The matter concerning the Ma family has basically come to an end. In fact, I wanted to give Tian Siyi a more severe punishment, but the old lady didn't care, so I couldn't either. After all, she's their daughter-in-law, not mine.
At the time, Ma Minghui stuffed a large red envelope into my hands, and I counted the money in front of him.
It was a total of 120,000 yuan.
We had agreed on 100,000 yuan beforehand, and the additional 20,000 was considered a red packet.
I didn't want so much, so I gave back 40,000 yuan to Ma Minghui because I admired him. He's a real man, and he has faced difficulties since he was young. Despite having a birth mother, she was labeled as "the one after." He never complained all these years, truly a manly man.
Ma Minghui insisted on not taking it, but in the end, I had to threaten him: "If you don't take it, don't come to me if something happens in the future. I won't help you."
After saying these harsh words, Ma Minghui reluctantly accepted the 40,000 yuan.
After bidding farewell to Ma Minghui, I kept 30,000 for myself and gave 50,000 to Dajinya.
One job, but different amounts for the 'yang' person and the 'yin' person. This rule had been set many years ago, and I certainly wouldn't break it.
Everyone likes money, but there is money that should be taken and money that must not be taken.
When the 50,000 yuan reached Dajinya's hands, it made him very happy. He kept thanking me, saying that I had taken special care of him and introduced him to a quite profitable deal.
I asked Dajinya, "When are you going back?"
"Go back? Go where?"
"Of course, back to your Harbin! Don't tell me you plan to spongy off my place?" I gave Dajinya a fierce look.
His snoring and smelly feet were really unbearable for me.
Dajinya gave a sheepish smile and said to me, "Young Master Xiao Li, you see, I'm a lonely man, usually don't have anyone to talk to. With you here, I can talk more comfortably. How about you let me stay a while longer?"
As I listened to his words, I circled around Dajinya and kept staring at him.
Dajinya was startled by my gaze and nervously asked, "What are you looking at? Is my clothes on backward?"
"No, your clothes are not backward, but I'm starting to think you've got a backward mind. We've worked together before; every time your grandson takes the money and runs, why do you suddenly want to have a friendly chat with me? And why refuse to leave my house?" I suddenly said in a stern voice, "Tell me, what's your trick? If you don't tell the truth, I'll break your legs."
Dajinya chuckled and rubbed his hands, appearing embarrassed that his plan had been exposed. He spoke in a low voice, "Yesterday, a dealer of antiques contacted me from this side, asking me to make a deal. The profit from this deal should be at least this amount."
He held up two fingers.
Seeing his eager look, he must have meant "twenty thousand"!
I wasn't happy at all about this "twenty thousand"; instead, I was worried about Dajinya.
I took Dajinya into a nearby alley, lit a cigarette, and reprimanded him: "Lao Jin, don't be stupid. An antiques dealer? Are they actually tomb raiders? Aren't the antiques all dug up from the ground?"
"Well... sort of," Dajinya hesitated and spoke with some difficulty.
I advised him: "What era is it now? Getting involved in tomb robbing and being an accomplice, not just a few years in jail, this could get you the death penalty! Selling cultural relics, especially serious cases, could get you shot or beheaded. I'm thinking about your life."
Dajinya chuckled awkwardly and said that the background of this cultural relic transaction was particularly strong. He had only previously been an appraiser, helping people analyze antiques, so there wouldn't be any problem.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh and said that it's important to take risks to make a profit and that there are fewer 'yin' matters now.
I waved my hand and continued to advise Dajinya, "Lao Jin, if there are fewer 'yin' matters, I'll give you more regular work. It's stable, won't land you in jail, and certainly won't get you beheaded."
"I've already promised them, I can't not go! But when I come back tonight, I'll treat you to a drink." Lao Jin still didn't listen to my advice and disappeared into the dawn on the street.
I sighed; let it be, hoping that he would be safe.
I comforted myself in my heart: perhaps Lao Jin would really be fine. After all, there are so many underground cultural relic transactions every day; those who get caught are just a minority.
I returned home alone.
I had only slept for less than two hours when Huang Xin called me, asking if I was taking Zhu Ying to audition in the morning.
I said, "Of course I will bring them. I also asked Huang Xin and Cheng Yan to make time in the afternoon. We need to go find the director of Cheng Yan's music video in the afternoon."
"Isn't that music video director the one who made Cheng Yan sleep in a haunted coffin? To investigate the death of the Fox Fairy, we need to start with that haunted coffin."
Huang Xin agreed over the phone, and I got up as well. After quickly brushing my teeth, I went out to find Zhu Ying.
Although I am very tired now, the situation is pressing. If we don't investigate the death of the Fox Fairy within forty-eight days, my life will be in jeopardy.
I drove to Huang Xin's residential area and saw Zhu Ying at the entrance.
