Chapter 74 Deserved Punishment
Zhao Qingda went to the bank early the next morning.
As the woman in uniform behind the counter counted the money, his hands still trembled slightly as he watched the stacks of pink banknotes being pushed out.
Ten thousand yuan, a thick stack, wrapped in newspaper, stuffed into my pocket, you could feel its heavy solidity.
He didn't go straight to the casino; he went home first.
Wang Juan wasn't there, and the room was quiet.
He opened the newspaper bundle, counted out eight thousand, and tied it with a rubber band.
He held the remaining two thousand in his hand, weighed it in his hand, and looked out the window—there was a savings bank right across the street; once he deposited it, he would feel at ease.
But it felt like a cat was scratching inside me.
The frustration and resentment of losing 18,000 last night felt like burning embers in my heart.
He thought, "I'll use these two thousand to give it another try."
What if... what if luck comes back?
I'll stop once I've recouped some of what I lost last night.
With the ten thousand yuan in his hand, he walked back into that familiar, smoke-filled warehouse.
When Leopard saw him, he grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking: "Hey, Brother Qingda, you keep your word! You brought the money?"
"Brother Leopard, here's eight thousand." Zhao Qingda handed over the bundled money, his palms slightly sweaty. "The remaining two thousand... I'll play a few more rounds to tide me over."
Brother Leopard took the money, casually tossed it to his underling, and patted Zhao Qingda on the shoulder: "Not bad, you've got guts! Go ahead and play, your luck's definitely on your side today!"
The card table is still the same card table, and the people are still the same people.
San Sheng was also there. Upon seeing Zhao Qingda, he greeted him warmly, "Brother Qingda, sit here! I knew it! How could the God of Wealth leave so easily?"
Zhao Qingda sat down, but he was actually unsure of himself.
But strangely enough, the luck turned around today.
You'll get a good starting hand; you'll get exactly what you need.
After a few rounds, a small stack of banknotes had accumulated in front of him.
His tense nerves gradually relaxed, and his back straightened up a bit.
"See! What did I tell you?" San Sheng chimed in from the side. "Brother Qingda is the reincarnation of the God of Gamblers! He was letting us win yesterday, but today he's really going all out!"
A burst of laughter and compliments followed.
A smile appeared on Zhao Qingda's face, and the glimmer of hope and greed in his heart, like weeds doused with oil, sprouted up rapidly.
He won and won, and the money in front of him piled up higher and higher.
In less than half a day, the initial investment of two thousand yuan turned into five thousand yuan.
It wasn't completely dark when we left the casino.
As the evening breeze blew, Zhao Qingda felt his steps become lighter.
He touched his bulging pocket, which contained more than just the five thousand he had won. He felt confident again, that yesterday's crushing defeat was just a minor setback, and that good fortune was ultimately on his side.
Over the next few days, Zhao Qingcheng became a consistent winner at the casino.
He wins eight out of ten times, and wins quite a lot.
Everyone calls him "Zhao the God of Wealth" or "Brother Gambler".
He put his gold watch back on, slung his cell phone back onto his waist, and spoke in a rougher voice.
Brother Leopard treated him to drinks, and San Sheng fawned over him. His fellow card players looked at him with envy and flattery.
But when it comes to gambling, there's no such thing as always winning.
Good luck is like the tide; it comes and goes.
Gradually, Zhao Qingda started losing money.
Sometimes he loses only a few hundred yuan, which he considers a "lucky draw" and normal.
Sometimes he would lose a lot, a thousand or two, and he would think that he could win it all back in one go next time.
He started borrowing money from Brother Leopard.
At first, you borrow three to five thousand, and if you win, you pay it back immediately, plus extra "interest".
Brother Leopard readily agreed: "Brother Qingda, no problem!" Later, the amount borrowed became larger and larger, but the repayment became slower and slower.
Having won, I want to win more;
They lost and were eager to win back their losses.
Borrowing and losing, losing and borrowing again, like a never-ending whirlpool.
When he finally came to his senses, he fiddled with the crumpled IOUs and did the math, and his mind went blank—130,000.
He slumped onto a worn-out sofa in the corner of the casino, his body ice-cold.
130,000!
