Chapter Six: Winning and Losing at the Gambling Table (1)
The evening's gambling was arranged in a theater that had already been cleared out.
Because of the farce that had taken place during the day, her appearance quickly drew the attention of a few people.
Cheng Muyang happened to be getting up from the gambling table. He wore simple, casual warm-brown trousers, a white shirt, and a brown bow tie. The yellow lamplight blurred his face into something exceptionally handsome, making him look like a Westernized young warlord who had stepped out of an ink-wash painting.
Nan Bei leaned against the wooden staircase, watching him with a soft gaze.
Only when he came over and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek did he ask, “Still thirsty?”
“Thirsty,” she said, lightly furrowing her brows. “And I have a headache.”
“Only a headache?” Cheng Muyang seemed to be in an especially good mood. Resting his arm on the stair railing, he still did not forget to tease her.
Nan Bei paid him no mind. “Did you win?”
“Won,” Cheng Muyang told her softly. “Wiped the floor with everyone.”
She glanced at him, her face growing a little warm.
The two of them followed the wooden staircase, winding their way up to the third floor and entering the largest private room, which was fully enclosed.
The two had an unspoken understanding, and still maintained a proper distance, even though everyone knew that their relationship was far from ordinary.
Unexpectedly, Master Shen was not there tonight.
The man sitting cross-legged beside the go table was Zhousheng’s family’s middle-aged man, Zhousheng Xing. When he looked up and saw Nan Bei, he beckoned her to sit down in front of him. “Come, play a round with me.”
Nan Bei glanced at the board, picked up a white stone, and placed it down.
“I heard that recently, the anti-government forces in Myanmar who have allied themselves with the Nan family have all publicly announced to the international community that they are imposing a complete ban on drugs?” Zhousheng Xing asked casually, quickly and steadily placing down a black stone.
Nan Bei gave a soft “Mm,” propping her chin up as she looked at the board. “It’s for their own good. The leaders of those anti-government forces are all on the wanted lists of the international drug-control authorities. If they don’t do this, there are only two possible endings, and neither offers them any benefit.”
“Two endings?”
“Extradition to the United States and imprisonment, or, once they grow old, being imprisoned by the Myanmar government until they die.” Nan Bei spoke indifferently. “Myanmar’s two great drug lords of the past, Khun Sa and General Peng, both once had governments of their own. They even proposed reconciliation to the United States. Unfortunately, for those in the drug trade, their identities were ultimately too sensitive to be accepted.”
Zhousheng Xing nodded. “Myanmar is ultimately too small. Although they have financial resources, they don’t have enough soil to cultivate a force.”
“That’s right.” Nan Bei accepted the teacup handed to her by the young girl and glanced at Cheng Muyang. He was concentrating on watching the gambling game behind the bead curtain. “At the height of their power, even their armies numbered only a few tens of thousands. Too few people, too little territory.”
She was far too familiar with Myanmar, so when she spoke about it, her words were simple and clear.
Several members of the Zhousheng family listened with great attention.
The little boy of four or five had remained leaning against her the entire time.
She did not know why Zhousheng Xing had brought up Nan Huai.
Even subconsciously, she did not want to say too much about it. If she went into detail, the CIA would inevitably be implicated to some extent. She believed Cheng Muyang could not possibly know nothing about the Nan family’s cooperation with the CIA.
But if he chose to remain silent, she would not be the first to speak.
Nan Bei drank her tea and touched the little boy’s forehead. “Actually, those drug lords were extremely ruthless when it came to suppressing drug use within their own territory. Drug users were executed by shooting. If Europeans and Americans had that kind of resolve when it came to their own people, why would they be afraid of the Golden Triangle?” After saying this, she suddenly remembered something and laughed. “Sometimes when I think about it, the Russians and Americans are both making neutron bombs. They aren’t exactly more noble than drugs. Weapons and drugs, one means being forced to die, the other means seeking death yourself. The difference isn’t all that great.”
When Cheng Muyang heard her say “Russia,” he gently turned his head and gave her a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
He knew she was merely showing off with her words and found it amusing.
