Chapter 374 Step 1: Accurate enough to surprise him

Phil was a great steward. From boarding the plane, to connecting flights, to meeting up at the airport, everything was arranged in an orderly manner.

I think, if conditions permit, I must hire a housekeeper like her.

We had lunch at the Crook family's branch office, and in the afternoon, we bought herbs. After dinner, she arranged a hotel room. Tang Man, on the other hand, wasn't as responsible. After accompanying me on her herbal shopping, she went straight home.

I had no choice but to download a translation app to communicate with Phil. When she learned that I was going to the Philippines-China Acupuncture Center to meet with a client that evening, she sent a car specifically for me.

When the car arrived at the center's entrance, I called Liu Qiming, and he sent his assistant downstairs to pick me up. Fortunately, the assistant was Chinese. The first thing he said was, "Hello, Mr. Wan."

I felt a bit like the excitement of finding my organization after joining the Communist Party. I shook his hand vigorously, saying, "Hello, hello."

After the assistant found out which hotel I was staying in, he chattered for a while to the driver who was taking me there. The car drove off. He said to me, "Wait a minute, I'll take you home."

We went upstairs together.

Liu Qiming, a man in his forties, heard footsteps in the corridor and immediately came out to greet us. Once we were in his office, his assistant made us some green tea and closed the door behind us as we left.

"Mr. Wan, you know we produce tea in Fujian. This is authentic Wuyishan Dahongpao."

I laughed and said, "You guys in Fujian all drink in small cups. Are you used to it?"

"It's too hot here."

I took a sip and said with a smile, "Your Da Hong Pao doesn't just refer to tea, now even art is based on it."

"Come on, I've been away from the mainland for many years. What does Da Hong Pao still mean?"

"Last time, a painter gave me a picture album, introducing his own picture album as a picture album designated by the National Art Museum of China, called Da Hong Pao.

I didn't understand at the time what a picture album had to do with Da Hong Pao. The person who told me that the museum would only issue Da Hong Pao to influential figures in the art world, otherwise it would only issue Xiao Hong Pao, and ordinary painters wouldn't have any.

So, I feel very honored that you treat me with Da Hong Pao."

Liu Qiming laughed heartily: "If artworks have to be graded using tea packaging, it shows that art has been completely commoditized. How can we talk about true art?"

I said, "You hit the nail on the head. In the art and calligraphy world these days, the focus isn't on who has the best painting or calligraphy, but who can command the highest price. Perhaps only traditional Chinese medicine still lacks packaging."

Liu Qiming said, "That's right. All Chinese medicines are the same price, regardless of whether they are famous or not. Even if you see a top-tier Chinese doctor, the registration fee is just a little higher."

We chatted for a while before getting down to business. I mentioned that during my time in the Philippines, I wanted to learn acupuncture from Mr. Liu.

He took a sip of tea and nodded, "President Zheng told me about your situation last night. You've learned some basic knowledge, but not systematically."

I didn't pick up the conversation. I couldn't tell him I'd only studied for a few nights, especially since he'd given me a certificate.

He pondered for a moment and said, "But you have talent. You have a great sense of acupuncture. Your needles are fast, steady, and powerful. If you master the basic theory, you will bring honor to the Chinese people."

I said, "As long as Mr. Liu is willing to teach, my understanding is quite good."

"Well, it's a small matter. Meanwhile, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"you say."

"I heard that your fortune telling is very accurate. I'm new to fortune telling. What is it? Is it like fortune telling? Can it predict the past and future?"

I carefully explained to him the difference between fortune-telling and divination.

He said, "Then I'll just do a fortune telling. I went to Singapore to open a branch two years ago, but business has been slow. I don't know whether to continue or withdraw."

I honestly told him I'd never been to Singapore and wasn't familiar with the market there. Then he said, "Tell me a word, and I'll discuss it with you."

He said, "Take a test on the word 'Wei'." Afraid that I couldn't hear him clearly, he wrote the word 'Wei' on a piece of paper.

