Xingzhou City (5)
There were seven or eight gambling rooms of various sizes in Xingzhou City’s casino. The Jade Hall was the smallest among them, but also the most exquisite and luxurious, and it was rarely open to the public.
By the time Tan Guhong and the other two arrived, the place was already bustling with people coming and going. One glance around was enough to see that everyone, whether familiar or unfamiliar, had shown up today.
Luo Jingming and Liang Jiaxing were, after all, the focal figures of the Liang family. The moment they appeared, they attracted everyone’s attention. Quite a few people came over to make their acquaintance and strike up conversations, and Tan Guhong took advantage of the crowd to slip away.
“Hong-jie!”
A young girl with a round face and ear-length curly hair stopped her, linking her arm through Tan Guhong’s and saying in a soft, lilting voice, “Hong-jie, it’s been so long. What have you been busy with lately? You didn’t even come to Cousin Xie Bai’s wedding before.”
This was the Xie family’s young daughter, Xie Shanni. The question caught Tan Guhong off guard. “Xie Bai got married? When?”
“Two months ago, in Santorini.”
Only then did Tan Guhong suddenly remember the invitation that had traveled halfway around the world to reach her, and which she had forgotten in some corner of her mind.
“Ahem. The project was in a rush at the time, so I was pretty busy and couldn’t make it. I’ll personally apologize to Xie Bai later.”
There was a hint of guilt in her voice. After all, at the time she had been in Iceland chasing the Northern Lights.
“Cousin didn’t come. He’s still on his honeymoon with Cousin-in-law.” Xie Shanni smiled brightly.
“That’s good, then. I’ll call him to apologize.” Tan Guhong breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, “Where’s Monica?”
Xie Shanni pursed her lips and nodded toward the inside. “In there!”
Following her indication, Tan Guhong went around the bamboo screen and reached the innermost private room. Sure enough, she saw Huo Sixuan sitting beside the mahjong table, playing mahjong enthusiastically with everyone else.
Tan Guhong walked over. Seeing Huo Sixuan look up at her, clearly about to give her a hard time, she spoke first and challenged her, “Who was it who said she’d never gamble again?”
Huo Sixuan was momentarily speechless, looking a little guilty. “Playing without money doesn’t count as gambling. Besides, they were the ones who dragged me into it.”
Then she realized what was happening and said indignantly, “Tomboy, I haven’t even said anything about you dragging three people along and still not managing to bring them over, and now you’re turning it around on me!”
“Strike first.”
Tan Guhong smiled and greeted the others at the table.
Tan Guhong was not exactly unfamiliar with the three of them, but neither was she close to them. One was Liang Jiaguo’s eldest daughter, Liang Yongwei. Another was Liang Peiyue, who had hosted the charity gala in San Francisco back then. When Liang Peiyue saw Tan Guhong, there was no particular change in her expression, and Tan Guhong was not quite sure whether she had recognized her.
And then there was Xue Qing, the wife of Huo Qiaodong, Huo Qiaonan’s cousin. Seeing her once again look at Tan Guhong with that gaze she reserved for a romantic rival, Tan Guhong let out a long sigh inwardly. Today, she had finally understood why this sister-in-law had never liked the sight of her all these years.
But really, after all these years, did Sister-in-law have to be quite so jealous?
“Ah, forget it. I’m not playing anymore, not playing!” Huo Sixuan said, somewhat irritated. “I said I’d do what I said. Tomboy, you take over for me. I’m going out to smoke hookah with Peiwei and the others.”
Pushed down into the chair, Tan Guhong looked completely innocent. “I don’t know how to play mahjong.”
“With how formidable your grandfather was, how could you possibly not know? Tomboy, play properly. Take Monica’s place and wipe the floor with them.”
With that, Huo Sixuan waved her hand and turned to leave the private room.
“That kind of skill isn’t hereditary.” Tan Guhong was helpless. She turned to the other three at the table. “I really don’t know how to play at all. I’ll go outside and find someone for you.”
Liang Yongwei was unwilling to let her go. “I’m about to win. Just sit down.”
Liang Peiyue, however, merely fiddled unconcernedly with her crystal nails. “Go on, it’s not like we’re in a hurry.”
Xue Qing pressed down on Tan Guhong’s hand where it rested on the table, smiling without quite smiling. “Rescuing a game is like putting out a fire. We’re three players short one here. Guhong, are you really going to refuse us like this?”
Did they really have to be so passive-aggressive one after another? Huo Sixuan had only just left, and they were already starting?
Tan Guhong knew the first two were not actually targeting her. But she had no desire to get involved in the open and covert struggle among this group of women. She was already considering whether she should simply flip the table and walk out.
Just then, a hand came to rest on her shoulder, and Luo Jingming’s voice came from behind her.
“I’ll take your place.”
