Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Everyone had brought different kinds of expensive gifts and were earnestly queued up outside, awaiting their chance for Uncle Blind Man to read their fortune.

  Shen Zhilie was flabbergasted when he saw the crowd. “Why are there so many people?” he asked.

  Ye Qianqian looked around before shooting Shen Zhilie a disdainful look. “Look how narrow-minded you are!” she remarked. “Naturally, so many people are here because Uncle Blind Man’s readings are accurate!”


  Shen Zhilie had never expected Uncle Blind Man to have more appeal than Old Mrs. Shen!

  Then again, it made sense. One was a legitimate deity, while the other was only half.

  That was probably where the difference lay.

  Shen Zhilie and Ye Qianqian waited outside for a long time. Only when the crowd finally thinned did they go in.

  Upon entering, Shen Zhilie noticed the obviously worn floor tiles, and exclaimed, “I finally understand the idiom ‘to wear out someone’s threshold.’ In the olden days, when houses were made out of wood, it must have been even worse than this.”


  “You must have a narrow view of the world.” Ye Qianqian looked at him and commented, “Did you not see the threshold over there?”


  “I did.”


  The tiles at the doorstep were very dirty, and their surfaces were cracked and worn out. But the color of the threshold was very old and even.

  “I don’t know what the custom is in your hometown, but over here, we don’t step on the threshold.”


  “Really? Why?”


  “I don’t really know. Gramps mentioned to me once that the threshold is like the neck of a deity. If you step on the threshold when entering, it’s akin to trampling a deity’s neck. It’s inauspicious.”


  Shen Zhilie had never heard of such a practice, and when he heard Ye Qianqian relate it to him, he found it very interesting.

  He carried his gifts inside and looked around for Uncle Blind Man. But Uncle Blind Man had obviously been busy the whole day and was now exhausted. He was seated on a chair and was leaning back in it.

  Ye Qianqian felt her hair stand on end when she saw his eyes. His eyes were open but had no pupils. They were completely white.

  Noticing that Uncle Blind Man looked drained, Ye Qianqian hesitated for a moment and eventually said, “Why don’t we come back another day?”


  “Hey, you’re here!” It was a woman’s voice.

  She looked like she was in her fifties, and seemed to be a caretaker that the town had hired to look after Uncle Blind Man.

  The woman walked over and said, “You must be Ye Zhenhua’s daughter. Am I right?”


  Ye Qianqian was surprised and asked, “Yeah. How did you know?”


  But the woman didn’t reply, and simply shifted her gaze toward Uncle Blind Man.

  Uncle Blind Man’s expression didn’t change. He simply said in dialect, “Since you’re here, come in.”


  Strangely enough, Ye Qianqian had the feeling that he had been waiting for her.

  Pulling Shen Zhilie as she stepped forward, Ye Qianqian stood in front of Uncle Blind Man and greeted, “Hello, Uncle.”


  Uncle Blind Man finally sat up and said, “Come here, young man.” As he spoke, he gestured to Shen Zhilie. He was speaking in dialect, and Shen Zhilie couldn’t understand what he was saying.

  Ye Qianqian nudged him and translated, “Uncle is telling you to go over to him.”


  Shen Zhilie placed the gifts on the table to the side and stood before him.

  “Crouch down,” Uncle Blind Man said to Shen Zhilie.

  Ye Qianqian translated it to Shen Zhilie, and he crouched down. Uncle Blind Man reached his rough hands out and touched Shen Zhilie’s face.

  Shen Zhilie quickly closed his eyes. The feeling of the Uncle’s coarse skin against his face was very painful, but he didn’t make a sound. He pursed his lips and kept his eyes closed.

  Uncle Blind Man soon pulled his hand back and said, “Not too bad. Not too bad at all.”


  Shen Zhilie could understand these two sentences. But what was “not too bad” supposed to mean?