King of Luck

Because of Tang Feng's four lines of frontier poetry, the gates of the Tang residence were packed with people every day. Later, the authorities dispersed the crowds, and it took two or three days for the congestion to finally clear up. Since Old Master Tang had missed the Qingming Festival ancestral worship a few days prior, he wanted to make up for it with a visit in the coming days. He asked Qin Jiujiu to arrange the purchase of offerings. Everyone in the residence felt that the old master was significantly more enthusiastic about the ancestral worship than ever before. He personally inspected all the offerings Qin Jiujiu sent back. The old master didn't say anything, but it was clear to everyone that he was feeling triumphant because of Tang Feng's poem and was eager to appease his ancestors.

Tang Feng was naturally unwilling. Liu had explained the entire ancestral worship ceremony to Tang Feng the night before, and Tang Feng found it as monotonous as chanting scriptures, so he eventually fell asleep on the table.

Today, when the ancestral hall ceremony arrived, Tang Feng had completely forgotten the procedures. According to the rules, Liu Yiwan and Qin Jiujiu, who were familiar with the process, were not allowed to enter the hall, and even Qin Liuliu was turned away at the door. Tang Feng listened to Old Master Tang begin reciting the eulogy, feeling somewhat drowsy.

"Cough cough." Tang Feng looked up and saw the old man frowning at him. The attendant beside him handed Tang Feng incense, which Tang Feng quickly took. He knelt down beside the old man, holding the incense. The old man picked up the prepared paper and began to burn it. Next to him were the Four Books and Five Classics and a bowl of white rice. He was also chanting incantations. Tang Feng glanced around. The room was full of kneeling people. The small door outside was open to allow air circulation while burning paper. Tang Feng saw that the incense in his hand was almost burned out, so he quickly blew on it, hoping to burn it out soon. After the last piece burned out, Tang Feng saw that his old man was still engrossed in the incantation. He slowly put the incense stick aside, observed his surroundings, and seeing that everyone had their eyes closed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he slowly lowered his body to the lowest point and silently crawled out. He was caught red-handed by Qin Liuliu, who was playing in the sand outside.

"Tang... Waaah..." Qin Liuliu was about to call out to Tang Feng when her mouth was suddenly covered.

"Don't talk. Your brother is taking you out to play. When you come back, don't tell your godfather, understand?"

Qin Liuliu nodded. "Then I want to eat candied hawthorn."

"Buy, buy, buy!" Tang Feng scooped Qin Liuliu up in his arms and quietly slipped out of the Tang family mansion gate. He figured the ancestral worship ceremony would take some time, so he decided to stroll around the streets for a while before heading back.

"Come on in, take a look! Oh, Master Lei! Several gentlemen are already waiting for you upstairs, please come in."

A shout caught Tang Feng's attention. Looking up, he saw there was no sign. "What's the point of shouting if there's no sign?!" Without thinking, he took Qin Liuliu inside.

"Oh, sir! What would you like to do? Do you have any plans with anyone?"

"Uh...no." Tang Feng began to look the shop up and down. It was somewhat dark inside, with a small second floor. The first floor was packed with people, and Tang Feng couldn't see what they were doing because there were so many people.

Seeing Tang Feng looking around, the waiter stepped forward and asked, "Sir, would you like a private room or a single room?"

Tang Feng looked down at Qin Liuliu. "Um, it should be alone!"

"Then you can stay on the first floor. Would you like to play dice or a single bet?"

So this is a gambling den! Tang Feng patted his pockets. He'd been paying respects to his ancestors, and Liu Yiwan hadn't given him a purse. He turned to leave, but then looked back and didn't see Qin Liuliu. He told the waiter, "Come back another day. My child is lost. I'll look for him. Sorry." Then Tang Feng plunged into the crowd. "Qin Liuliu! Qin Liuliu! Qin..." Tang Feng saw Qin Liuliu in the gambling den, standing on tiptoe, peering up at the table. "Qin Liuliu!" Tang Feng grabbed her and lifted her up. "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't run around before we left the manor?"

"Brother Tang, put me down, I'm going to win!" Tang Feng glanced at the single-betting platform and saw a string of candied hawthorns.

"Let's roll the dice now!" The person opening the dice revealed, "Congratulations to our customer who bet on 'small'!" A chorus of cheers erupted, mixed with sighs. Tang Feng glanced at the candied hawthorns Qin Liuliu had placed on the table, about to mock her for her poor choice, when he saw that the candied hawthorns had landed on the "small" character. Tang Feng's eyes widened. "How did you know you should bet on 'small'?"

"I don't know, I'm just guessing. Brother, please put me down." Qin Liuliu was still being held by the back of her neck by Tang Feng, her feet dangling in the air, struggling to move her short legs to get down.

"Sir, here's the candied hawthorn you just bet on, and the winnings." Tang Feng, holding the candied hawthorn in one hand and Qin Liuliu in the other, was somewhat bewildered. Was this a coincidence? Tang Feng glanced at Qin Liuliu, the little guy struggling to reach the candied hawthorn in Tang Feng's hand. Tang Feng slowly put Qin Liuliu down and returned the candied hawthorn to him. The single-betting game had restarted.

Seeing this, Tang Feng took the candied hawthorn that Qin Liuliu had taken a bite out of and asked, "Liuliu, which one do you think your brother should bet on this time?"

