When the rain comes, trouble comes too

In this day and age, scholars are not easy to mess with. Especially when someone jokes about their future.

Seeing that the situation was not right, the old charlatan begged for mercy: "Ladies and gentlemen, let's talk it over. The old and young are old and can't stand the tossing. I will return the silver and money to you."

Helpless, the old charlatan had to return all the silver and money to the scholars, and also gave away his own brand new purse.

The three scholars were satisfied with the purse, and turned back to Xia Shang to bow and thank him.

"Thank you for speaking up. I wonder if you really know how to ask the heaven and earth by setting up a stall here?"

"I know a little bit."

"You are extraordinary and magnanimous. You must be a person with real knowledge. Can you tell us the fortune of this autumn exam?"

Xia Shang waved his hand: "If you really have it in mind, why do you need to ask for divination? If you want to ask for divination and predict the fortune of the future, it means you don't have much confidence in your heart. The reason is that you are not familiar with the scriptures, lack of talent and strategy. Instead of asking for divination here, it is better for you to go home and read more poems and books and write more articles."

After the speech, the three scholars blushed and were too ashamed to raise their heads.

The leader took two steps forward and respectfully presented the money bag in his hand: "Your words awakened me from my dream. I have learned from your teachings. The three of us really had no confidence in the autumn examination, so we prayed to God. Now I am really ashamed. I will return home immediately to study hard. If I achieve something in the future, I will remember your kindness."

After saying that, the three of them lowered their heads and walked away quickly, leaving only a bag of silver in front of Xia Shang's table.

Xia Shang picked up the purse and weighed it for a while, "Yes, this purse is quite nice."

"You kid! Give me back my purse!"

The old charlatan was furious and cursed. Just as he took two steps forward, Xia Shang restrained his smile and took two steps forward, rolled up his sleeves, and said in a low voice: "Old man! How about you tell a fortune today? See if you take another step forward and get beaten!"

The old charlatan was a cunning man. He knew that he couldn't beat the other party, so he had to swallow his breath.

"Kid! Don't leave if you dare!"

After saying that, he didn't pack up the stall and went somewhere else angrily.

The old charlatan looked like he was going to find someone to take revenge.

It was okay for Xia Shang to bully an old man, but if the other party really found someone, it would be a bit troublesome.

The middle-aged man gave ten taels of silver, and the scholar gave a bag of silver coins, which was enough for the time being.

So Xia Shang thought about leaving.

Just as he was thinking, a gust of wind suddenly came, and many leaves fell again.

Xia Shang counted with his fingers: "'Wood trembles' and 'sky changes' will bring rain, and sending rain is like sending fish. There is still a lot of money to come today, so I can't leave."

Today there is no surprise, but there is joy. I have to wait here for a while.

I don't know why Xia Shang is so sure. I saw him rent a big oil umbrella in the grocery store at the corner of the street without hurrying, and propped it up in front of the stall, sitting motionless like a mountain, just waiting for the opportunity to come.

At this time, the sky was bright, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and it was common to have an occasional spring breeze.

The big umbrella in front of Xia Shang's stall seemed abrupt, and soon attracted many people who came to see the novelty.

"Free calculation? Or a fortune teller?"

"What does it mean to hold an umbrella in the bright sky?"

"He is a fortune teller, maybe he has predicted that it will rain later."

"So amazing?"

"Who knows? But from my observation, there is no sign of rain in the current weather. I guess he is just a show-off?"

After saying that, the person asking suddenly looked up and blinked.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"It seems... it seems that raindrops hit my eyes."

"Oh! Don't be funny, how can it rain in such a weather?"

"No, no, it seems that it is really... it is really going to rain."

The sky changes so quickly that it is amazing. The sky was clear one second ago, and the next second it was covered with dark clouds, rolling in from the distant sky, and in a few breaths, it covered the entire Yangzhou city.

The raindrops fell and dripped on the people of Yangzhou, revealing a refreshing coolness, but not as gentle as the spring rain in the past.

The raindrops were like beans, spreading down, landing on the tiled houses of all sizes in Yangzhou City, and the dripping sound was clearly audible.

Hearing the sound, the people of Yangzhou City realized that it was already May, and the beginning of summer would come soon. This rain was a farewell to the spring breeze, right?

The rain in early summer came suddenly, and the pedestrians on the street were unprepared.

For a while, the pedestrians on the street became ants running around, returning home, taking shelter from the rain, and rushing on the road. There were no more leisurely and comfortable tourists.

The pedestrians around Xia Shang's stall all got under the umbrella in front of the stall, while cleaning the rain on their bodies, and marveled.

"Young Master is really a god! He said it would rain, and it really rained."

"That's right! Since Young Master is so accurate in his predictions, why don't you tell us a fortune?"

Xia Shang predicted that it would rain, but he didn't predict that so many people would come to watch. Fortune-telling should not be done too often, and it is impossible to tell fortunes for so many people.

"Everyone, I have read a few fortunes today, so you can't continue to spy on the secrets of heaven. Please come back another day."

The people around were still unwilling to give up, and they were talking. At this time, the old charlatan came back with a group of gangsters.

There were not many people on the other side, and there were only four people including the old charlatan.

The old charlatan was unfamiliar and no one knew him, but the three people following him were recognized by some people.

"Aren't they the three Ruan brothers outside the south city?"

The south of Yangzhou City is facing Daqing Mountain. Bandits are rampant in the mountains. No matter whether they are on the mountain or on the mountain, they are all ruthless characters who don't care about their lives. The three Ruan brothers are well-known gangsters outside the south city. It is rumored that they are related to a group of mountain bandits in the mountains. They buy goods for those mountain bandits in the city. They are very arrogant in the city on weekdays, and few people dare to go against them.

They were once imprisoned for half a year for trafficking in civilian girls, but they were released due to insufficient evidence.

After this incident, everyone in Yangzhou City knew these three brothers, and everyone avoided them when they saw them.

When the three Ruan brothers arrived, the people around Xia Shang would rather stand in the rain than get too close to them, and the crowd dispersed immediately.

"Are you the new stall owner?" The one-eyed strong man in the lead walked up to Xia Shang and slapped the table.

Before Xia Shang could speak, the old charlatan came forward first: "Uncle Ruan, this guy is here! He took the stage here without saying a word."

"Go away, shut up."

"Boy, I want to ask you if you know the rules here?"

Xia Shang glanced at him indifferently: "Know how? What if you don't know?"

"Heh! You are quite calm! I wonder if you will be so calm later! Let me tell you, you need my consent to set up a stall here to tell fortunes. This old man is my protector. You are stealing his business now, which is breaking my rules. You must give me an explanation today. Otherwise, you will bleed today!"

"He will definitely not bleed today, but I don't know whether you will bleed or not."

An indifferent and elegant voice suddenly appeared beside the Ruan brothers.

A woman, a sword, and some rain on her body

Seeing this, Xia Shang stood up with a smile and said, "Madam, I made a mistake today. I didn't expect it to rain. If I had known, I would have asked you to bring an umbrella."