A Prophet - Chapter 9 (Part 1)
Chapter 1 - Farce at the Wedding
Zhang Zizan had reached a state of mastery in his study of "grave-robbing." In front of Zhang Zizan, the Second Bandit Chief felt extremely inferior, because aside from being bold and daring to dig into grave mounds to unearth corpses, his other tricks were simply worthless compared to Zhang Zizan's.
Even the Third Bandit Chief, who was always arrogant, felt ashamed of his own inferiority. The Third Bandit Chief had entered the trade two years earlier than Zhang Zizan, was well-read in the Four Books and Five Classics, and had a deep understanding of the Five Elements and numerology. However, ever since Zhang Zizan arrived, he finally understood that in this world, apart from the Four Books and Five Classics and the Yin-Yang and Five Elements, there was another thing called Western learning.
For a long time, Western learning had been looked down upon by the people of the country, who considered it to be "clever devices and odd skills." China had missed both industrial revolutions entirely; while Westerners were carrying out technological revolutions, the people of the country were still muttering classical phrases.
The arrival of Zhang Zizan opened a window for the faction to look out at the world. He understood physics, chemistry, and biology, and frequently left the Patriarch baffled. The Patriarch rejoiced at his own good eye back then, bringing Zhang Zizan under his command at all costs, otherwise, wouldn't he have suffered the profound loss of great talent!
A few months later, the Patriarch moved the faction from the suburbs into the city of Shanghai.
Shanghai in 1932 was a place of dizzying luxury and gold-digging extravagance.
The number of large and small theaters showing films across the city had increased to over a dozen, and the competition among various venues was growing increasingly fierce. One of the shareholders of the most powerful film theaters had the surname Huang, commonly known as Fifth Master Huang. Fifth Master Huang placed great importance on Feng Shui, and every time a new theater was selected, built, and decorated, he would hire a specialized Feng Shui master to take a look.
The most famous numerologist in the Jianghuai region at that time was Wei Qianli, known back then as "Nan Yuan Bei Wei" (Yuan of the South, Wei of the North). Yuan referred to Yuan Shushan, and Wei referred to Wei Qianli. Later, during the Xi'an Incident, when Chiang Kai-shek's life or death hung in the balance, Song Meiling even specifically sought out Wei Qianli to divine the hexagrams. It was said his calculations were extremely accurate, and Song Meiling gave him dozens of silver dollars all at once.
The Patriarch understood that those people possessed genuine skill, whereas he was running a sham. If he wanted to make a booming reputation for himself, the only way was to bribe the press and make a big fuss in the newspapers. The promotional gimmick was: "The masters each have their own specialties; Wei Qianli excels at the Six Rens Divine Divination, while the Patriarch excels at Tieban Numerology and Feng Shui." This way, he praised himself without disparaging others, avoiding any controversy.
In fact, for many years the Patriarch had also wanted to find a few more high-level figures to learn more genuine I Ching and divination techniques, but alas, he was bogged down by faction affairs and never found the opportunity.
After being continuously reported on in the newspapers several times, the Patriarch became famous. People coming to pay their respects streams incessantly upon hearing his reputation. The Patriarch generally did not go out into the world himself; a master had to look like a master. He wouldn't lift a finger unless it was an extremely fat roe deer. But if it was a fat roe deer, even if they didn't come looking for him, the Patriarch would fix his sights on them!
Fifth Master Huang was the fat roe deer the Patriarch had been eyeing for a long time.
Fifth Master Huang had always wanted the Patriarch to read his destiny and Feng Shui, but the Patriarch always smiled without giving a definitive answer. The Patriarch would say: "Fourth Master Huang is blessed with his own natural fortune! Regardless of whether it is calculated or not, you are destined for immense wealth and nobility!"
The Patriarch understood that this kind of person had connections in both the underworld and the police force. Once a slip-up occurred, it would cause massive trouble, so the Patriarch was waiting for a suitable opportunity.
In the winter of 1932, the opportunity finally arrived. Fifth Master Huang's youngest daughter was getting married, and an invitation was also sent to the Patriarch.
The Patriarch accepted the invitation to attend the wedding banquet and brought the Second Bandit Chief along.
The wedding Fifth Master Huang threw for his daughter was a matrilocal marriage, where the groom moved into the bride's family home, commonly known as "marrying into the wife's family as a son-in-law."
Seeing that the Patriarch had arrived, Fifth Master Huang was extremely pleased. He deferentially escorted the Patriarch indoors and called for the servants to serve tea. The Patriarch drank a few sips of tea, his expression solemn, and lowered his head in silence without speaking.
Upon seeing this, Fifth Master Huang hurriedly asked, "Does the Patriarch have something on his mind?"
The Patriarch hastily replied, "Nothing, nothing... Today is a great celebration for Fifth Master's household, and many matters require your attention. Fifth Master, please go ahead and be busy; I will just sit here and drink tea..."
Seeing that it was inconvenient for the Patriarch to speak, Fifth Master Huang did not press further. He instructed the servant instead, "Attend to the Patriarch well on my behalf." After saying that, he strode out of the room to greet the other guests.
After Fifth Master Huang left, the Patriarch gave a meaningful look to the Second Bandit Chief. "Disciple, go see if there is anything in the residence that needs help, and lend a hand."