Tan Guhong looked up. Luo Jingming smiled at her. “You don’t know how? I’ll teach you. It’s very simple. Sit beside me and watch a few rounds, and you’ll get it.”
She lowered her eyes and smiled softly. “Okay.”
With his arrival, the three people at the table had nothing more to say.
A waiter brought over another chair. Tan Guhong changed seats, while Luo Jingming settled leisurely into the seat at the table.
Liang Yongwei had more pronounced mixed-race features, with strikingly beautiful features and a sharp, commanding presence. Resting her chin in one hand, she narrowed her eyes at Luo Jingming and flipped the tile in her hand over and back across the table before suddenly saying, “Since A-Ming is joining us, why don’t we put something on the line?”
“How does Cousin want to play?”
“Winning money is too boring. Everyone’s happy today, so whoever loses can punish themselves with three drinks.” Liang Yongwei smiled without quite smiling.
“Sure...” Liang Peishan chimed in. “We’re family. Talking about money will only hurt our feelings. Drinks to liven things up are much better. A-Ming, you don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“Since Third Aunt and Cousin both agree, naturally I have no objection.”
He asked Xue Qing out of courtesy, then raised his hand to summon a waiter and gave the order. Before long, someone came in carrying a table, with rows of rocks glasses arranged on top.
Tan Guhong’s heart tightened. Were they going to play depth charges?
Sure enough, the bartender proceeded to make them on the spot. He first filled the rocks glasses on the table to eighty percent with beer, then poured vodka into the shot glasses. The shot glasses were placed on top of the rocks glasses, and with a light tap against them, accompanied by the crisp clinking of glass, the vodka dropped one after another into the beer. White foam instantly surged up, looking exactly like bombs exploding deep underwater.
Liang Peishan and Liang Yongwei cheered with laughter, while Xue Qing’s face went pale.
Tan Guhong spoke up. “Since he’s playing in my place, then naturally I’ll take responsibility for the wins and losses. I’ll drink the alcohol.”
This kind of drink wasn’t something that could merely get a person drunk or make them throw up. It could make you cry outright.
What was Luo Jingming, who claimed to be allergic to alcohol, showing off for?
Liang Peishan was just about to object when Liang Yongwei said indifferently, “I don’t care which of you two drinks. In any case, whoever loses has to accept the punishment.”
Tan Guhong relaxed slightly. When she turned back and met the amused smile in Luo Jingming’s eyes, she pretended not to see it and said frankly, “Mr. Luo, for my sake, you’d better play seriously!”
“Of course. Miss Tan, rest assured, I won’t let you lose.”
Luo Jingming smiled lightly, took out a mint, leisurely tore open the wrapper, and put it into his mouth.
Then he raised his hand and swept the tiles on the table aside. With the mint in his mouth, he said nonchalantly, “Everyone, let’s start a new round.”
At this table of four, apart from Xue Qing, there was Liang Jiaguo’s eldest daughter, Liang Jiaxing’s own elder sister, and Luo Jingming. There was already more than enough gunpowder between them without anyone needing to stir things up.
Since ancient times, the Chinese mahjong table had been the finest place for socializing. As the tiles were shuffled, stacked, dealt, and played, the antique ivory tiles lightly clicked and knocked against the velvet tablecloth, and the exchange of open attacks and hidden barbs began as well.
Liang Peiyue was the first to make a move. “A-Ming, I heard that the police took you away and held you for a night in San Francisco before. How was it? Was it too rough? There are all sorts of rumors going around that you’re deeply entangled with the Chinese gangs in Chinatown. Is there actually any truth to that?”
Luo Jingming smiled faintly. “Just rumors, Third Aunt. Don’t take them seriously.”
“So you’re saying the reporters made it all up without any basis?”
“There was such a thing? How come I never heard about it?” Liang Yongwei said as she drew a tile. “I did hear that the media has been reporting all about your charity gala, Third Aunt. Something about tax evasion, something about fake charitable donations. I don’t know whether any of it is true. But Third Aunt, you really are the talk of the town these days! Pong!”
Liang Peiyue’s face turned greenish. She had already been harassed to the point of exhaustion by this matter over the past few months, and Old Master Liang had even called specifically to berate her. Now that Liang Yongwei had brought it up, her anger flared instantly. She smiled without warmth and said, “Yes, I accidentally stole the spotlight from A-Le’s ‘nightclub incident.’ I’m truly sorry. A-Wei, remember to tell your A-Le next time that if he wants to have a threesome, he should do it at home, so those all-seeing paparazzi in Hong Kong don’t catch him.” She discarded a tile. “Chi!”
“What threesome? It was just two shameless little stars pestering A-Le. Nothing compared to Third Uncle’s notorious mistress, who’s so much harder to get rid of, is she?”
