Madrid. Usera.
Lu Chao and her father's bar opened on Dolores Barranco Street, called "Chao Ji". The name was given by her grandfather, who was from Cantonese and came out decades ago. After her father died, the store was passed down to her father. Her father didn't know what was trendy, so he only knew how to sell beer and croquettes.
There was no one in the store that afternoon. Lu Chao was doing his homework behind the bar. He had only written two lines when someone pushed the door in and the bell rang.
"The door isn't open yet." Lu Chao didn't look up.
The person who came in said nothing. Lu Chao looked up. A girl, about her age, with black hair in a low ponytail, wearing a dark blue sweatshirt with sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The face is very thin, the chin is pointed, and the eyes are not big but bright.
"Looking for someone." The girl said.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Looking for someone who can tell fortunes."
Lu Chao put down his pen. "Who did you listen to?"
"Online."
Lu Chao looked at her for two seconds, turned around and shouted to the kitchen: "Mom! Someone is looking for her!"
Her mother came out of the kitchen with flour on her apron. He looked at the girl, didn't ask any questions, and said, "Sit down."
The girl sat down at the bar. Her mother wiped her hands on her apron and sat across from her.
"What?"
The girl stretched out her hand and turned it over, palm up. "Calculate my fate."
Her mother glanced down at her palm without touching it for a few seconds. Then he looked up at her and then at Lu Chao.
"Wait a moment." Her mother stood up and entered the back room.
Lu Chao and the girl looked at each other. The girl had no expression on her face.
"Where are you from?" Lu Chao asked.
"Barcelona."
"Specially here to tell fortunes?"
"Yeah."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Me too."
Her mother came out of the back room with a deck of cards in her hand. Those were not tarot cards, they were Chinese cards, dominoes, old ones, with the corners rounded. She spread a black cloth on the table and placed the cards on it.
"What's it called?" Her mother asked.
"Jiang Gui."
"Jiang Gui." Her mother read it once, shuffled the cards three times, and pushed them in front of her. "Draw three."
Jiang Gui drew three cards and placed them on the black cloth.
Her mother watched for a few seconds. No words were spoken. I watched it for a few more seconds. Then he looked up at Lu Chao.
"Come here too."
Lu Chao walked over and stood next to her mother. "What for?"
"Draw three."
"I don't count my fortune."
"Pump."
Lu Chao reached out and took out three cards and placed them next to Jiang Gui's three cards.
Her mother stared at the six cards for a long time. The store was quiet, the refrigerator humming. Someone was passing by the door, talking loudly, but I couldn't hear what was said.
Her mother collected the cards, folded them, and covered them with a black cloth.
"I can't decide what the cards say about you two." Her mother stood up and entered the back room with the cards.
In all these years of fortune-telling with her mother, Lu Chao heard her say for the first time that she "can't make the decision."
Lu Chao looked at Jiang Gui, and Jiang Gui looked at her.
"Are you hungry?" Lu Chao asked.
"It's okay."
Lu Chao turned around and went into the kitchen, brought out two plates of pasta, and pushed one plate in front of Jiang Gui.
"Eat."
Jiang Gui took a look at the noodles, picked up his fork and ate them.
The two people sat on both sides of the bar eating noodles, and neither of them spoke. Lu Chao was halfway through eating when he looked up at Jiang Gui and found that Jiang Gui also looked up at her. The two looked at each other, then lowered their heads and continued eating.
After eating, Lu Chao put away his plate and washed it in the sink.
"Where do you live?" She asked.
"Not looking for it."
"Do you have money?"
"Yes."
"Then go find a hotel."
"Yeah."
Jiang Gui stood up and carried his bag. Walking to the door, he put his hand on the door handle and looked back at Lu Chao.
"Do you believe this?" She asked.
Lu Chao leaned on the bar and thought for a while.
"I don't know."
Jiang Gui nodded, opened the door and went out. The bell rang.
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