Bored out of his mind, Wang Hu could only drag his heavy steps along the main street. Before he knew it, he arrived at the village's central senior activity center. It was called an activity center, but it was really just a small chess and card room.

Usually, it's mostly elderly villagers who come to play chess or cards. However, every winter, after the young people who went out to work return home, some people occasionally come to join in the fun.

Wang Hu knew absolutely nothing about playing mahjong. When he entered the smoke-filled, noisy room, he could only stand there blankly, watching others skillfully arrange the mahjong tiles in their hands.

Surprisingly, Wang Hu's memory had improved dramatically. After staring intently at the card table for a while, he gradually grasped the complex rules and playing techniques. Before long, he was able to roughly understand how to participate in the game.

Just then, a clear and melodious voice reached Wang Hu's ears: "Xiao Ming is back?" He subconsciously looked up and saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him, none other than his neighbor, Shi Jun's wife, Luan Ying. Moreover, two other ladies were following closely behind her.

Wang Hu quickly replied, "Ah! I just got home today! Sister-in-law, are you here to play cards?"

Luan Ying smiled and said coquettishly, "Oh dear, don't call me sister-in-law! You're much older than us. In principle, I should be calling you uncle!"

Hearing this, Wang Hu couldn't help but joke, "Haha, your family name is Shi, and mine is Wang, so there's no question of seniority between us here! But since you've said that, well then, niece, are you here to play cards too?"

The two women behind Luan Ying burst into laughter as if they had heard an extremely funny joke. Their laughter was as clear and melodious as silver bells, echoing in the air.

Immediately, Luan Ying was also infected by the cheerful atmosphere. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a bright smile. She said in a sweet voice, "Uncle, we're currently one short for three. Would you like to come and join us?"

Wang Hu, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, had been standing there for quite a while. He had been thinking about finding a suitable seat to rest his feet, but upon hearing Luan Ying's suggestion, he readily agreed, "Alright, since that's the case, I'll keep you company. But let me make it clear beforehand, I'm a complete novice, so please be kind to me and don't take advantage of this newbie!" With that, he scratched the back of his head, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face.

Afterwards, Wang Hu followed the three women into a special room. It turned out that this room was usually used by the village's performing arts troupes for makeup. Since most women dislike the smell of smoke, this room was typically reserved for them.

This was Wang Hu's first time playing this game, and he was understandably a little nervous and curious. After carefully sitting down, he turned to look at Luan Ying sitting opposite him and asked, "Um... how do we calculate the cost of this game?" Luan Ying smiled gently and patiently explained, "It's very simple. Whoever wins in the end just gives 20 yuan to the old man guarding the door."

As she spoke, she looked closely at Wang Hu's blank and seemingly confused expression, and asked in confusion, "Don't you really know anything about it?" Wang Hu honestly replied, "Yes, I just watched others play for a while outside, and it seemed pretty easy to pick up, so I wanted to try it out."

Hearing Wang Hu say that, Luan Ying's eyes lit up, and she said to Wang Hu, "How about we bet 5 yuan?"

The other two women looked puzzled, but were stopped by her gaze before they could say anything. They immediately understood what Luan Ying meant: she wanted to win some money from Wang Hu!