The programmer and his woman

After finishing my work at the printing factory, I deeply realized the importance of knowledge. So I didn't look for a new job for the time being, but used this time to improve myself and learn new skills.

After reading all the computer books I bought, I chose software programming as my new direction because I found that it plays an increasingly important role in modern society and has broad career development space.

I encountered many difficulties during the learning process. Sometimes, a simple program error made me think hard for a long time; sometimes, a complex concept made me feel incapable. But I did not give up. I firmly believed that as long as I persisted, I would be able to break through my limits.

After countless days and nights of hard work, I can finally write some simple programs. Whenever I see the programs I wrote running on the screen, the sense of accomplishment is like a warm current in my heart. Although these programs are just simple examples, they are the crystallization of my hard work and sweat, and an important step for me to move towards the world of programming.

Although there is still a big gap compared with professional programmers, I believe that as long as I continue to study hard and practice, I can definitely become a qualified programmer.

My parents have seen my efforts these days. One day, my mother came to me and said, "Donzi! You can't go on like this! Sitting in front of the computer all day long, how can your eyes bear it? Over time, not only will your eyes be damaged, but your body will also be unable to bear it! Listen to your mother's advice, get up and walk around quickly to stretch your muscles and bones."

It just so happens that mom is going to the market to buy some vegetables. You can go with her! You can breathe fresh air and exercise at the same time. How great! Come on, don't dawdle, go out for a walk with mom!

Come to think of it, I haven’t been out for many days. It’s time to go out for a walk.

I stood up and stretched, feeling some of the stiffness in my body from sitting and studying for a long time.

I changed into some light shoes, packed my clothes, and set off for the vegetable market with my mother.

When we were about to reach the vegetable market, we saw a crowd of people in front of us, forming a circle with three layers inside and three layers outside. My mother and I were curious and wanted to see the excitement, so we couldn't help but speed up our pace and squeeze into the crowd.

I squeezed in and saw that it was a magician. There were three cards on the ground. The man kept fiddling with the cards with his hands, changing the positions of the cards. Then I heard him shouting, "Bet on the king. If you bet right, you win as much as you bet. If you bet wrong, the money you bet on belongs to me. Who wants to bet?"

Oh, it's not a magic trick, it's playing with money.

This guy was just shouting here, but no one actually placed a bet. It was obvious that everyone was on guard and didn't want to easily fall into this seemingly simple gambling game. At this time, a middle-aged man next to him spoke up.

I bet two dollars, and I saw him take out two brand new banknotes from his wallet and gently put them on the card he thought was the King. His movements were calm and his eyes revealed a kind of firmness and confidence.

When the boss saw someone betting, he immediately showed a smug smile on his face, his eyes flashed with greed and cunning, as if he had foreseen victory. He shouted loudly: "Oh, this big brother bets two dollars, is there anyone else betting? No one is betting, it's open now!"

Open it, open it. There is no more bets. Just open it quickly, the middle-aged man shouted anxiously, his voice revealing a sense of anticipation and nervousness.

Seeing this, the boss of the gambling game had a smug smile on his face, as if he had anticipated the result. He deliberately slowed down his movements to whet the appetite of the middle-aged man. The people around were also infected by the tense atmosphere, holding their breath, waiting for the moment when the cards were turned over.

Finally, the money-playing boss flipped the cards and revealed a King. The middle-aged man cheered immediately. He won! He waved the banknotes in his hand excitedly, as if he had forgotten the tension and anxiety before.

The boss's face turned ugly, but he quickly regained his composure and took out two dollars from his pocket and handed them to the middle-aged man along with the bet money. He knew very well that this was just a fluke, but he was unwilling to give up. He continued to shout, trying to attract more people to bet.

Come on, come on, another round begins. The boss skillfully arranges the cards and points to one of them: "Everyone, look, this is the K." Then he puts the cards on the table and starts fiddling with the remaining cards. However, his movements seem to be deliberately slowed down this time, and each one seems particularly exaggerated, as if he is deliberately stalling for time.

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched him perform. This speed is child's play for anyone with a little experience. It's too easy to guess. The people around me started to talk about it. Some people thought it was too slow, while others started to guess which card was the King.

The money-playing boss didn't seem to care about what everyone was saying. He continued his performance, looking up at everyone from time to time with a smug smile on his face. Finally, he stopped what he was doing and shouted loudly: "If you bet right, you win as much as you bet. If you bet wrong, you have to pay me back! Betting starts now. Anyone want to place a bet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, it was the middle-aged man again. He took out five dollars without hesitation and threw it on the card he thought was the King.

Yes, I saw this one too, and I was sure of the middle-aged man’s bet.

Soon, the money-playing boss turned over the cards again. This time, the middle-aged man won again! He waved the banknotes in his hand happily, and the people around him congratulated him. The money-playing boss's face became a little ugly, but he quickly regained his composure and began to prepare for the next round.

"Come on, another round. Everyone, look carefully. This is the King." The man skillfully spread out several cards and pointed at one of them, repeating the same action and words. His eyes swept through the crowd, as if looking for the next prey.

"Are there any bets?" he asked again, with a hint of anticipation in his voice.

It was the same middle-aged man from before. His eyes were firm and his voice was steady: "I'm betting one hundred dollars this time."

As soon as these words came out, the crowd around him immediately exploded. There were whispers one after another, with surprise, confusion, and admiration for the courage of the middle-aged man. For ordinary people, one hundred yuan is already a considerable amount of money.

The money-playing boss pointed to one of them and said, "Are you sure it's this one?" He repeatedly confirmed with the middle-aged man, with a sly look in his eyes.

