Chapter 4 The Fourth Day After Stopping Running The Fourth Day After Stopping Running
Wen Chan looked at the sugarcane juice in her hand, then at the cola in Chen Bozheng's and the others' hands, and remained silent for a moment.
The fat man said cheerfully, "Sister-in-law, sugarcane juice is so good. Brother Zheng is thinking of you. You really can't drink beverages because of your health condition."
"Hehe," Wen Chan chugped a few steps and went home. She went into the living room to turn on the fan.
This weather is unbearably hot, especially now that it's past 1 a.m. The road is like an oven. Wen Chan's face is flushed from the heat. Only by turning on the fan and drinking sugarcane juice can she feel a little better.
Chen Bo walked over and asked, "Now can you tell me how you won?"
Wen Chan looked at him, "Want to know?"
The fat man ran over and squatted down. "I want to know too."
Wen Chan scratched her cheek. "Fine, I'll just tell you directly."
Lin Qingfeng perked up his ears.
Although none of them are gamblers, who wouldn't want to know a sure way to win at gambling?
Wen Chan asked Fatty to buy a deck of cards. After getting the deck, she unfolded it and placed the cards face up. "A deck of cards has 52 cards. If you're playing blackjack, there are some strategies that can increase a player's chances of winning. Although it's not a guaranteed win, it's much more likely to win than relying on luck."
She took out a few cards, "For example, in the first round I got a pair of eights, in that case it's best to split the cards."
The fat man stroked his chin and asked curiously, "Why? A pair of eights is sixteen. If you get a 4 or a 5, you're guaranteed to win."
Lin Qingfeng grabbed the fat man by the neck: "You make it sound so easy, kid. What if you get a 6 or a 7? That would be a disaster."
"Lin Qingfeng is right. When I first sat down at the table, I saw the cards that had been used. There were relatively more high cards used, but it doesn't guarantee that you won't draw high cards, so splitting the cards was a safer option at that time."
Wen Chan said, "In addition, splitting the cards has an advantage, which is that it is not easy to overdraw. But I have to say that I had good luck in this round because I drew a lot of small cards in a row. At this time, it is very advantageous for the second round. Why is it advantageous? At this time, I used a high-low card strategy. This high-low card strategy is to treat the cards from 2 to 6 as small cards. Each time a small card appears, it adds 1 point, while 7, 8, and 9 do not count. 10 and A are worth -1 point. The accumulation of small cards means that my probability of winning the second round will be relatively higher."
Wen Chan took a sip of sugarcane juice. "At this point, I wasn't sure I could win the second round either. But unfortunately, I have a good memory and remember all the cards that have been used on the table. So after the landlady dealt the cards, I knew what cards were left. At that point, I was sure to win."
"In the second round, there was an Ace among the remaining cards. How can you be so sure that Boss Ye didn't have an Ace?"
Chen Bozheng had been silently pondering when he suddenly spoke up and asked a question.
Wen Chan smiled slightly, pursed her lips, picked up an Ace, and made a flipping motion.
While the three fat men were still completely confused.
A glint of inspiration flashed in Chen Bozheng's eyes, "A folded corner?!"
“That’s right.” Wen Chan gave Chen Bozheng an approving look. Although she wasn’t sure if this man was the future big boss, he was quick-witted. “I’ve looked at the other three Aces on the table. They all have slightly upturned edges, so I’m sure the last Ace also has that. But Boss Ye’s hand doesn’t have that mark. As for guessing that the card is the 7 of Clubs, that goes without saying. We can use the process of elimination. The dealer must have more than 17 points to not need to draw cards. The remaining cards are all low cards. There’s no other possibility except that it’s a 7.”
The fat man was dumbfounded, his mouth agape wide enough to fit a fist.
He scratched his head. "Um, could you explain it again? I don't quite understand some of it. How about I go get some paper and pen to write it down?"
The fat man turned to grab a pen and paper, but Lin Qingfeng grabbed him by the neck and said, "Fatty, don't bother. Do you have that kind of brain and memory? He memorized the cards after just one glance!"
Wen Chan said, "I didn't just glance at it, and I didn't remember it completely. I only vaguely remembered the general outline."
The fat man exclaimed, "This is just a rough estimate? If it were me, I couldn't even remember the details of one game!"
Wen Chan burst out laughing.
"You haven't practiced, that's why..."
She paused here, changing the subject, "Speaking of which, what are we having for lunch?"
Chen Bo squinted at her.
Have you practiced?
Who would bother practicing this kind of technique? Putting aside everything else, even someone like Chen Bozheng, who's been in the workforce for a long time, has never heard of this high-low card strategy.
"Monk, go to the food stall and buy some vegetables." Chen Bo took out his money and told the monk to go out and buy them.
The fat man immediately stopped thinking about playing cards. He realized that he couldn't keep up with the situation, so he turned around and said, "I'll go with the monk."
Chen Bo was packing his things with Lin Qingfeng.
