Chapter 10: Dark Clouds Overhead, Still in Need of Clear Skies

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Chapter 10: Dark Clouds Overhead, Still in Need of Clear Skies

The umbrella Yu Shenliu carried was a standard leader-style black umbrella, the kind that looked mature and dignified. Normally, one would expect a “staff member” to be holding it for him, but this time, he had come over carrying it himself.

Under the umbrella, his expression was as calm as ever, no different from that morning. He also had two more umbrellas tucked under his arm, clearly meant for Chen Yuan and Huo Jian.

Stepping into the pavilion, Yu Shenliu immediately saw that Chen Yuan had already packed everything up. The expression on his face made it seem as though he had known all along that Yu Shenliu would come.

Remembering everything that had happened that morning, Yu Shenliu couldn’t help taking another careful look at Chen Yuan from head to toe.

Fine features, clear eyes. At first glance, he gave off a warm, reassuring feeling that made people trust him. Although anyone could see that he was only a young man, no one would look down on him. That seemingly intangible thing called presence was particularly obvious in Chen Yuan, regardless of whether he was wearing a faded T-shirt.

However, now was not the time to ask questions. The pavilion was open on all sides, and it was rather chilly in the rain. Chen Yuan and Huo Jian were both wearing only short-sleeved T-shirts, so Yu Shenliu decided it was better to get them out of there first. Catching a cold would be the last thing they needed.

“Put up your umbrellas. I’ll take you two to get something to eat.” Straightforward and decisive, as was Yu Shenliu’s usual way of doing things. As he spoke, he handed the two umbrellas he had brought to Chen Yuan and Huo Jian. Huo Jian’s was light green, while Chen Yuan’s was light blue. Somehow, neither umbrella seemed to match Yu Shenliu at all. Who knew where he’d gotten them?

Huo Jian didn’t care what color his umbrella was. He immediately took the umbrella from Chen Yuan and opened it for him, then opened his own and prepared to follow Yu Shenliu.

“Mr. Yu,” Chen Yuan said, “you’d better not use that umbrella.”

The remark was abrupt and seemed to come out of nowhere. Huo Jian looked at Chen Yuan in confusion, not understanding what he meant. Yu Shenliu, however, stopped in his tracks.

Turning around, he looked at Chen Yuan and asked, “Is there some taboo?”

Chen Yuan pointed at the umbrella and succinctly said four words: “Dark clouds cover the sky.”

Dark clouds cover the sky? Huo Jian immediately thought of the way his uncle had walked over carrying the umbrella earlier. It really did give off that impression. But didn’t a lot of government officials carry umbrellas like this? Why did it become “dark clouds cover the sky” in his master’s eyes?

“You’ve had a lot of things going wrong lately.” Chen Yuan looked at Yu Shenliu as he spoke.

He had already noticed it that morning. Even though Yu Shenliu’s overall fate was practically as good as it could possibly be, there was still a faint gloom hanging over him, and his complexion appeared slightly dim. Chen Yuan could tell at a glance that Yu Shenliu’s fortunes had probably not been very good lately. But judging from his overall fate, these minor setbacks would pass soon enough.

When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a person, it first makes his heart suffer, his muscles toil, his body go hungry, his life fall into poverty, and his efforts meet with frustration, so that he may be strengthened in the abilities he lacks.

Perhaps the words of the ancients were merely meant to encourage people in times of hardship. Yet in reality, they were reflected in someone like Yu Shenliu. His luck might be poor for a time, but these minor setbacks would soon pass.

Yu Shenliu didn’t look particularly surprised that Chen Yuan had immediately seen through what he had been going through lately. After all, when one spent one’s days navigating the political world, keeping one’s emotions hidden was simply a basic skill. And then there was what Chen Yuan had said that morning about female calamity. Tsk.

Just thinking about that gave Yu Shenliu a headache.

When it came to a female calamity, wouldn’t anyone instinctively assume it had something to do with romantic relationships between men and women? In reality, however, a female calamity included any trouble caused by a woman. Take Yu Shenliu, for example. He had arrived at his office first thing in the morning, only to have someone from the Women’s Federation come knocking.

Yes, the Women’s Federation.

For a twenty-six-year-old to become the executive deputy mayor in charge of the economy of Jincheng, the provincial capital, Yu Shenliu naturally had more than just his family background going for him. He was renowned for his outstanding abilities and impressive academic credentials as well. However, once you held a position like his, you had to deal with all sorts of messy affairs.

For example, this time, the wife of one of the department heads under him suspected that her husband was having an improper relationship with a female colleague. She had actually come storming in to make a scene. The key point was that this department head’s wife herself worked for the Women’s Federation, and she kept going on about protecting women’s rights and how polygamy had been abolished for centuries, so as his superior, Yu Shenliu should do something about her husband.

Yu Shenliu really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

If this counted as a female calamity, then it truly was one. A very typical one, at that. Look at it: the trouble had started because of a relationship between a man and a woman. Once the trouble began, a woman from the Women’s Federation had come to him seeking justice, demanding that he deal with another woman. Women were practically everywhere in the whole affair. It was just that this female calamity was completely different from what he had imagined.

And now, the problem was that a whole bunch of people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself. After all, at his age and in his position as executive deputy mayor, there were plenty of people who disliked him. Even if the whole situation was somewhat laughable, it still put him in an awkward position, didn’t it? If he handled it badly, people would say that he wasn’t actually capable enough and that young people needed more time to be tested before being entrusted with such responsibilities.