Wow, one really depends on clothes. When Zhu Ying came out before, she was dressed in very old and plain clothes, but she still had a wild and natural beauty. Now, with black leather pants, a black tight-fitting top, and her hair tied up, she looked both wild and sexy!
From afar, she really gave off a vibe that could make outstanding men want to conquer her.
"Hey, sis, you look really beautiful today." I waved to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying remained expressionless, walked up to me, opened the car door, and got in. Throughout the whole process, not a single word was spoken. That was really cool.
"Sis, come on, talk to me." I tried to get Zhu Ying to speak, but her mouth was harder to open than a burglar-proof door. It took the entire drive for her to say three sentences: "I'm hungry," "The breakfast was good," "Thank you."
That's way too cool, isn't it? I shook my head, feeling somewhat depressed.
When we arrived at "Yokohama Studio," I started looking for the crew one by one.
The scale of Yokohama Studio is not as large as that of Hengdian Studio, but there are still more than ten crews shooting there.
After searching for a while, I finally saw Director Wang Tianlai.
Director Wang Tianlai is a relatively new director with some reputation, and he is very kind and honest. This might be related to the fact that he was a genuine farmer before becoming a director.
In all of Yokohama, Wang Tianlai is one of the directors who truly wants to make a good film. During filming, he is very serious and doesn't engage in any shady activities. He is someone who does things with dedication, so I felt comfortable bringing Zhu Ying to this crew.
If I were to introduce Zhu Ying to the other fat director I know, that guy is always fooling around with girls. If Zhu Ying went to his crew, she might end up stabbing him.
"Director Wang." I walked with Zhu Ying toward Wang Tianlai.
When Wang Tianlai saw me coming over, he didn't immediately acknowledge me. He instructed his assistant director on how to shoot the next scene, from which angle, and spent half an hour briefing the actors on the scene before walking over to me and taking me outside the crew.
There was a small hill at the entrance of the studio, where there were fewer people. Wang Tianlai took me to the foot of the hill before he dared to speak to me: "Xiao Li, you finally came. I have something to ask of you."
"What's the matter?" I asked Wang Tianlai.
Wang Tianlai said, "I want to invite an ancient child from Thailand, do you have any connections?"
"How come a dedicated director like you is interested in such a strange thing? I pretended not to know about the ancient child, just to tease Wang Tianlai.
Wang Tianlai took the bait and said, patting his leg: "Oh, I'm just a farmer. Where can I hear about ancient children? People told me that my luck wasn't great and advised me to bring an ancient child from Thailand to ward off evil."
After saying that, Wang Tianlai waved his hand and pretended to be bold: "Oh, I'm telling you, I don't believe in superstitions. I only treat the ancient child as a keepsake. I'm a party member; how can I dabble with ghosts and gods?"
I was amused by Wang Tianlai's words. I knew that he actually believed in some supernatural things, but as someone who used to be a farmer and now lives in the city, he didn't want to openly admit it for fear of being called "superstitious."
But actually, city people are the ones who believe in this the most. Otherwise, "Wang Lin" wouldn't have cheated so many social elites.
I decided not to expose him and squatted on a large stone, blowing a smoke ring. "Director Wang, do you know what an ancient child is?"
"What?" Wang Tianlai asked.
I explained that in Thailand, some evil monks extract the 'yin' soul of a child and infuse it into a Buddha amulet through a sinister method. The amulet has a masculine aura, while the 'yin' soul of the child is uniquely 'yin.' When these interact, it can bring about a turn of fate.
"Isn't that too sinister?" Wang Tianlai was surprised by the process of making an ancient child, with a hint of disgust on his face.
I said, "That's not all. There are ancient children with even more powerful 'yin' effects. These children have two parts: one is called Yang Ancient, which is the 'yin' soul Buddha amulet I mentioned earlier, and the other is called 'yin' Ancient, which is the mummified body of a child whose 'yin' soul has been extracted and soaked in a transparent jar."
"These ancient children have an especially domineering effect. With them, you will always be 'happy and lucky.'"
Hearing about such a sinister thing, Wang Tianlai turned pale with fright and said: "This is too sinister. I would rather have bad luck than deal with something so 'yin'."
"Haha! That's right. Ancient children are too sinister. If used for a long time, they will backfire. By the way, I know a 'yin' person who has five top-quality ghost amulets. If you need them, I can have him bring these ghost amulets here. He is currently in Huishan on the other side of the studio." Huishan is not far from the studio, just over an hour's drive.
When Wang Tianlai heard the name "ghost amulet," he was even more scared and said that the name sounded extremely sinister.
I laughed and said that the name "ghost amulet" might sound sinister, but it is an entirely good thing, just like the relics of Buddhism. It's a precious item.
Wang Tianlai became interested and asked me to explain what the "ghost amulet" actually was.
It is the 'Yin' soul of the dead 'Yin' person.
