Xu's parents dote on their son, so they are naturally taking the wedding preparations very seriously. In addition, Xu Zifan's health is improving, which gives them hope. These days, they have been all smiles, and even the neighbors and customers of the cloth shop know that their family is going to have a happy event.
When someone asks which family the Xu family's daughter-in-law comes from, Xu's mother will smile and say: She is the eldest granddaughter of Lin, the head of Linxi Village.
The title of village head is quite prestigious. When everyone heard that she was the village head's eldest granddaughter, they all said that this marriage was a good one and that it couldn't be wrong.
Those who knew the relationship between Lin Lizheng and Lin Fu noticed that Xu's mother never mentioned Lin Fu and his wife, and thus astutely understood that the Xu family disliked the Lin family and no longer recognized them as in-laws.
Privately, they speculated about the reasons behind it, and vaguely found out that the person originally engaged to the Xu family was the youngest granddaughter of the village head. As for why she was changed, no one knew.
They only knew that this matter was probably the Lin family's fault, otherwise the Xu family would not have disowned their in-laws, and the Xu family was extremely satisfied with the Lin family's eldest granddaughter, seemingly valuing her highly.
This rumor slowly spread, but because no one spoke of it openly, neither the Xu family nor the Lin family knew about it and continued with their own affairs. Only Xu Zifan learned about the situation from Shao Hua.
He now takes his medicine on time every day and goes to bed on time. When the weather is nice, he goes to sit in the yard and walks around the yard a couple of times while holding onto the wall. His appetite is also good, unlike before when he couldn't eat anything and would get out of breath and weak in the legs after walking a few steps.
As the days went by, I could see my complexion improve.
That day, Xu Zifan was finally able to walk freely again. He even took the new quilt his mother had brought back into the house when she wasn't looking, making her so happy she kept chanting Buddhist prayers. Holding his hand, her eyes filled with tears, she said, "This is so much better! So much better! My son is so blessed; his good fortune will continue."
Xu Zifan grasped his mother's hand and smiled, "Mother, I'm getting married soon. I'm an adult now. I'll help you manage the house, help my father run the shop, and Ruonan and I will take good care of you. You have a long life ahead of you."
Xu's mother nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, we are blessed to see you and Ruonan live a good life and have many children and grandchildren. I, I'm going to the mountain to fulfill my vow and pray for you two. You stay at home and take good care of yourself."
"Okay, Mother, be careful on the road. Don't carry too much stuff, it's heavy."
"Yes, Mother knows."
Although Xu's mother said she knew, she still filled the basket to the brim. She felt that the temple was efficacious, and that all her prayers had been answered, so she had to make sure to offer her proper prayers.
After she left, Xu Zifan locked the door, affixed an invisibility talisman, and rushed to the temple.
The original owner of this body had been ill for too long, and this time her illness was serious. Several doctors had seen her, but they all said that she would not recover easily and could only rest and recuperate. Xu's father and mother were in great distress, and on top of that, they were being arranged to marry into another family. They had to force a smile and could not be genuinely happy.
Xu Zifan figured that since his mother was going to the temple, she would definitely be drawing lots, so he decided to put her mind at ease and cheer her up.
Xu Zifan found the old monk who interpreted the divination slips and waited in the shadows. Soon after, Xu's mother arrived.
She knelt devoutly before the Buddha statue, closed her eyes, and whispered words of gratitude, praying that the gods would bless Xu Zifan with health, peace, longevity, and a harmonious marriage with Lin Ruonan, filled with children and grandchildren.
Xu's mother kowtowed three times earnestly, then shook the divination tube and drew a stick.
After several days of cultivation, Xu Zifan was already able to use the most basic spells. With a slight movement of his fingertips, he shot out a wisp of spiritual energy, causing a top-tier fortune slip to fall in front of his mother.
Upon seeing the auspicious fortune slip, Xu's mother smiled with delight. She clasped her hands together and bowed to the Buddha statue before hurrying to the monk who was interpreting the slip. "Master, could you please interpret this fortune slip for me? My son has been in poor health; is there any hope for him? Also, regarding my son's marriage, he recently changed his betrothal. Does this fortune slip mean something good?"
Xu Zifan had already hypnotized the fortune-telling monk, possessed his body, took the fortune stick, was surprised, and laughed: "Benefactor, this is the king of fortune sticks, you will get whatever you ask for."
Xu's mother asked incredulously, "Really? I drew the King of Lottery divination sticks?!"
Xu Zifan nodded. "That's right, benefactor. Judging from this divination slip, your son's luck has begun to change, and his health will gradually improve, indicating a long and healthy life. Your son's marriage will also be smooth, and he will surely have many children and grandchildren in the future."
After thinking for a moment, Xu's mother took out the birth dates and times of Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan written on red paper and carefully asked, "Master, could you please help me match our birth dates and times?"
Xu Zifan glanced at it, calculated for a moment, and said with a smile, "No wonder, it turns out that the person betrothed to your son is a lucky star sent from heaven. You can rest assured, this marriage is arranged by the Old Man Under the Moon, a predestined union, and will surely be harmonious, happy, and blessed with both fortune and longevity. Both of them are filial, and their elders will enjoy good health and long life, and their descendants will all benefit from their protection."
"A lucky star? My daughter-in-law is a lucky star? She saved my son?"
"Yes, the horoscopes of these two are a match made in heaven, bringing blessings to each other."
Xu's mother was so excited that her lips trembled. Thinking of the arranged marriage, she quickly gave Lin Ruoshan's birth date and time, "Master, do you think this birth date and time is compatible with my son?"
Xu Zifan did some calculations and frowned. "This woman is incompatible with your son. If they were to become husband and wife, your son would only have half a year to live, your family would likely be destroyed, and this woman would also suffer a miserable life and not have a good end."
