Lu Shengye handed out candies and peanuts to them, saying, "Your sister-in-law is shy and can't take jokes, so we won't make a ruckus in the bridal chamber. Let's just chat together."
"Shengye, what are you saying? Isn't this wedding night prank a tradition? You did it when my brother got married too."
"That's right, how can you not have a wedding night prank?"
"Platoon leader, you must be joking. There's no time for chatting during a wedding night. Here's what we'll do: you and your wife can bite into this candy together."
As he spoke, Zhao Yong casually picked up a piece of candy from the table.
“Everyone, everyone,” Jiang Xuan stood up from the edge of the bed and said with a smile, “I know today is a special day and everyone wants to have some fun. But how about we do it in a more interesting way?”
Everyone was taken aback and looked at Jiang Xuan.
Zhao Yong asked, "Sister-in-law, what's a more interesting way? Tell me about it."
Jiang Xuan picked up the cloth bag placed on the bedside table and took out a deck of cards.
Everyone asked in confusion: "Playing cards?"
In those days, poker wasn't common; it was usually only played during the Lunar New Year, and there weren't as many variations as in later generations.
Jiang Xuan had just confirmed with Lu Xiaomei that there was no version of Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) yet.
"Yes, how about I teach everyone how to play Dou Dizhu?"
"What's Dou Dizhu?"
Is this some new way to play?
Everyone was very curious.
Jiang Xuan pushed all the candies and peanuts on the bed aside and said, "Dou Dizhu is a very interesting game. I guarantee you won't be able to stop playing it."
"Let me give you a brief introduction to how to play, listen carefully."
People became interested and gathered around.
"Dou Dizhu is a three-player game, with the game divided into two sides: the landlord and the peasants. That is to say, in each round, there is one person as the landlord and the other two as peasants."
Someone said, "I know, it's two against one, right? Just like when we play Black Ace and Red Ace."
“Yes,” Jiang Xuan continued, “At the start of each round, the three players take turns bidding, starting from one point, and the player who bids the highest to three points becomes the landlord.”
Someone interrupted her, "Who called first?"
Jiang Xuan took out a 4 of hearts from the deck of cards and said, "This card is face up when you draw the cards, and whoever gets it calls first."
"So, does that mean I can only start bidding from one point? For example, if I want to be the landlord, and I bid one point, won't I miss my chance?"
Jiang Xuan nodded, "That's the rule, but we can change it a little. For example, the person who gets the 4 of hearts can directly call out the highest score of 3 points, so no one else needs to call it. Which one do you all think is better?"
After discussing it for a while, everyone decided to stick to the original rules.
"What advantages do landlords have?"
Jiang Xuan skillfully shuffled the cards, taking out three from the bottom. "These are the bottom cards. The landlord has two advantages: first, he has three more bottom cards than the peasants; second, he can play his cards first."
"Whoever runs out of cards first wins. For example, if the landlord runs out of cards, the landlord wins. If the peasants run out of cards, both peasants win."
Hearing this, everyone became excited and started asking about the specific rules of the game.
As Jiang Xuan arranged the cards, he explained, "The cards from highest to lowest rank are: Joker, Queen, 2, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3."
"Huh? 3 is the lowest? We usually play 3 as a high card."
"Won't this be easy to confuse?"
Jiang Xuan continued, "There are also some special cards, such as this one, where the two Jokers make up a royal flush, and four cards of the same rank are called a bomb. A bomb can beat any card, but it cannot beat a royal flush. Also, a bomb with a higher rank can beat a bomb with a lower rank, for example, four 5s can beat four 4s."
"There are also pairs of cards, for example, this is called a pair, which can be played all at once."
"There's also this kind, three in a row, called an airplane."
"These are the basic rules. I'll tell you about the others as we play. Now, let me lead you through a game. Me, Shengye, and one more person, the three of us will play. The loser will be eliminated and the others will take their place. This way, everyone can get a turn."
Zhao Yong shouted, "I'll do it."
Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "First, the three of us will each take 17 cards, and the remaining three cards will be the bottom cards, which will be taken after the landlord is determined. Sheng Ye, you shuffle the cards."
Lu Shengye shuffled the cards, drew a four of hearts, flipped it over, and inserted it back in.
"Okay, let's begin."
The three people took turns receiving cards.
Zhao Yong got the 4 of Hearts and said triumphantly, "Look at me, how lucky I am, I became the landlord in the first round."
Wang Dajun slapped him on the shoulder, "It's obvious you didn't listen carefully to your sister-in-law's explanation of the rules. Getting this 4 of hearts only means you can call for the landlord first, it doesn't mean you're guaranteed to be the landlord."
Jiang Xuan nodded, "That's right, unless Sheng Ye and I don't fight over it."
"Then don't rob me, I want to try what it's like to be a landlord."
Lu Shengye laughed and said, "Alright, then I won't steal it."
"I won't steal it."
Zhao Yong's cards weren't good, but Jiang Xuan kept letting him win, and with the others also offering advice, he won the first round.
He was beaming with excitement.
"See? Isn't it fun? Then I'll team up with Noshita and add two more people."
"I'll do it, I'll do it."
After playing a few rounds, everyone got to enjoy the game. As they became more familiar with the rules, the whole room was filled with the sounds of people playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) and bidding for the landlord position. Who would remember that this was their wedding night?
The house on the other side.
Wang Yingqiu was in her late pregnancy and had to get up several times a night. Just now, she finished using the toilet and heard something in the bridal chamber that didn't sound like wedding night pranks. It sounded like airplanes and bombs. She listened secretly for a while and it seemed like they were playing some kind of game.
Back in the house, she sat down in a chair and drank some water. She asked her husband, who was lying in bed, "Did you hear that? It seems like Ono and the others aren't making a ruckus in the bridal chamber. They're playing games."
"Let the young people do whatever they want," Lu Pei'an said, turning over. "You should go to sleep early too."
Wang Yingqiu couldn't possibly sleep.
Today's banquet cost a lot of money, and the old man asked Lu Pei'an to pay for it.
She just couldn't understand it.
The young couple had already moved out and were living in a large, new, sunny house, so why didn't they spend their own money to hold a banquet in their tenement?
Why did they have to go to the family compound to join in the fun?
Besides, the old man has his own money, so why should his son have to pay for it?
She's about to give birth. Won't it cost money to raise a child?
Tingting is already 19 years old, and she should be getting married in a few years. We should prepare some dowry for her.
And then there are her own parents, who are already old, and her brothers and sisters on her mother's side, who are all poor and are counting on her for help.
The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became.
Thinking about how much money they received as gifts after toasting, she felt even more depressed.
She didn't go to bed until midnight, feeling restless.
Meanwhile, in the new house, Lu Shengye had already started to kick people out.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