He only had a little over 20,000 yuan left in his savings account. His gold watch and mobile phone had been pawned a few days ago when he was desperate for money and couldn't get them back.
The 200,000 yuan lottery prize and the money from selling the house vanished without a trace, like snow melting in the sun.
Brother Leopard, still sporting his usual smiling face, handed him a cigarette: "Brother Qingda, this is quite a large sum. But I trust you, I'll give you a month's grace. After a month, the principal and interest will be settled, 135,000 yuan, cash on delivery. No problem, right?"
Zhao Qingda's fingers trembled as he took the cigarette, and it took him three tries to light it.
He took a deep drag, the smoke choking him and bringing tears to his eyes.
"No...no problem, Brother Leopard. I'll definitely pay it back in a month."
One month, thirty days.
Zhao Qingda was like an ant on a hot pan.
He dared not gamble anymore, fearing he would sink deeper into debt.
He went around asking people for money, but his relatives and friends, knowing he had won the lottery, found it strange that he was now asking for money again.
Moreover, he would ask to borrow several thousand dollars at a time.
Does anyone have it?
They all denied it, or simply hung up the phone and avoided meeting.
He wanted to sell the house, but the property certificate was in both his and Wang Juan's names, so he needed Wang Juan's consent.
How dare he tell Wang Juan?
Wang Juan has also been preoccupied lately.
She always felt something was wrong with her lower body; it was itchy and had an odor.
At first I didn’t pay attention, but later I felt more and more uncomfortable, so I secretly went to the hospital.
When the test results came out, she sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, staring at the cold words on the report, feeling dizzy.
STDs.
A stubborn, incurable disease.
Clutching the test results, she returned home dejectedly.
Zhao Qingda was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray.
Wang Juan threw the bill in his face.
"Zhao Qingda! Look at this! Look at the mess you've made!"
Zhao Qingda picked up the list, glanced at it, and his face instantly turned pale.
He then remembered that he seemed to have a few small bumps down there, which didn't hurt or itch, so he didn't pay much attention to them.
"You...you should check it out too," Wang Juan's voice was like ice. "Don't bring anything dirty or rotten home!"
The next day, Zhao Qingda also went to the hospital.
The result was the same.
The doctor, expressionless, gave instructions, prescribed a bunch of medications, and said that the disease required long-term treatment, was prone to recurrence, and that special attention should be paid to hygiene and sexual intercourse was prohibited.
As Zhao Qingda walked out of the hospital clutching the medicine bag, the sun was shining brightly, yet he felt a chill run through his body.
It's over, everything is over.
The one-month deadline has passed.
Leopard, accompanied by two others, knocked on Zhao Qingda's door right on time.
Wang Juan opened the door. Seeing the three menacing-looking men outside, she paused, then asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Is Zhao Qingda here?" Brother Leopard pushed her aside and walked straight into the house.
Zhao Qingda came out of the inner room and saw Brother Leopard. His legs went weak: "Brother Leopard... Brother Leopard..."
"Where's the money?" Leopard Brother sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs.
"Brother Leopard, please... please give me a few more days... I'm trying to raise the money..."
"Fuck your mother!" A burly man next to Brother Leopard kicked Zhao Qingda in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. "Brother Leopard is giving you face, but you fucking ungrateful bastard! You promised a month's pay, and if you don't see the money today, we'll take some of your parts!"
Wang Juan was terrified, shrinking into the corner as she watched Zhao Qingda being beaten and rolling on the ground, wailing and begging for mercy.
Only then did she realize that Zhao Qingda owed so much gambling debt! 130,000!
"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!" Zhao Qingda cried, clutching his head. "I'll pay you back! I'll pay you back! I'll sell the house! I'll pay you back once I sell the house!"
"The house?" Leopard gestured for his men to stop. "Where's the property certificate?"
Zhao Qingda scrambled to find it.
Wang Juan suddenly rushed out and shouted shrilly, "Zhao Qingda! I own half of this house! How dare you sell it!"
"What can I do if I don't sell?! If I don't sell, they'll kill me!" Zhao Qingda roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"What does your life have to do with me?!" Wang Juan burst into tears, her years of pent-up resentment finally erupting. "Zhao Qingda, let's get a divorce! I can't live like this anymore! Sell the house, use the money to pay off your gambling debts, and we'll split the rest equally. That'll be the end of it!"
