During the two hours Stephen was in school this morning, I went over to Ben Thanh Market to buy the animal figures I’d promised him. After finding some that were acceptable even if not completely satisfactory (as is usually the case when shopping in Vietnam), I got sucked into a stall that was crammed full of hair accessories.

There was a little old lady sitting on a plastic stool just 6 inches off the ground selling a few combs and curlers in between the licensed stalls. While I shopped and chatted with the salesgirl, the little old lady kept staring at me and smiling. Then she tried to talk to me, but I had to shake my head regretfully since I can’t understand a word of Vietnamese.

The salesgirl translated for me, “She says you have a very lucky face.”

Ahhh. Of course. Old Asian ladies always love my pale round face with its chubby cheeks and perpetual smile (despite my crankiness, I am a very smiley girl). According to the World of Feng Shui, these are the nine wealth features of the face:

  1. Look after your forehead and keep it clear of blemishes, spots and unsightly pimples. Use artificial aids to ensure a smooth forehead. [Are they talking about face lift tape?]
  2. The middle space above the nose and between the eyes should be clear and luminous because it symbolises a life of affluence and influence.
  3. The rounder and fleshier the nose looks, the better is the wealth luck indicated. The Chinese always regard a big nose with some indulgence, no matter how out of place they look in the overall face. This is because the nose is the repository of money fortune and it indicates wealth from many different sources.
  4. Directly below the nose at the tip of the lips is the phoenix pearl. It looks rounded and is protruding, bringing good fortune to both men and women. [Stephen definitely inherited this from me]
  5. Irrespective of its size, the mouth must never appear dry, since this indicates loss of luck. As long as the mouth is always moist, it indicates money luck.
  6. To be auspicious, the chin should be protruding and prominent.
  7. The eyes should shine and be slightly moist. Their shape, size or colouring don’t matter as much as their vitality.
  8. Cheekbones should always have flesh and never look bony since this would indicate excessive yang. For cheekbones to appear balanced they must look good enough to pinch! [This is my best feature!]
  9. When your ears are well formed and proportionate, they indicate good fortune and wisdom.

I don’t know if my face has all nine wealth features, but I do think I’ve had an extremely fortunate life. And I’m happy that this freckly moon face is able to make an old lady smile with the glow of good fortune.

Which of these wealth features do you have?

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