In the northeast, there is a kind of person called "Mr. Jiaohun", whose whole life is spent dealing with 'Yin' spirits.
In their belief, the 'Yin' spirit is a kind of inheritance, an extension after a person's death.
So they treasure the 'Yin' spirit very much. After they die, they will have their descendants extract their own 'Yin' spirit and inject it into a wooden plaque to protect the user of the ghost plaque, exerting their last bit of influence in this world.
And because these Mr. Jiaohun are all venerable and respected individuals, their 'Yin' spirits will not harm the users of the ghost plaque, only bring blessings to the user.
It's a tale of two, the ghost plaque and the ancient Mantoys, one good and one evil.
"So effective?" Wang Tianlai was shocked when he heard my explanation.
I said, "Of course, if you think about it, which one do you believe more, an old man of high status, or a child?"
Wang Tianlai didn't even think about it and said directly, "Of course I believe in what you said about Mr. Jiaohun."
"That's right. Do you want one? If you do, I can arrange it for you now. Really, it's like a life-saving talisman, it's especially effective," I recommended to Wang Tianlai.
Wang Tianlai was able to make it big because his previous film sold several million in the box office, although it doesn't amount to much in our country's current film market, it's still good for a low budget production.
He made at least a few million, spent it on expensive Buddha amulets, he had that kind of capital.
Wang Tianlai asked me how much.
I said, let's make it a flat price, 150,000. The price of Thai Mantoys is mostly around 50,000 to 70,000, slightly more expensive than theirs, but I can guarantee that the extra money is absolutely worth it.
Wang Tianlai, who is used to being frugal, might find it hard to easily spend such a large sum of money on a ghost plaque. He walked back and forth, biting his lip, unable to make a decision.
After three minutes, he squinted and asked me if he could see the ghost plaque first before making a decision.
I said, of course, and then I called Mr. Jiaohun, Ma Lisan.
After a few busy tones, there was a voice on the other end that was as deep as a mountain: "Hey, Li Ge, got any work to do?"
"Big deal! Do you still have any of your ghost plaques?"
"I have one left. A few days ago, a big boss from Hong Kong heard about my five family heirloom ghost plaques somehow and bought four of them at once. Sorry, Li Ge, I'll give you your share when I get back."
Why was he sorry? Because according to the custom of attracting 'Yin' people, 'Yin' people can only make deals in their own area, and if someone from another place wants to make a deal, they must involve us attract 'Yin' people.
Ma Lisan sold the ghost plaque to the Hong Kong boss, and according to the rules, I should have been involved.
But if I had been involved, I would have to get a cut, and Ma Lisan probably thought: Why should I give him a cut for a deal that came knocking on my door?
So he didn't inform me at all. And now that I asked him about the ghost plaque, he didn't know how many I wanted, and was afraid it would be embarrassing and didn't hide the truth.
Haha!
But why would I mind? I've told every 'Yin' person I've worked with: It's a planned economy now, everyone's having a hard time, if you have work, take it directly, as long as it's work you've taken on your own, no matter where it is, I won't take a penny from you, as long as you help me when I need it.
The market for 'Yin' things is very big now, and I, as an attractor of 'Yin' people, can't handle so much work alone, but if I can't handle it, I won't share it with my brothers, and wait for discontent to come.
I understand about people and things between people.
I smiled and told Ma Lisan, "What are you talking about? If someone comes to buy your ghost plaque, I haven't lifted a finger, can I still take your money? That's robbery. The rules are rules, but they are dead, we are alive."
With this sentence, I moved Ma Lisan and he said that if he has anything to do in the future, if he doesn't come to him, he would be the "king of tortoises raising turtles".
I quickly waved my hand and told him that he was exaggerating, and asked him to bring the last piece of ghost plaque and come to the Yokohama set now, there was a director waiting for him.
"Alright." Ma Lisan agreed.
I made it clear beforehand that I negotiated the price of this ghost plaque for 150,000, with me taking 50,000 and Ma Lisan taking 100,000, but the deal may not go through, because Wang Tianlai hasn't said he definitely wants it.
Ma Lisan agreed to each point and said he would come over in a little while.
I took care of the ghost plaque and told Wang Tianlai that it would take a little over an hour.
Wang Tianlai sighed in relief.
I found that this Director Wang seemed off, so I asked him what he had encountered recently that was bothering him.
Wang Tianlai said it wasn't a big deal, but several people had said that he didn't look well.
The first time was when his mother had a dream that Wang Tianlai had been hit and killed by a big truck. The next morning, she insisted that Wang Tianlai go to the temple to find a monk or Taoist to perform a ritual. But Wang Tianlai didn't take it to heart, he thought it was just a dream. What's the big deal, everyone has had bad dreams. If everyone had a bad dream, would they have to go perform a ritual? What kind of life would that be?