“So,” Zhousheng Xing said as he placed down another black stone, finally getting to the point, “the Nan family can treat anti-government forces who have turned from enemies into allies with kindness. They hardly seem like people who would pursue their enemies to the bitter end. Some grudges don’t need to be settled too thoroughly. I heard roughly what happened with the younger son of the Wu family this morning as well. Tonight, Young Boss Cheng has put out the word ‘at all costs, wipe them out completely.’ Is it perhaps worth reconsidering?”
So that was why Zhousheng Xing had taken a little detour. He merely wanted to play peacemaker.
Nan Bei was somewhat surprised. What surprised her most was Cheng Muyang’s decision to pursue the Wu family to the bitter end.
She looked toward him.
Just then, someone at the table revealed their cards, winning a round of applause from the entire room.
Cheng Muyang looked appreciative. He lightly struck his right hand against the palm of his left, producing a rhythmic clap. After a while, still facing away from them, he said, “From the moment I fired the shot, this matter ceased to have anything to do with anyone else. Since the Wu family has a blood debt with me, leaving them alive does me no good.” His tone was very calm, yet equally unyielding.
What Cheng Muyang was doing now was simply making sure there would be no future trouble. But the person who had opened his mouth to plead for mercy was, after all, the owner of this cruise ship.
The teacup in the middle-aged man’s hand shifted slightly, producing the faint sound of purple-clay rubbing against purple-clay.
Nan Bei tossed the few white stones in her palm back into the stone box and suddenly complained, “I told the Wu family from the beginning that Myanmar was nothing but poor mountains and harsh terrain, and wasn’t suitable for them. They just wouldn’t listen. Then, after the government seized everything, they came and blamed me. Sometimes I really want to say, whoever wants it, just take it. Every day it’s bullets coming in and bullets going out. Money isn’t that easy to earn.”
Beside her was Zhousheng Xing’s youngest son.
The child found the way she spoke amusing and imitated her, saying, “Bullets coming in and bullets going out. Money isn’t that easy to earn?”
“Don’t imitate me.” Nan Bei patted his forehead and laughed.
The child’s soft voice eased the tense atmosphere.
“Mainland China has a good climate and good public security,” Cheng Muyang played along with her, making an equally harmless joke. “If someone were willing to take over Moscow, Cheng Muyang would gladly hand it over.”
The little boy thought about it, then solemnly mimicked him again. “If someone were willing to take over Moscow, Cheng Muyang would gladly hand it over.”
This time, everyone was amused into laughter.
Nan Bei and Cheng Muyang’s words were both statements of position.
The reason they had coexisted peacefully for so many years was that neither could replace the other.
No one could replace the Cheng family’s position among Moscow’s upper echelons, nor could anyone replace the Nan family’s influence throughout Southeast Asia’s underground financial circles. As for the Zhousheng and Shen families, both were prestigious clans with long, documented family histories, their roots deep and their branches far-reaching.
It was much like the Mafia, where in every era there would be one family powerful enough to stand above the rest, yet never powerful enough to completely swallow the other families. In a sense, the four families were a community of shared interests.
There was no need to truly tear each other apart over an outsider.
“All right,” Zhousheng Xing finally said with a smile, taking a sip of tea. “Even if you want to let them have it, no one would dare take it. The Myitkyina Casino alone was enough to make the Wu family disappear. Who would still dare touch business along the border?”
Some things were best left at that.
As for the “disappearance of the Wu family,” Zhousheng Xing would not interfere any further.
There were only three rounds in the entire gambling match.
She gathered up all the white stones and walked to one side of the viewing gallery in the private room, where she saw Xiao Feng at the table. He was clearly a novice, while the people sitting across from him were all familiar faces. Cheng Muyang, sitting behind her, seemed to have guessed her confusion and told her, “I was a little tired, so I had Xiao Feng take my place for one round.”
Nan Bei found it both funny and exasperating. “From the looks of him, I’m afraid he doesn’t even know what pai gow is.”
“He grew up in Russia. How could he possibly know how to play pai gow?” He smiled, and seeing that Xiao Feng had clearly already lost his bearings, he found it amusing. “He wants to give it a try, so let him. It’s best two out of three. Even if he loses this round, there’s still a chance.”