I picked up the paper, looked at it, and said, "Judging from your psychology, this word means 'being caught between a rock and a hard place.' It's hard to make up your mind."

He smiled slightly.

"Judging from this character, acupuncture is not suitable."

"Why?"

"The character 'wei' has a 'silk' radical, and the original meaning of 'wei' is a long rope. This rope has nothing to do with acupuncture, and it's impossible to insert it."

"Is this how fortune telling is done?"

"Yes, it doesn't have any profound meaning. Its original meaning is to explore the subtleties of things. And I can see two things from this word."

"What other information can be revealed from this word?"

"Right. If I'm right, nod. If I'm wrong, point it out."

"OK."

I said, "First of all, this shop was a place of entertainment before you rented it."

Liu Qiming was indeed a little surprised. Even if Chairman Zheng knew that he had opened a branch in Singapore, he didn't know the past and present of this store.

He nodded and urged me, "What about the second point?"

"Secondly, it's not as bad as you say. At least in the first six months after opening, business was booming."

He was surprised and impressed by the fact that I was right on two counts, even though I knew nothing about it.

"Mr. Wan, you really have kung fu. Not just any kung fu, but it convinces me."

I understood what was going on and said, "Now, I'll analyze them one by one for you." Liu Qiming stood up and poured me some water.

"Wei" (Wei), with the radical "silk" (silk) + "隹" (隹), "silk" (silk produced by silkworms, "隹" (隹), "a short-tailed bird." A short-tailed bird with silk hanging from its body looks like a liu cu (a Chinese swan) wearing a miniskirt and many ornaments. Therefore, it is a place of entertainment.

Secondly, "Wei" contains "隹", which is a bird with a short tail. That is to say, it attracts others in a short period of time and its business is booming.

If he hadn't been given an analysis, he would have admired it. But once he was given an analysis, he was filled with doubts and asked:

"You said you analyzed everything from this word. What if I said another word instead of 'Wei'?"

I laughed out loud. "You're making up history. For example, if someone gets into a car accident, what we hear most often is, 'If only I had left a minute earlier, it would have been fine.' Another person says, 'If only you had left a minute later, it would have been fine too.'" In reality, these are all hindsight comments.

You set off at exactly the right time, and drove here to collide with someone, right on time, on time, to the second.

The same principle applies to fortune-telling. There are tens of thousands of words you can choose to say. You said the word 'Wei' on time, on time. How can you regret it?

Liu Qiming thought for a moment and said, "History cannot be assumed, and neither can fortune-telling."

However, he raised another question: "Mr. Wan, for example, someone who has learned fortune-telling might avoid certain characters, right?"

“People who know how to predict fortunes won’t predict them for themselves.”

"What if we want to test it?"

"Blind test. Point to a book and say the page, line, and word are turned to. That's random."

"Oh—so that's how it is."

“Everything in the world is determined by every important choice.

For example, Mr. Liu, if you hadn't come to the Philippines, your life would have been very different. Even earlier, if you hadn't learned acupuncture, your life would have been very different.

Because we don't know which scenario is better, the science of prediction came into being. Fortune telling is a type of prediction.

If we had known each other earlier, and you had taken the 'Uyghur' test, I would have dissuaded you from going to Manila, not Singapore. Of course, whether you listen to my advice or not is up to you."

Liu Qiming said, "This is my first time trying fortune-telling. To be honest, before I met you, I didn't believe in physiognomy or fortune-telling. It was only after President Zheng said you were very effective that I decided to give it a try."

I suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed inexplicably.

I said, "Mr. Liu, let me tell you a few more things to convince you that I do have some skills."

He said, "You mean me?"

"Yes, I want to talk about your family's shortcomings."

"Ah? My family? You don't even know me very well. Can you say my family?"

I corrected him, "I'm not talking about your family, but about your family's shortcomings. Of course, if you don't mind."

He stared at me. "Mr. Wan, tell me! I absolutely don't mind."

(Please stay tuned for the next chapter tomorrow: Step 2. I’ll make him want to cry.)