Chapter 154: Immediately Turn: Fortune Telling
I sent Master a WeChat message, wishing him and his wife a happy New Year. I called him again, and he said many friends had raised some money, and that his son was currently stable, so I didn't need to worry.
My mood improved a little.
On January 3rd, I signed a contract with Shi Ge. He was very generous and offered a price that was one-third lower than the market price. We tentatively agreed on a three-year contract.
I called Xiaolin and asked for her opinion. She came over quickly, took a look and said, "The studio should be as simple as possible. People don't come to admire it, but to listen to your opinions and analysis."
I think she is very opinionated.
She looked around and, considering that I didn't need to stay in the studio at night, suggested dividing the room with wooden boards, making the outer part a tea room and the inner part a private room. One wall of the tea room was decorated as an exquisite bookcase.
She was so thoughtful. People have the impression that Taoist priests are cultured people. It was a great feeling to see a wall of books when entering the door.
I said, "Zhuge Xiaolin, you are indeed an excellent designer."
She looked at me with wide eyes: "My last name is Tao, can I call myself Tao Xiaolin?" Suddenly she realized and gave me a look: "I just like to be clever."
Yifan was in charge of decorating the new store, and I went to the city training center to study psychology.
The training was rigorous, requiring a stay-at-home order. The instructors were also highly qualified. The students knew my profession and would often stay in my dorm in the evenings. Some asked me to read their palms, others to interpret their fortunes. Life was truly fulfilling.
After a pleasant ten-day training, the new studio was already decorated. On January 15th, we woke up early in the morning and set off a bunch of firecrackers to announce the opening of the new studio.
Owing the bank 700,000 yuan, I became a machine, taking on all kinds of business during the day and chatting with the two of us at night. Yifan also knew a little bit about business besides choosing auspicious dates, naming, and fortune-telling. My daily income ranged from 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan.
Xiaolin is very understanding. She knows I owe 700,000 yuan, so she never invites me out. Sometimes, after work, she comes to help out in my shop. Her approach is different from that of Youranju, where they rarely make tea for anyone. When Xiaolin comes, she always smiles and offers a cup of tea.
Influenced by Xiaolin, Yifan also did the same during the day, offering a cup of tea to everyone who came.
Everything needs to be reformed. Such a simple cup of tea can attract the idle old men and women in the community to come to the studio to sit down whenever they want. The more people there are, the more popular it seems.
I thought we should talk privately, so I called the customer into a back room.
There are a lot of people here in Fengqing Lake, and since my master has left Wuxiang, my business is surprisingly good.
Xiaolin and I rarely spend time together under the moonlight.
She actually entered the role of a daughter-in-law in advance. After work, she often went to my house to help my mother cook. This beautiful and virtuous future daughter-in-law often made my mother smile.
She also entered our family's shared destiny early on. Knowing that I owed a bank loan and that repayment was my top priority, she often bought and stewed chicken and brought it to the studio for me to eat after my late-night shifts.
One day she was on break and came to my studio. Yifan was out for something and there were few customers. She gave me a suggestion: add an activity and tell fortunes for customers.
I said, "Why do you tell fortunes for customers?"
Xiao Lin said, "Character divination is only done when there's something going on. Fortune telling can be done when there's something going on, or when there's nothing going on. It's also easier than fortune telling. If you teach Yifan, he'll get the hang of it quickly, and you'll earn more."
What she said makes a lot of sense, but why doesn’t the master tell fortunes?
Xiaolin asked, "Can you count?"
I nodded. After Xiaolin left, I thought for a long time, why didn't my master tell fortunes? Because my master's master, Master Hongyuan, mainly taught my master to tell fortunes by characters.
Besides, fortune-telling is a programmed thing, which is like inputting 1+1 into a computer, and the result is =2. This makes it seem to be on the same level as setting up stalls on the street.
In order to pay off the bank loan as soon as possible, I have to develop new business quickly.
This, however, was not difficult for me. Firstly, my master had taught me some basic fortune-telling techniques, and secondly, there were books. With my level, I could become an expert in fortune-telling after reading them for half a month.
Oh, and there's Chang Nanxi, who comes from a family of fortune tellers. I called him right away:
"Brother Nanxi, I haven't contacted you in a few months. Following your suggestion, I opened a night talk room. As expected, there are many people with mental illnesses in small towns, and business is booming.
But this kind of business is usually more popular at night. Many people come to me for fortune-telling during the day, and it's not good if I don't tell them. I haven't learned much, so I'd appreciate some advice, elder brother."
He laughed and said, "You understand the basics, right?"
"That's no problem,"
"I will ensure that you become a top fortune teller."
"Why?"
"I'll send you a copy of my study notes. If you read it for two nights, you'll be terrified."
After hearing what he said, I was even more frightened. How could he give me his secret book so easily?
I couldn't help but speak my mind.
Nanxi laughed even more arrogantly: "Do you think I'm giving it to you for free? Don't you have the ability to freeze people?"
I immediately taught him the technique of immobilization on WeChat.
Three days later, I received a copy of "The Secret of Astrology" sent by Brother Nanxi.
Redo the signboard: fortune telling, feng shui, night talk, choosing auspicious days, and fortune telling.
As soon as the fortune-telling business started, it was a booming business. It was much easier than fortune-telling with characters. Characters had to be read, adding and subtracting strokes, and transforming them into pictographic characters. Those with limited education might not understand for a long time. But a fortune-teller could just lay out the four pillars and predict a few key points, astonishing others as if they were sages.
Moreover, it is easy to raise the price. You can calculate it accurately. As long as the four pillars are in a row and the eight characters are good, you can insist that the eight characters are valuable and will not exceed 888 yuan.
Later I discovered that if two wealthy people come and you charge Zhang San 888 and Li Si 1888, Zhang San will feel very disappointed and think that Li Si's fate is much better than his. If you charge them both 1888, they will feel much more comfortable and balanced.
In reality, their fates are similar. To put it in a metaphor, it's like the difference between a director and a deputy director. A deputy director generally likes to be called director, that's all. Why should I make such fine distinctions?
If you tell a fortune for a small business owner, you can charge him 1888, which is impossible. If you tell a fortune for a small business owner, you can charge him 2888, and he will be happy to do so.
It's not that you can't make money; as long as you change your mindset, money will roll in. No wonder Mr. Xipo said Xiaolin was a blessing for her husband; before she even became his official wife, she had already made her future husband a blessing.
Fast money, real fast.
So, the focus of my business shifted for the second time.
From fortune-telling to night talks, from night talks to fortune-telling.
Still, I didn't give up on Night Talk. It wasn't as profitable as fortune-telling, but it offered a kind of spiritual satisfaction—no matter how beautiful or ugly, how big their business was, or how high their position was, after coming in, they confided countless life secrets to me.
More than that, it’s mainly because I give them advice and write inspiring articles that I feel a sense of accomplishment in showing the way for the world.
With the departure of the master, the era of Master Hongyi has passed, and the Wuxiang fortune-telling, feng shui and fortune-telling circles have entered the era of Wanshanhong.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, people from all walks of life began to return to Wuxiang. Bosses of all sizes had heard that a new fortune-teller had emerged from their hometown, and that he was incredibly accurate. My studio was flooded with people, day and night.
Countless stories unfolded immediately.
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