Chapter 197 Mahjong
Astute people listen to things by dividing them into several meanings.
As everyone waited for the patriarch to give his first instructions, Zhou Pingchuan casually remarked that he liked tattoos.
That's not about liking tattoos.
That's because they like to hibernate in the summer!
The patriarch's purpose in doing this was simple—to support Xia Mian. From now on, no one in the Zhou family would dare to slight Xia Mian.
Since the head of the family likes it, they have to flatter him!
"My goodness, it was drawn by Mr. Xia! I thought it was done by some international tattoo master. Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
"Mianmian has good taste and excellent skills. She's a perfect match for Third Master, making him look more energetic and charismatic!"
"I've been researching online lately because I want to get a tattoo. I've looked at several places but none of them suited my taste. Either the designs were too tacky, or the style didn't match my taste. But when I saw this one that Third Master is holding, it was exactly what I wanted! Mianmian, can you get one drawn for me too? By blood, I'm your very close older sister!"
"Don't make things worse here. If you really like it, take a picture and send it to the shops I found later. Mianmian is so busy, she doesn't have time to deal with you. I think Mianmian is our master's personal tattoo artist!"
"Yes, yes, the young couple has such a good relationship, hahaha..."
The room was filled with people chatting and laughing, turning the grand mansion into a bustling market, more lively, more full of life, and more like a New Year celebration.
Zhou Pingchuan didn't seem to mind their noise. He said, "Thank you all for your hard work in the past year, everyone who has contributed to the Zhou family," and then sat down again.
Next, Old Master Zhou and Zhou Zhenhai took turns speaking. The family dinner was less like a meal and more like a year-end summary meeting of a work unit.
Normally, Xia Mian would have scoffed at this. But today, he didn't notice or listen at all.
Only two words remained in his mind.
"like".
This seems to be the first time Zhou Pingchuan has expressed his preferences so frankly.
And that preference was related to him.
Xia Mian glanced at Zhou Pingchuan: "You don't take off your gloves when you should, but you show them off when you shouldn't."
Zhou Pingchuan put his hand back on his leg: "Of course you should share a nice gift with your family."
"...Don't touch me. This is a public place, let's be more respectful." After Zhou Pingchuan's antics earlier, everyone was now watching them, intentionally or unintentionally. The tablecloths in the East Restaurant were short, making it easy to see what was happening under the table. Xia Mian didn't want to be seen, so she slapped Zhou Pingchuan's hand away.
Zhou Pingchuan seized the opportunity to grab him.
Xia Mian then realized he had been tricked; Zhou Pingchuan probably just wanted to hold his hand. He quickly pulled his hand away.
“Mianmian,” Zhou Pingchuan said, “it would be very embarrassing for me if you broke free now. Besides, it shouldn’t be illegal for me to hold your hand in public.”
"Who cares about your pride..."
Xia Mian said that, but her hands didn't move, and she obediently let him hold her hand.
Zhou Pingchuan curled his lips into a smile.
After the meal, it was time for a must-do activity at every family dinner – playing mahjong.
The Zhou residence was no exception; no sooner had one meal ended than five or six mahjong tables been set up, along with Texas Hold'em, Bullfighting, and other games.
“Mianmian,” the auntie waved to Xia Mian, “Come here, we’ve saved you a spot.”
Xia Mian slightly pursed his lips; he didn't want to play with them.
As if on the same wavelength, Zhou Pingchuan pulled him around his aunt's table and sat him down opposite Zhou Ting and Xia Mingzhao.
Zhou Ting seemed slightly taken aback by his arrival. Zhou Pingchuan pressed the switch on the mahjong machine: "Not willing to play cards with Uncle San this year?"
Zhou Ting was an upright and honest man who never flattered anyone. To keep his ears quiet, Zhou Ting accompanied Zhou Pingchuan to play cards almost every year.
"No," Zhou Ting and Xia Mingzhao said in unison.
