The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 267 Donnie Yen (Daily Transition)

Jay watched Eric in silence, his gaze drifting unconsciously. As a lawyer, he was instinctively wary of any behavior that skirted the edge of the rules.

But the thought that the young man in front of him might very well be his future son-in-law made Jay sigh inwardly, and he spoke.

"I can help you. I do know a few people in the city hall's planning department. If we speed up the process and ensure the application materials are compliant, there shouldn't be any major problems."

You're Tifa's boyfriend, and I'm willing to do this for you.

At this point, he changed the subject, his eyes becoming somewhat serious: "However, as a lawyer, I must remind you that any upgrades beyond the permitted scope will bring legal risks, and in that case, it will be difficult for me to help you."

Eric laughed and said, "Jay, this is just one fence. I'll be very careful about the rest."

This statement is entirely sincere at this moment, at least regarding the part about the fence.

"That's good."

Jay put away the drawings. "Leave the drawings to me. I'll have my assistant redraw the application drawings in a more standardized way. Some specifications need to be adjusted a bit."

Then you can start preparing the materials for the fence.

I'll let you know if there's any news.

-

Eric declined Jay's invitation to stay for dinner and returned to his car. A slight smile played on Eric's lips. Although Jay always had a sour expression, he was actually a nice person and never refused Eric's requests.

"The building permit has been obtained. Next is mold removal. After that, construction will begin!"

Remembering Daves's tips for getting rid of mold, and adding what he knew from his previous life, Eric drove straight to Chinatown.

He absolutely needs to get rid of this bad luck; he's been incredibly unlucky lately, like he's offended the Grand Duke Jupiter.

It might not work, but at least we tried.

-

The sunlight made the glass curtain walls of the high-rise buildings in downtown Los Angeles appear dazzlingly white, but as soon as Eric turned into Chinatown, the colors and atmosphere changed abruptly.

Eric parked his car in a paid parking lot and strolled onto North Broadway.

A complex aroma filled the air: the fat from roast duck, the bitter smell of herbs from a traditional Chinese medicine shop, the occasional waft of incense sticks, and the sounds of Cantonese conversations from the streets and alleys.

Eric's expression became somewhat complicated; this familiar feeling almost made him think he had returned to his familiar homeland.

However, this complexity lasted only a moment. Eric glanced around and went deeper into the store. His goal was clear: skip the souvenir shops catering to tourists and search for shops that looked more professional and authentic.

Soon, a small shop with windows filled with various statues of gods, incense burners, and bronzeware caught Eric's attention.

Above the shop entrance hangs a plaque with traditional Chinese characters: Yongfu Incense and Candles Buddhist Supplies.

The shop had a somewhat dim and secluded atmosphere, with the main lighting coming from a few warm yellow lamps and electronic lotus lamps, and the air was filled with a rich sandalwood scent.

Eric pushed open the glass door, and the brass bell on the lintel rang out with a clear, ringing sound.

The shop is compact, with shelves stretching from floor to ceiling, densely packed with statues of Guanyin, Maitreya, and Guan Gong of different sizes, as well as bundles of incense, exquisite paper offerings, and boxes of paper money.

However, to Eric's dismay, he saw another familiar face.

It almost gave him goosebumps all over his body.

Donnie Yen, who appeared to be in his thirties or forties and was wearing glasses, was sitting behind the counter, carefully wiping a small jade Buddha with a soft cloth.

Sensing the approaching person, he looked up, his eyes devoid of any light.

“Just browsing.” The man, who looked exactly like Donnie Yen, said in Cantonese, then added in accented English, “Can I help you find something?”

What the hell? Eric was seriously questioning his existence; he'd run into familiar faces all day long.

"Hmm?" the man hummed in response.
Eric composed himself and went inside, tentatively asking, "Donnie Yen?"

Having seen so many familiar faces, I don't feel as emotional when I see them again.

"Huh? Young man, you can speak Chinese?" The man who looked exactly like Donnie Yen paused for a moment, then smiled.

"But who is Donnie Yen?"

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake." Eric took a deep breath and carefully organized his thoughts.

"Hello boss, I'd like to purchase a Guanyin statue, not too big, something suitable for my home."

"Yes, Guanyin Bodhisattva, may you protect me and increase my wisdom, very good."

Donnie Yen put down what he was doing, picked up his cane, slowly stood up and walked out from behind the counter, leading him to a shelf on the side, and even took a closer look.

It was here that Eric learned why the man who looked exactly like Donnie Yen had dull eyes—because there was something wrong with his eyes, though it didn't seem like he could see.

"Sorry, my eyes have a problem. You can take any of these home. Just choose whichever one you like best. Fate is the most important thing," the man said.

Eric nodded and looked over. On the shelf were Guanyin statues made of various materials, including white porcelain, bronze, and wood carvings.

He chose a white porcelain Guanyin statue, about a foot tall, with a compassionate and serene face, based on his intuition, and handed it to the man.

"Let's choose this one."

"Good eye." The man nodded, took the item, and said, "Do you want it blessed? Sincerity is key."

Eric frowned slightly. In his previous life, his impression of blessing services was that they were all about ripping people off, but looking at this familiar face, Eric still nodded.

"How to do it?"

"It's about inviting a monk to chant sutras to awaken the spirit of the Buddha statue and better protect your home," the man explained.

"For just a little extra money, I can arrange it for you."

Eric said, "Then let's do it."

After carrying the Buddha statue back to the counter, the man asked, "Would you like to buy an incense burner and incense as well? It would be better to offer them together."

This familiar scene seemed to transport him back to his past life. Eric's lips twitched, and he said, "Buy it. Get me a set. Also, do you have any grapefruit leaves here? Dried ones are fine too."

He remembered that bathing with pomelo leaves seemed to have the effect of warding off evil spirits and removing bad luck.

Donnie Yen paused as he held the incense burner, then looked up at Eric again, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Pomelo leaves? To ward off bad luck during a bath? Young man, have you been looking really dark lately?"

Eric was taken aback, not expecting the other party to be so direct: "My luck has indeed been a bit unusual lately."

Donnie Yen muttered something, bent down and rummaged under the counter for a while, then took out a transparent plastic bag containing some dried, curled, dark green leaves.

"Here you go, it's dried, it's the same as other products. You can boil it in water to bathe or wash your hands."

As he spoke, he gave a shy smile, almost making Eric think that Donnie Yen had also traveled here.

"This is America. Besides these, do you also need to buy a bunch of white sage? I know where to buy these things."

(End of this chapter)