His tone was relaxed, as though they were discussing what to eat for dinner tonight.
She turned around. “I heard you didn’t win last night. If you lose again tonight, there won’t be much chance of turning things around.” She could not see through him. “If you really lose, what will you do?”
“You want to know?” He was silent for a while, then suddenly lowered his voice. “Let’s make a bet. If you win, I’ll tell you the answer. If you lose... you have to learn another sentence in Russian from me.”
“Again?”
He smiled. “Guess who will win this round?”
Nan Bei looked at his utterly confident expression, then turned to look at the four people seated downstairs. She knew Shen Jiaming was extremely skilled at pai gow and had originally wanted to bet on Shen Jiaming winning. But after thinking about it, she casually pointed at someone else.
The result was obvious.
Shen Jiaming won.
Cheng Muyang finally rose from the rattan chair and came up behind her, bracing both hands beside her. “Were you deliberately letting me win?”
He really had become too clever for his own good.
Nan Bei neither confirmed nor denied it. This time, the phrase he taught her was unexpectedly short. She only heard it twice before she had memorized it completely. Before she could ask what it meant, Cheng Muyang had already told her, “It’s ‘I’m willing.’ Remember it. You’ll definitely use it someday.”
I’m willing.
There were not many occasions where words like that could be used.
And yet, his coded words always had the power to soften her heart.
Nan Bei smiled silently and leaned against him, reminding him, “It’s your turn. The final round.”
Cheng Muyang rested his chin against the top of her head and joked softly, “Let’s just forfeit. We’ll go back to the room.”
“Sure. Let’s leave right now.”
“Okay. Let’s leave right now.”
He reached out and neatly folded back the cuffs of his shirt, truly looking as though he intended to forfeit.
Nan Bei could not help laughing as she glanced at him. “Do you know the saying about ‘Qingcheng Pai Gow’?” She reached out to straighten his shirt collar, her fingers finally coming to rest on his collarbone, where there were bruised teeth marks. “In the life-and-death gate of pai gow, one night is enough to make you lose an entire city. Shen Jiaming has loved playing these things since he was little. There’s a good chance you really will lose to him.”
She was considering whether she should fasten the button when Cheng Muyang had already patted her forehead with his palm. “This provocation works very well on me.” He gestured for her to go downstairs with him and watch from the closest spot.
Nan Bei did not refuse. After all, she had come today precisely to see what he was like at the gambling table.
After the two of them went downstairs, she sat in the seat closest to the gambling table and watched Cheng Muyang take his place.
He walked over to the gambling table and said something. Shen Jiaming quickly waved to the dealer, who unexpectedly gave a slight bow and left.
Could they be taking turns being the dealer among the four of them?
She could tell they were playing Big Pai Gow. Each person was given four tiles, from which they freely chose two tiles each time to compare against the dealer. There were two chances, and only by winning both could one be considered the winner.
Very simple, yet not simple at all.
The key was how you distributed those four tiles.
And clearly, Cheng Muyang understood far more of the intricacies involved. Only the dealer was responsible for rolling the dice and then distributing the tiles to each person in order.
The mystery of Qingcheng Pai Gow lay precisely in those dice and the distribution of the tiles.
Everything she knew about gambling, she had learned from Shen Jiaming.
From how to roll the dice to how to identify the life-and-death gates of pai gow.
She remembered that when she first learned to play dice, Shen Jiaming had taught her personally, hand over hand. The two of them often sat on the lawn. At first, it had been to coax her into being intimate with him, and Shen Jiaming had always beaten her.
Later, she became angry, and Shen Jiaming no longer dared to bully her. Little by little, he taught her how to control the dice, how to distinguish the differences in sound, bit by bit. Later still, he never won against her again.
She did not know whether he had deliberately let her win, or why.
From where Nan Bei was sitting, she could see the two of them very clearly.
Shen Jiaming was dressed rather scholarly today. He wore a pair of glasses with light-gold frames and gently shook the dice cup in his right hand. “Sorry, I won the previous round, so I can only be the dealer this round.”
“It’s fine.” Cheng Muyang leaned back in the redwood chair, quietly watching him and the dice cup in his hand. “It’s still early. We have enough chips to play all night.”
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