Heavenly Eyes

CHAPTER 4

Section 7: The Heavenly Eye.

Li Zhuangzhuang, because he ate a lot and grew strong, quickly became the boss of the kindergarten.

 

As his ‘benefactor,’ my position in the kindergarten was extremely high.

 

If there were toys, Li Zhuangzhuang would grab them all and let me pick first. The slides, seesaws, rocking horses... if I wanted to play, Li Zhuangzhuang would guard them and not let anyone else play.

 

As for the kindergarten's daily snacks, Li Zhuangzhuang would let me eat his, and he would go and grab snacks from the little rich kids.

Others, intimidated by Li Zhuangzhuang's fists and my reputation as a little fortune teller, dared not speak out.

 

But the little rich kid couldn't stand the injustice and would stage a ‘snack defense battle’ with Li Zhuangzhuang every day.

 

The little rich kid was in my class. I heard his family was incredibly wealthy, a prominent family in the city, but for some reason, he was fostered with relatives in the countryside.

 

That's why his clothes, food, and everything else were the best in the kindergarten.

 

He usually wore a little suit and small leather shoes, with his hair neatly combed back.

While the rest of us kids were just eating snacks, playing on the slides, and watching cartoons with runny noses, the little rich kid was already playing the piano, reciting classical poetry, proficient in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and even speaking English.

 

But the little rich kid was solitary and proud, without friends in kindergarten. Only Li Zhuangzhuang would steal his snacks.

 

At those times, the little rich kid would angrily chase after Li Zhuangzhuang to fight.

But I knew the little rich kid didn't actually like the kindergarten snacks; he thought they were tasteless.

 

He just simply wanted to chase and play fight with Li Zhuangzhuang.

 

One day, the little rich kid suddenly gave his snack to Li Zhuangzhuang.

 

“Here, for you!”

Li Zhuangzhuang usually took the snacks by force. Seeing the little rich kid give him the snack willingly, he was a little puzzled.

 

“Shao Lanxuan, why? Didn't you hate it when I took your snacks?”

 

The little rich kid's name sounded like someone from a wealthy family. Hearing the question, he curled his lips and smiled gently.

 

“I was just playing with you.”

“I'm leaving. I told Teacher Zhang to give all my snacks to you from now on.”

 

Saying this, he glanced at me from across the crowd.

 

“Don't feed her anymore, that girl is almost as fat as you.”

 

With that one sentence, the little rich kid scolded both me and Li Zhuangzhuang.

What does he mean, I'm almost as fat as Li Zhuangzhuang?

 

Grandma says I'm not fat at all, I'm just chubby!

 

And, he wants to cut off my snacks—his intentions are truly evil!

 

I immediately got upset.

 

“Shao Lanxuan, if you're leaving, just leave, why can't Li Zhuangzhuang give me snacks anymore?”

 

Shao Lanxuan was a little surprised by my words.

“You could hear that from so far away? It seems you really are the little fortune teller everyone says you are.”

 

Because I have three eyes, my five senses are especially sharp. Although Shao Lanxuan and Li Zhuangzhuang were tens of meters away from me, I could still hear them clearly.

 

Hearing Shao Lanxuan call me ‘little fortune teller,’ I wasn't angry.

 

“I am! Everyone says that when I grow up, I'll inherit Grandma's mantle.”

Shao Lanxuan smiled and took a piece of candy from his pocket.

 

“Since you're so amazing, can you tell me about my future? This is imported chocolate. If you can tell me what it is, I'll give it to you!”

 

Chocolate was quite a rare treat back then. Shao Lanxuan looked serious, and I hesitated, looking at the chocolate in front of me.

Grandma said that it's best not to reveal what you see, and not to help people see their future casually.

 

But Li Zhuangzhuang was already drooling.

 

“Wow! It's really chocolate! Shen Tongtong, quickly tell his fortune, didn't you do it for me last time?”

 

Li Zhuangzhuang really loved sweets. Before I could even agree, he'd already opened the wrapper.

 

Immediately, the sweet scent of milk chocolate filled my nostrils.

“Gulp…” I swallowed. I wanted to eat it too...