It was enough to make anyone’s head hurt.

After finally managing to persuade the department head’s wife to leave for the time being, Yu Shenliu was left feeling thoroughly exasperated. Thinking back to what Chen Yuan had said, he couldn’t decide whether to marvel at how uncannily accurate the young man was or resent him for using the term “female calamity” in a way that had led him to misunderstand. When he saw that it was raining and realized the two of them had no umbrellas, he simply decided to come over and take them to eat. Since Chen Yuan could identify a female calamity, perhaps he also had a way to resolve it?

So when Chen Yuan immediately told him that he had “dark clouds covering his head” and that everything was going badly, Yu Shenliu didn’t deny it. He simply nodded. “Mm.”

“When your luck is poor, even things that would normally be insignificant naturally become important. Normally, this umbrella wouldn’t represent dark clouds, but a huagai , an auspicious canopy. Under the huagai, one naturally has fortune. It’s just that lately, you’ve been affected by your circumstances.” Chen Yuan briefly explained.

The concept of transformation as a whole was extremely important in Chinese culture. Everything was interconnected and mutually balanced; two things that appeared unrelated could in fact have indirect connections that went unnoticed. This idea was even more prominent in metaphysics. That was why there were cases of two people being born in the same year, month, and day, even being twins, yet having completely different fates.

Yu Shenliu’s situation was much the same. Even though the umbrella he was holding was the same one he normally carried, because his fortune had been unfavorable lately, the umbrella had taken on a different meaning.

Huo Jian raised his hand as he listened. “Master, but isn’t having a huagai fortune supposed to be bad luck? I’ve often heard people talk about the huagai fortune. Doesn’t it seem like the sort of fate that isn’t associated with great wealth or status?”

Chen Yuan patiently explained it to Huo Jian. “What is a huagai? It was part of the ceremonial procession of ancient emperors. Although, over time, it stopped being something reserved only for the highest of the high, it still symbolized fortune and authority. In metaphysics, there’s a saying that the blessings a person can bear are limited. If your fate isn’t strong enough and you force yourself to use something like this, naturally, it can’t bring you good fortune. But if you’re worthy of it, using the corresponding object as an aid can instead complement your fortune.”

Simply put, what would happen if a beggar carried a string of jewels? And what if a wealthy man carried them? That was the principle.

Looking at the umbrella in his hand, Yu Shenliu silently closed it.

“Share this umbrella with me.” Chen Yuan raised his hand, indicating the umbrella he was holding. “Since there are dark clouds covering your head, let’s replace them with blue skies. The dark clouds are only temporary. They’ll pass soon enough.” The light blue color could perfectly symbolize a clear blue sky.

At that moment, Yu Shenliu wasn’t quite sure how to react. How had the umbrella he’d casually borrowed ended up becoming something that could actually help him?

Still, he was a straightforward man. He stepped forward and took the umbrella from Chen Yuan. “I’ll hold it.” After all, Yu Shenliu was taller than Chen Yuan, so it was easier for him to hold the umbrella.

In the end, all because of “dark clouds covering the sky,” the man who had three umbrellas ended up leaving one unused as they made their way to Yu Shenliu’s car.

Since he had come to pick up his nephew, making this a personal matter, Yu Shenliu hadn’t used a government car or brought a driver. Wanting to have a chance to talk with Chen Yuan a little more, he had Huo Jian sit in the back and Chen Yuan take the passenger seat while he drove through the rain himself.

Huo Jian trusted his uncle, while Chen Yuan simply didn’t care. No one asked where they were going, and the car was silent at first.

When they reached the first traffic light, Yu Shenliu kept his eyes on the road but asked Chen Yuan, “Chen Yuan, how should I deal with my current situation?”

He wasn’t asking only about the female calamity. He was also asking about his recent run of bad luck. Since Chen Yuan had been able to see it, surely he had some way of resolving it too, didn’t he?

Chen Yuan responded quickly. He immediately said one line:

“Please, five hundred yuan.”

Huo Jian silently covered his mouth to hide his laughter. Through the rearview mirror, he saw the momentary look of surprise on his uncle’s face. His master really was too entertaining.

“I thought we were already friends?” Yu Shenliu couldn’t help saying.

“Whether we’re friends or not, there’s still a price to pay.” Chen Yuan answered him calmly.

“But what about when you said I had dark clouds covering my head…?” Didn’t he not charge him for that?

“That was something I offered on my own. There are many taboos in the world of metaphysics. If a client comes to you of their own accord, then no matter how good your relationship is, you still have to accept payment.” Chen Yuan shook his head. Many people assumed that matters of metaphysics could be handled through personal connections, but in reality, that simply wasn’t possible.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Shenliu caught the certainty in Chen Yuan’s gaze. Knowing the other man wasn’t trying to swindle him, he didn’t argue. He glanced at his nephew, who was still snickering in the back seat, and said, “I’ll give it to you at the restaurant. Now can you tell me?”

With another payment secured, Chen Yuan was in an excellent mood. He immediately gave him his solution, although it sounded completely impractical.

“Wait.”

Yu Shenliu frowned almost imperceptibly and repeated the word. “Wait?”

Chen Yuan nodded. “Of course. Your fortune is strong right now. Even if something goes wrong, it won’t have much of an impact. Once this rough patch passes, everything will naturally be fine. Otherwise, do you want to change your fate?”

“I thought I’d heard that you could turn your luck around in situations like this?”

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