Chapter 30: A Thousand Against a Thousand

How did I reach this conclusion?

It’s quite simple. The third floor is a casino where the stakes are high. Any such establishment is bound to have seasoned card sharps. Even if Brother Cai, as a manager, wasn't overly familiar with the operations on the third floor, he shouldn't have been so easily duped by the crude tricks used by Brother Bao and his cohorts.

I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. Wu Dahai was sitting by the door, still nursing his liquor every few moments.

By the time I finished my cigarette, the card game had broken up. The outcome was predictable: Brother Cai had lost all five hundred yuan. Having lost everything, he flew into a rage, while Brother Bao mocked him, claiming he couldn't afford to lose.

Having lost both his money and his pride, Brother Cai was red-faced and furious. The two sides nearly came to blows; the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Brother Cai cursed, swearing he’d see Brother Bao kicked out sooner or later.

Brother Bao retorted that Brother Cai only got by because his sister spread her legs for men—an insult of the vilest order.

Yet, in the end, with the female staff stepping in to mediate, no actual fight broke out. Since everyone worked at the same hotel, the women, having been awakened, came out to intervene, preventing the brawl.

During the height of the argument, I quietly swiped that deck of cards.

Once things had quieted down, Wang Chuyi sneaked over to me. "Brother, did you spot something? I saw you pocket the cards. Did you notice a problem?"

"After work tonight, I’ll come to your place. We’ll discuss some things. I plan to go up and play a few rounds tomorrow. It’s not convenient for my cousin to know about this right now," I said.

Wang Chuyi nodded excitedly.

The afternoon passed quickly. I told my cousin, Chen Jianjun, that I was going for a walk, and followed Wang Chuyi to his rented room. These low-rent apartments all had similar layouts; the only difference was that he lived with his girlfriend, Chen Mei, who was also a hotel waitress. Their hygiene was abysmal; the room was littered with trash, used condoms, and discarded women's undergarments.

"Go buy some drinks and snacks. I’m going to have a drink with my brother," Wang Chuyi told Chen Mei.

Chen Mei wasn't particularly pretty, but she was petite and delicate, and she nodded obediently.

After she left, I took out the deck of cards.

Wang Chuyi’s eyes lit up immediately. "Something wrong with the cards?"

I shook my head and explained how Brother Bao and his crew were cheating. It was a very rudimentary trick, yet Wang Chuyi was astounded. "Damn! That explains it! They always seem to know everyone’s hole cards!"

"Their method is simple and their tactics are despicable. It only works because people aren't on guard. If they tried this in any real casino, they’d be dead in no time. I have a very simple way to break their game," I said.

With that, I pulled out the Ace of Spades and a Nine of Diamonds.

I tore a corner off the Nine of Diamonds and placed it over the Ace of Spades.

Holding three cards, I said, "Stand behind me and look at my hand."

This way, when he looked at my cards, he would see a Nine of Diamonds instead of an Ace of Spades.

"We’ll use the same method to deal with him tomorrow. Remember, don’t use the hand signals every single round; save them for the critical moments, like when I have a flush and he has a straight. If we really want to wipe them out completely, one hand is enough! Doing it every round is too obvious," I instructed.

We practiced for a while, agreeing on the signals and what each one meant. When Chen Mei returned, we didn't drink much—just two beers. When I left, Wang Chuyi walked me downstairs.

"Brother, surely you aren't after just this little bit of money, right?" he asked.

This time, I didn't hedge. "Chuyi, forget about winning this pocket change. Entering the third floor to make real money is just the beginning for us."

My promise left Wang Chuyi brimming with excitement.

The next day, I brought a bottle of liquor for Wu Dahai when I went to work. It cost me three yuan and fifty cents.

He refused at first, but I said, "I don’t drink clear spirits myself; this is specifically for you, Hai-ge. You need to teach me the ropes of being a security guard. Back in my village, many people brew their own spirits. When we get paid, we’ll buy some supplies and brew some rice wine ourselves—that stuff is good for the body!"

He accepted the bottle without much thanks, but his expression toward me softened considerably. He even taught me a few tricks for earning extra perks. He explained that there were fewer drinking sessions at noon and people weren't as generous when they weren't drinking, but if you served guests well at night, it was easier to get favors. He shared tips on how to judge a person's wealth and how to curry favor, which I found incredibly beneficial.

Of course, that wasn't what I was after; I wanted to probe him about the night shift. But I knew better than to rush.

The morning passed without incident. After lunch, the card game began as expected.

When I decided to join in, my cousin gave me a look, but Brother Cai said politely, "If A-Cheng wants to play, go ahead. Just don't get carried away—don't lose your travel money before payday."

His use of "A-Cheng" led Brother Bao to assume I was one of Brother Cai’s people. He snorted and said, "Got any cash on you? Don't lose it all in two rounds, damn it. And don't come asking to borrow any from me!"

"Don't worry, Brother Bao. I’m just here to get to know everyone. Winning or losing a hundred or so doesn't matter to me," I replied.

He nodded. "I'll give you credit for that—you've got more class than your cousin Chen Jianjun. Though not by much."

I cursed him under my breath.

Don't let me get my hands on you!

When playing cards, you can't let the opponent read your style, especially in a game like "Fried Golden Flower," which relies heavily on psychological warfare.

In the first few rounds, I bluffed with small hands and followed with decent ones. Since they knew my hole cards, they naturally won more than they lost. In no time, I was down thirty or fifty yuan. I wasn't doing too badly, but Brother Cai had once again been the sucker, losing over a hundred. He was likely out of cash, and his face didn't look too good.

Every time I drew my cards, I used my hand to lift them slightly to peek at my hole cards before picking them up for the spy behind Brother Bao to see.

This time, I finally drew a flush.

"I refuse to believe I can't catch a big hand!" I gritted my teeth.

I began to feign rubbing the cards, but in reality, I had already tucked the prepared half-card between them. The technique was simple and only effective against someone peeking. The real mark of a card sharp is knowing how to hide the discarded card and swap it back in during the next shuffle. My skill level was merely that of a primary schooler.

After rubbing the cards, I took a look. I held a Heart 3, a Heart King, and a Heart Jack, but the Heart Jack was blocked by a Spade 10. To the person behind me, it looked like I had a King high.

In our agreed-upon signals, rubbing the cards meant I had a big hand—at least a flush.

Opposite me, Wang Chuyi began to observe the others' cards. Our signal was simple: if I had a flush, he’d touch his nose; if not, he’d light a cigarette. No extra gestures were needed. We were all playing the same game, and it wouldn't do to get caught. Once I saw Wang Chuyi light a cigarette, I knew the highest hand across the table was a pair of Aces. My flush was the winning hand.

I quietly laid down my cards and bet five yuan.

Some matched, some folded.

I kept calling five yuan at a time. After three rounds, Brother Cai threw his cards down in anger. There were four of us left: two of Brother Cai’s friends, Brother Bao, and his lackey.

Brother Bao was the first to raise the stakes. "How long are we going to keep playing for five yuan?" he barked, raising the bet to ten. At that, two players immediately folded.

I frowned, feigning hesitation.

Brother Cai yelled, "Are you in or not?"

"I don't believe you have a big hand every single time!" I said, mimicking his tone from yesterday.

After seven rounds, there was over five hundred in cash on the table, and it was down to just me and Brother Bao.

He knew my hole cards.

Confident, he assumed I was bluffing.

I pretended to be forced into a corner, reluctantly calling his bet.