and eat. Ever since Cha Wenbin returned, Zhao Yuexia would bring wine and meat over to find him whenever she had time. That evening, Cha Wenbin shared his thoughts with everyone and decided to entrust the child to Old He to take care of, as he needed better treatment and nourishment, while he himself planned to leave.

  He Lao knew that Cha Wenbin was a free and easy-going person, in this city of high-rise buildings, he really couldn't stay for long, so he didn't force him to do anything. Besides, his son had become a little rascal in the big courtyard, and the old masters all treated him as their own grandson.

  Zhuo Xiong also had to take the horizontal meat face back to Sichuan for a trip, and after coming out for so long, he hadn't gone back to see it. The two of them planned to go back and sweep the grave. One was to pay respects to Zhuo Yu Gu, no matter what, he had raised him with kindness, and another was to pay respects to Qi Feng Shan, where many of his past were buried.

  Although this super son is still in the archaeological team, after Lao Wang left, he didn't have much heart to do this job anymore. He planned to change and work with other partners, his brain was clever. He Lao knew that he couldn't persuade this son, so he just let him go.

  That night, only Leng Yiran seemed reluctant to see Wen Bin leave, looking a bit unhappy.

  On the second day, Cha Wenbin politely declined Zhao Yuanxiao's kindness and bought his own ticket. When he took his seat, he found that Chaozi was laughing at him from across the aisle.

  This kid plans to go back with him for a few days, and also take a look at whether there are any business opportunities in the countryside. Only then did Cha Wenbin realize that this kid planned to do some antique trading, which was also worthy of his two years of professional studies.

  After a half-day's jolting by automobile, and then changing to a small bus and a three-wheeled cart, when the two of them arrived home, it was already past noon.

  The house has been uninhabited for a long time, and it's inevitable to sweep it up. In the afternoon, I went to the town to add some grain, wine, and daily necessities. By dusk, I cooked a pot of noodles, and drinking a little wine made me feel quite comfortable.

  Tomorrow is the Qingming Festival, Zhang Wenbin took out the white paper he bought in town during the day and cut a few strips of "tags" with scissors. In fact, they were small white soul flags, cut into the shape of copper coins. A small red paper was used to wrap the top to make a knot, which was hung on a small wooden stick.

  On the second day, Cha Wenbin and Chaozi went up the mountain together, inserted flags on the graves of their masters and parents, offered sacrifices, burned incense paper. Then took a hatchet to weed out the weeds beside the grave mound, re-dug the drainage ditch once again, and then came down the mountain.

  They also have to go to Wangzhuang because Chaozi's mother is buried there.

  Borrowing a motorcycle from the village, they rushed to Wangzhuang with a "???" sound. This was also Chaozi's mother's first Qingming Festival. He Lao was old and Chaozi feared he would be heartbroken, so he agreed with his father that he would go alone.

  They hadn't reached the top of the mountain yet when Chaozi saw a person wearing a khaki middle garment squatting there, burning paper money that was blowing everywhere in the mountain wind. His eyes suddenly became moist.

  "Dad, didn't we agree you wouldn't come?" Chaozi said as he quickly walked over.

  He Lao's age had increased, his waist was also hunched, and he had a head full of white hair. When he saw Chao Zi and Wen Bin coming, he tidied up the clothes on his body, stood up, and although he forced out a faint smile, those red-rimmed eyes had already betrayed him.

  "Last night, I dreamed that your mother said it was too cold and couldn't sleep. She felt lonely sleeping alone, so I came over early." He Lao said to his son in front of his wife's grave, he and Wang Furen had always been very affectionate, and after all these years of wind and rain, they had never quarreled, no wonder he dreamed of her.

  Zha Wenbin patted Chaozi's shoulder and said: "First go pay your respects to your mother, He Lao you come over for a moment, I have something to ask you."

  About ten meters away from Chaizi, Zha Wenbin said: "Last night I dreamed of Old Lady, what did she say to you?"

  He Lao smiled and said, "Wen Bin, you've already figured it out, don't say anything else. From now on, keep an eye on that kid in my family, he's got a good heart but a bad temper, easily gets into trouble. My old lady says it's cold, can't she hurry up and go down to accompany her, be her companion? I'm old, I've come to accept it, it's only a matter of time, when the time comes, I'll still have to trouble you to bury us both here, this place has good feng shui, and it was personally chosen by you, I trust you."

  Cha Wenbin felt a bit embarrassed and said repeatedly: "No, I didn't mean that, I..."

  He Lao shook his head: "I know, you're a professional, how could you not see it? You called me over for this matter too. It's not that the old lady wants to find me, but I myself have reached my limit." After finishing speaking, he slightly trembled and took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Cha Wenbin. Cha Wenbin took a look and saw that it was a test report from the Provincial People's Hospital, clearly written on it: "Late-stage liver cancer".

  "The doctor said there's still a month left, I plan to move in with her family then, so I'll trouble you to take care of things. He Lao looked at He Yichao who was burning paper and said, 'Don't tell that kid for now, I'm afraid he can't accept it yet.'"

  Facing the arrival of death, everyone has a different mentality, some are afraid, some are reluctant to part with life, some seek survival, and some seek death. But someone like He Lao who has already become indifferent to life and death is truly rare. It's worth noting that just two nights ago, he was still drinking and laughing with a group of young people, so he must have known about his physical condition long before.

  Cha Wenbin turned his back, and a hint of ripples appeared in his eyes. He slowly walked towards Chaozi, muttering to himself: "There's still one month and seven days."

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