Maximize Interest, My Money Grows Infinitely-Chapter 223 - 178: The Wish in the Divine Fortune_2

Chen Cheng burst into laughter, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk forward.

Passing by an anime merchandise store, Mei Xiang’s eyes immediately lit up, and she pulled Chen Cheng into the store.

The shop was filled with all sorts of anime merchandise, from models and figures to posters, wall scrolls, and comics, you name it.

Mei Xiang weaved through the dazzling array of products, occasionally picking up an item to introduce to Chen Cheng.

"Brother Cheng, look at this!" Mei Xiang picked up a chibi figure of Tuo Hai and excitedly handed it to Chen Cheng, "Isn’t it adorable?"

Chen Cheng took the figure, examined it closely, and said with a smile, "Hmm, it’s cute, very much like you."

"How is it like me!" Mei Xiang retorted coquettishly, but she couldn’t hide her joy.

"Both equally adorable."

"And this, this one too! You have to try this!"

She took a small box from the freezer, which had "Fujiwara Tofu Shop" printed on it.

"This is real tofu!" After paying, Mei Xiang took a spoon, scooped up a small amount, and brought it to Chen Cheng’s mouth, "Try it."

Chen Cheng slightly opened his mouth and ate the tofu.

"How is it?" Mei Xiang looked at him expectantly.

"The taste is quite unique."

Chen Cheng commented earnestly, "It has a subtle bean aroma and a delicate texture, almost like pudding."

"Right! Right!" Mei Xiang said happily, "I told you it’s delicious!"

Watching Mei Xiang jump with joy, the corners of Chen Cheng’s mouth involuntarily curled into a doting smile.

He picked up another spoon, scooped up some tofu, and offered it to Mei Xiang’s mouth: "You eat too."

"Ah~"

"So the tofu is real, does the shop still exist?" Chen Cheng asked, pointing to the text on the box.

Mei Xiang nodded and then shook her head, "It does, but also not really!"

"What does that mean? A new form of grammar?" Chen Cheng asked with a laugh.

Mei Xiang explained, "The economy wasn’t doing well a few years ago, the shop owner has moved, and moreover, they don’t sell the tofu we are eating now, but Mapo Tofu instead."

"Mapo Tofu?" He raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the combination.

He then asked, "What about Qiuming Mountain? Is it still there?"

Mei Xiang smiled and turned around, pointing to the mountains behind them, "Look! Zhenming Mountain!"

Chen Cheng followed the direction of her finger, "So, on this Zhenming Mountain, are there five consecutive hairpin turns?"

Mei Xiang shook her head and nodded again, gesturing with four fingers, "There are turns, but no matter how I count, there are only four."

"Then, has anyone drifted there?"

"When I was a child, indeed people used to race in the mountains, and in the quiet of the night, you could hear the roar of the engines and the squeal of the tires."

"But?" Chen Cheng asked with a smile.

Mei Xiang also smiled knowingly, "But later, speed bumps were installed on all the turns, and now no one races in the mountains anymore."

Chen Cheng, with hands on his hips, "Hey, that’s different from the movies, huh!"

Mei Xiang shrugged her shoulders playfully and smiled, "Time moves on, people and stories in the tales, they all change."

After saying that, she seemed to remember something.

"There’s one thing that hasn’t changed!"

Chen Cheng asked with interest, "What’s that?"

Mei Xiang tugged at his hand, "Follow me."

...

...

Hiname Shrine is situated in the middle of Zhenming Mountain and is a favorite spot for locals to visit during their first shrine visit of the New Year.

The shrine worships Japan’s fire god and earth god, so those who come here to pray, are seeking good fortune, bountiful harvests, and prosperous business.

Standing in front of the main hall, Mei Xiang first bowed to the statues inside the temple, then clapped her hands twice, and expressed her wish in Japanese.

Naturally, Chen Cheng didn’t understand her wish, but judging by her expression, it was probably related to him.

"Brother Cheng, make a wish too." Mei Xiang eagerly stepped aside, "Come on!"

After thinking for a bit, Chen Cheng made a wish in his own way, silently in his heart.

Mei Xiang asked eagerly, "Brother Cheng, what did you wish for?"

Chen Cheng smiled, "Back where I come from, if you tell your wish, it won’t come true."

"Humph!"

She pretended to be angry but couldn’t hide her sweet smile.

