Chapter 227 Tired of living? Ah!
It's hard to describe the smell specifically, it's turbid and stuffy.
A mixture of sweat, low-quality liquor, cheap lamp oil, the musty smell of stale rice, the fishy smell of soil, and... the smell of salted fish?
Qin Zhaoyue couldn't tell, and covered his mouth and nose after only half a breath.
The three people at the back didn't move, having expected this.
There was a ceramic oil lamp hanging every few steps on the stone wall, and the light was quite bright.
The moving heads and rising smoke were reflected on the wall, like ghostly shadows.
This space is not small, about the same size as a rice shop.
The main area in the middle is the dice game, with a shiny door panel serving as the gambling table, and it is surrounded by people.
The ground was covered with dirty straw mats and torn sacks for people to kneel on.
The small area on the right is quieter, where people play backgammon.
A "elegant seat" was formed by turning a wooden frame upside down against the wall and covered with patched coarse cloth.
On the left is Huahuo, with small stalls selling all kinds of gambling.
Looking into the deepest part, there is a tall accounting office like a pawnshop, with a wooden board with loan information hanging on the side.
Qin Zhaoyue quickly grasped the layout of the place, and reluctantly lowered his arms and stopped covering his mouth and nose.
There were the most people and the loudest noise around the gambling table in the middle.
Some people's trouser legs were still stained with mud. They took off their worn straw sandals and put them under their bodies, looking like laborers.
He stared at the dice cup, holding the few coins he had just won in his hand.
There was a thin man with old oil stains on his sleeves, probably a worker in the oil shop.
His eyes rolled around, as if he was trying to figure out some clues from the dealer's tactics.
The worried young craftsman had sweat on his forehead and his fingers were unconsciously picking at the holes in the mat. He must have lost a few games.
The middle-aged laundry woman had disheveled hair and her chin almost touched the gambling table. She stared at the gap in the dice cup.
The dealer was a skinny man with bulging veins on the back of his hands, shaking the dice cup rapidly.
The dice rolled and collided rapidly with a "clacking" sound, arousing crude desires and everyone placed bets.
Bang!
The dice cup stopped, and the skinny man shouted, "Bid it, leave it! Bid it, leave it!"
When no one placed any more bets, he shouted "Open".
"Four, five, six, big!"
There were loud exclamations, some people roared with excitement, some sighed in frustration and cursed in a low voice.
All these sounds were buried under the thick layers of dirt and rice bags, creating a distracting hum.
Qin Zhaoyue curled her lips, looking displeased.
This was far from the casino she had imagined, it was too low-end.
"You can have fun without worry, my dear guest. We are very safe here. I have to go back to watch the gate, so I won't accompany you."
After cautiously testing the waters, he discovered that the four people in front of him didn't even look at him, so he bravely walked around them.
He didn't dare to raise an alarm here, especially since the other party hadn't done anything yet.
As the base of the Four Seas Gang, the underground is well connected, so he can take a shortcut to report to the boss.
Qin Zhaoyue let him leave without caring at all.
He walked calmly with his turtle steps, and his defiant look made him look like a boss patrolling his own territory.
This naturally attracted the attention of the thugs watching the scene.
The two people in the field and the one in front of the account counter were all sturdy men.
He was wearing a short jacket, the same as the rice porters in the rice shop, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong forearms.
They leaned against earth pillars or rice piles, folded their arms and looked calmly at the crowd.
There is a bulge around the waist, which may be caused by a short stick or a short weapon similar to a dagger.
At this time, all eyes fell on the group of four, full of warning.
Qin Zhaoyue turned a blind eye and after a round of inspection, he approached the loan counter.
Haha, it's as high and mighty as a pawnshop, with only a small window open. It makes people feel uncomfortable just looking at it.
Gambling is not so bad. It is entirely voluntary whether you exchange the money you earn for food or give it to the casino.
But nine out of ten people lose when gambling, so those who hang around here for a long time are all gamblers.
If you lose once or twice, you might be able to control your hands, turn around and walk away, or just stand there and watch.
But there are always times when you lose everything and lose your temper and borrow money from the casino.
We are all neighbors, it is impossible for him to deny his debt. There are plenty of ways to deal with the street thugs.
Compared to casinos, those who put money in the casinos are even more terrifying, and there are many cases of families being broken up and people being killed.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man sat expressionless.
Ordinary people cannot see this angle, but it is not difficult for Qin Zhaoyue.
In front of him were bamboo chips with the debtor's signature and the amount engraved on them.
Next to it was a pile of copper coins strung together with hemp rope. It was stacked high and was the only thing that people below could see.
It is always tempting those gamblers who are losing all their money, and they can see it just by looking up.
Just sign your name and you can easily take it away for "free".
I can pay it back immediately if things turn around, and I won’t owe much interest. It’s a nice idea.
There were a lot of miscellaneous things on the ground behind the accounting counter, including grain bags, oil and cloth, which were probably used to pay off debts.
Seeing four unfamiliar faces approaching, the middle-aged man remained calm, but in fact, his right hand under the counter had quietly grasped a bamboo.
A spear head was tied tightly to the top of the bamboo, which looked very crude.
It’s not that it’s impossible to get a whole spear. There is a blacksmith shop in Yuqianfang, and it’s not difficult to make one privately.
It's just that holding long weapons is taboo. The Wuhoufang guards will occasionally conduct perfunctory checks and ask for some money for drinks. If you are discovered, you will have to pay.
His account desk is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the effect will be the same if he pokes it with a long bamboo pole.
"The guests may look unfamiliar, but the fun is ahead."
While speaking, the burly man guarding the counter had already put his right hand behind his back.
The two guarding the field also made the same move, slowly approaching them and forming a siege.
Qin Zhaoyue raised his head, his eyes met that of the middle-aged man, and he smiled widely.
"Come back and take a look." He turned around and walked back.
The middle-aged man curled his lips, thinking that he was some arrogant character, but it turned out to be a useless thing.
They nodded to the one watching over the scene and returned to their seats, but their attention was still focused on them.
Qin Zhaoyue returned to the center, and with his "little brothers" leading the way, he came to the front of the dice gambling table.
At this moment, the dealer had just stopped betting when he saw the stranger opposite him took out a piece of silver and threw it on the "small" without much care.
"Buy it and leave it, drive!"
"Two, four, six, big!"
Qin Zhaoyue curled her lips, and the next moment, she grabbed the edge of the gambling table and lifted it up suddenly.
The gambling table flew into the air, and the gambling money and dice cups flew everywhere.
Landed with a loud bang!
Qin Zhaoyue folded his arms and raised his head proudly.
"You dare to cheat in front of me? Are you tired of living? Ah!"
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