chapter 152: unblessed

[Temple - Stairs]

Every year before the New Year came greeting the Kams, they would go to the temple to pray. In this particular year, Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) was more than eager to go. With all the recent events that had been happening to her family leading up to the New Year, she was very worried. It was bad luck to enter a new year with so many traumatic baggages.

However, they weren't the only family in Hong Kong who had such an agenda. The temple was very crowded with many other families wishing to do the same things as the Kams. The New Year period was always very busy and hectic. Usually, the Kams would be as cheerful and talkative as the other families, but with so many things bogging down on them, they found it hard to chat frivolously this year.

Ah Nin (Frankie Lam) could sense the tension and worry in Nim Chi's face as they were walking up the temple stairs. "Ma Chi, relax! The heavens are on our side."

Nim Chi is skeptical. "I don't know if we've done something really wrong, but recently-"

Ah Nin ushers her to stop. "Say no more. The New Year is coming. Why do you have to keep mentioning the bad news of last year? It's going to be a fresh start soon. Everything will be good again. You just wait and see."

Nim Chi smiles at Ah Nin. He always knew the right things to say to cheer her up. Out of all four children, Nim Chi felt a special fondness for Ah Nin. He had always been so wise beyond his years. In a way, Nim Chi felt that he was a bit too serious. However, without him, Nim Chi couldn't imagine how she could have gotten through all those years.

Her eldest son, Ah Sing (Hawick Lau), used to be very playful, but since Fiona's (Sherming Yiu) situation had come about, he had lost his joking ways. He was solemn and quiet. Nim Chi gives him a slight pinch. He is startled at first, but then gives her a smile. It was going to be tough, but she was sure he could make it through. She still felt uneasy about leaving Fiona at the mental institution, but she trusted her son's decision. Besides, dealing with Fiona that one day when she called her "fat maid" had been more than enough.

"Oh my god! Why are there so many stairs?" Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) complains. She and Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) were carrying Fu jai and Gwai mui in their arms while Ah Hong (Johnny Tang) and Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) carried Foon Foon and Hei Hei on their backs.

"Heaven is up high. If a temple was down low, it won't be holy, isn't that right?" Gam (Louis Yuen) laughs.

"It is so tiring..." Ah Lo breathes heavily.

"Second sister-in-law, aren't you the one who always says you're so in shape? Don't tell me you're out of breath already!" Ah Yat says as she breathes rapidly.

"You're out of breath too!"

"Foon Foon is far heavier than Gwai mui."

"You two would have more energy if you shut your mouths!" Nim Chi scolds.

Ah Lo and Ah Yat make faces at each other.

After all those stairs, they finally make it to the temple grounds. They exhale a sigh of relief. Ah Lo looks back down at the stairs going down and groans. She didn't want to think about the flight down.

[Temple - Interior]

Nim Chi was down on bended knees in front of the golden Goddess of Mercy statue. Her hands are pressed tightly together as she prays to her. "Goddess of Mercy above, please have some pity on this old soul. My family has been through a lot recently. I will trade anything if happiness could return to our house." Tears wallow in Nim Chi's eyes.

Ah Nin's heart breaks watching his mother pray and sob silently. "Please grant my mother her wishes and bless my family," he prays.

Nim Chi bows her head three times to complete her prayers and then walks over to place the incense sticks in the huge golden incense collector. She dabs her eyes to stop any tears from dropping. It was supposed to be a happy event - no tears were allowed.

Rose (Kenix Kwok) didn't believe in the heavens, let alone prayers. She only believed in herself. However, she pretended to pray and thought to herself, "This is so ridiculous. Look at all these low class, pathetic people here praying like they think this will help them. Please!"

Ah Sing closes his eyes as he prays to the heavens above, "I'm begging you, please heal Fiona. My wife is innocent. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this. I will gladly trade places with her if need be. Please rescue her."

Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) prays, "Please let this new year be fruitful for my family. Please grant me a child."

Gam says silently, "You want to keep enjoying the incense and offerings to keep you full right? Then, please give us a child. If we're childless, there will be one less person to bring offerings to you in the future, isn't that right? All we want is one..."

Ah Hong prays, "Heaven above, please allow only prosperity and happiness to enter our family."

"I hope everyone's wishes come true. Please let justice, wealth, health, and happiness flow through all of Hong Kong," Ah Yat says to the statue of Buddha.

"Ah Yuet! Hurry up," Ah Lo whines as she looks after all four of their kids. "How much do you have to pray for?"

Ah Yuet bows his head and then turns towards his wife. "With my wife involved, I have to pray for the whole world," he smiles. "It's your turn now."

"Finally!" Ah Lo quickly gets down onto her knees and prays, "May next year bring wealth to my family. I hope everyone is wealthy and may all wishes be granted. Please guide and aid my kids in their growth."

Everyone met up after they were done praying.

"Let's get our fortunes told now!" Ah Lo exclaims.

Ying Gei nods her head, "Yes! That's a good idea."

"Hopefully we will all get good fortunes," Ah Hong smiles.

Rose finds herself wanting to roll her eyes, but she has to suppress it. "Oh my god. This is so ridiculous. As if praying wasn't bad enough... now fortune telling? Give me a break! My future is held within my hand. I don't need a con-artist to tell me what my future holds."

