Chapter 7 First Visit to the Gambling Den

Gambling tables include those for dice, dominoes, and pai gow. In terms of sheer excitement, the dice tables are the most lively because the wins and losses are fast, the stakes are high, and it's easy to get carried away and end up rolling on the floor.

After watching for a while, I realized that the dice on the table had been rigged by a swindler. Every time the dice were rolled, the bearded guy always got the highest score, so he was definitely cheating. Many people were betting along with him and lost terribly.

Ye Wanning sneered. You dare to embarrass yourselves with such petty tricks?

She reached into her pocket for the few loose silver coins she had and walked to a dominoes table where few people were playing. The game being played was a game of pushing pairs, quick to win and lose, and easy to pick up. The dealer was a tall, thin man with triangular eyes; he looked like a restless fellow.

"Hey kid, not placing a bet?" A greasy, fat man next to Ye Wanning patted her on the shoulder. "Just got here, huh? You've got some nerve coming to Jucaifang."

Ye Wanning ignored him, took out a small amount of silver from her pocket and placed it on the player's seat at the card table: "Bet fifty coins."

She deliberately lowered her voice, making her sound like a ten- or four-year-old child.

The tall, thin man glanced at her, pursed his lips, and said, "You dare to come here with so little money? Are you here to cause trouble?"

"It didn't say that small bets weren't allowed, did it?" Ye Wanning replied casually.

The tall, thin man choked for a moment, then stopped talking and began dealing the cards.

The dominoes' numbers remained constant, but Ye Wanning used her photographic memory to quickly memorize which ones were straights.

She won the first round.

The tall, thin man's eyes flashed with anger, but he remained silent.

She won the second round.

More and more people are starting to notice this unassuming boy.

"This kid's lucky."

"Yeah, two wins in a row."

In the third round, the tall, thin guy tried to switch cards, but Ye Wanning quickly pressed her hand down on the table. "How can the dealer switch cards? Switch them yourself? That doesn't seem very proper, does it?"

"I'm just looking at the cards, mind your own business!"

"Really?" Ye Wanning picked up her cards and said slowly, "But why do I feel like there's something wrong with your cards?"

"What nonsense are you spouting! Deal the cards now!"

Ye Wanning smiled and revealed her cards, "I have a pair of nines."

The tall, thin guy had a pair of sixes and lost.

The tall, thin man, his face ashen, stared intently at Ye Wanning. "Who exactly are you?"

"Just passing by." Ye Wanning put away the silver she had won, then took out another piece of silver and placed it on the table. "This time I'm betting one tael."

Everyone around gasped. This kid's got some nerve! He just won a little money and he's already betting so much!

The tall, thin man gritted his teeth, determined to make the kid lose everything.

But in the following rounds, no matter how the tall, thin man changed his cards or cheated, Ye Wanning always accurately placed her bets, winning more than she lost. Before long, the silver in front of Ye Wanning had piled up into a small mountain.

"Something's not right! This kid is definitely cheating!" The tall, thin man finally couldn't take it anymore, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up.

The people around them started shouting.

"Yes, what a coincidence!"

"They're definitely cheating!"

Ye Wanning looked at them coldly, "Whether I cheated or not, everyone saw it. But you, when you wanted to switch cards just now, why didn't you admit that you cheated?"

"You're talking nonsense!" the tall, thin man shouted angrily. "Guards! Seize this kid!"

Several thugs dressed in black immediately surrounded them.

Ye Wanning remained calm. She glanced at the second floor and said loudly, "Is this how Jucaifang treats its customers? If you lose money, they accuse you of cheating and even try to beat you up? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if word gets out?"

The sound wasn't loud, but in an instant, it could be heard throughout the entire first-floor lobby.

The noisy hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone's attention was focused on this spot.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe came down from the second floor, followed by several attendants. With a fat head, large ears, and an oily face, this was Wang Pangzi, the owner of Jucaifang.

"What's going on? What's all the noise about?" Fatty Wang squinted and scanned the crowd.

The tall, thin man quickly walked over, pointed at Ye Wanning, and said to him, "Boss! This kid cheated and won a lot of money!"

Fatty Wang looked at Ye Wanning, his gaze sweeping over her. "You cheated?"

"No," Ye Wanning said calmly. "If you don't believe me, the boss can check the cards himself, or have someone else play a few more rounds."

Fatty Wang laughed.

Having spent so many years in this red-light district, what kind of people haven't he seen? This young man may look unremarkable, but the calmness in his eyes is something that ordinary people don't possess.

Moreover, he had just seen it from the second floor; the boy hadn't cheated, and his own men were dishonest.

“Since you say you didn’t cheat, then you didn’t.” Fatty Wang patted the tall, thin man on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hidden threat: “Or are you mistaken?”

The tall, thin man's face turned pale instantly, and he dared not say anything more: "It's...it was my mistake."

"Since you've made a mistake, why don't you quickly apologize to the young man?" Fatty Wang said.

The tall, thin man reluctantly said "I'm sorry" to Ye Wanning.

"No need." Ye Wanning put the silver into her pocket. "I was just playing a couple of rounds, and now I've won enough silver. It's time to go."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"Hey young man, wait a minute," Fatty Wang called out to her. "I see you're quite skilled. How about we play a couple of rounds?"

Ye Wanning turned around and looked at Fatty Wang, "What does the boss want to play?"

"Let's play the simplest game, dice," Fatty Wang laughed. "One round decides the winner. If you lose, you have to keep everything you won. If you win, I'll give you ten times the amount of silver. How about it? Dare to play?"

Those around gasped. This Fatty Wang was a renowned dice expert, said to be able to roll any number he wanted. If this young man were to gamble with him, it would be tantamount to suicide!

Ye Wanning looked at Fatty Wang and curled the corners of her lips. "What wouldn't I dare to do?"

Fatty Wang's eyes lit up. "Great! That's awesome!"

He had someone bring over a table and put a dice cup and three dice on it.

"Young man, would you like to go first?" Fatty Wang gestured for him to go first.

"Let the boss go first," Ye Wanning said. "I want to see what the boss can do."

Fatty Wang chuckled, grabbed the dice cup, and started shaking it vigorously. He was quick; the dice rattled in the cup, making no discernible pattern. After shaking it for about half a cup of tea's time, he slammed the cup down on the table: "Place your bets!"

Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed.

Ye Wanning, however, seemed to be acting without thinking, and casually bet on "big".

Fatty Wang smiled smugly and lifted the dice cup—36, a big leopard!

"Hahaha! I won!" Ye Wanning shouted excitedly.