Of course, Wang Tianlai was not willing to go.
The second time someone said Wang Tianlai does not look well was the guard at the set.
One time, Wang Tianlai forgot his pass when he left the set and was stopped by the guard. He insisted on making Wang Tianlai fill out a form in the guardroom. While Wang Tianlai was in the guardroom filling out the form, the guard had trouble speaking.
Wang Tianlai saw it and asked the guard what he wanted to say.
The guard smiled and said that he felt that Wang Tianlai should go get an amulet to ward off evil as he was looking very unwell.
The speaker may have meant nothing, but the listener had his reasons.
This was the second time that Wang Tianlai had heard someone say "you don't look well". He began to worry.
The day after the guard said something, Wang Tianlai was told again that he did not look well.
This time it was an older actor from the crew.
The actor was at least in his forties or fifties, and he advised Wang Tianlai to go get an ancient Mantoys, saying that Wang Tianlai's color was terrible.
Three times in a row, people have said, "This can't be just a coincidence, right?" So, it was only then that Wang Tianlai had that scene just now in which he asked me about Gu Man Tong.
After he finished speaking, Wang Tianlai still looked at me and said, "Xiao Li, do you think I really look unwell? You understand this line of work."
I looked at Wang Tianlai seriously and shook my head, saying that I couldn't see any signs of him looking unwell.
With my response, Wang Tianlai was immediately in high spirits, as if he had "risen from being a serf to become a landlord," and kept on saying, "I knew it, how could I possibly look unwell? I'm such a sunny person, and I haven't provoked anything..."
Before Wang Tianlai finished, I interrupted him and said, "Director Wang, you may have misunderstood my meaning. When I said I couldn't see it, it doesn't mean your complexion really isn't bad, nor does it mean that you really haven't provoked anything?"
"Oh? What do you mean?" Wang Tianlai seemed puzzled.
I explained to him that as people grow older, their positive energy weakens, and they can see things that normal people cannot see, which can be seen as a kind of mediumship to some extent.
In our line of work dealing with the supernatural, there's a saying called "taboos of the living."
It means that older people constantly warn you that something will happen to you in the near future, or that you'll have some kind of problem. You must believe that they have already seen the "taboos" on your body.
The taboos of the living are not just played around with.
"Is this really true?"
"It's true." I leaned in toward Wang Tianlai and said, "Otherwise, you can ask me to summon a spirit for you at a discounted price."
"No need, no need, why bother with the trouble, just buy your ghost card, right?" Wang Tianlai immediately rejected my offer.
Since Wang Tianlai wasn't planning to ask me to summon a spirit, I didn't insist. I also knew that he was afraid I would cheat him out of money, sigh!
I had to tell him that if he encountered anything strange, he must call me.
Wang Tianlai said he would.
While the two of us were chatting, Ma Li San called me. He said he was at the gate of the Yokohama studio and asked where I was.
I told him not to move and that Wang and I would come out to find him.
Wang Tianlai and I arrived at the Yokohama studio, and Ma Li San was standing next to a van.
Ma Li San's appearance actually fit the typical image of a spirit summoner, with thick eyebrows that almost connected, giving him a very fierce look.
Only a fierce person could intimidate spirits, so there was a spirit exorcist, named Zhong Kui, who had a very fierce appearance.
Ma Li San has thick lips, a thick neck, and a deep voice, which, when used to call spirits, is twice as effective.
But his appearance and voice definitely scared Wang Tianlai.
Wang Tianlai didn't even dare to speak loudly when he came out.
"Li Ge," Ma Li San called me.
I walked up to Ma Li San and said, "San Er, did you bring the ghost card?"
"I did." Ma Li San handed me a wooden plaque made of jujube wood.
The surface of the wooden plaque had been polished, so even though it was a wooden plaque, it looked especially shiny, and with the unique grain of the wood, it was clearly a well-made item.
I took the wooden plaque and showed it to Wang Tianlai, saying, "Director Wang, take a look first?"
"I'll take a look." Wang Tianlai's expression wasn't very happy; he probably thought a wooden plaque for fifteen thousand was too expensive.
He reached out and grabbed the wooden plaque. As soon as he grabbed it, Wang Tianlai's expression changed again, becoming very serious, and then he straightened his chest, lifted his head, and stood as tall as a soldier.
Then, without saying a word, he immediately took out money: "I'll buy this wooden plaque."
I didn't know the specific effects of the ghost card, but I knew it was indeed a very miraculous thing.
Just how miraculous, to make someone who initially didn't want it suddenly decide to buy the "ghost card"?
I was a little curious and stared at Wang Tianlai: "You've decided so quickly?"
"Of course, I really want this wooden plaque, and I'll transfer the money now." Wang Tianlai's determination was truly soaring.
Huh? I murmured to myself, how did this ghost card make the frugal Wang Tianlai become so generous?