The divorced woman asked me to tell her fortune about the child in her womb who had no fetal soul, so I pretended to pick up the abacus and started fiddling with it.

The woman looked curious, "Don't fortune tellers use copper coins? Can you use this abacus to tell fortunes? I only know that my dad used this to keep accounts in the production team when he was young. Are you trying to fool me?"

"Of course, the abacus can be used to tell fortunes. It's a very ancient way of fortune-telling, and it's more accurate than copper coins."

"Oh, can you use the abacus to calculate the Bazi (the Eight Characters, referring to the year, month, day, and hour of a person's birth) of the two of us?" The woman still looked curious, and besides curiosity, there seemed to be a hint of doubt.

Seeing that the woman was so interested, I simply explained it to her, demonstrating as I spoke, "Look, this is the time you conceived the child, this is your name, Bazi, this is the Bazi of the child's father, and the time and place you two did the deed, all this information is added in, and then..."

Then, I was stunned.

Originally, I just planned to move the abacus beads a few times casually to make a show of it. I didn't really intend to tell the child's fortune. The child has no fetal soul, so the fortune calculated must be an empty one.

However, as I explained to the woman and moved the abacus beads, I still casually entered the child's information, and then, I actually got a result of sixty-five years of life, dying of old age.

Wow, this silly child without a fetal soul can not only be born, but also grow up healthy and live to be sixty-five years old.

Goodness, how will he spend these sixty-five years? His mother is already this old, can she take care of a silly son for sixty-five years? Even if this woman lives to be a hundred years old, a centenarian old woman can't take care of a fool.

Without a fetal soul, that's a pure fool. No matter how you treat him, he can't take care of himself. Being able to take care of his own eating, drinking, and bathroom needs is already the limit. Will his older brother and sister-in-law have to support him for the rest of his life? When the older brother and sister-in-law are old too, will the nephews and nieces continue the relay?

This story sounds really touching, but why do I only feel sadness? What did the older brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces do to deserve this, having to take care of a fool all the time?

I admit, I'm not noble. According to my vulgar values, I think it's more appropriate to abort this child. Aborting this child is better for both the parents and the child.

The woman's current situation is not suitable for having another child. If it was a healthy child, there might be something to consider, but this kind of child without a fetal soul...

"Sir, sir!"

"Ah!"

The woman called me twice before I realized I was in a daze.

"Sir, have you figured it out? How will my child's life be? Will he be happy?"

"Uh? It's almost done, I'm calculating, calculating, please wait a moment."

I quickly pulled my mind back and went through the abacus again. A child without a fetal soul, born into such a family, definitely couldn't live to be sixty-five years old. I must have calculated it wrong just now, definitely calculated it wrong.

However, I repeated the calculation several times, and the results were the same: the child's lifespan is sixty-five years, a lifetime of peace and health, dying of old age.

Seeing my solemn expression and constantly moving the abacus beads, the woman became a little worried.

"Sir, did you calculate something bad? My child won't be able to survive, will he? Sir, please say something, how is my child?" The woman covered her chest, as if a piece of bad news could knock her to the ground.

"No, the divination shows that this child is very healthy, but, it's just physical health, not as smart as you think, and he won't become an official and rise to prominence. In fact, he will depend on you for care in many ways."

I tried to put it as tactfully as possible, not daring to directly say that she would have to raise a fool for sixty-five years.

"Thank goodness, thank Buddha, it's good as long as the child is healthy. As long as he can be born safely and grow up happily, I ask for nothing else." The woman breathed a sigh of relief, chanting and thanking this and that.

I was stunned there again, "Didn't you say that you conceived this child because the child's father has good genes, and you hoped that this child could give you a good life in your later years? This child is not as good as you think, he is just an ordinary person, or even worse than ordinary people, and is very likely to become a burden to you. Shouldn't you be very disappointed?"

"As a mother, how can I be disappointed in my own child? In fact, it's good as long as the child is healthy. As long as the child can be born safely, even if I raise him for the rest of my life, it's fine." The woman finally showed a smile on her face.

I looked at the woman in confusion. Am I still too young? Can't understand people of this age, can't understand the feelings of being a parent?

Perhaps my silly look made the woman find it funny, so she took the initiative to explain to me that when she had that one-night stand with that man, it was indeed because she loved that man too much, and it was an impulse caused by love, without thinking about the consequences.

Later, when she found out she was pregnant, her son and daughter-in-law wanted her to abort the child. She said a lot of angry words, saying that she couldn't count on the eldest son and had to rely on the child in her womb, and so on.

In fact, the only real reason she didn't abort the child was that she truly loved this child. Since the child came into her womb, it was destined to be with her. Giving birth to the child safely and taking good care of him is her responsibility as a mother. Even if the child cannot be as good as his father, it doesn't matter.

The eldest son has already grown up, and she has already done what she can for him. If the second child needs her care more, then she is willing to take care of this child until she is too old to move.

"Oh, oh." I replied awkwardly, not even hearing clearly what the woman said later.

"Well, then, you should rest well. I have some other things to do, so I'll go first."

The woman smiled and saw me out, stroking her still flat belly from time to time, with a look of happiness on her face.

I came out of the divorced woman's room and shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my mind.

Humans are the most complex animals in the world, so it's normal for there to be things I don't understand. Perhaps, I really have to become a parent to understand their thoughts.

I adjusted my emotions and prepared to go to the third woman's room, but after knocking on the door several times, no one answered.

So, I asked for the woman's phone number and called her.

It turned out that the third woman had gone out to visit someone. She knew the first woman and went to the first woman's room.

I immediately broke out in a sweat again. The first woman's room, there's a pile of little ghosts in the first woman's room. I'm going to send those little ghosts off tonight, so they've all manifested themselves.

A pregnant woman running to someone's room, if something happens, then I won't have to send anyone off tonight.

I didn't dare to stay, and quickly ran back to the first woman's room.