The Second Bandit Chief nodded. "Understood, Patriarch."
Upon hearing this, the servant hurriedly chimed in, "There's no need, no need at all. The Patriarch and his party are distinguished guests; how could we possibly trouble distinguished guests to do manual labor?"
The Patriarch smiled and waved his hand. "Fifth Master and I are close friends of many years; his affairs are like my own affairs. No need to be so polite."
The Second Bandit Chief turned around and left the room.
An hour later, the groom and bride boarded an automobile, followed by relatives and friends getting into cars as well. The motorcade drove into a church. The wedding was successfully completed under the officiation of a big-nosed godfather. Afterward, everyone boarded cars once again and arrived at the Huang Family Grand Hotel, where Fifth Master Huang held the controlling shares, and the wedding banquet commenced.
Fifth Master Huang was wealthy and imposing; every bottle opened was foreign liquor, and every dish served was substantial. As a guest of honor to Fifth Master Huang, the Patriarch was seated at the very same table as Fifth Master Huang.
Soon, the newlywed couple came over to toast Fifth Master Huang. It was only then that the Patriarch got a close-up look at the groom—a pretty boy who used to be an opera actor. Later, after films were introduced to China, he was scouted by a film company and became an actor. Fifth Master Huang's daughter had seen a performance of his in a movie and became infatuated with him.
The banquet companion held a tray and filled the foreign liquor for the newlyweds. Raising his glass, the pretty boy said emotionally, "May my father-in-law live as long as the pines and cranes, enjoying a longevity comparable to the Southern Mountains. I ask my father-in-law to drink this cup to the full."
Everyone around raised their thumbs, exhausting every possible form of flattery: "What a remarkably handsome talent! Fifth Master's beloved daughter has a fine eye indeed, landing such a golden turtle-in-law!"
Naturally, Fifth Master Huang was grinning from ear to ear. What he failed to notice was that the Patriarch was also smiling, and even more happily than he was.
After drinking a few cups of wine, the newlyweds went off to toast other tables.
The Patriarch ate slowly, casting a sideways glance at the Second Bandit Chief at the neighboring table. The Second Bandit Chief nodded.
After another half-hour of drinking, many people were tipsy. The Patriarch noticed that the newlyweds had disappeared. After a short while, the two returned. They had barely sat down for very long when the woman went out again. When she came back, the man went out. This went back and forth many times. Finally, the two simply came up to Fifth Master Huang and whispered a few words to him. Fifth Master Huang smiled and said, "If you're not feeling well, head back first. Go back and rest early."
Everyone asked, "What's going on?"
Fifth Master Huang smiled and said, "Young people's business, let them do as they please."
At this moment, an old man who had drunk to the point of intoxication, fancying himself clever, remarked, "The night of the bridal chamber, the ranking on the imperial examination list. In this setting and scene, a single moment is worth a thousand gold pieces, Fifth Master! You should have let your magnificent son-in-law lead your esteemed daughter away to retire long ago, hahaha!"
Roars of laughter erupted from the crowd, and Fifth Master Huang laughed so hard his tears came out.
After the wedding banquet dispersed, Fifth Master Huang returned to his residence and asked his daughter and son-in-law where they were feeling unwell. His daughter's cheeks were flushed red, too shy to speak of it. In the end, it was the son-in-law who stammered out the truth: "An urgent call of nature, urinating incessantly."
Upon hearing this, Fifth Master Huang laughed. "A person has three urgent needs; what's so embarrassing about saying that?"
The son-in-law hurriedly said, "It won't stop."
Fifth Master Huang smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's probably caused by nervousness."
Late into the night, the light in the daughter's room was still on. The sound of the newlyweds pacing back and forth across the floor kept Fifth Master Huang from sleeping. Feeling that the matter had become serious, Fifth Master Huang threw on a coat and came out to check. His daughter and son-in-law had sallow complexions and could no longer straighten their backs. Sensing that something was amiss, he hurriedly instructed the servants to fetch a doctor through the night. After examining them, the doctor wore a baffled expression, took their pulses, and wrote out a prescription. The next day, after the herbal medicine was decocted and consumed, it still did nothing to help.
With no other options left later on, they sought out a Western doctor instead.
Western medicine had settled in China alongside the churches. At that time, the people's suspicion of Western medicine was much like foreigners' suspicion of Chinese medicine today. Herbal medicines had been consumed for thousands of years, and suddenly taking Western pills—ordinary people didn't have the guts for that. Therefore, the ones who first came into contact with Western medicine were from the lowest strata of society. Impoverished commoners considered their lives cheap and didn't have so many misgivings; when they fell sick, they went to church hospitals because it was both cheap and fast. Upper-class figures were different. They had renowned physicians and doctors serving them, monopolized the finest Chinese medicine resources, and looked down upon incoming "barbarian medical techniques," much less willing to use their own family members as experimental subjects.
It was only because he was truly at his wits' end that Fifth Master Huang hardened his scalp and summoned a foreign doctor. After examining them, the doctor shrugged, completely helpless. During the process, he even motioned for the newlyweds to take off their pants so he could examine their urinary system. Fifth Master Huang nearly died of anger—letting his own daughter strip naked to have her lower body examined? This doctor must have water in his brain! With a final roar of fury, he drove the doctor out.