Lin Qingfeng whispered to Chen Bozheng, "Brother Zheng, why didn't Brother Wen tell us before that his sister was so amazing, that she actually had this ability?"
Chen Bo was packing his things when he said, "It's better to be capable than incapable; at least it buys us some time to raise the money."
Lin Qingfeng gets worried whenever he hears the word "money." "Where am I supposed to earn 80,000 yuan in a month? Even selling my blood wouldn't bring in that much money."
“Don’t worry, I’ve thought it through on the way. Didn’t Xiao Dongbei run away to Shenzhen before? He told us he made a fortune here. He owes me a favor. Let’s go ask him for a loan and see how much we can borrow.”
Chen Bozheng already had a plan in mind, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.
Wen Chan walked past their room and, upon hearing this, couldn't help but glance at the man. He had a buzz cut, very strong features, and spoke with a firm, unwavering tone that inspired trust.
We ate as much as we wanted for lunch, but it wasn't too expensive.
Two or three dishes, plus a few boxes of white rice, cost only a dozen yuan in total.
The cicadas' chirping and the sweltering heat made me lose my appetite, so I made myself some winter melon soup with rice and managed to eat a few bites.
Perhaps due to overworking her brain, she became extremely sleepy shortly after finishing her meal and went straight back to her room to sleep.
Sometimes it's really hard to explain. In her past life, she slept on a mattress worth tens of thousands of yuan and often suffered from insomnia. Now, she has poor health and sleeps on a hard bed without even a fan, yet she sleeps soundly.
There's really no way to reason with this.
"Xiao Chen, I heard you went to the garment factory?"
"Yeah, Brother Song, have you eaten yet?"
"Yes, I've eaten. I just happened to be passing by and stopped by to see you all."
Wen Chan was awakened by the noise outside while she was half asleep. She was grumpy when she woke up and was about to curse when she thought it was her upstairs neighbors making noise in the middle of the night. She only managed to curse "fuck" before realizing that she had transmigrated.
After putting on her shoes and wiping the sweat from her face, she came out and saw Chen Bo and Lao Song looking at her from the living room.
"You're awake. Come and have some water." Chen Bo pointed to the seat next to him, and the monk brought over a cup and poured a glass of water for Wen Chan.
Wen Chan thanked him and glanced at Chen Bozheng, "They've already eaten, but we haven't. I'm hungry."
Wen Chan didn't even glance at Lao Song.
Old Song was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, feeling that Wen Chan was disrespecting him. He said sarcastically, "Then it's because I came at the wrong time and delayed your meal?"
Wen Chan said, "It's not that bad. If you leave now, we'll have to find something to eat."
"Pfft."
Lin Qingfeng and the others couldn't help but burst out laughing.
They couldn't confront Lao Song, but Lao Song couldn't afford to argue with a woman like Wen Chan.
A slight smile crossed Chen Bozheng's lips. "Old Song, my wife isn't well and can't go hungry. Please don't hold it against a patient like her."
"How could I? I'm a grown man, why would I argue with a woman about these things?" Old Song said this with a hint of sarcasm, sounding quite resentful.
He asked directly, "Since you've already gone to the garment factory, has the order been signed? It's an 80,000 yuan order. Although Boss Song is reassured, I still need to keep an eye on it."
Stick looked at Chen Bozheng with great concern.
Chen Bozheng said, "Don't worry, it's signed."
"Really?" Old Song looked at Chen Bozheng suspiciously. "You're not kidding me."
Chen Bo looked at Lin Qingfeng and said, "Fengzi, take the list to Lao Song."
"Alright." Lin Qingfeng went inside to get the order and handed it to Lao Song.
Old Song's eyes widened as he carefully examined the form from top to bottom, including the stamps.
His face was filled with disbelief.
Chen Bozheng said, "Now you can rest assured, the orders are all signed. Lao Song, I don't think you need to stay here with us. After all, we can't afford your expenses here."
Old Song's face turned white then green, then green then white again, as anger, regret, and hesitation surged into his heart.
"Fine, I'll leave then! Do you think I want to stay here? This crappy place, Shenzhen, has nothing here. I'm leaving tomorrow!"
Old Song slammed his hand on the table, threw down the order, and rushed out.
Lin Qingfeng hurriedly picked up the order and checked it. "Luckily, it wasn't damaged. That old Song is a real scoundrel. We haven't treated him badly. We've spent seven or eight hundred yuan on him these past few days in Shenzhen!"
"Alright, let's stop talking about him. At least we'll be much more relaxed now that we've gotten rid of him."
Chen Bozheng said, walking over to Gunzi and patting him on the shoulder, “Gunzi, I’m sorry to trouble you again. When you get back, help him buy a ticket back to Beijing. We’ll see this through to the end. We’ve already spent seven or eight hundred on the first step, there’s no need to let people talk about it at the last step.”
"Okay, Zheng-ge."
Stick nodded, then hesitated.
"Brother Zheng, did you get the money back?"
Chen Bo shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I'll handle it."
Upon hearing this, Stick hesitated and then nodded.
