Chapter 316
When Tao Wanniang played Pai Gow, it was as if her luck was on fire. Ling Dapeng watched as Tao Wanniang won round after round, her chips piling up higher and higher. His eyes shone brighter and brighter. At this rate, his debts...
The manager of the gambling den also noticed how quickly Tao Wanniang was winning money, so he politely interrupted her.
"Sister, why don't you take a rest?" the steward whispered to Tao Wanniang. "Our master invites you."
Tao Wanniang stood up with a smile. Wasn't this what she had been waiting for? "Then let the others play." Tao Wanniang didn't forget to tell Ling Dapeng to take all the chips she had won.
The owner of the Golden Toad Gambling House was a refined-looking man. Upon seeing Tao Wanniang and her two companions, he adopted a friendly and auspicious demeanor, saying, "Isn't this Manager Tao from the Star-Picking Pavilion, along with General Ling? Your son is too low-key. If we had known his identity earlier, our gambling house wouldn't have let him owe so much money!"
“I don’t like hearing that. Gambling is all about skill. Come on, let me see how much I have here.” Tao Wanniang told Ling Dapeng to pile all the chips on the table next to her.
"If I don't get three thousand, I'll go play again. I'm having a really good day."
Yao Junchen was the owner of the Golden Toad Gambling House. Hearing Tao Wanniang's words, he was not angry. He just said happily, "No need to count. Your son's debt is waived. However, I have a favor to ask."
“Speak freely,” Tao Wanniang replied.
"How did Manager Tao manage to do that? Even the most discerning eye in my gambling den couldn't see through Manager Tao's skill."
"You mean I cheated?" Tao Wanniang chuckled. "No, I relied on my brain, my eyes, and my luck." "If you don't believe me, we can continue playing."
Yao Junchen didn't believe it, but he didn't want to make an enemy of the General. Besides, Manager Tao was having such good luck, and he didn't want to give away money for nothing.
"Mother, Shishi." Ling Dapeng was overjoyed to hear that the debt had been forgiven. He tugged at Tao Wan's mother's sleeve and whispered.
"Ha!" Tao Wanniang scoffed. A leopard can't change its spots. "Didn't my son's concubine get two hundred taels in exchange? Where is she now? I want to see her."
“That girl is already mine, Yao Junchen’s woman. What’s wrong with your son, so unconventional?” Yao Junchen raised an eyebrow, speaking bluntly.
"You shameless!" Upon hearing this, Ling Dapeng was furious. Relying on Ling Yunzhou and Tao Wanniang's presence, he wanted to fight Yao Junchen to the death.
"We have to meet him eventually. Don't worry, I won't let Master Yao suffer any losses." Tao Wanniang didn't plan to take Shishi away; she just wanted Ling Dapeng to know who was responsible for her current predicament!
Yao Junchen thought for a moment, then went and had someone call Shishi over.
A short while later, Shishi, dressed in a beautiful outfit, arrived. When she saw Ling Dapeng and the others, she looked somewhat uneasy.
"Shishi, I'm here to take you back." Ling Dapeng stepped forward and took Shishi's hand.
"Brother Dapeng, I..." Shishi looked at Yao Junchen with some fear.
"Master Yao, would you do us a favor and let us speak with Shishi privately?" Tao Wanniang looked at Yao Junchen. "Although, Master Yao's dealings with Zhang Xinlan were somewhat unethical."
Upon hearing Zhang Xinlan's name, Yao Junchen burst into laughter.
"Manager Tao is really something, but Shishi is already Yao's woman. Ling Dapeng, if you want her to go back with you, ask her if she's willing."
“Shishi, you’ll come back with me, right? Xiaoyun is waiting for you at home too. My mother is here, so don’t be afraid,” Ling Dapeng said anxiously to Shishi.
Shishi's expression was very unnatural. When she heard Tao Wanniang mention Zhang Xinlan's name, she knew that she could no longer hide it.
"Brother Dapeng, we can't go back," Shishi said softly. "Just forget about me!"
"No, Shishi, it's all my fault for being such a bastard. I know you must be angry that I used you to pay off my debts, but I was forced into it. They wanted to take you away, and I had no choice. But I really don't care what happened to you, Shishi!"
"Should you say it or should I say it?" Tao Wanniang looked at Ling Dapeng's belated expression and thought he was both stupid and blind.
“Ling Dapeng, Shishi was entrusted by someone to return to your side, then emptied your family fortune, then incurred huge debts, and then implicated me or your father. You, with your blockhead, definitely can’t tell how much she truly loves you.”
Seeing that Shishi hesitated and didn't speak, Tao Wanniang simply spoke directly.
“This Master Yao, running a gambling den, naturally wants to make a fortune. There’s no reason to refuse money offered to you, right?” Tao Wanniang didn’t intend to fall out with the gambling den owner.
Yao Junchen nodded and clapped his hands, praising Tao Wanniang, "Manager Tao is truly a remarkable person. Indeed, I run a gambling den, not a charity. Money comes in, and there's no reason to turn it away."
"Impossible, this is impossible, Shishi, tell me, you really like me, and you really want to live with me and Xiaoyun." Ling Dapeng took a few steps back in shock, then looked at Shishi anxiously and asked.
Shishi has already been taken as a concubine by Yao Junchen. She knows Ling Dapeng is useless. Even if she denies everything Tao Wanniang said, it seems that she can't leave unless Yao Junchen lets her go.
“Yes, your mother is right. I was sent here to torment you!” Shishi said through gritted teeth. “Why should I suffer with you, you good-for-nothing idiot?”
“I was born into an official family, and I have never done such rough work. After I followed you, I was either working on the estate or serving you and that shrew Zhou Xiaoyun. I didn’t even have time to touch my pipa. Do you think I was happy?” Once Shishi opened her mouth, she couldn’t hold back her emotions and poured out all her dissatisfaction with Ling Dapeng.
"I thought that with a mother who owns a restaurant and a father who is a great general, I would be able to live a good life sooner or later by following you. But you can't even protect yourself. If I follow you, will I starve?"
"No, impossible!" Ling Dapeng denied in a daze. "You said you truly liked me."
"I like you? Ha! If it weren't for your mother and father, what do you think you have?" Shishi sneered. "At least after following Master Yao, I have no worries about food and clothing. It's better than following you to the countryside to farm."
"My little beauty is sensible. Following Master Yao, you'll never be treated badly in the future." Yao Junchen was very pleased with Shishi; he liked intelligent women.
"Master Yao, since we've all been speaking frankly, I won't take the money I won today, my son's debts are paid off, and this woman is yours now. Surely she won't bother my son's family again in the future!"
Tao Wanniang looked at Yao Junchen with a calm expression and spoke in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft, but very serious.
"No, no, Manager Tao is personally involved, so I must give him face," Yao Junchen said with a smile. "Will Manager Tao come and play a few more rounds in the future?"
"If you're not afraid I'll play until you can't afford to pay it back, then I'll come," Tao Wanniang said with a half-smile.
"Interesting, very interesting." Yao Junchen saw Tao Wanniang and the other two out of the gambling den and couldn't help but say as he watched them leave.
"Master Yao, why is this General acting like he's mute?" the steward muttered from the side. "However, I heard that the two of them got divorced, and that Manager Tao dumped the General."
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