Seeing Xia Mingzhao speak, Zhou Ting silently shut his mouth. Xia Mingzhao glanced at Zhou Ting and continued, "Of course I'm willing. Ting just drank a few too many cups, so he might be a little slow to react."
Zhou Pingchuan turned to Zhou Ting: "Did you drink baijiu? Your alcohol tolerance has improved."
"Does Ah Ting rarely drink baijiu?" Xia Mingzhao paused in his dice-throwing motion. "Come to think of it, I seem to have only ever seen him drink red wine."
Zhou Pingchuan remained silent, while Zhou Ting answered himself, "I only drank baijiu once, on my coming-of-age ceremony."
"Oh..." Xia Mingzhao dragged out the last syllable.
Xia Mian didn't listen to their conversation at all; his attention was entirely focused on the cards in front of him. He was extremely competitive when it came to card games; he could only accept victory. Losing was as devastating to him as missing out on limited-edition sneakers!
"Stop chatting and focus on playing cards. Do you know my nickname? The Card Table Prince. If you don't play seriously with me, you'll lose your underwear!" As the dealer for the first round, Xia Mian threw out an eight of bamboo.
He dislikes the eight of bamboo because its symbol is black. The chances of the next player taking it are relatively low if he discards it first.
Zhou Pingchuan smiled and said, "Eat."
aestivation:"?"
Their order of appearance is Xia Mian, Zhou Pingchuan, Zhou Ting, and Xia Mingzhao.
Zhou Pingchuan rarely plays cards, except during holidays and occasions when socializing. But perhaps because of his strong comprehension, he is a very skilled card player. Zhou Ting can never beat the cards he plays, but he can frequently beat Xia Mian's cards.
Xia Mian and his friends had studied mahjong extensively, and he considered himself one of the best. But today, for some reason, after several rounds, two of the four players had already stopped playing, while his hand was still nowhere in sight!
Did you not peel the crab yourself just now? Are your hands not fishy enough? Xia Mian gradually became a little impatient.
Fortunately, Xia Mingzhao then played a 40,000. He quickly pushed down the 20,000 and 30,000, saying, "Eat!"
"Oh no," he realized he had made a mistake in his haste. He took back the two cards and replaced them with a five and a six. "Wrong, wrong, let's change it. Hehe, I'm almost done playing too."
Even though 20,000 or 30,000 could have been used to beat 40,000, this "card table prince" risked having his cards exposed and insisted on exchanging them for 50,000 or 60,000, indicating that 20,000 or 30,000 must have had other more important uses.
In Northern Mahjong, the concept of "幺" (yao) is crucial. To complete a winning hand, the entire hand must contain at least one of the following: a 一万 (yiwan), a 幺鸡 (yaoji), a 一饼 (yibing), or a 九万 (jiuwan), a 九条 (jiutiao), etc. If not, the winning hand is considered a "炸胡" (zha hu), which requires the player to claim all the winnings.
Clearly, the player's hand lacks the "1" tile, requiring them to use two or three of the same suit to eat a one of the same suit before they can stop playing.
Zhou Pingchuan touched the cards in his hand: "One of ten thousand."
Upon seeing this card, Zhou Ting, holding two cards, raised his hand slightly, clearly wanting this one.
"Eat!" Xia Mian exclaimed with delight.
Zhou Ting silently put his hand back down.
Xia Mian's attention was entirely focused on the cards, and she didn't see Zhou Ting raise his hand; she only saw him lower it. Her expression instantly became a little unnatural, and she reluctantly brought the 10,000 card to herself, announcing a stop to the game.
Zhou Ting lowered his head slightly, while Xia Mingzhao remained expressionless.
All of this, including Zhou Ting's gesture of raising and lowering his hand, was observed by Zhou Pingchuan.
He kept his eyes straight ahead, his voice colder than before: "Continue. Zhou Ting, it's your turn."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com