The middle-aged man nodded with a firm look in his eyes: "Yes, I'm sure it's this one." He bet a hundred dollars without hesitation. This might be his last bet tonight.

Seeing the middle-aged man so determined, the boss's eyes flashed with surprise. He pretended to take away the bet card and reshuffle the cards, but at this moment, the middle-aged man suddenly moved.

The middle-aged man stepped hard on the card and said firmly, "Don't move! I bet 100 yuan on this card. Don't move. Stay away from this card."

After saying this, the middle-aged man began to look around, looking for someone he could trust. His eyes finally fell on my mother. He gently pulled my mother and whispered, "Sister, please do me a favor and help me keep an eye on the cards. Don't let him move the cards. I'll find a hundred-dollar bill from my wallet and put it on the table for me."

Although my mother was not interested in gambling, she nodded when she saw the sincere look in the middle-aged man's eyes, walked forward, stood next to the card being bet on, and stepped hard on it to ensure that the boss could not move the card easily.

I thought to myself, with that speed of hand, many people could see clearly which card it was. Seeing the money-playing boss getting so anxious, it was obvious that the middle-aged man had bet right again.

The boss of the gambling game frowned as he watched this scene. He obviously didn't expect the middle-aged man to find help, let alone my mother to join in. He tried to save the situation by saying to my mother, "If you step on it for him, is it yours or his? You don't bet, so it's useless for you to step on it."

After saying this to my mother, he pretended to go forward to grab the card again. My mother saw that he was trying to cheat, and she got anxious and said firmly: "Who said I don't bet? I bet!"

The money-playing boss was stunned for a moment, then asked, "They bet 100, how much do you bet?"

Without hesitation, the mother took out a hundred yuan from her wallet, which was the money she had originally intended to use to buy groceries. She said firmly, "I'll bet a hundred too."

While they were arguing, the middle-aged man took out a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and put it on top of my mother's hundred-dollar bill. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Ignore him. We'll win if we open it."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly swung his hand, turned the card over, and threw it to the ground with a "pop". This sudden action stunned everyone, including myself. I originally thought it would be a king, but the result was beyond everyone's expectations.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and looked at the card again. Indeed, it was not the King, but a completely different card. How could this be possible? I clearly saw this card, and the money-playing boss was so slow, how could he be wrong?

"Haha, I lost! All the money is mine!" The boss shouted excitedly, sweeping up all the money on the ground, with a smug smile on his face.

The mother's face turned pale instantly. She obviously did not expect such a result. The mother's hands trembled slightly, as if she could not accept this fact.

The people around began to whisper and discuss. They seemed unable to understand this unexpected result. The money-making boss took the opportunity to withdraw his bet, with a smug smile on his face.

"Hey, Sister Li, it looks like this is a lie." Sister Liu next to her said softly, her tone full of regret and relief.

"Yes, Sister Liu, I wanted to bet just now. If I lose, I won't play. If I play, I will have to pay."

I stood beside my mother, silently holding her hand. I could feel the coldness of her fingers and the trembling of her body. She was obviously emotionally broken.

"Let's go." I said softly, trying to calm my mother.

My mother nodded, but she seemed to still be immersed in the loss she had just experienced. She stood there for a while, then silently pulled me towards home.

Along the way, my mother didn't say anything, she just walked silently. But I could feel that her heart was full of regret and unwillingness. Her tears kept flowing down, wetting her face and my sleeves.

"Mom, don't cry." I whispered to comfort her, trying to make her feel some warmth and comfort.

But my mother didn't seem to hear me. She continued walking on her own, muttering to herself, "How could this happen? How could I be so stupid? The money was meant to buy food. I didn't intend to gamble. I just helped people with the cards, and in the end I lost a hundred yuan. Our family was already in financial difficulty, how could I..."

I was listening to my mother's mumbling while looking ahead. At this moment, two familiar figures in the distance caught my attention. They were the money-making boss and the middle-aged man. They stood at the corner of the street, holding something in their hands and quickly sharing it.

At this time, I finally saw clearly that they were dividing money. A chill suddenly surged in my heart, and I finally understood that this was not just a gamble, but a scam they had carefully designed. Everything just now was just to defraud our money.

"Mom, it's them!" I shouted loudly, pulling my mother towards the two scammers. I was filled with anger, wanting to get our money back and also wanting the two scammers to receive the punishment they deserved.

However, the two swindlers seemed to have been ready to escape at any time. They turned and ran away at a very fast speed. Although my mother and I tried our best to catch up with them, we were unable to catch up with them.

I was breathing heavily, watching the two figures walking away, my heart filled with resentment and regret.

My mother, who was lagging behind, also caught up with me. Is Dongzi one of those two people? Have we been deceived? She looked at me helplessly, tears welling up in her eyes again: "How am I going to explain this to your father when I go back? Wuu ...

Looking at my mother's haggard and lost face, an indescribable emotion surged in my heart. I took a deep breath and said softly, "Mom, you'd better not tell my dad, otherwise we will fight again. I still have the New Year's money I saved in my wallet over the years, which should be enough. I'll give it to you for emergency use."

When my mother heard what I said, tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time it was because she was touched and relieved. She gently stroked my head and said in a choked voice: "My Dongzi is really sensible. Thank you, Mom."

I smiled, feeling a little relieved. I knew that although this money could not make up for all we had lost, it could at least temporarily ease my mother's plight.

My mother wiped away the tears from her eyes, looked at me and said seriously: "Dongzi, you have grown up, and I am very pleased. This incident is a lesson. We must remember this lesson and never trust others so easily in the future."