The servant boy was startled; he sized Qiuyue up and down carefully, his gaze lingering on her pale, bruised face for a moment, momentarily unable to determine her price, hesitant to make a decision.
With a pure and gentle smile, Hua Yan said softly, "Young Master Waiter, do you have a manager here capable of selling my servant girl for a good price?"
The servant boy nodded hastily, "Certainly, young lady, please bring the person and follow me."
Hua Yan nodded, pulling Qiuyue along, following the boy into the establishment.
Past several rowdy gambling tables where bets were being shouted out, they arrived at a small parlor. The servant boy asked Hua Yan to wait a moment and quickly slipped inside. He was heard muttering to someone inside; soon after, a square-faced and portly man emerged. He was in his forties with a pleasant, jovial expression and seemed to carry with him an air of friendliness that preceded his smile. He appraised Hua Yan with a gaze that carried a hint of admiration and then turned his attention to Qiuyue at her side.
At this moment, Qiuyue's face was indescribably unsightly, and she remained silent.
The man studied Qiuyue for a while, then looked back at Hua Yan.
Hua Yan smiled warmly at him, "What do you think? Is she enough to stake on a small gambling round?"
He laughed heartily at her words, clasped his hands in a greeting, and said with a smile, "You flatter me, miss. This servant girl of yours is beautiful and unyielding. She's surely worth a hundred taels of silver at the least. That's sufficient to wager on ten rounds at a small table."
Upon hearing this, Hua Yan's mood brightened even further, "When I bought her, she cost me merely five taels of silver, yet now, to be valued at a hundred taels simply for waiting on a bid at Shunfang Gambling House... It's no wonder Shunfang Gambling House is so renowned; it truly lives up to its reputation of fair dealing and virtue. This trip has not been in vain. Thank you! We have a deal!"
Qiuyue glared at Hua Yan with extreme bitterness and annoyance, twisted her head away sullenly, and stopped paying her any attention.
Hua Yan ignored her reaction, still smiling, "Take me there! I'll start with a small table. Hopefully, luck is on my side today, and I'll get a glimpse of the famed gambling gods who are celebrated throughout the land."
The man was taken aback before bursting into laughter, "My dear girl, the nine great gambling gods are not something everyone has the fortune to meet."
Hua Yan gave him a bright smile, her eyes reflecting her longing, "I know that. For years the nine great gambling gods have been well-known, yet remain unseen to the public. I'm just saying I hope."
He laughed again, "May your wishes come true, miss."
Hua Yan's smile widened as she replied, "For now, let this servant girl continue to attend to me. Who knows, I might win her back in a moment. Just consider her service as a loan to me. If I lose, she will belong to you."
The man chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Alright." Upon concluding, he gestured to the servant boy, "Ajiu, this young lady here could be our Shunfang Gambling House's most esteemed guest today. You should go and serve her as well."
The servant boy accepted the order and quickly nodded.
Though Qiuyue was seething inside, she had to admit that the fat man had a point. Wasn't her mistress indeed Shunfang Gambling House's most distinguished guest today? How many could boast having a title as grand as Crown Princess Consort?
The servant boy led both of them to the smallest gambling table available.
Hua Yan glanced over the game, the most common dice-throwing kind with a maximum bet capped at ten taels. A motley crowd surrounded the table, ranging from commoners in plain clothes to dandies in luxurious attire, the calm and steady to the cautious, and even those who had lost everything at bigger tables and were looking to make a comeback at the smaller ones.
Undeterred, she cheerfully said to the boy, "Put me down for the first ten taels."
The servant boy glanced at Qiuyue, mindful of her hundred-tael evaluation, sufficient for ten plays for the young lady. He nodded.
The betting commenced, and everyone began to place their wagers.
The first round, Hua Yan bet incorrectly and lost. The servant boy took note; the first ten taels were gone.
The second time, Hua Yan still guessed wrong and lost again. The page boy made a note of it, the second wager of ten taels was gone.
