Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

As Jia Dongxu and his three companions squatted down, they heard someone next to them say, "Tsk, I thought you were so awesome, look how you show off with just 50 yuan."

As he said this, he took out a stack of money from his pocket, probably several hundred dollars.

The other two also took out a wad of money from their pockets.

The most outrageous thing was the dealer. He opened the bag in front of him and let Jia Dongxu and others take a look.

"hiss..."

Jia Dongxu and the other three took a deep breath.

I have never seen so much money in my life. There must be at least several thousand in that bag.

"Humph, who said there are only fifty of us? Open your eyes wide and look, what is that behind us?"

Jia Dongxu was not willing to be outdone and pointed at the bicycle behind him and said.

When they came out, they rented two bicycles and a tricycle.

"Do you dare to gamble?"

The dealer asked.

"Why should I be afraid of this? I'm just afraid that you won't dare to do it."

In Jia Dongxu's view, the money in the bag was already his.

"Hey, okay, let's get started."

"Come, come, the bigger the purchase, the bigger the loss. The more you buy, the more you lose."

“…”

Sure enough, as they expected, they won five games in a row.

The banker was a little nervous, and the other three also looked unhappy. They kept losing, losing to the banker, and the banker lost to Jia Dongxu and others.

"Brother Dongxu, it's getting late. We should leave."

Sha Zhu was the only one among the four who still had a bit of rationality. Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng were standing aside, breathing heavily and staring at the bag in front of the dealer. A voice in their hearts told them to go for the big one and win all the opponent's money.

"Silly Zhu, no wonder everyone calls you silly Zhu, this is a 100% win, what are you afraid of?"

"After today, we can support our family even if we don't have to work in the factory."

"Think about it, drinking tea and walking the bird every day, isn't that a good life?"

The last sentence was shouted out by Jia Dongxu. At this moment, he looked down on Sha Zhu from the bottom of his heart. He thought that he was too narrow-minded and was not someone who could accomplish great things. He was destined to be a lousy cook in this life and just live to have enough food to eat.

"No, it's getting late, we should leave too."

Who knew that the dealer would pack up his bag and leave? Could Jia Dongxu let them go? He hadn't won all the money in his bag yet.

"My friend, this is not okay. You want to leave before you have enough fun. Are you scared?"

"Yes, if you are afraid, just tell me."

"Bah, what a coward!"

"..."

Jia Dongxu, Liu Guangtian, and Yan Jiecheng each spoke a few words, arguing with each other.

The banker blushed and dared not say anything, just holding the bag tightly in his arms.

"Friend, don't go. These guys are right. Let's play one last round."

"Yes, let's play one last round and let the brothers make back their money."

"That's right, that's right. I lost 500 today. My wife will beat me when I get home."

The other three also spoke up. Together they had lost about two thousand, all of which was in the dealer's bag.

"Then...then...then is it the last one?"

The dealer's eyes were evasive, and he didn't dare to look at everyone.

"Friend, how much money do you have left in your bag now?"

Jia Dongxu asked eagerly.

"There are less than three thousand left."

The banker took a quick look at the bag and said in a low voice. Hearing that there were still three thousand in the bag, Jia Dongxu's heart trembled. Sha Zhu, Liu Guangtian, and Yan Jiecheng were breathing heavily and staring at the bag. The banker was so scared that he stepped back and almost fell down.

Jia Dongxu was very generous: "Okay, I'll give you three thousand."

It is true that money is a man’s courage. If he has money, he will stand tall and speak with dignity.

"And those three friends, how many do you have left?"

He turned around and asked the other three people.

The other three seemed frightened and quickly waved their hands, saying they didn't want to play anymore.

Jia Dongxu was very satisfied with the answer, nodded and smiled happily.

"My friend, since you have something to do and need to leave early, let's make one last bet to determine the winner."

"I'll give you 3,000 from your bag, and the money on the four of us, as well as the two bicycles and the tricycle, will also count as 3,000. Do you think that's okay?"

Jia Dongxu now feels like he is in control of the world and is able to defeat everyone.

"You...whatever you say, that's it."

The dealer looked at the others and said cautiously, "I'm a little scared. Look how my hands are shaking. How about you be the dealer this time? It's the last hand anyway."

"Friend, don't be afraid. If your hands are shaking, just go slow. We are not in a hurry."

Jia Dongxu was happy. It was good to have shaking hands, as he could see more clearly with shaking hands.

"This is the last round. You can't deny your debt if you lose."

Before starting, the dealer confirmed again.

"Don't worry, we are all grown men, and we are as good as our words."

"Yes, yes, the men of the city always keep their word."

"Just don't regret it."

"If he dares to go back on his word, I'll break his legs."

Sha Zhu, Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng spoke one by one, and the dealer's hands shook even more.

"Let's start quickly."

Under the gaze of everyone, the dealer seemed to be trying hard to control his hands. He slowly put a bean into the bowl and then covered it with another bowl.

"One."

"Yes, that's one."

"Haha, I got three thousand dollars."

"One, I guess."

The four of them saw it clearly, and it was just one, so they felt completely relieved.

"Wait, I'll open it."

Just when the dealer was about to open it, Jia Dongxu suddenly stopped him. He suddenly remembered that someone had cheated at the last moment at the gambling table before.

The dealer doesn't care, just go ahead and open the game if you want.

Jia Dongxu rubbed his hands and exhaled: "Open it for me."

When I opened it, I was dumbfounded.

"No..no..no..that's not true."

"Impossible, you are cheating, and if you cheat, your hands will be chopped off."

"No, no, it must be my eyes playing tricks on me."

"How is it possible, how is it possible?"

Jia Dongxu's face turned pale and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Sha Zhu clenched his fists tightly, his eyes were wide open, his chest heaved, and he was breathing heavily.

Liu Guangtian sat down on the ground, trembling all over and with a dazed look in his eyes.

Yan Jiecheng kept slapping himself in the face, muttering: I shouldn’t do this, I shouldn’t do this.

The four of them didn't believe it and rubbed their eyes hard. Then they looked again and saw two beans lying quietly at the bottom of the bowl.