The next day, Chen Bozheng and his group saw Lao Song off. Gunzi came back and followed them. He saw Chen Bozheng buy a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and a bottle of Wuliangye liquor and asked curiously, "Brother Zheng, who are we buying these for?"
Gunzi wasn't stupid enough to think this was for them to drink. The group of them worked with Chen Bozheng in business, earning at most two or three hundred yuan a month. Even Chen Bozheng himself wouldn't be willing to buy such expensive things for himself.
"It's for Xiao Dongbei." Chen Bo was smoking a cigarette. "I heard he found a rich wife. Since this is our first visit, we have to be very polite so that Xiao Dongbei won't be laughed at by his wife."
Stick exclaimed with delight, "We're going to Little Northeast's house? That's great! I heard that kid's struck it rich. His wife's family owns a factory, and they make a lot of money all year round."
"Back when he ran away and came to Zheng Ge to borrow money, who would have thought he would have this kind of life now?" Lin Qingfeng sighed. "Speaking of which, Xiao Dongbei is really funny. When he got into a fight, the other person got a nosebleed, and he actually thought he was the one who beat them up. He made a big fuss over such a small thing."
Wen Chan found it quite interesting to listen to these people talking.
"Is Xiao Dongbei on good terms with you?"
The fat man chuckled, “That’s really good. His parents died a long time ago, and he’s not from Beijing. If it weren’t for Zheng’s help, he would have starved to death long ago.”
Wen Chan thought to herself, "No wonder Chen Bozheng would ask someone to bring this up."
To save face for Xiao Dongbei, the fat guys even took a shower before going over, and Xiao Dongbei invited them to dinner at a restaurant.
The restaurant was quite large. The young man from Northeast China was in his early twenties, tall and thin, and looked very refined. Although he didn't have the scholarly air of Lin Qingfeng, he was still quite good-looking.
"Brother Zheng, Brother Feng, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have been a good host and taken care of you."
Xiao Dongbei greeted them enthusiastically, but when he saw Wen Chan, he paused for a moment and asked, "And who is this?"
Chen Bozheng introduced, "Your brother Wen's sister, I married her, you can just call her sister-in-law."
"Oh, it's you, sister-in-law. Hello, sister-in-law. I've heard about what happened to Brother Wen. Please accept my condolences."
When Xiao Dongbei first heard that she was Brother Wen's sister, he was somewhat dismissive and thought he would just nod in acknowledgment. However, when he met Wen Chan's clear and bright eyes, he felt a sense of awe for some reason, and that's when he reached out and shook hands with Wen Chan.
"Thank you." Wen Chan didn't feel much empathy. The original owner of this body didn't have many memories of her. As for the original owner's brother, she only remembered that he was a very good person.
"Please sit down, everyone. Tonight's dinner is on me, so please don't be shy," Xiao Dongbei said. "The lobsters and groupers here are very fresh, and the crab porridge is also delicious. Just tell me what you'd like to eat."
The waiter brought in the menus, and Xiao Dongbei distributed them to Chen Bozheng and the others.
When Wen Chan saw the menu, she was stunned. "A grouper costs 300 yuan?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Our grouper is wild-caught, so the price isn't expensive."
"This is the price at the seafood restaurant here, Zheng Ge. They also have fish tanks on the first floor, with abalone, lobster, bread crab, and Boston lobster all kept in them. They're very lively. Why don't we all go downstairs and see what we want to eat?"
Xiao Dongbei was very enthusiastic.
Chen Bozheng said, "Why are we eating this when we're brothers? Let's order some other dishes. I think this braised pork with preserved mustard greens is quite good."
Xiao Dongbei sighed and said, "Brother Zheng, what you're saying is ridiculous. Who would come to a seafood restaurant to eat this? How about this, I'll just take charge. This meal is on me, and nobody is allowed to be polite with me."
Chen Bozheng wanted to say something, but seeing Xiao Dongbei's excited face, he decided not to try to persuade him further.
He knew that Xiao Dongbei wanted to show off in front of his brothers. After all, his previous act of running away was too embarrassing. Now that he had money, he would feel bad if he didn't show it off. So he closed the menu and said, "Then get your sister-in-law a bowl of mustard green and beef porridge. She can't eat too much cold food."
Wen Chan glared at him.
Chen Bozheng kindly reminded him again, "You're sick."
Wen Chan: "..."
She was becoming numb to those words.
Did she fight with elderly people for seats on the bus in her past life, or did she walk on the sidewalk while driving? Otherwise, how could she be so unlucky in this life and end up with a heart condition?
Even when faced with delicious food, one must be mindful of what one eats.
A note from the author:
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This chapter references "The Man Who Beats All Markets" by Edward Thorp, a mathematician whose research on blackjack strategies forced Las Vegas casinos to change their rules. While the strategies are effective, they are still a matter of probability. At best, using strategies can increase the probability of winning; the key is still card counting.
Card counting isn't too difficult. If you work in the financial industry, you'll likely learn to play cards to some extent. In recent years, Guandan has become quite popular.
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