Chapter 0033 Windfall
Sun Xicai was very impatient. "Don't keep blaming me! Who am I doing this for? Isn't it just to earn more money? What else can you do besides complain?" I angrily said, "Stop arguing! She's right. If you go after small gains, you'll suffer big losses. If this problem isn't solved, we'll have to deal with it in Thailand. How much money will that cost? It will wipe out six months of your earnings!" Sun Xicai fell silent.
I searched the shop and found a Phra Ngan amulet blessed by Arjan Pong. Although this amulet was made from a human skull, it had not been infused with a spirit, so it was sold as a Positive-energy Amulet, and the price was not expensive. I took out this amulet, deciding to use it. That afternoon, Frank Fang emailed me a few incantations, specifically noting which one was the most potent and should be prioritized. I saw that it was the very Heart Mantra for Drawing Spirits (Yin Ling Xin Zhou) used to stabilize the Guman Thong I kept as a protective statue in the shop. Sun Xicai and I knew this mantra by heart. If it hadn't been for this mantra initially, I wouldn't have been able to resolve Bai Mei's issue.
That night, Wang Jiao, Sun Xicai, and I went back to the same remote intersection where we had burned the urn previously. We nervously checked our watches, timing the moment. At midnight, no one was passing by the intersection. I placed the Phra Ngan amulet inside the urn and began chanting the incantation. After chanting three times, the urn started to vibrate slightly. Wang Jiao was terrified and hid behind Sun Xicai, trembling all over. Suddenly, my head began to ache again, throbbing intensely at my temples.
A few minutes later, the headache gradually subsided. I took the amulet out and handed it to Sun Xicai, telling him to step away. Then, I took off my Five Poisons Oil pendant and held it close to the urn to test it. I carefully observed the oil in the pendant; the color hadn't changed at all. I told Sun Xicai to come back and hand the amulet to me. Then, I had him take the urn and step away again. When I held the pendant close to the amulet, the Five Poisons Oil turned almost completely black.
"It worked!" I couldn't help but shout. Wang Jiao quickly asked, "Brother, did it really work?"
I hugged Wang Jiao's shoulder. "Yes, the spirit has been drawn from the urn into the amulet!" Wang Jiao was thrilled and hugged me tightly, cheering. Sun Xicai, holding the urn, scurried back. He looked unhappy seeing Wang Jiao and me tightly embracing, not knowing what had happened.
Back at the shop, I placed the Phra Ngan amulet in a brocade box and locked the brass clasp. The cat stood in the room, tilting its small head back, staring at the brocade box in my hand with its mouth slightly open. Wang Jiao picked up the cat. "Daniu Zi (Big Bull), be good, let's not make trouble."
I said, "This cat is truly spiritual; it knows where the spirit is, but its name is too vulgar. You two remember: this amulet will be kept in the shop for now, but don't put it on the shelf. Physical stores shouldn't sell Negative-energy Amulets to avoid trouble. When someone needs a Negative-energy Amulet, I will sell it, or I'll take it back to Thailand in a few days."
Perhaps because the major issue had just been resolved, Sun Xicai seemed particularly relaxed. He took the brocade box and laughed. "Do whatever you want with it; it's not our problem anymore. Wow, I've never seen what a Negative-energy Amulet looks like. I really want to take it out and try wearing it."
I looked at him coldly. "Then take it out and wear it."
Sun Xicai was delighted. "Really? Then I won't stand on ceremony." He reached out to undo the brass clasp. I angrily slapped the back of his hand. "Are you serious? Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?" Sun Xicai sheepishly withdrew his hand. Wang Jiao shot him a look. "You never learn! If Brother Tian hadn't gone through all that trouble to help you solve the mess you created, would you be smiling right now?" Sun Xicai glared at Wang Jiao but swallowed whatever he was about to say.
Wang Jiao asked, "Brother, what should we do with this urn? Should we throw it away?" I figured since the spirit had left the urn, it was harmless. I told Sun Xicai to find a piece of cloth, wrap the box up, and throw it into a river that night.
After dealing with everything, I felt mentally exhausted. I bid farewell to the two of them and went home. It was past midnight when I arrived. My parents were already asleep. I opened my bedroom door. Just as I was about to turn on the light, I faintly saw a person sitting in the chair in front of the computer desk. I found it odd. Did my dad want to use the computer? But why didn't he turn on the light? I softly asked, "Dad?" The person turned to look at me. The room was too dark. I reached out and turned on the light. The room was empty, and the chair was vacant.
That night, I had another strange dream. I dreamt the old man from before was angrily pointing at me, saying, "You forced me to do this, so I won't let you off easily!"