 

I could only tell Shao Lanxuan what I saw, using the phrases I'd learned from Grandma.

 

“You... have extraordinary talent, are protected by auspicious energy, and are incredibly valuable; you excel in many areas.

 

But your destiny is too hard, you are destined to bring misfortune to your parents... When you were very young, your parents passed away, and you have no relatives to rely on, you can only rely on yourself, and there are many villains around you who covet you.

 

From the moment you were born, you encountered a major disaster, and someone took the blow for you… At the age of three, there was a calamity, at eight... twelve... fifteen... eighteen…”

I was just making things up, after all, I didn't really know, but gradually, my mouth just wouldn't stop.

 

Shao Lanxuan's face turned very ugly as he listened to my words.

 

His gaze was filled with fear and complexity.

 

I only felt that the third eye on my forehead was burning intensely.

Immediately covering my forehead, I shook my head and said, “No more, no more! Li Zhuangzhuang, don't finish it all, let me have a taste!”

 

Then I chased after Li Zhuangzhuang.

 

But as I ran, I couldn't help but look back at Shao Lanxuan one more time.

 

This person is really unlucky; his life is full of so many calamities.

 

Seeing me dazed, Li Zhuangzhuang asked, “Is the little rich kid really that unlucky?”

 

I snatched a piece of chocolate from his hand and ate it.

I mumbled vaguely, “Probably.”

 

Li Zhuangzhuang pulled me along, saying, “Then look at me!”

 

I turned and glanced at him.

 

“Chubby.”

 

Li Zhuangzhuang, who had been full of anticipation, was a little disappointed when I only said that one thing.

 

“Then what? That's it?”

I blinked, feeling my head swim and a wave of dizziness wash over me.

 

I tried to see Li Zhuangzhuang's future like I had done with Shao Lanxuan, but my eyes rolled back, and I fainted.

 

When I woke up, I was already lying in my bed at home.

 

Li Zhuangzhuang and Shao Lanxuan were watching over me by my little bed.

Seeing me wake up, they worriedly asked:

 

“Little fortune teller, are you okay?”

 

“Shen Tongtong, are you alright?”

 

I shook my head, feeling something was wrong, but also feeling like nothing was wrong.

 

Grandma brought me a bowl of fragrant egg noodles.

“Hungry? Eat something first.”

 

Grandma's egg noodles were so fragrant that the sad atmosphere was instantly replaced by delicious food.

 

Li Zhuangzhuang, small as he was, had a big appetite and ate a whole bowl.

 

The young master, who usually fussed over everything, ate exceptionally well today.

Because my house is on the mountain and Li Zhuangzhuang and Shao Lanxuan lived in the village below, it wasn't safe for two kids to go down the mountain at night, so they stayed at my house that night.

 

Grandma made beds for them in the guest room, and the two who usually fought with each other slept soundly together that night.

After they fell asleep, Grandma told me:

 

The reason why I fainted today is because I revealed Heaven's secrets.

 

The gods in Heaven were angry and temporarily took away my abilities. For a long time, I won't be able to use them again.

I asked Grandma, “How long is ‘temporarily’?”

 

Grandma said she didn't know.

 

At the time, I just felt that not seeing strange things anymore was actually quite nice.

 

But much later, when I recalled that thought, I felt incredibly regretful.

Section 8: The Funeral.

Soon after, Shao Lanxuan's family took him to the city.

 

He cried when he left, saying he would miss us.

 

After that, we often received gifts from him.

 

Sometimes they were delicious treats, sometimes small toys, and sometimes stationery like pens, notebooks, and books.

 

Li Zhuangzhuang was a chubby little boy who only liked to eat.

And after the gods temporarily took away my special abilities, I also became a clumsy child.

 

We two clumsy kids weren't interested in books and stationery; we only liked the toys and food Shao Lanxuan sent.

 

I really wanted to tell him, “Don't send useless things, send more food!”

But we didn't know his address, so we had to give up.

 

Although Li Zhuangzhuang and I were not studious, thankfully, due to the good national policies and the implementation of nine-year compulsory education, we still went to elementary school.

