Playing cards is generally a delightful activity enjoyed by all.
High-society individuals have their sophisticated ways of playing, while commoners have their simpler methods.
Poker cards are inexpensive, affordable even for ordinary folks.
In Tianmen City's lower society, two popular games prevail, one is "Smashing Opponents," and the other is "Cheating Three Cards."
In the past, Casinos mainly featured Cheating Three Cards—a game quite similar to Texas Hold'em but in a simplified version. The big ups and downs of the game made it more appealing to gamblers.
The rules of Smashing Opponents are somewhat similar to those of playing landlord, comprising singular and doubles. However, it involves teams of two, and four people per game. Compared to others, its pace is slower, and the outcome after an entire night isn't very dramatic.
So, Casino owners don't favor it.
Actually, the rules hardly matter. The essence of Tianmen people playing cards isn't in the gameplay but in the banter.
As the saying goes, playing cards without a sharp tongue is half as fun.
Winning or losing isn't important. What matters is the vigor. Holding good cards in your hand and jabbing harsh words right into someone's guts feels as exhilarating as eating sashimi with mustard: it's not about the potential radiation in the food, but the searing rush of mustard that blasts your senses.
Having spent barely half an hour in the yard, Wang Yunxiao deeply experienced the verbal prowess of the Tianmen people.
Clutching a pair of tens, he watched the young player above him hesitate slightly before earnestly beginning his mocking charm, "Can you beat that? What are you waiting for, a bus? Even playing cards, you dither. Is that how you were on your wedding night? If you don't cover me, I'm leaving…"
"Three sixes!"
"I don't want it."
Seeing the old man pass, the young player snapped, "You don't want three sixes? What are you fussing about then? Just say you can't beat it, and I would have split them! Given your age, like I could stop you? Just tell me what you can beat, is it a five or a four…"
The chatter is thicker than the gameplay.
Wang Yunxiao hid to the side, quietly enjoying the show.
Lv'er approached with a cheeky grin, "Yuanxiao, they need one more player over there. Why don't you join them for a couple of rounds?"
Wang Yunxiao shook his head, "No interest, not playing."
Lv'er's expression slightly changed, and he thought to persuade further, "It's definitely boring just watching here. Playing a few rounds will be fun. Don't keep them waiting…"
"If I go play, who will watch the place?"
"What are you afraid of? I'm not worried, everyone is neighbors here, it's all good."
"No way!"
Wang Yunxiao firmly refused, "Everyone in the Jianghu World knows that Wang Yunxiao is a man of integrity. Taking your five taels of silver means doing exactly five taels worth of work. When I say I'll watch the place, I focus on watching the place!"
Lv'er, unable to retort, frowned and turned away.
Before long, Wang Yunxiao saw him sneaking out the gate.
Another half hour passed, and he led two stout men back from outside.
Living standards back in those days couldn't be compared with the 21st century; ordinary people didn't need to worry about over-nutrition or related diseases. In contrast, these two men looked evidently more robust and well-fed.
Lv'er brought them in front of Wang Yunxiao, grinning, "Brother Yuanxiao, guess who I ran into? Let me introduce them. This is Du Ming, Master Du, and this is Du Chun, Second Master Du, both renowned heroes indeed!"
Was a renowned hero actually in need of such an introduction?
If there had been anything at all praiseworthy, one wouldn't end up unable to boast even a single word.
Wang Yunxiao snickered inwardly, stood up, and greeted with a clasped fist and a smile, "Master Du, Second Master Du, I've long admired you!"
The two didn't really care about his attitude. Du Ming waved his hand and said, "Both of us hail from Tianmen as well, but we've always been in the service of nobles, so our fame isn't prominent. We've just returned, and finding ourselves idly at home without amusement, we heard that a new gambling station had been set up here, so we came to have a look."
Lv'er hurriedly responded with a laugh, "I hope you don't find our modest setup laughable. We just opened today, and we're lacking everything. Please forgive us, forgive us!"
Then he turned his head and winked at Wang Yunxiao, whispering, "I'll go over there and arrange some food. Brother Yuanxiao, please entertain the two Master Dus, and make sure not to neglect our honored guests!"
What an awkward performance it truly was.
It was tough on Brother Du too, having to recite lines in such a soullessly flattering tone.
No sooner had Wang Yunxiao refused to play cards than Lv'er fetched these two "honored guests" whom he couldn't afford to neglect.
What a coincidence, how could it be such a coincidence?
The moment Lv'er turned to leave, the men plopped themselves down, bulging their eyes at Wang Yunxiao, and demanded fiercely, "Kid! What are your credentials?"
This was slang from the northern Green Forest Road, also known as "lip code," asking what your background is and who has got your back.
Wang Yunxiao didn't understand this, but having seen enough explanatory videos online in later times, he could roughly guess what it meant.
I'm not involved with the Green Forest Road, why should I bother explaining this to you when I'm fully sated?
So he quickly waved his hands and said, "Please, brothers, don't talk about this. I don't understand nor do I want to hear it. Also, keep it down, the government has said that reporting is rewarded!"
Hearing the word "government," the Du brothers instinctively straightened up and shrank their necks, their arrogance receding.
Last year's two rounds of anti-crime operations were still having an effect.
Wang Yunxiao wasn't very clear about the extent of these actions, but from the brothers' reactions, he knew the deterrent effect hadn't fully dissipated.
Du Chun coughed and dryly chuckled, "Little brother speaks sensibly. We should indeed be cautious when we're out not to cause trouble for our host. It seems everyone here is playing cards. Why don't we join in? Would you play with us?"
At this, Wang Yunxiao found it difficult to refuse.
His role here was to oversee the casino, and besides dealing with troublesome and provocative patrons, a significant part of his job was to host friends from the Jianghu world.
What mattered in the Jianghu was the show of respect and face. You reciprocate the respect shown to you. The friends from the Jianghu who visit you should be sincerely attended to, as only then would they appreciate your kindness. Over time, this would build your network and reputation.
Of course, today was a special case.
They had clearly come for him.
Wang Yunxiao had Loach fetch a deck of cards, turned back to the Du brothers, and said with a smile, "Please forgive me, brothers, I haven't played this for many years and might be a bit rusty. Whatever you like to play, I'm all in."
Hearing his humble words, the brothers' expressions softened immediately.
Du Ming laughed heartily, "What's there to know about playing this game, you get the hang of it after a couple of rounds! But we brothers like to play with stakes, it's no fun without money on the table."
Wang Yunxiao nodded and smiled, "Sure, as long as you keep it down, any way of playing is fine!"