Shi Nan was prepared to endure a slap, but the action didn't follow through.
It was only when she heard Luo Yang speak that she opened her eyes.
Seeing Luo Yang holding Father Shi's hand, Shi Nan's heart warmed, and her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at him.
Seeing that Father Shi still wanted to borrow money, Shi Nan firmly stopped him.
"Don't lend it to him! He will use it for gambling. All the money at home he has lost to gambling, yet he still hopes to win! My mother didn't even have money for medical treatment!"
As she spoke, Shi Nan's eyes reddened, and her voice became hoarse.
Shi Yun, standing by, also had tears swirling in her eyes, looking quite pitiful.
Seeing his daughter spoil things time and again, Father Shi became angry again.
Luo Yang quickly said, "Uncle, don't be angry."
He then advised Shi Nan, "Sister Nan, let me talk to Uncle. Money isn't the issue. I know what to do."
If it weren't for having faced many big scenes before, Luo Yang wouldn't have the courage to persuade Father Shi.
After all, he was just a teenager, and it's not easy for a young boy to reason with an adult.
In the room, only Luo Yang and Father Shi were men, all the others were women.
Shuang Qiao and Hong Jiaxin didn't find it appropriate to interrupt.
Only Luo Yang stepped forward to see if he could persuade Father Shi to stay away from gambling.
For a lifelong gambler, convincing him with mere words was tougher than reaching the heavens.
But Luo Yang was confident.
Father Shi stretched his hand out to Luo Yang, urgently asking for money, "Give me the money first."
Sons asking fathers for money never seemed as urgent as this.
Luo Yang smiled lightly and said, "Uncle, I will tell you the truth. Actually, I am a cheat. I just want you to stop gambling."
Seeing Father Shi's face turn grim, Luo Yang took out one thousand yuan, but held it in his hand only.
Father Shi's eyes lit up when he saw the banknotes.
"Give it to me," Father Shi said, almost snatching it with his anxious movements.
"You may not believe I can cheat, right? Then let's play San Gong. If you can beat me, the money is yours," Luo Yang offered generously.
Seeing a business opportunity with no investment, combined with his fondness for such things, Father Shi readily agreed.
Among those who knew Luo Yang, only Hong Jiaxin understood him well.
However, she had never really heard about Luo Yang cheating.
Of course, she had indeed seen Luo Yang play poker proficiently with others.
The other beauties all looked at each other with skeptical eyes.
The Shi family had a deck of playing cards.
Luo Yang said, "You deal the cards."
The rules of San Gong were very simple.
Three cards, whoever has the bigger hand wins.
Since it's poker, if the dealer knows how to cheat, they can deal themselves good cards.
Luo Yang could only glance, not steal cards.
To add a sense of mystery, Luo Yang let Father Shi deal the cards.
Three cards are dealt, with the second card being a face-up card for betting.
If after dealing the second card it feels insufficient, one can opt not to follow, losing only the basic bet of, say, ten yuan to start with.
When the cards were good, Luo Yang followed; when not, he gave up.
As one might expect, Father Shi lost to Luo Yang.
Far from being discouraged, Father Shi was excited, saying, "Young man, please teach me your techniques!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Yang laughed.
Originally, he had intended to use this opportunity to persuade Father Shi to quit gambling, but it had only fuelled his gambling spirit more.
"Uncle, to be blunt. If you keep gambling, you'll ruin your whole life. If you cheat and get caught, your hands will be chopped off. If you don't cheat, how can you ever win? In the end, you just don't have a chance to win."
But Father Shi wouldn't listen.
"Pass it to me! Whether I get my hand chopped off is my business!" Father Shi said.
He had thought that showing off his skill would curb Father Shi's gambling urge.
Now, Luo Yang finally understood the old saying, "It's easy to change rivers and mountains, but hard to change one's nature."
To continue would only lead to disagreements, eventually escalating to an argument.
Luo Yang's thoughts shifted, and he devised a plan.
With a chuckle, he said, "It's not impossible for you to take me as your master and learn."
At this, Father Shi became even more excited and quickly said, "I am willing to take you as my master! Master, please teach me gambling skills!"
In this situation, Luo Yang felt like laughing, but it was not appropriate.
Glancing around, Shuang Qiao and Hong Jiaxin were also holding back their smiles.
The Shi Sisters looked slightly embarrassed.
To help them, Luo Yang had to resort to an unusual strategy.
"Uncle, you are mistaken. How can I possibly teach you gambling skills without knowing you? To take me as your master, I need to see that you are a sincere and good disciple. Only then will I teach you," Luo Yang said earnestly.
Hearing this, Father Shi's face darkened.
Luo Yang firmly asked, "Do you really want to take me as your master?"
Having seen Luo Yang's superior gambling skills, Father Shi indeed wanted to learn.
"Of course!" Father Shi said decisively.
"Once you take me as your master, you will be my disciple. My rules are strict, and if you disobey, I will punish you. If you have thought it through and want to formally take me as your master, whether it's a cup of tea or alcohol, bring it to me," Luo Yang said calmly.
Hesitating for a moment, Father Shi quickly found a glass and poured a cup of rice wine for Luo Yang.
Accepting the cup, Luo Yang did not even blink as he drank the whole cup of rice wine.
"Master, you have a great tolerance for alcohol!" Father Shi praised.
"To become the highest-level cheat, you must have advanced thoughts. Otherwise, if you only learn a bit of technique and think you are great without understanding the depths, others will easily see through you, which could harm you."
Luo Yang began to dispense advice.
"Starting now, you should stay away from alcohol and gambling. First, live well and train your emotions. Stay calm in situations and don't lose your temper easily. Once you reach this level, I will teach you the most basic techniques."
The others didn't know whether what Luo Yang said was true or false.
Seeing his serious and earnest demeanor, they couldn't help but temporarily believe he was skilled.
In fact, Luo Yang hadn't figured out how to persuade Father Shi yet and wanted to control the situation first, so he had to employ this strategy.
Impatient, Father Shi said, "Master, I can stay very calm! Teach me now, please!"
Seeing Luo Yang looking coldly at him, Father Shi had to suppress his greedy smile.
"I have seen many people who have been hand-chopped. If you want your hand chopped off, I can accommodate you," Luo Yang said coldly.
Father Shi dared not continue the conversation.
"Here, take this one thousand yuan and use it to pay off your gambling debts. I will learn of your situation through your family. If your character does not improve, I will not teach you any techniques," Luo Yang said, handing over the money.
"Thank you, Master!" Father Shi took the money with both hands.
After taking the money, Father Shi quickly slipped away.
Watching this family, Luo Yang and the others felt much pity.
Shi's Mother occasionally acted normally, occasionally not.
Once Father Shi left, Shi's Mother came to greet everyone.
Sister Nan, with a cigarette in her mouth, asked, "Cowboy, do you have a way to cure my mother's illness?"
Luo Yang was not yet confident in curing mental illnesses.
"I am studying this medical technique; I should have some results in the future," Luo Yang said.
After dealing with Father Shi for a while, it had turned dark.
Shi Yun was supposed to go to class, but hearing that tonight was her sister's first night singing at a bar in the countryside, she wanted to go and support her.
So Luo Yang took Shi Yun along.
However, fitting six people in the car was not easy.
According to usual practices, only by having someone sit on Luo Yang's lap could they fit so many people.