The master sized them up for a full dozen seconds. Just as Lu Chuanbai was considering whether to shield Xu Qingqing behind him, the master stroked his beard and burst into a hearty laugh.
"This young lady has a full forehead and a rosy complexion. She clearly has a blessed appearance," the master said.
"Moreover, from her facial features, I can tell that her job involves restoring antiques. Antiques are very spiritual items."
"Restoring those spiritual items to their former glory is a way for her to accumulate good deeds. It's a wonderful thing."
Hearing the master's words, Xu Qingqing suddenly widened her eyes, her pupils brimming with surprise and admiration.
She had originally thought this master was just a charlatan, spouting nonsense to swindle people out of their incense money. Who would have thought he was such a wise man?
Just as the master had said, every time she restored an antique, she felt it was a journey of healing the soul.
Pushing her patience to the limit and tempering her willpower—what could be wrong with that?
Hearing the master's praise, Lu Chuanbai heaved a sigh of relief and silently admired the master's discernment.
Qin Hongying was stunned by the different words and opened her mouth to question the master.
"Master, how could that be? Didn't you say last time that my son would suffer a bloody disaster because of his contact with antiques?"
The master raised his eyebrows, and the long hairs at the ends of his eyebrows bounced with the movement.
Seeing Qin Hongying's stubborn look, the master's tone was tinged with a bit of helplessness.
"Madam, don't you remember how many years it's been since my last divination?"
"Didn't your son break his leg when he tried to protect an antique from falling to the ground? That bloody disaster has already passed. It's not going to haunt him for the rest of his life."
Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai both felt the master's exasperation. They exchanged a look and felt a moment of pity for Lu Qi.
Who would have thought that Qin Hongying would blow such a small prediction out of proportion, constantly opposing Lu Qi. He must have had a tough time.
Hearing this, Qin Hongying's eyes froze, her body went rigid, and she kept muttering to herself.
"This can't be... He's so bad at business. It must be because of his contact with antiques. Those unclean things have devoured his fortune!"
"Yes, that's right!"
After saying that, Qin Hongying even nodded in agreement with herself. She stubbornly wanted to blame everything on the antiques and refused to believe that Lu Qi just didn't want to do business.
"Master, could you please recite an exorcism spell for us?"
Qin Hongying looked at the master with determination in her eyes, completely ignoring what the master had just said.
Xu Qingqing, who had thought she could avoid this, couldn't help but let out a silent groan in her heart. She hoped that the master would refuse.
But to her surprise, the master nodded with a smile and held up three fingers.
"Sure, but the fee for reciting an exorcism spell is 3,000 yuan. Do you prefer WeChat or Alipay?"
The good impression Xu Qingqing had just built up for the master shattered into pieces. She looked at the master in disbelief.
Aren't Buddhist disciples supposed to regard money as something unimportant? Why is he asking for a fee?
Moreover, based on what the master had said earlier, he seemed to be a wise and thoughtful sage. He should have scorned money.
"Okay!"
Qin Hongying readily agreed and quickly scanned the Alipay QR code to pay.
Then the master began to recite the spell. He recited for a full one and a half hours and drank three cups of tea in between.
Xu Qingqing, who was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, was both sleepy and her legs were aching. Finally, when the master finished reciting the spell, Xu Qingqing stood up with a sigh of relief.
Qin Hongying still had some questions for the master and wanted Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai to stay and listen.
But the sensible Xu An'an and Xu Yi Yi claimed that they wanted their parents to take them to the toilet, which freed Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai.
When Xu Qingqing came out of the meditation room, she hugged Xu An'an and Xu Yi Yi and kissed them several times. She felt refreshed.
"Thank you, my good babies. If it weren't for you, Mommy would still be stuck in there."
Lu Chuanbai smiled and held an umbrella for the mother and two children. The four of them walked out of Leihai Temple and stood on the high platform in front of the main hall, looking down.
Xu Qingqing saw a market on the road in front of Leihai Temple, selling all kinds of small items.
"Let's go and have a look at that market."
Xu Qingqing had been sitting cross-legged for more than an hour. Her legs felt numb and tingly, as if they were floating on clouds. She wanted to walk around more.
The family came to the market. Xu An'an saw a beautiful swallow kite at the entrance of the market and clamored to fly a kite on the beach.
Lu Chuanbai, a slave to his children, bought the biggest kite for the two kids. As soon as they got the kites, they couldn't wait to run around, getting familiar with the steps of flying a kite.
While they were playing, Qin Hongying finished asking her questions and took an early sightseeing car to go home.
The journey there had been tiring and hot. If she didn't take a car on the way back, she really wouldn't be able to bear it.
When Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai brought the two kids over, Qin Hongying even claimed that she had rented the sightseeing car for the sake of Xu Qingqing's family.
As for the real reason, no one bothered to expose her.
The sightseeing car was much faster on the way home, and there was wind along the way, so it wasn't very hot.
As soon as the two kids got home, they couldn't wait to go to the beach to fly their kites. Lu Chuanbai accompanied them.
Xu Qingqing was exhausted, and she also wanted to study the black hairpin she had bought yesterday, so she declined and went upstairs.
Xu Qingqing locked herself in the room. Just as she was about to try to melt the paint on the hairpin's bead flower with a lighter, the restless Qin Hongying pushed the door open and came in.
She didn't even knock before barging in, which startled Xu Qingqing, who was lighting the lighter. She almost burned her finger.
Thinking of Qin Hongying's aversion to antiques, Xu Qingqing instinctively hid the hairpin behind her back and stood up, looking at Qin Hongying awkwardly.
"Auntie, do you need something from me?"
Qin Hongying stared sharply at the back of Xu Qingqing, determined to see what she was hiding.
"What are you hiding behind you? Show it to me!"
"It's nothing."
Xu Qingqing forced a stiff smile and tried to open the drawer behind her to put the hairpin in. But unexpectedly, Qin Hongying rushed forward to see what was in Xu Qingqing's hand.
"I don't believe it! Show it to me!"
Qin Hongying reached out to pull Xu Qingqing's arm. Xu Qingqing had no choice but to show what was in her hand.
At this moment, Xu Qingqing felt as if she had gone back to her childhood when she had brought prohibited items to school and was forced by the homeroom teacher to hand them over. She felt so ashamed.
Why did she have to experience this all over again even though she was an adult?
When Qin Hongying saw the black hairpin in Xu Qingqing's hand, she immediately guessed that it must be something Xu Qingqing had bought. Suppressing the rising anger in her heart, she slammed it down on the table.
"Qingqing, how could you do such a thing? I'm thinking about your fortune, but you actually bring this unlucky thing into my house!"