Chapter 1184: Chapter 1184: Just Treat It as a Game
Usually, it was she who had to drag others to have their fortunes told.
She spoke volumes about things like "Red String of Fate" and "Destined lovers from miles apart", but it was a pity that no one believed her.
Even her close friends didn’t believe her.
"How rare, to finally meet a young girl who understands me at my old age, it makes me so happy," the old lady said.
Auntie Li was old, and though her eyes were a bit blurry, she had no other ailments and briskly poured Hannah some water and brought over a stool.
Though the exterior of the house looked somewhat shabby, the interior was well arranged, not lacking anything that should be present.
There was a television, a computer, air conditioning, a fridge, and in the corner, there stood a brand-new mahjong table.
Before the official business began, Auntie Li chatted with Hannah for a while, "Young lady, do you have a boyfriend?"
Hannah answered, "Yes, I do."
Auntie Li flipped through an ancient, yellowed book, muttering to herself, "Having a partner, then it’s not ’Red String of Fate’ anymore, need to change it."
Hannah: "..."
Is this a bit unreliable?
She came today on a whim, not really intending to have her fortune told, but just wanting to visit the elderly lady and say goodbye on the side.
Before starting to shake the turtle shell filled with coins, Auntie Li asked again, "Young lady, how old are you this year?"
Hannah said, "Twenty-two."
Auntie Li closed her eyes, "You’re so young. When I was your age, I was still braiding my hair and confessing to the person I liked. I can’t believe so many years have gone by just like that..."
Time moves too quickly, never stopping for anyone.
The clinking sound of the coins against the turtle shell was crisp, yet also a bit muffled. Auntie Li was mumbling something.
Hannah listened carefully.
Oh, she was reciting about that time during the day when she lost to Sister Ping at mahjong, vowing to win it back tomorrow.
The shell shook for about half a minute before Auntie Li suddenly stopped, "I forgot to ask, young lady, what’s your surname?"
Without knowing the name, the fortune couldn’t be accurate.
Hannah’s smile curved, "My surname is Ji."
Auntie Li nodded, ready to continue, but then suddenly opened her eyes and smiled, "Young lady, that’s not your surname, right?"
Hannah looked up and met Auntie Li’s somewhat cloudy eyes.
In her ears, Auntie Li continued to chant, like a worried old person giving advice, or as if talking to herself, "Surnames are given by parents; to discard them is to be unfilial. It is said that loving parents have been many since ancient times, filial children are there for all to see, but the subtleties within this, outsiders ultimately cannot discern."
Some people grow towards the sun, standing amidst light and shadow, but there are also those who grow against the wind.
You don’t understand their beauty, and they don’t understand your suffering.
It’s not about who is right or wrong, just an inability to understand each other. However, imposing one’s so-called "good intentions" and "should nots" on someone else is truly not right.
In the room, the somewhat glaring light was scattered all over the floor, causing a person’s eyes to hurt when looking at it directly.
In the end, Auntie Li gave up on her turtle shell and coins and took out a lot-drawing tube for Hannah to draw from.
The lot Hannah drew was an excellent one, filled with auspicious words.
Before Hannah left, Auntie Li grabbed her hand and gently patted it, "One in the game does not know the rules, but a spectator sees all. Yet once the spectator enters the game, they become a player too."
Hannah looked down, her lips curving into a smile, "Thank you, I understand now."
From the beginning, even though she was trapped in this narrative, she had treated it all as just a game.