The third time…
The fourth time…
Seeing that Hua Yan had not won since the start of the game, the page boy lost interest in watching her, thinking about the daughter of a rich and noble house who had come to Shunfang Gambling House out of a curious fascination. But did she have any idea that winning at gambling wasn't so easy? Even the simple throwing of dice required some skill, and if one relied on luck? He shook his head. No amount of good luck could prevent one from losing everything, let alone meeting the nine great gambling legends. A fool's dream!
While Hua Yan was placing another bet, he waved over a boy serving tea and whispered in his ear, "Go tell Manager Cheng that it's eight down, eight losses, nothing to worry about." After that, he glanced back and saw that Hua Yan had lost again, so he changed his words, "Nine bets, nine losses, it's hopeless."
The boy nodded and hurried off.
The page boy couldn't be bothered to watch Hua Yan any longer, thinking that although she was beautiful, her luck was exceptionally bad. Nine bets and nine losses. It was a pity for her maid Qiuyue, who clearly didn't wish for this, but now she could only be collateral to Shunfang Gambling House. If luck was in her favor, maybe a young master would take a liking to her and keep her in some estate as a maid or concubine. Her life wouldn't be bad that way. But if luck was against her, and she didn't catch a young master's eye, she could blame no one but her unfortunate fate and her master who had no skill at gambling and yet insisted on trying her luck.
As he was thinking, Hua Yan suddenly turned to Qiuyue and said, "Dear Qiuyue, bring your mistress your handkerchief to wipe my sweat. It might just rub some of your scent's good luck on me and turn my fortunes around."
Qiuyue glared at Hua Yan, reluctantly reached into her bosom, pulled out her handkerchief, and wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead.
Hua Yan's smile widened, and she gently patted Qiuyue's face, saying, "Such a good girl, I'm determined to win you back. You're so considerate; I can't bear to leave you here."
Qiuyue, somewhat resentful, reminded her, "The round has started."
Seeing that everyone was looking at her and she was the only one who hadn't placed her bet, Hua Yan said with a smile, "Bet big."
Everyone together let out a snort.
The page boy thought soon she'd have to take the maid and leave.
The banker started the game, and the crowd around shouted for small, only Hua Yan bet on big. Amid a sea of certainty, the banker revealed the answer. First, there was silence, followed by a collective wail from the crowd.
At odds of one to ten, Hua Yan not only recovered her losses but also came out ahead by ten taels.
The page boy was also surprised, wondering if this girl's string of bad luck had truly come to an end, that she'd actually made up her losses.
Hua Yan reached for a pile of silver, took ten taels in her hand, and pushed the rest to the page boy, "It seems the scented handkerchief of a young lady is indeed a good luck charm. My maid and Shunfang Gambling House seem to be fated apart. Here's a hundred taels, please trouble you to return it to that plump manager, with my gratitude."
The page boy took the silver, nodded, and asked, "Will the lady continue playing?"
Feeling elated, Hua Yan nodded without hesitation, "Of course, I just had a turn of luck; how could I not continue?" And pointing not far off, she said, "I want to see if Pai Gow is any fun." And with that, she moved on.
The page boy couldn't care less about her anymore. There were plenty who, upon a stroke of good fortune, continued to play recklessly. He only hoped that a lady as beautiful as her wouldn't lose herself here. He turned and left with the hundred taels of silver.
Manager Cheng, seeing the hundred taels returned, was indifferent, waving his hand dismissively, "Fine, let it be. Let her play! If she loses herself, such a beautiful girl, quite rare, maybe the young master will fancy her and keep her to warm his bed."
The page boy nodded.
Manager Cheng had been cautious for twenty or thirty years, overseeing Shunfang Gambling House for ten, managing all the affairs without a hitch. Just then, he could never have predicted that these two dainty, weak-looking, seemingly harmless girls—one mistress and one maid—whom he had almost decided would stay for the young master's pleasure, would bring the Capital City's and even the world-renowned Shunfang Gambling House to its knees.