Chapter 5: I talked to her about the word "divorce" for half an hour
The next day, Chunlai and I talked about Feng Shui again.
I said, "If a house has ponds in front and behind, it's not good feng shui. The owner may be fine while he's alive, but his descendants will suffer. It's called 'ponds in front and ponds in the back, and generations of descendants will die young.'"
Chunlai asked, "Is there any way to save us?
I said, "Fill in the pond at the back."
Then I told him that one should not take the words in Feng Shui books too literally. For example, if the book says that descendants die young, it does not necessarily mean that they are dead.
Because some Feng Shui books are short in order to fit the rhyme and cannot summarize all phenomena, they choose particularly scary sentences to warn others.
Chunlai thought for a moment and said, "This family gave birth to all daughters, and after they got married, they gave birth to daughters again. This situation also counts, right?"
I nodded and said, "That's progress." Then I drew him another picture and said, "Having two ponds in front of the door isn't good either."
Chunlai asked: "Are they two tears?"
"OK, this makes it much easier for us to talk."
Chunlai pointed at the teacup and said, "Master, the tea is cold."
I took a sip and continued, "A straight road faces the main door. This kind of house is not good."
"A sword piercing the heart?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Chun said: "I know this. There is a house like this in our township government. The owner doesn't live in it himself, but rents it out.
It's been rented out to six or seven different owners, some running teahouses, some running dance halls, and some running restaurants, and everyone is losing money."
I said, "If a family has a large enough plot of land, they should build a [品]-shaped house. A [品]-shaped house means the main house faces north and south, with the two houses in front facing each other. For this kind of house, it doesn't matter if the feng shui is a little off.
At the same time, if you look at a person's teeth and see that the first two front teeth that grow form a "品" shape with the teeth that come in later, this person will definitely become an official, high or low. Even if they don't become an official, they will still be a leader among the people."
Chunlai said, "Are you referring to the upper or lower teeth?"
"Mandibular teeth. Normally, the mandibular teeth grow first."
Chunlai was puzzled: "Why do the lower teeth grow first?"
"Because the mandible develops faster than the maxilla."
"What happens if the upper teeth come in first?"
"The upper teeth come in first, so parents should pay attention. A disordered order of teeth eruption may cause uneven teeth alignment. You should see a doctor and listen to the doctor's advice."
Chunlai smiled and said, "Master, am I asking too broad a question and straying from the main topic of Feng Shui?"
I shook my head. "That's how it is, aimlessly. Everything is interconnected. For example, if you want to build a house in the shape of a character 品 (a character for "品"), you'd first build the main room facing south and north, then the wing rooms in front."
As they were talking, a woman came in and said with a smile, "Mr. Wan, I want to have a fortune told."
Chunlai pointed to the paper and pen: "Write it down."
The woman wrote the character "离" (li) and asked, "Can I start a hairdressing business?"
I nodded and said, "Okay."
She looked at me, and I didn't say anything for a long time.
She felt a little disappointed because my price list was posted on the wall: two hundred for fortune telling.
This was her first time here, and she was a little confused. She asked, "Mr. Wan, are there just two words?"
I nodded. Disappointed and somewhat helpless, the woman scanned the information with her phone and prepared to leave.
I said, "Sit down."
She was stunned again.
"Why did I only say two words?"
She smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"Because I'm testing your attitude towards money. In your opinion, the more you talk, the more it's worth, right?"
She smiled sheepishly.
I said, "I want to explain the word 'li' and also give you some business advice."
She nodded.
I explained to her: "The original meaning of the word [离] is not to leave. The most original state of this word is:
A person holds a net and catches a bird. So, for you, the word "li" means "harvest".
However, for the other party, such as a baby bird, its parents have left. Being captured is a separation. Therefore, later generations extended the meaning of "li" to mean "to leave."
Both of these meanings, whether literal or extended, are consistent with the hairdressing industry. Cutting off a portion of a customer's hair is called "li" (cutting off a portion of their hair). And taking the money for it is called "capturing."
The girl smiled and said, "You should have told me earlier."
I shook my head and said, "From your actions, I can tell you're very particular about money. I said two words, and you turned and walked away, thinking it wasn't worth it. That's the mentality of most people. That's why I asked you to sit down. Let me give you a piece of mind - treat your customers the same way. No matter how good your skills are, don't just do it in a few seconds. Customers won't think it's worth it either."
She laughed out loud.
I said, "This is serious, otherwise the customer will have a dispute with you. For a haircut, you can charge a slightly higher price, but it must take longer.
Especially for female customers, there is no absolute standard for how well you comb their hair, but if you comb it carefully, they will think that you respect them.
She thinks you're treating her hair like your own, and over time, your reputation will spread. She thinks it's worth it, really worth it, understand?"
She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then she asked:
"Mr. Wan, I don't cut my hair by myself, I hire many haircutters."
I said, "I also know that you have hired many masters."
She was confused: "How do you know? I'm not from here, I'm from Dongcheng District."
I couldn't help laughing, "You're asking me questions when you're cutting hair by yourself? And you're even asking me to tell your fortune? If you can't make money cutting hair by yourself, you'll have to open a shop in the wilderness. You must have opened a big hair salon, right?
So, you have to set a minimum timeframe for your hairdresser."
The woman said, "Thank you, Teacher Wan. Can I ask one more question for a little more money?"
I nodded.
"I have a lot of skincare and haircare products. When I'm doing facials for customers, should I talk a lot or a little when selling to them?"
I said, "It's best if there's no sales pitch at all."
"ah?"
"Don't do that! Customers are rebellious. The more you try to sell them, the more they become disgusted. You can create a display window with products on it, and describe the functions of each product in words below. Only when you hit the customer's pain points will they generate demand."
For example, there are products that prevent hair loss, products that are particularly effective in removing oil, and products that moisturize dry skin... Customers will choose for themselves. However, in this regard, the products must be genuine and the price must be reasonable."
“That must be the real deal.”
I sneered and asked, "Do you know what shampoo is?"
"Know."
"You know shit. When foreigners entered the Chinese market, they found that Chinese people only used one kind of [youth shampoo] and all they used was soap to wash their faces and hair.
They saw this market and started producing shampoo. Later, they thought, since it was still for cleaning, they could just change the bottle and label it "shower gel." Only then did the Chinese realize that shampoo and bath liquids were different.
Later, they changed the bottle and put a label on it saying "Hand Sanitizer." Only then did the Chinese realize that there was a special liquid for hand washing. Foreigners are really particular.
After a while, the foreigners changed the bottle and labeled it "Facial Cleanser." Only then did the Chinese realize that there was a difference between the liquids used for washing the face and those for taking a bath and shampooing.
In reality, they are the same thing. Foreigners made a killing and only later officially separated the production. However, this trick was learned by the Chinese. Now the wholesale market is using this routine.
Don't put one liquid into different empty bottles, or put the same liquid into different bottles. Only by doing business with integrity can you succeed long-term."
She nodded repeatedly and said, "Teacher Wan, you really know a lot. I would never cheat a customer."
She scanned another two hundred yuan and said as she left, "I'll give you two gold cards after I'm done with it."
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