I work in the bathing industry, and relatively speaking, it's quite leisurely.
Every day, I distribute supplies to various bathing areas and guest rooms.
In my spare time, I wait for notifications on the walkie-talkie, indicating where else needs replenishment.
Today is no different. After finishing the supply distribution, I sit on the steps in the backyard of the bathhouse, silently smoking a cigarette.
Just as I've only smoked half of the cigarette, the back gate suddenly opens.
I see two men walking out side by side.
I am very familiar with these two individuals.
One is Hou Jun, who wanted to embarrass me in public earlier in the morning.
The other one is his childhood friend.
He's also the black guy I had a one-on-one showdown with that night.
Hou Jun has his back turned towards me, so he hasn't noticed my presence.
On the other hand, the black guy, upon seeing me, momentarily freezes.
Then, he averts his gaze elsewhere.
The two of them are not far from me.
Although their voices aren't loud, I can still clearly hear their conversation.
Black Guy: Monkey, I've gathered 3,500 yuan for you. Take it for now. I still owe you 2,000, and I'll give it to you in a while.
Hou Jun: Alright, Black Guy. I also need the money urgently, or else I wouldn't have hurriedly asked you for it. The remaining 2,000, you can give it to me within a month.
Listening to this, I couldn't help but sneer.
Hou Jun keeps claiming that the black guy is his childhood friend, his best brother.
He cheated and won all the money from the black guy, and now he's even borrowing money from him.
And now, he's saying he urgently needs the money and demanding repayment.
This person is hypocritical and cunning to the point of betraying even his closest kin.
The two of them exchange a few more casual remarks, and then Hou Jun speaks up again.
"Oh, by the way, Black Guy, our underground casino will be opening in a few days. If you can't gather enough money, you can bring your friends to play. Regardless of winning or losing, for every person you bring, I'll give you 300 yuan. If your friends lose a lot, I'll talk to Sister Mei and see if we can give you a little more..."
The black guy looks troubled.
"You know, my few friends around me aren't into gambling. If I bring them and they lose money, I'll feel really sorry for them..."
"Their losses have nothing to do with you. You're not the one forcing them to gamble. Don't worry, just bring them along, and we'll see if they want to play or not..."
Hou Jun continues to persuade.
Unexpectedly, even before the casino opens, Hou Jun has already taken on the role of a recruiter.
This type of role exists in various casinos.
They have a common term - "Shill."
Of course, within the Blue Dao Sect, such individuals exist too.
Since the establishment of the Blue Dao Sect, there have been talks about the Eight Generals.
And these individuals who specialize in enticing others to join the gambling table.
They belong to the Eight Generals of the Blue Dao Sect and are called "Recruiters."
The two of them were talking when Hou Jun's walkie-talkie buzzed.
It was Su Mei calling him to the office for a moment.
He quickly spoke with Lao Hei and then hurriedly left.
As he turned around, he saw me.
He glared at me fiercely before pushing the door and entering.
The entire yard was now empty, with only Lao Hei and me remaining.
After exchanging a glance, Lao Hei strode towards me.
And I, still sitting on the steps, didn't move.
When he reached me, Lao Hei unexpectedly handed me a cigarette.
"Have one..."
I took it, lit it, and took a long drag.
Lao Hei also lit one.
The two of us stood and sat, silently smoking, neither of us saying a word.
After a while, Lao Hei suddenly spoke.
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I am!"
"Then why did you dare to fight me that day?"
"Because I thought you were even more afraid!"
Lao Hei laughed, a hearty laugh.
"What if I wasn't afraid like you? What would you do then?"
"Then it would be a test of whose life lasts longer!"
I remained cold in my tone.
Lao Hei laughed again, but this time it was a bitter laugh.
"Alright, I admire you. In all my years, I haven't admired anyone. You, the sixth day of the lunar month, can be considered one..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Hei immediately changed his tune.
"Oh, no. That day I lost, I should call you 'Liu Ye,' the sixth day of the lunar month!"