Waking up the next day, I kept recalling these two strange dreams. Sun Xicai had told me that before the urn incident was resolved, he and Wang Jiao had similar dreams, except they couldn't hear the old man talking, whereas I heard him clearly. What was the connection between this old man and the urn?
I went out for errands in the afternoon. Just as I took my clothes off the hanger, I heard a "Chh!" sound. My sleeve had snagged on the hook of a metal hanger, leaving a large tear. I was heartbroken; I had just bought this shirt a few days ago for over 700 RMB.
It cost over 200 RMB to have the shirt repaired at a tailor shop. When I returned, I found that my ID card, which had always been in my wallet, was missing. I had to go to the police station to apply for a replacement. That evening, after having dinner with friends, I got home, pulled open the drawer, and saw that the 2,000 RMB cash I had put there last night was gone. I searched for a long time but couldn't find it. My parents had been home all day, so it couldn't have been a thief, but the money was inexplicably missing.
I felt like I was cursed these past few days, with one bad thing happening after another. Although I usually don't believe in the supernatural, I started wondering if I should get a Guanyin statue to worship.
Three days later, Wang Jiao texted me, asking if I was free and inviting me out to dinner. I asked if there was a reason. Wang Jiao replied, "No special reason, it's just that Xicai's luck has been exceptionally good recently. He keeps getting unexpected money, and we want to celebrate." I thought, Well, things can only get better after hitting rock bottom. Could it be that solving the urn problem had brought him good luck?
That evening, as Wang Jiao came out of the amulet shop, she was holding a newspaper, stuffing it into her handbag. I teased her, "You're bringing a newspaper to dinner? I didn't know you loved reading the news so much!"
Wang Jiao said mysteriously, "You'll know in a little while."
The three of us sat down at a barbecue stall near the amulet shop. This was a famous barbecue street in the area. Combined with the muggy weather, there were many people eating barbecue. Smoke billowed everywhere, making the entire street look like it was on fire. Sun Xicai grandly ordered a roasted lamb leg and many seafood dishes. Even the beer was the 15 RMB-per-bottle Tsingtao Pure Draft, unlike before when he only ordered draft beer. After clinking glasses, I asked, "Did you rob a bank or smash a pawnshop, kid? Such extravagance!"
Before Sun Xicai could speak, Wang Jiao eagerly said, "Brother, you don't know, but he's been amazing these past few days! He passed by the neighbor's lottery station again and bought tickets. Usually, he almost never wins, but that day, for some reason, he insisted on buying ten single-selection tickets for Welfare Lottery 3D. No amount of persuading would stop him. The next day, when the results came out, he actually won ten single-selection prizes—a whole 10,000 RMB!"
I was stunned. Such good luck? Sun Xicai chuckled, drinking without saying a word. Wang Jiao continued, "The next day, a few of his friends came to the shop to play Mahjong. Usually, he loses more than he wins at Mahjong, but that time, he played all afternoon and half the night. The other three lost so much they had to go to the ATM to withdraw money! Xicai won over 4,000 RMB in total."
"Really?" I patted Sun Xicai's shoulder. "Not bad, you seem to be on a lucky streak. Very good." Sun Xicai grunted, leaned closer, and whispered, "That's nothing. This morning, we went to the bank to deposit money. There was a newspaper-wrapped bundle next to the counter. I casually stuffed it into my handbag and brought it home. When I opened it, guess what it was?"
I quickly asked, "What was it?"
Wang Jiao said, "It was 50,000 RMB!" I was amazed. Even with good financial luck, this is too outrageous! Picking up money while depositing money at the bank? I cautioned them that taking this money was risky, as there would be surveillance cameras at the bank, and they would surely be tracked down. Wang Jiao smiled, took the newspaper out of her handbag, and handed it to me. I opened it and saw a news report about a customer who went to the bank to withdraw money, then walked out while answering a phone call, completely forgetting about the money. When they remembered and returned to the bank to check the surveillance footage, the monitoring system's hard drive had coincidentally failed, leaving no evidence. The news report ended by reminding citizens to properly guard their personal belongings.
This was truly uncanny. I looked at Sun Xicai, then at the newspaper. Sun Xicai and Wang Jiao both had poorly concealed smiles on their faces. Undeniably, this behavior was a classic case of misappropriation, but Wang Jiao was, after all, my cousin. In China, personal relationships often outweigh the law, and I was no exception. So, I could only advise them to keep a low profile, not brag, and spend the money quietly, to avoid bringing trouble upon themselves. Wang Jiao nodded repeatedly, but Sun Xicai remained silent, just drinking his beer heavily.
Suddenly, Sun Xicai started coughing violently, making a sound like an old man in his seventies or eighties. He was coughing so hard he was gasping for breath. Wang Jiao quickly patted his back. I asked, "What's wrong? Did the drink go down the wrong pipe?"