Xu's mother was startled. She patted her chest and muttered, still shaken, "Thank goodness, we escaped a disaster."
She snapped out of her daze and quickly stood up, saying, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Master."
She went back to kneel down.
She kowtowed three times before the Buddha statue, adding all the money she had to the incense money, feeling extremely grateful. At the same time, she felt relieved and happy from the bottom of her heart.
What a lucky star! They're going to marry a lucky star into their family, someone who will help her son. This is truly a blessing from heaven; all the good deeds she and her husband have done over the past ten years haven't been in vain, they've truly been rewarded.
As Xu's mother descended the mountain, she wiped away her tears, but a smile played on her lips.
Thinking back carefully, although her son was in poor health before, he didn't have any major problems with daily life. But ever since he got engaged to Lin Ruoshan, his health has been deteriorating. By the time of the wedding, he was bedridden and unable to walk. Isn't that just bad luck?
On the day Old Master Lin brought Lin Ruonan to visit, Xu Zifan was in good spirits, and his condition improved day by day afterward. This was because his engagement to the lucky star had changed his fate.
The more Xu's mother thought about it, the more convinced she became of it, and naturally believed it even more. Completely changing her previous somber mood, she beamed with joy and headed straight for the cloth shop.
As soon as Xu Zifan's mother left, he immediately left the fortune-telling monk's body. The fortune-telling monk dozed off and muttered, "Why am I suddenly feeling sleepy?"
He shifted slightly, sat up straight, and waited for the worshippers to interpret their fortune slips. He was completely unaware of what had just happened.
Xu Zifan returned to the Xu family home, used a cleaning technique to clean the dirt off his trouser legs and shoe soles, and then went to the cloth shop.
Xu Zifan arrived at the cloth shop before his mother. Xu's father was attending to customers and was surprised to see him. He quickly apologized to the customers and hurried towards Xu Zifan.
"Zifan, what brings you here? Where's your mother?"
"Dad, Mom went to the temple on the mountain. I had nothing to do at home, so I came to the shop to check on things. Don't worry, Dad, I know my own body well, I'm not tired," Xu Zifan said reassuringly.
Relieved, Mr. Xu said, "Alright, you go sit over there first, I'll attend to the guests."
"Dad, let me help you." Xu Zifan walked with him behind the counter and greeted customers with a smile.
The original owner had helped out before, so he knew the price. After looking at the fabric the customer bought, he quoted a price without using a calculator.
The customer smiled and said, "Manager Xu, your son is filial and smart. You are so lucky."
Mr. Xu loved hearing people praise his son, and upon hearing this, his eyes crinkled with a smile. "The greatest blessing of my life is that God has given me this son. He is sensible and his mother and I don't have to worry about anything."
"I heard that young Master Xu is getting married. Manager Xu will be very lucky in the future. He'll have a big, healthy grandson next year. How wonderful!"
"Okay, okay," Xu's father said happily.
The fabric shop was doing well. While Xu's father chatted with others, Xu Zifan was nearby calculating bills for customers and occasionally recommending colors and types of fabric. He was handsome, always smiling before speaking, and spoke gently, always managing to touch people's hearts. Customers unknowingly bought quite a lot more things and were happy to praise him.
When Xu's mother entered and saw this scene, she felt even more at ease, and the smile on her face was clearly genuine.
A familiar customer asked with a smile, "What good thing happened to you? Look how happy you are."
Xu's mother said happily, "I just went up the mountain to have my son and his fiancée's horoscopes matched. The master said they are a match made in heaven, brought together by the God of Love. It's a destiny ordained by heaven, and they will have a bright future together. How could I not be happy? I'm overjoyed!"
She didn't lower her voice, and everyone in the shop heard her. They all came forward to congratulate her, and Mr. Xu's face lit up with a smile after his initial surprise. The shop suddenly became lively.
Lin Ruoshan passed by the cloth shop at this time. When Lin Fulai opened his tavern in town, he wanted the Xu family to help him out, so he opened it not far from the cloth shop. Every day on her way to the tavern, Lin Ruoshan would pass by the cloth shop, and seeing the worry in Xu's father's smile made her feel happy.
She glanced inside as usual at the door, only to find the room filled with laughter, and Xu Zifan, who should have been bedridden.
She paused, stunned, and unconsciously stopped in her tracks, just in time to hear what Xu's mother said.
She scoffed inwardly. Xu Zifan was a sickly, short-lived man, and Lin Ruonan was an unloved, unmarried old maid. What kind of match was this? Matchmaking by the God of Love? It was all a lie. How could Xu's mother believe it? Was she just looking for a sliver of hope in despair?
But when she saw Xu Zifan standing there smiling, she was shocked. How could he have gone out? And he could stand for so long to help customers with their accounts. He didn't look like he was bedridden when they got married in their previous life. Could it be that his illness was getting better?
Lin Ruoshan was startled, instantly thinking of her wine. She had added spiritual spring water to her wine, which was beneficial to the body. If Xu Zifan drank it, even if it didn't cure his illness, it would at least improve his condition.
She bit her lip, secretly resentful. Could it be that the Xu family bought her wine to treat Xu Zifan's health?
As Xu's mother was speaking, she turned around and saw her. Her expression immediately changed, and she strode out the door, shouting, "What are you looking at? My family doesn't do business with you. Get out of here, get out of here!"
Lin Ruoshan stepped back in fright, her eyes wide, and said, "What are you doing? You're allowed to buy my wine, but I'm not allowed to buy your cloth? What kind of logic is that?"
"Pah! I wouldn't take your wine even if it were given to me for free, and I won't sell you my cloth either. Get out of here!"