When Chen Qiushu arrived at Ergouzi's house, it was already getting dark.
Most people were reluctant to light kerosene lamps, and by this time they had already spread out their bedding and were ready to go to sleep.
But Ergouzi's family lit two kerosene lamps, with one table on the kang and one table on the ground, with four people at each table, and some people watching the fun nearby, commonly known as "peekers". In short, the room was full of people.
Chen Qiushu eagerly went to the table on the ground, stood behind one of the people, and watched with great interest.
The cards people play nowadays are made of plastic paper and are in the shape of long strips. There are 120 cards in a set, including 108 main cards, and each card has a picture of a Liangshan hero.
There are three types: strips, cakes, and ten thousand. Each type has nine numbers from one to nine.
The design of the cards is also very simple, with identification patterns of bars, circles and ten thousand drawn in the middle, and numbers from one to nine marked on the top and bottom respectively.
Most of these people who play cards are illiterate, but they know more than 100 cards by heart.
"Ninety thousand."
"Three cakes."
"bump."
The calls came one after another.
There were also some noises from people picking their eyes out to join in the fun.
"Hey, hey, hey, hit this one, hit this one, the previous player has already hit two cards, why are you still keeping this one?"
"Hit this one?" The person holding the card was a little hesitant.
"Yes, just play this one. If someone else holds the card and doesn't play it, you won't be able to win, right?"
"In the middle, six, do you want any?"
The next player looked at the cards in his hand, decisively reached out and picked up another one, and started fiddling with it.
After a while, one of them threw the cards on the table and said, "Hu La, ha ha, give me money."
Chen Qiushu was itching to do something while watching from the side.
He couldn't participate in a night party like this because it was a real money game and he had no money.
The two kerosene lamps lit by Ergouzi were not lit for free. He would take a penny from each game.
He could earn several cents just for that one night.
However, this situation only occurs when the ground freezes and winter comes. At other times, we have to work during the day, and after a day's work, we are so tired that our backs and waists ache. No one can stay up all night.
Only in the cold winter months, when there is no activity outside, do people's minds become active.
The plastic cards they played with were only owned by Ergouzi's family in Dongliang Village. They were brought back by his grandfather from somewhere outside.
From then on, this way of playing cards gradually became popular in the village. It was passed down from generation to generation, and many of the patterns on the cards were rubbed white by people.
Now Ergouzi's father couldn't stay up late anymore, so he threw the game to Ergouzi.
Chen Qiushu had played it before, but that was during the day when there were not many people around. Ergouzi would arrange for those who didn't have to pay to play, and as long as there were four people, they could play for free.
Er Gouzi knows very well that if he wants to keep this business going for a long time, he has to keep attracting people. Although these young people in the family have no money now, they will eventually grow up and start their own families, right?
If they don't know how to play cards, how can we let them know the fun of playing cards? How can they be willing to spend their hard-earned money in the future?
The game had been going on for several rounds at the table, and one of the players lost all his money, so he had to leave the table dejectedly.
A man who was also picking his eyes nearby nudged Chen Qiushu with his arm: "Why don't you go up and play a few rounds? It seems you've been standing here for quite a while."
"I don't have any money in my pocket, otherwise I would have played earlier." Chen Qiushu didn't even turn his head, his eyes fixed on the card table.
"You still don't have money? Didn't you hear that people from Zhaojiawan are sending money?" The man didn't believe it.
"Well, it's a gift, but the money is in the old man's hands, not in my pocket!"
The old man at home hid the money very carefully. Who knows where he hid it?
Besides, he didn't dare to touch the money because he knew the amount. If he was even a penny less, the old man would beat him to death.
"Hey, if you don't have money, you can use something else to pay for it. Don't you know? Er Gouzi also sells cornmeal at 6 cents a pound."
The person who was talking to Shen Qiushu was Liu Jinhe from the village. He was 24 years old and had already started a family. However, the family's food and financial power were controlled by his parents, so he was also a pauper.
"Six cents a pound? That's too much. The supply and marketing cooperative in town sells it for nine cents a pound."
After hearing this, Shen Qiushu was amazed. This Ergouzi is simply Zhou Baopi.
"I think it's okay. 9 cents is the price you paid when you bought it, and you need a ticket. Besides, the purchase price is definitely cheaper than the selling price."
Liu Jinhe rubbed his hands. He just couldn't get the key to the cabinet. Otherwise, he could steal a little bit every day. It would add up to a lot. When he had collected a pound, he could go to the table and play a few games.
"As long as I can get to the table, I think with my skills, I can definitely win a few cents, then I'll make a fortune." Liu Jinhe couldn't help drooling while looking at the card table.
Shen Qiushu was quite moved by what he said, but when he thought about the fact that the key to the cabinet at home was now in the hands of the old man, and that he had just had a quarrel with the old man, he couldn't lose face and talk to him at this time!
If only the key was still with me, I could get some of it back if I said a few nice words.
You can secretly grab a handful of cornmeal from the flour bag and no one will notice.
Speaking of Old Lady Wang, Shen Qiushu remembered that he hadn't visited his mother for a long time. He wondered if she was feeling better.
If things get better, maybe the old man will give the key back to me?
Chen Qiushu and Liu Jinhe stood in front of the card table with their own ulterior motives until late at night when Er Gouzi cleared the table and everyone playing cards went home. Only then did they leave.
Arriving at the door of his house, Shen Qiushu pushed it and found that it was locked from the inside.
But this did not pose a problem for him. He grabbed the earthen wall next to the door with his hands, pushed hard with his feet, and jumped onto the top of the wall.
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