"Are we done?" Chen Cheng asked.

"No, not yet, this way." Mei Xiang led the way, adding, "As a child, my mom would bring me here every year. Nothing has changed here."

As she spoke, she took out 200 yen and handed it to Chen Cheng, "Here, toss the coin and then draw a Divine Fortune."

Mei Xiang went first, and Chen Cheng followed suit.

But the "Divine Fortune" he held in his hand puzzled him again.

Aside from the large red characters for Hiname Shrine, and some red grid lines, there was nothing on the plain piece of paper.

He held it up to the sunlight, looked it over several times and said, "There’s nothing written on this, is there?"

Mei Xiang smiled and said, "The oracle has not yet been revealed."

"You’ve gotten quite good at learning our stuff."

"You’ll see it soon enough."

She took Chen Cheng’s hand and continued deeper into the shrine, passing through the vermilion torii gate and onto the path paved with bluestone slabs, flanked by towering cedar trees. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground.

The air was filled with a faint scent of grass and wood, refreshing and pleasant.

"Look!"

Mei Xiang pointed to a huge cedar tree not far away, its trunk entwined with thick vines, very imposing.

"This tree is called the ’Couple’s Tree,’ and it’s been here for hundreds of years!"

She pointed to the red Prayer Cards tied around the trunk and explained, "Legend has it that as long as a couple makes a wish under this tree, they will be blessed by the deities and stay together forever!"

Then she stood in front of the cedar, clapped her hands twice, and this time said in Chinese, "I hope that I and Chen Cheng can be together forever!"

Chen Cheng, watching Mei Xiang’s devout demeanor, walked over to her side, took her hand, and interlocked their fingers.

"We will."

He looked into her eyes and said earnestly, "We will be together forever."

Mei Xiang tiptoed and gave Chen Cheng a peck on the face, "Forever."

The two continued on their way, and the blank paper in Chen Cheng’s hand finally served its purpose.

A shallow stone basin held the flow of a mountain spring.

Mei Xiang, holding Chen Cheng’s hand, stopped in front of the stone basin.

She brought out her own drawn fortune, "Brother Cheng, put the Divine Fortune in, and the divine will reveal the answer to you."

Chen Cheng smiled faintly, bent down, and placed the paper in the water.

In no time, faint ink marks began to appear on the blank sheet, and after a short wait, the "oracle" Mei Xiang mentioned appeared before them.

The oracle looked a bit like the fortune explanation papers from temples back home but included an extra step and was in Japanese.

Mei Xiang was delighted, "Brother Cheng, yours is moderate luck! That’s really good!"

She took out the paper, looked at the text, and then asked, "What did you just wish for?"

"Do I really have to say?"

Mei Xiang nodded.

Chen Cheng spoke truthfully, "I hope Mei Xiang is always happy and carefree."

Mei Xiang didn’t expect Chen Cheng’s wish to be so simple. She saw his refreshed smile, his youthful heart, and was deeply moved.

"Well...then according to the oracle, you need to go back under the Couple’s Tree and tie up a Prayer Card."

"Okay, I’ll listen to you."

Chen Cheng asked, "What about yours?"

Mei Xiang carefully placed her own Divine Fortune in the water and after a moment, Chen Cheng saw two characters, "Great luck."

"Your luck is even better than mine," he said with a smile, "so what was your wish just now?"

Mei Xiang, as if treasuring a precious gift, gazed deeply at the man before her and voiced the wish she made in Japanese:

"The person I love will surely return when the rice in the fields is ripe."

Chen Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then understood the sentiments of Mei Xiang.

He held her tightly in his embrace, "They will, they definitely will."

Mei Xiang nodded vigorously, hugging Chen Cheng’s waist tightly.

Chen Cheng didn’t believe in deities, but he wouldn’t let Mei Xiang be disappointed.

Following the guidance of the oracle, they went back to the Couple’s Tree.

Mei Xiang bought a Prayer Card and a pen from a nearby stall and handed them to Chen Cheng, "Brother Cheng, you write."

Chen Cheng took them and earnestly wrote, "May Mei Xiang be forever happy, may we accompany each other for life — Chen Cheng."

The twilight sky was brilliant, and facing the glow of the setting sun, they hung the Prayer Card high together.

The delicate red string tied not just the robust twigs but also each other in their gaze.