Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

She turned off her phone, which had little battery left and was at risk of being tracked. Mian looked up; the sun was already fully risen in the sky.

I should probably head back soon. I need to get some food for Ai Yin, and I also need to keep my promise about the juice I made yesterday. Oh, and I need to buy some clothes; wearing the mental hospital uniform all the time isn't sustainable. Ugh, another expense…

Mian pulled out the few green banknotes from his pocket, counted them over and over, and immediately felt a pang of toothache.

Given his current financial situation, let alone buying 50,000 scalped tickets, it's questionable whether he and Ai Yin can even survive until next week.

We must make money, by any means necessary!

Mian's desire to make money surged like never before. He planned to go back and ask Shirley if there were any ways to make money and get the initial start-up capital.

With that in mind, Mian rushed to the roadside supermarket as fast as she could, bought some reasonably nutritious biscuits and milk, and then went to a clothing store to buy a set of clothes that roughly fit Ain's size. In this way, she spent about 50 eagle dollars.

Passing by a pharmacy, I saw those emaciated homeless people lying on the roadside waiting to die. Thinking of my own and Ai Yin's health, I went into the pharmacy again and bought some vitamin pills, which cost me another ten or so yuan.

This series of purchases successfully made Mi'an, who had no extravagant hobbies and therefore never lacked money, experience the pain of spending money like water.

I can only console myself by saying that health is the foundation of everything, and children are the hope for the future; all of this is just a necessary expense.

Carrying large and small bags back to Unyielding Park, I immediately saw Shirley stretching her body in the rare open space in front of the tent.

Last night, his body, which initially appeared bloated in the alley, now, bathed in the morning sunlight, reveals a sculpted, muscular physique. One can't help but wonder how this former soldier managed to maintain such a robust build even after becoming homeless.

"Hey bro! Back from the restock?"

Shirley spotted Mian as soon as she returned, and immediately smiled and teased her.

"The main reason is to buy Ai Yin some clothes; she can't keep wearing that hospital gown forever."

Mian gave a wry smile.

Upon hearing this answer, Sherry put on her coat, then quickly walked to Mian's side and whispered in his ear:

"Actually, I wanted to ask yesterday, right? Ai Yin came from Black Sand Mental Hospital, right? I heard that place isn't very clean, and the security is very tight. I've never heard of anyone escaping from there. Although she's practically superhumanly strong, but..."

Shirley nudged Mian's arm.

"How did you do that?"

"Who knows? I didn't see her for very long, and seeing her wandering alone on the street, I just couldn't leave her there."

Since her encounter with Ain involved her cheat ability, Mian had no reason to explain the matter before fully trusting Sherry, so she could only laugh it off and temporarily gloss over it.

Whether Shirley was fooled or sensed Mian's reluctance to discuss it, she didn't dwell on the matter. She simply patted Mian on the shoulder and said in a deeply emotional tone:

"Oh, I see. No wonder I didn't hear any noise from your tent last night. I thought you two were having an affair. I was wrong to assume you were being petty."

"?"

Mian sensed the implication in Shirley's words. At that moment, he felt his heart skip a beat, and he seemed to hear the sound of the teacher's certificate flying away.

"No, stop, stop, what the hell? Shirley, she's a child, and a mentally ill one at that. No normal adult would do anything to her, right?"

"Uh...that's hard to say."

Shirley crossed her arms and glanced at a woman sitting outside a tent not far away, holding a child and looking dazed.

"Brother Mian, it's not my fault for being prejudiced. You know this is the Free Capital, where countless people go crazy every day because of bankruptcy or addiction. If you want, you can always try to drag them back to their tents and do something with them. In fact, there are always plenty of people like that."

Mian stared incredulously at the woman. He had seen her this morning when he left for the warehouse; she was breastfeeding her child and had given him a sweet smile when she saw him pass by.

He noticed signs of domestic violence on the other person's face, but he never expected that the reality would be far more brutal than he had imagined.

"Isn't this a crime?"

Mian's hand tightened around the bag, her eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger. Shirley watched Mian's reaction, a self-deprecating smile on her face.

"Crime? Ha, brother, this is Oceania. Even if it's not written in the law, everyone knows that the moment we're homeless and wandering the streets, we're committing a crime. These women are already considered lucky; at least they have food and clothing. If no one took care of them, their fate would only be more miserable. In the end, people like this are everywhere in this country and in this city."

Are they everywhere?

As if immersed in the deep sea, Mian's anger was all jumbled together, but in an instant it all cooled down completely.

He was not unaware of life here, but what he saw still far exceeded the limits of his imagination.

"I can tell you're a good person, brother."

Shirley patted Mian on the back, her voice full of emotion.

"It's clear you haven't been down to this point for very long. But it's okay, you'll get used to it. Everyone's like this. Our priority right now is to take care of ourselves. As for you, you still have to take care of Ai Yin. You've already shown enough kindness; any more than that is beyond our capacity to bear."

Mian nodded heavily, knowing the other was right. He was in dire straits himself, and no matter how indignant he was, he could not save these suffering people.

Everything requires money, lots and lots of money.

The shard of mirror that was kept close to her body began to heat up slightly again. Mi An took it out and looked at it, only to see this line of words written on it.

The King of Hareth will save all people from suffering.

"Dude, what are you staring at that lens for?"

Shirley looked at the shards of mirror that only reflected Mian's image and asked a question.

Mian simply shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, and pocketed the mirror shards.

"It's nothing, it's just a souvenir. You can remind me what kind of souvenir I should use."

Looking at Sherry, who seemed incredibly familiar with the street, Mian slowly asked:

"Excuse me, are there any ways to make money on the street?"