Leopard impatiently pulled out a switchblade, which snapped open with a "snap," its gleaming blade flashing coldly under the light: "Stop talking nonsense! If you don't see the money today, I'll collect some interest first!"
He gave a signal, and two of his men held down Zhao Qingda, who was struggling desperately.
Leopard walked over, grabbed Zhao Qingda's right hand, and pressed it onto the coffee table.
"Brother Leopard! Brother Leopard, spare my life! I will definitely pay back the money! I will definitely..." Zhao Qingda was so frightened that he was scared out of his wits, tears streaming down his face.
“Remember, if you don’t pay back next time it’s due,” Leopard Brother said, raising his knife and bringing it down, “I’ll kill you.”
"Ah—!" A piercing scream rang out. A bloody little finger rolled onto the cold floor tiles.
Wang Juan covered her mouth and collapsed.
The house was eventually sold.
In order to sell it as soon as possible, the price was driven down very low.
After paying off Brother Leopard's gambling debts and high-interest loans, there was very little money left.
Wang Juan took her share, packed a small bag, and left without looking back.
She was heartbroken by the man in front of her.
He not only frequented brothels but also gambled.
At first, she intended to give him a chance, for the sake of the money;
Considering he initially gave her the job as a ticket seller;
Considering he stood up and drove away the thugs;
Even more so for the sake of the tragically deceased Iron Head...
Now, all she wants is to leave. She's lost her child, her money, and she's even gotten sick.
Let's go, what's there to be nostalgic about?
Zhao Qingda didn't know where Wang Juan had gone.
He had previously chartered that long-distance bus to someone else, but now he's taken it back.
This is his only means of livelihood.
Having nowhere to stay, he begged the people at the station to let him stay in that abandoned, drafty bus dispatch room.
In the dead of night, he lay on his cot, his right hand wrapped in thick gauze, his lower body aching from an unspeakable ailment.
He stared at the dark ceiling.
Thinking back to the ecstasy of winning the lottery a year ago,
Thinking back to the pride I felt when I moved into the apartment building,
The thrill of spending money like water at the gambling table...
Everything happened as fast as an absurd dream.
Now he's woken up from his dream, plummeting from the clouds into the mud, shattered to pieces, left only with a mountain of debt and an incurable disease.
A few days later, Sansheng appeared in Zhao Fei's pig farm office. He placed two bulging manila envelopes on the table and pushed them towards him.
"Boss Zhao, the matter is settled. This is the initial capital you gave me, and this is the money I squeezed out of Zhao Qingda."
Zhao Fei didn't rush to take it, but poured him a cup of tea: "Brother Sansheng, you've worked hard. The brothers over there..."
“Everything has been taken care of. As you wished, everyone will get a share, and everyone’s mouths will be sealed.” Sansheng took the tea and took a sip. “Zhao Qingda is in a pretty bad situation now. He’s living in the station dispatch office. He’s lost a finger, and I heard he’s also contracted a sexually transmitted disease.”
Zhao Fei paused for a moment, then counted out ten thousand yuan from the kraft paper and put it aside.
Then push the rest back to Triple Winner.
"Take these, Sansheng, and distribute them to the brothers who worked with us that day. It wasn't easy for anyone."
San Sheng was somewhat surprised. He looked at the thick wad of cash, then at Zhao Fei's calm face, and nodded: "Mr. Zhao is very generous. I thank you on behalf of my brothers."
"You're welcome." Zhao Fei stood up. "If you need any help in the future, just let me know."
After seeing Sansheng off, Zhao Fei sat back down in his chair and looked out the window at the busy scene at the pig farm.
He gave a cold laugh.
Zhao Fei picked up the ten thousand yuan, weighed it in his hand, then opened the drawer and casually put it inside.
He lit a cigarette, his eyes dark and unfathomable in the smoke.
Inside the drawer, there was still the small cloth bag that had once contained the gold bracelet.
He closed the drawer and stopped looking at it.
Zhao Qingda deserved his punishment.
Some debts have been paid off.
Some people should be completely erased from our lives.
Outside the window, the sky was a clear blue; it was a beautiful day.
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