Even setting aside the issue of the inheritance, Old Master Liang’s children by his first wife had long been deeply at odds with the children of his later wife. Back and forth they went, until the two of them were completely at loggerheads.
By seniority and standing, Xue Qing could not get a word in at this table. All she could do was lower her head and nervously play her tiles in silence, while Luo Jingming beside her remained completely unruffled, even finding the leisure to teach Tan Guhong.
“You really don’t know how to play at all?”
“Does recognizing the tiles count?” Tan Guhong said helplessly. “No one in my family plays, and no one ever taught me.”
“It’s very simple. Just remember the basic rules. After that, it’s all about adapting to the situation.”
Tan Guhong had no real intention of learning. She simply couldn’t be bothered to socialize with the Liang and Huo families’ various relatives and friends outside. Sitting here watching his long fingers deftly handle the mahjong tiles was at least somewhat pleasing to the eye, so she began to change the subject.
“Aren’t there many different sets of mahjong rules? I’ve heard of Shanghai mahjong and Sichuan mahjong.”
“That’s right. The rules differ from place to place. What we’re playing now is Guangdong-style mahjong.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Multiple players can win off the same discard, doubles are counted, and there are flower tiles.”
“What are flower tiles?”
“These.” Luo Jingming pointed to the two tiles displayed in front of him on the table. They were tiles she had never seen before, engraved with flowers of different forms. One bore the character for orchid, and the other the character for spring.
“There are eight in total: plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and spring, summer, autumn, winter.” Luo Jingming smiled. “Each flower adds one double. Getting all four flowers is called ‘Four Happiness at the Door.’ Getting all eight is called ‘The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.’”
“There are quite a lot of names for things...” Tan Guhong smiled softly. “I’ve noticed that mahjong really does have all kinds of names. Every kind of winning hand has a different term. ‘Fishing for the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea,’ ‘Winning on a Kong,’ and so on. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were names of martial arts techniques. I wonder, are there names for hands that don’t win?”
“Of course. But it depends on the situation. For example, declaring a win incorrectly is called zhahe (false win). Or, say, you have thirteen tiles but are missing one.”
“What do you call it when you’re missing one tile?” she asked instinctively.
He turned his head to look at her. His dark eyes were deep and inky, carrying a hint of amusement as he slowly said, “When you’re missing one, it’s called a little husband.”
At the same time, his left hand beneath the table quietly touched her leg. The deft fingertips that had just been handling the mahjong tiles moved little by little, slowly along her leg. Until they came upon the hand she had resting on her thigh, and suddenly clasped it.
Tan Guhong gave a slight shiver. Without showing anything, she raised her head and glanced at the others around the table. Liang Yongwei and Liang Peiyue were still trading sarcastic remarks, digging up old grievances that had already reached the unpleasantness at the New Year’s Eve dinner two years ago. They had not noticed anything happening over here at all.
But when she turned back, she happened to meet Xue Qing’s dumbfounded expression. She was sitting right beside them, and even a slight glance from the corner of her eye was enough to see everything.
Tan Guhong calmly returned her a smile. As she pulled the hand Luo Jingming was holding away, she continued asking as though nothing had happened, “Then what about having one extra tile?”
Under the table, he caught her hand and pulled it back again, while his face still wore the serious expression of a teacher imparting knowledge, patiently guiding her along. “By that logic, Miss Tan, take a guess. What would it be called?”
Did he want to coax her into saying “big husband”? Tan Guhong deliberately refused to indulge him and steered the conversation elsewhere. “I can’t guess. Why don’t you tell me more about how the different winning hands are scored, Mr. Luo?”
The corners of Luo Jingming’s lips curved slightly. He did not force her and instead began leisurely explaining the rules for each type of winning hand. His left hand held hers beneath the table, his fingertips slowly tracing the lines of her palm, while his right hand never stopped playing tiles above the table. He was practically doing three things at once.
Tan Guhong turned sideways to look at him, resting her elbow on the mahjong table and propping up her chin. She appeared to be listening to him with complete concentration, but in reality, all her attention was on the hands clasped together beneath the table. Perhaps because they were carrying on this secret intimacy under everyone’s eyes, even this simplest touch of skin against skin made her heart race, and her face gradually grew hot.
This game of mahjong was extraordinarily lively. Above the table, words flew like blades and sparks flew everywhere; beneath it, the two of them were secretly touching and entangled in lingering intimacy. Poor Xue Qing was caught between them. She did not dare join in on the left, nor did she dare look to the right, trapped in an impossible predicament and unable to sit still.
In the end, Luo Jingming pushed his tiles over and declared a self-drawn win, three identical sequences in one suit. She visibly let out a long breath of relief, never mind that they had lost twenty-four doubles.
Tan Guhong smiled faintly. “Mr. Luo, you’re lucky today.”
Luo Jingming was very modest. “It’s all thanks to Miss Tan bringing me luck.”
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