Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

As the sun sets, the seven-day Independence Day auction is about to enter its fourth night.

Outside Lisa's fortune-telling tent, Mian was having a pleasant conversation with an elderly gentleman in a well-tailored suit.

"Mr. Wang He, to be honest, I've never believed in divination or anything like that. So tell me honestly, was what I saw inside the tent just an illusion?"

The old gentleman, with a pipe dangling from his lips and a distinctive manner, looked less like a financial tycoon from Highwall Street and more like a British aristocrat from the last century.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at Mian.

In response to this appreciation, Mian bowed respectfully and smiled in reply.

"As expected of an old gentleman. Divination may indeed exist, but all the anomalies you saw in that sword you just examined are at most just a trick, a mysterious Eastern sorcery for amusement, a marketing method. Of course, I still have full confidence in our product; even stripped of all its embellishments, it is still worth the price."

The old gentleman glanced at the box containing the sword and other artifacts in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.

"You're very honest. I have no interest in divination, but I am very interested in this quality of craftsmanship. Could you tell me where you source your goods, or perhaps the name of your company?"

Mian tried her best to suppress her laughter, making sure her three missing front teeth weren't showing, and said respectfully to the old gentleman in front of her:

"These exquisite swords came from a craftsman who was once quite renowned in the Old World. Due to political persecution, he came to the Ocean Federation impoverished. For this reason, he doesn't want to reveal his name and has chosen to cooperate with us instead. As for the company, we are currently in the market research phase, so we haven't officially established one yet. But if you'd like to cooperate with us in the future, I can give you my phone number."

Mian took out a card with her new phone number written on it from her pocket and handed it to the old gentleman, who glanced at it and then put it into his breast pocket.

"Then I'll take my leave."

The old gentleman took off his hat and saluted Mian.

"Mr. Wang He, I am very satisfied with the Sword of Destiny you provided, and I look forward to meeting you again."

The old gentleman turned and left, accompanied by a young woman who seemed to be his granddaughter, walking into the crowd and eventually disappearing from Mian's sight.

After looking around to make sure he was indeed far away, Mian immediately raised his fist and let out a silent cheer.

At that moment, Sherry peeked out of the tent with Ain, her face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Hey bro, you're a genius! We served 15 customers who chose the 'Destiny Package' in just one afternoon, and the revenue exceeded nine thousand. Since we have no capital investment, it's almost pure profit. Even after giving that girl over two thousand, we still have seven thousand left."

Shirley stepped forward and patted Mian on the shoulder forcefully, saying with a smile:

"It's all thanks to you. At this rate, saving enough money within the time limit will be more than enough. We definitely have to celebrate properly tonight."

Despite being happy with the impressive results, Mian was not completely blinded by them.

Ignoring the shoulder pain caused by Shirley's excessive force, Mian said with a pleasant smile:

"It's still a long way off. This afternoon marks our opening, which has helped us spread our name. So tomorrow morning will probably be the peak of sales. But that's about it. After all, we're just a street vendor. Even though there are a lot of wealthy people gathered around here due to special circumstances, to be honest, the number of people we can attract is really limited. I estimate that the number of people will plummet by the day after tomorrow."

Mian analyzed rationally:

"Even if we can launch a 'castrated' package for the middle class later, which would improve time utilization, the profit margin would still drop significantly since the cost of making an exquisite sword is not much different from that of a crudely made one. I estimate that the total revenue at that time will be around 20000 to 30000. That would be barely enough, but to be on the safe side, we should still focus on the auction on the last day. If we can get into the high-end market, that would be even better."

Mian smiled at Sherry and Ain and continued:

"So, Mr. Sherry, I'll trouble you to put in the extra effort to forge a product worthy of the auction. Of course, the celebration tonight is still fine, just be careful not to get an upset stomach again."

Upon hearing this, Sherry and Ain both cheered, and for some reason, the two of them gave each other a high five. The sight of this retired veteran and this "mentally ill child" together made Mian think they were sisters or brothers.

When did these two become so close?

"Brother, don't worry, leave everything to me. I've had a little trick up my sleeve since I got this ability, and I'll make sure to get it done for you tonight, even if it means staying up all night."

"Um."

Mian nodded, then observed the surrounding crowd and the sky before saying:

"There shouldn't be many people around now. We can go grab some food first, and then come back later tonight..."

"Excuse me, is this the fortune teller's hut where you can get amazing freebies for 500 Eagle Dollars?"

A gentle and respectful voice rang in Mian's ears. He turned around and saw a refined young man standing beside him, smiling as he asked him a question.

…………

"Nine thousand Eagle Yuan..."

Lisa, sitting behind the divination table in the tent, cupped her face in her hands, murmuring the number, while the image of that man kept replaying in her mind, her heart pounding.

Of the nine thousand eagle dollars in revenue, she would receive at least two thousand. For a child from a poor family, this was an astronomical figure that Lisa could never even dream of earning in a day.

And all of this is because of that man, the man who saved him yesterday and brought him such benefits today...

"Wang He..."

Lisa murmured the name softly, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts.

What happened to him that caused him to lose those three front teeth? How old is he now? Does he have a family?

A multitude of questions swirled in Lisa's mind, making her cheeks flush. In all her life, this seemed to be the first time she had cared so much about everything about a man.

"Should we try to find an opportunity to invite Mr. Wang He out for dinner?"

Lisa murmured to herself as she pressed her cheek against the cold table. The great astrologer, who had maintained her work mode all afternoon, let down her guard and revealed a girlish expression in this quiet moment before dinner.

This has always been Lisa's habit, and it's also a rare break she's had since she started her stall. She can stay in this position for a very long time, until...

wow-

"Miss Lisa, we have a new guest."