"Still too young"

Tang Feng, still somewhat skeptical, placed the string of candied hawthorns, still damp with Qin Liuliu's saliva, on the small plate, waiting for the dice to be rolled. "Let's roll the dice now," the person rolling the dice announced. "Congratulations to our customer who placed a small bet!"

Tang Feng's eyes widened as he accepted the winnings. He stood there stunned for a while, then turned to look at Qin Liuliu, seemingly lost in thought. "Liuliu, do you have some kind of special ability?"

"Brother Tang, what is a special ability? I'm just guessing." Qin Liuliu was a little confused by the question. "Hiss~" Tang Feng now wanted to find Zhang Mobai to verify it. If Qin Liuliu really had such good luck, wouldn't he be able to get rich by gambling in the future? His life would be an ancient version of Macau.

Thinking of this, Tang Feng tucked Qin Liuliu under his arm and ran towards the Zhang residence.

"Little madman, little madman, Zhang Mobai! Open the door!"

"Oh, Young Master Tang, you've come to ask our young master for something..."

"Oh dear, it's urgent!" Before the old butler could finish speaking, Tang Feng burst in.

"Uncle Fu, who's looking for me, little brother?" Before Tang Feng could even go inside, Zhang Mobai came out, holding a book in his hand. "Little brother, if I'm not mistaken, your family is holding an ancestral worship ceremony today! What brings you to visit my house?"

"It is indeed an ancestral worship ceremony, but I have discovered a secret."

"What secret is it?!"

"Uh..." Tang Feng glanced at Zhang Fu warily, and Zhang Mobai immediately understood his meaning. "Uncle Fu, there's nothing else here, you can go back to your work!" After Zhang Fu left, Tang Feng whispered in Zhang Mobai's ear.

"What! You went to the gambling den! And you took Liu Liu with you!"

"Would it kill you to keep your voice down?!" Tang Feng quickly covered Zhang Mobai's mouth. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

Zhang Mobai grabbed Tang Feng's wrist and said, "It's not your house, what are you afraid of? My father went out to play chess today and isn't home. Don't worry. You just said Qin Liuliu has a secret? What secret?"

"He's just incredibly lucky."

Zhang Mobai frowned. "Little brother, you rushed over here just to tell me this? I'm not trying to be mean, but luck is something that might last a while and then disappear. Everyone has their lucky days, so you don't need to be so surprised!"

"I'm not talking about the kind of coincidence; I think Qin Liuliu might be eternal... Do you understand?"

Zhang Mobai remained silent for a while, then turned and went into the house. After a short while, he came out, took out a few dice, put them in a box, shook them, and placed them on the stone table, asking, "Six, is it big or small?"

"It should be big!" Qin Liuliu blurted out without thinking.

Zhang Mobai slowly opened the box, revealing three fives and one six. Zhang Mobai looked at Tang Feng with some disbelief, while Tang Feng shrugged and said, "I knew it!"

Zhang Mobai, seemingly unconvinced, shook his head again and asked, "And this time?"

"Little one!"

Zhang Mobai seemed to be gambling on something. He quietly opened the box a crack, peeked inside, and then slowly opened it again. Three ones, two twos... "Little brother, you might have found a treasure! Qin Liuliu is simply amazing!" Zhang Mobai stood with his hands on his hips, staring blankly at Qin Liuliu. "If you ever become rich using this, don't forget me when you're rich!"

"Alright, alright, this is still far from settled. I'm sneaking back now, lest my dad beats me again if he doesn't see me at the ancestral worship ceremony. Where do you usually crawl over here?!"

"Come with me," Zhang Mobai said, leading Tang Feng towards the backyard. "It'll be easier for you to flip through with Qin Liuliu with you!"

"Even if it's hard to climb, we have to, otherwise how will we get back?" After saying that, he climbed up the wall along the base, took Qin Liuliu from Zhang Mobai's hand, and instructed, "Don't tell anyone about Liuliu's situation beforehand."

"Don't worry! I'm not Liu Yiwan."

Upon hearing Zhang Mobai's words, Tang Feng turned and jumped off the wall. "My young master! Where have you been?!" He was caught red-handed by Liu Yiwan the moment he jumped down.

"Hey! You were waiting for me!" Tang Feng, knowing he was in the wrong, smiled sheepishly. "My dad probably doesn't know!"

"How could that be!" Liu Yiwan rolled her eyes. "My dear young master! That's an ancestral worship ceremony! How could you sneak out like that! If the ancestors find out, how can they protect you anymore!"

"Stop trying to scare me with your feudal superstitions! I've been dead for so long, I don't even know how many times I've been reincarnated. What business is it of yours whether I can go out or not?" Tang Feng was a little aggrieved. He had been woken up early in the morning, and all those formalities had left him dizzy. Now that he was going out, he was going to get a lecture from Liu Yiwan.

"Anyway, the master is in the front hall right now! You're so eloquent, why don't you go and explain things to him! I don't care anymore!" With that, Liu Yiwan made a move to leave.

"Hey! Don't go!" Tang Feng grabbed Liu Yiwan. "Is my dad really angry right now?"

"I'm more than just angry, I'm almost out of control."

Tang Feng nervously gripped his clothes. "If I get beaten up, you'd better bail me out." He then walked towards the front hall.