A movie had been playing for over an hour.
During the intermission, An Hao stood up—she needed to use the restroom.
Coming out of the restroom, she saw the crowd under the pagoda tree growing larger and larger, with many men gathering around to watch during the break.
An Hao, seeing the crowd packed so tightly that no one could slip through, had no idea what was happening inside.
She edged closer and tiptoed to get a look, only to see someone seated under the old pagoda tree. This person seemed vaguely familiar, likely a local ne'er-do-well who loitered all day with nothing to do.
At that moment, he had a large white bowl in front of him, with two dice placed inside one bowl, then covered with another bowl, which he lifted high and shook vigorously with both hands.
He shouted loudly, "Place your bets, place your bets! Come and place your bets! Are you betting on high or low? "
"High, high, high! Bet on high! Trust me, I'm right!"
"Low. Bet on low."