[Half-a-Day God's Booth]

"Happy New Year!" Half-a-Day God (Robert Siu) greets the Kams when they approach his booth.

"Half-a-Day God," Nim Chi smiles at him as she sits down opposite of him.

"Auntie Chi, something's odd about you today," he says. She looks at him quizzically. "There are black clouds hovering over your head. Even though you smile, you're not happy inside."

Nim Chi bites her lips. "Well, yes..."

"Big things have happened to your family recently and changed everything, haven't they?"

She silently nods her head.

Half-a-Day God glances at the rest of the family. "Hmm... it seems like the black clouds are hovering over everyone." He notices Rose. "Oh, who is this? The clouds are especially thick with you."

"She's my future daughter-in-law," Nim Chi says. "Her name is Rose. She's going to marry Ah Nin."

"If I'm not mistaken, you were recently engaged in something that caused you to bleed?"

Nim Chi gasps. "Yes. She was a victim at a murder scene."

Rose laughs nervously at Half-a-Day God, "My bad streak ends here, right?"

Half-a-Day God shakes his head. "The black clouds are so heavy around and behind you. I sense a ring of injustice..."

Ah Lo whispers to Ah Yuet, "I told you she was guilty."

Nim Chi asks, "Isn't there any way we can help her?"

"These things are controlled by the heavens."

Rose bends down and says to Nim Chi, "Don't worry, I don't believe in these things."

"Will Ah Nin's marriage be smooth?" Nim Chi asks.

Half-a-Day God takes a look at Ah Nin's palm. He nods his head. "Yes, he will have a very fruitful and long marriage."

Rose grins and hugs Ah Nin, "Finally some good news."

Ah Lo rolls her eyes, "I thought you don't believe in 'these' things."

"No, but it doesn't hurt to listen when it's good," Rose retorts.

Half-a-Day God continues, "However..."

"What?"

"He will have a blood-shedding event in the near future and see the insides of two unpleasant places."

Nim Chi gasps, "Oh my god."

"But," Half-a-Day God continues, "After that, things will be very good."

"What places are they?" Ah Nin questions.

"I can't reveal heavenly truth."

"You will for money, though, isn't that right?" Gam laughs.

He turns to Gam and says, "Hmm... things aren't that good for you either, right?"

Ying Gei chimes in, "Oh my god, you're amazing. We are having trouble having a child."

Gam hushes Ying Gei, "The world doesn't need to know!"

Half-a-Day God snickers.

Gam is angry. "Just because we're facing a little difficulty doesn't mean we'll never have one. Unlike you, who can never have any."

"Gam Gam, calm down. He didn't mean anything by it. Half-a-Day God, we will have a child, right?"

He takes a look at both of their palms. Finally, he says, "The line for children for both of you is very faint-"

Ying Gei frowns.

"However, this isn't to say that it's hopeless." He pats her hand. "The heavens are good to those who deserve it."

"What about us?" Ah Lo jumps in.

He observes Ah Lo and Ah Yuet and then says, "Someone will appear and this person will cause everything to change."

"Huh?" Ah Yuet is confused.

"Don't tell me second sister-in-law is going to be pregnant again. God. She's like a pig that won't stop," Ah Yat rolls her eyes.

"Half-a-Day God, can you clarify that?" Ah Lo asks.

"Heavenly truth cannot be revealed," is his answer.

"Well, what's her fortune then?" Ah Lo points to Ah Yat.

"Ay, second sister-in-law, you are so small-minded. Just because you got a bad fortune, you think I will get one too? Half-a-Day God, what is my fortune?" Ah Yat asks.

"I see a lot of success in your future-"

"See?" Ah Yat smirks.

"But, whether there's happiness along with it is questionable."

"Huh?"

Ah Lo laughs. "Success without happiness? A pity."

"Well, it's better than having my life completely change." Ah Yat smiles.

"Ah Sing, don't you want your fortune told?" Nim Chi asks her sullen son.

He shakes his head. "No thanks."

Nim Chi notices Half-a-Day God looking at Ah Sing in a weird way. "Have you predicted something about Ah Sing?"

"He doesn't want to hear it."

"Is it good news or bad?"

"It depends."

Nim Chi frowns. "Half-a-Day God, do you have no happy news for us?"

"If you want to hear lies of false happiness, you can go see the other fortune tellers. I only speak the truth as told to me from the heavens."

She sighs. "I don't know what bad luck our family has run into."

"Auntie Chi, don't be so depressed and hopeless. Where there's a will, there's a way."

"Thank you, Half-a-Day God." She hands him a lucky money packet. "Happy New Year."

[Temple - Exterior]

"Ma Chi, don't be so down," Ah Nin urges. "We all know that fortune tellers aren't trust-worthy."

"That's right, that Half-a-Day God is a scum," Gam agrees.

"I know I shouldn't take his words too seriously, but he knew so much about our family and what happened recently. Besides, we've known him for so long... he's good. It's better to be safe than sorry, so I can't help but worry about what he said," Nim Chi explains.

"Auntie Chi, we control our own lives. I don't believe it's prewritten," Rose says.

"Yes, don't be upset, Ma Chi," Ah Yuet says.

"I suppose we'll just have to take things as they come," Nim Chi concludes.

Even if they refused to believe Half-a-Day God's words, the Kams couldn't help but be bothered by them and consumed into thoughts and speculations on what they meant and how true they would or could be.