That day, I won miserably but was also beaten up by Lao Hei.
However, my impression of Lao Hei had always been good.
To honor a bet and admit defeat, words backed by principles and boundaries, not betraying friends.
He fought me one-on-one, also standing up for a friend.
Just a bit simple-minded and a bit foolish.
But for me, that was also a good thing.
I took a puff of my cigarette and looked at Laohei (Old Black) as I calmly asked, "Have you ever thought about why you always lose money in Hou Jun's games?"
"Bad luck, poor fortune, what else could it be?" he replied.
What a sucker!
A complete and utter sucker!
These types of people are born for the swindlers.
They love gambling and never consider the consequences.
They stubbornly believe that it all comes down to luck.
Even on that day when his Jacks met Hou Jun's Aces.
And then Hou Jun's Aces met my 2-3-5.
He didn't even think that there was anything unusual about it.
I took another drag of my cigarette and shook my head slowly.
"It's not luck. Hou Jun has been cheating you. The deck of cards he uses is rigged. He knows all about it..."
"Impossible!"
Before I could finish my sentence, Laohei loudly dismissed it.
"Monkey and I have grown up together since we were kids. We're as close as brothers. He would never cheat me. Just because of what happened that day, you can't come between us!"
Laohei spoke righteously.
I rarely laugh.
But at this moment, I couldn't help but want to laugh.
In this world, there really are fools who have been deceived and still help count the money for others.
"Don't believe me?"
"Hmm!"
"It's simple. Go to that supermarket and buy a few decks of cards, and you'll see..."
Seeing my unwavering conviction, Laohei started to feel a bit dizzy.
After thinking for a moment, he said to me, "Alright, accompany me there. You can tell me how to recognize it."
"I'm at work!"
"I'll ask Hou Jun to give you a leave of absence..."
Laohei was persistent.
After considering it, I said, "Forget it, I'll ask for it myself..."
Saying that, I took out my phone and called Su Mei.
She had called me once before, and I saved her number.
After the call connected, I told her I needed to take a leave of absence.
I thought Su Mei's attitude would surely be as cold or angry as in the morning.
But to my surprise, Su Mei's tone was very calm.
"In the future, if you have anything to do, just go ahead and do it. No need to ask for leave, and it won't be counted as absent from work. If someone mentions the bathhouse, just say you went with me..."
I was taken aback.
I didn't expect Su Mei to give me such a privilege.
Does this mean she's not angry anymore?
The supermarket where we played before was not far from the bathhouse.
When we arrived at the entrance, we hadn't even entered yet.
We heard a voice from across the street.
"Hey, aren't you the two who were fighting that night? How come you made up so quickly? It's so boring; I was hoping to see you two fight again..."
The person speaking was none other than Old Wu, the old man who sat at the entrance that night watching the commotion.
At this moment, he held a fan in his left hand and a half-moon purple clay teapot in his right hand.
Sitting on a folding chair in front of the courtyard, he poured tea for himself.
He didn't mind at all, his white hair was disheveled by the wind.
Neither I nor Lao Hei spoke, we went straight into the small supermarket.
The store owner clearly didn't expect the two of us to come.
His gaze showed signs of panic.
Lao Hei wasted no time and spoke directly:
"Give me two decks of playing cards..."
The store owner glanced outside first.
I guess he was checking to see if Hou Jun had also come.
Seeing no one else enter, he immediately said:
"We're out of playing cards, the delivery will come tomorrow, come back then..."
"Do you fucking think I'm blind?"
Lao Hei suddenly yelled.
Both the store owner and I were startled.
He pointed at the nearby shelf.
"Aren't those fucking playing cards, or are they your mother's sanitary pads?"
On the shelf, there were two types of playing cards prominently displayed.
One was Yao Ji, and the other was the Three A's that we often played with.
Actually, I suspect both of them were probably placed there by Hou Jun.
It's just that since we always played with the Three A's, I couldn't be bothered to check if there was anything fishy with Yao Ji.
(End of chapter)