 

There was no elementary school in the village at the time; to go to school, we had to go to town.

 

So Li Zhuangzhuang and I, getting up early and staying out late every day, began our elementary school years.

Li Zhuangzhuang became my classmate. He was different from the chubby kid he was in kindergarten.

 

At eight years old, Li Zhuangzhuang started to grow taller, shooting up a bit.

 

Since his weight didn't increase, Li Zhuangzhuang didn't look as chubby anymore, and his small eyes seemed more open and relaxed.

 

He had run wild in the village and on the mountains since he was little, so he was quite athletic.

Gradually, he became very popular.

 

Because I wasn't very bright and consistently scored last in exams, I didn't have many friends besides Li Zhuangzhuang.

 

Li Zhuangzhuang had a bit of a temper, and I was at the bottom of the class, so we were always together, and everyone called us ‘Doofus and Grumpy.’

 

Around third grade, when I was ten, my parents, who hadn't visited me for a long time, suddenly came to school to pick me up.

My mother was incredibly beautiful, and my father was tall and handsome. They were stylishly and richly dressed, looking completely out of place in our small town elementary school.

 

Seeing me, my mother smiled and took my hand.

 

“You're Tongtong, right? I'm your mother. Your father and I are here to take you to your paternal grandmother's funeral. We've already spoken to your teacher and your grandmother. We have to catch a flight tonight, so let's go.”

 

Although I subconsciously knew the woman in front of me was my mother, deep down I felt a sense of resistance towards her.

It wasn't because she had wanted to abandon me at birth.

 

I just didn't like getting close to strangers, and her immediately grabbing my hand made me uncomfortable.

 

My father seemed to sense my resistance. He bent down and softly said to me, “Tongtong, don't be afraid. We really are your parents. Look, you look so much like your father! If you still don't believe us, shall we call Grandma?”

 

I took two steps back and turned to look at Li Zhuangzhuang.

 

Li Zhuangzhuang whispered in my ear, “That man does actually look quite like you.”

 

Of course, I knew that. I just didn't want to go with them.

 

But they took me to the teacher's office, and they called my grandmother.

Grandma told me that my grandmother had passed away and that the Shen family had very strict rules. As the eldest granddaughter, my parents were required by the elders to bring me back for the funeral.

 

She also told me, “Be a good girl, Tongtong. Your parents will bring you back in a week at most. When the time comes, grandma will pick you up, okay?”

 

Knowing I had no choice and unwilling to cause Grandma any trouble, I nodded.

I went to the provincial capital with my parents and attended my paternal grandmother's funeral.

 

My father's family was huge, unlike my maternal grandmother's side, which had very few people.

 

I thought everyone would dislike me.

 

Unexpectedly, they seemed unaware of my three eyes. They praised my maternal grandmother for raising me well and said I was clearly my father's child.

They even said they wanted me to stay in the city to go to school and not return.

 

My parents even smiled and said that after the funeral, they would take care of the transfer procedures for my school.

 

I was terrified. I didn't want to go to school in the city, and I didn't want to leave my maternal grandmother.

 

Everyone in the family seemed happy, but I stood there silently, head bowed, saying nothing.

 

Just as I was thinking about how I could smoothly return to the small mountain village where I had grown up, a soft, small hand reached out and took mine.

Looking down, I saw my younger brother.

 

My brother, Shen Chen, was only five years old. He was chubby and fair-skinned, his skin so smooth it looked like it could be squeezed out like water.

 

His eyes were round and bright, and when he smiled, they looked like crescent moons.

 

He was especially close to me. As soon as he saw me, he warmly called out, “Sister!”

 

Just then, my brother pulled a candy from his pocket and offered it to me:

 

“Sister, eat candy.”

 

I have recently changed my baby teeth to permanent teeth, and it is not suitable for me to eat candy.

“Thank you, little brother, but if Sister eats candy, my teeth will fall out.”

 

Chenchen opened his mouth, revealing his own set of pearly white teeth, as if telling me that eating candy wouldn't cause teeth to fall out.

 

Oh, silly child, in a little while, you won't say that anymore.

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