Unusual trip to the suburbs augurs well
<p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="James">James</span> <span word="Healy">Healy</span></p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="fortune">fortune</span> <span word="recently">recently</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="travel">travel</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="far">far</span>-<span word="flung">flung</span> <span word="Pinggu">Pinggu</span> <span word="district">district</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="greeted">greeted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="strikingly">strikingly</span> <span word="blue">blue</span> <span word="skies">skies</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="white">white</span>, <span word="cotton">cotton</span>-<span word="puff">puff</span> <span word="clouds">clouds</span>.</p><p><span word="An">An</span> <span word="extraordinary">extraordinary</span> <span word="feast">feast</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Yangtze">Yangtze</span> <span word="fat">fat</span>-<span word="head">head</span> <span word="fish">fish</span> <span word="cooked">cooked</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="wood">wood</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="awaited">awaited</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="merely">merely</span> <span word="icing">icing</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cake">cake</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="went">went</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Pinggu">Pinggu</span>, <span word="about">about</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="hour">hour</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="drive">drive</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Chaoyang">Chaoyang</span> <span word="district">district</span>, <span word="specifically">specifically</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="consult">consult</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="Liu">Liu</span> <span word="Ming">Ming</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fortune">fortune</span> <span word="teller">teller</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="his">his</span> 80<span word="s">s</span> <span word="who">who</span>, <span word="though">though</span> <span word="deprived">deprived</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sight">sight</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="known">known</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="insights">insights</span>.</p><p><span word="Only">Only</span> <span word="once">once</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="consulted">consulted</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="seer">seer</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="episode">episode</span> <span word="increased">increased</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="respect">respect</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mysteries">mysteries</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="universe">universe</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="across">across</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="clairvoyant">clairvoyant</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="chance">chance</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="seated">seated</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lighted">lighted</span> <span word="booth">booth</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dark">dark</span>, <span word="remote">remote</span> <span word="hillside">hillside</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Halloween">Halloween</span> <span word="pumpkin">pumpkin</span> <span word="patch">patch</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="US">US</span> <span word="hometown">hometown</span>. <span word="She">She</span> <span word="told">told</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="soon">soon</span> <span word="travel">travel</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="faraway">faraway</span> <span word="land">land</span> <span word="and">and</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="fact">fact</span>, <span word="three">three</span> <span word="months">months</span> <span word="later">later</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="offered">offered</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="job">job</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="Pinggu">Pinggu</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="friends">friends</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="arrived">arrived</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Liu">Liu</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="passing">passing</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="gate">gate</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="creaked">creaked</span> <span word="eerily">eerily</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="swung">swung</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="breeze">breeze</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="seer">seer</span> <span word="sat">sat</span> <span word="cross">cross</span>-<span word="legged">legged</span> <span word="atop">atop</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="raised">raised</span> <span word="brick">brick</span> <span word="platform">platform</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="bedding">bedding</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="neatly">neatly</span> <span word="stacked">stacked</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="furrows">furrows</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="forehead">forehead</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wrinkles">wrinkles</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="face">face</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="bathed">bathed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="brilliant">brilliant</span> <span word="sunlight">sunlight</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="streamed">streamed</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="open">open</span> <span word="curtains">curtains</span>.</p><p><span word="Pausing">Pausing</span> <span word="occasionally">occasionally</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="coughed">coughed</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="leaned">leaned</span> <span word="forward">forward</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="plastic">plastic</span> <span word="bucket">bucket</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="spittoon">spittoon</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="asked">asked</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="friend">friend</span> <span word="Anne">Anne</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="native">native</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="tell">tell</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="full">full</span> <span word="name">name</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="date">date</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="birth">birth</span>.</p>
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