Chapter 616: Tight on Money
After speaking, Di Hou walked straight over to the round table and looked at the middle-aged man still sitting there.
"What do you say?" Di Hou smiled, the wrinkles on his face instantly making him look even older.
Whether this "Monkey" was simply a breed born with a wrinkled face or he was truly advanced in years, every movement he made carried a sense of weariness.
"I'm done gambling," the middle-aged man said in a low voice. "I've won enough today."
He picked out ten "Dao" from the large pile in front of him and pushed them over to Di Hou, then tucked the rest into his robe.
Chen Junnan took a quick glance—that guy had to have pocketed at least a dozen "Dao."
Making a dozen "Dao" from a two-"Dao" entry fee was a pretty high return, no matter which Earth-level game you were talking about.
"No problem." Di Hou nodded. "I run an honest business here. As long as you can pay the blood money, anyone can leave."
With that, he lit another cigarette, gathered all the "Dao" on the table into his cloth bag, and sat down to one side.
The onlookers dispersed as well, but instead of leaving the venue, they moved to the mahjong tables or took seats back at the round table, organizing new gambling games on their own.
By now, Chen Junnan understood exactly how Di Hou was making his profit. Once someone walked through that door, they either left ten "Dao" behind or their life.
For Di Hou, it was a win-win deal no matter what. And on top of that, he would sometimes join the games himself. If he won, he'd take even more "Dao."
So his "game" wasn't really the dice—it was the entire casino.
From entering the casino to leaving it, it was all considered an "Earth-level game."
If you couldn't turn two "Dao" into ten or more, you were nothing but cannon fodder here.
Qiao Jiajing also looked around and noticed that tucked away in a corner were custom slot machines and a pinball table. The symbols on the slots and the prizes in the pinball machine were all "Dao."
The casino wasn't big, but it had everything. Every common form of gambling you'd see on the streets was available here.
And this modest little casino offered the men and women of the End a chance to die willingly. After all, for some people, gambling was easier to pick up than any Earth-level game, and just as addictive.
But… the more people joined, the more likely they were to end up dead.
"You two," Di Hou drawled from across the room. "If you want to play, you need to pay the entry fee first. After that, you can play whatever you like."
"Jun Nan Zai… what do you think?" Qiao Jiajing asked. "You wanna gamble?"
"There are two things making me hesitate right now…" Chen Junnan's expression turned serious.
"What things?"
"First, I only know how to play 'Dou Di Zhu,'" Chen Junnan said gravely. "I have no idea how big the stakes can get here for that game…"
"What's 'Dou Di Zhu'?" Qiao Jiajing blinked, puzzled. "Is it mahjong or pai gow?"
"It's…" Chen Junnan looked helplessly at Qiao Jiajing. "And here I was saying you're a gambling god. Does a gambling god not even know how to play Dou Di Zhu?"
"Uh…" Qiao Jiajing blinked again. "And the second thing?"
"Second thing is even more serious…" Chen Junnan reached into his pocket and asked very earnestly, "Old Qiao, do we have any money?"
Qiao Jiajing nodded seriously after hearing that. "Jun Nan Zai, I think you've got a point. This game isn't for us at all."
"Yeah, yeah." Chen Junnan nodded too. "Old Qiao, the first thing we need to do is go back. You give me a crash course on gambling, and we also need to find someone to borrow some 'Dao' from."
"Huh…?" Qiao Jiajing was confused. "Borrowing some 'Dao' is one thing… but are you really gonna try this?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm a smart guy." Chen Junnan patted Qiao Jiajing on the shoulder. "I'll pick up 'gambling' real quick."
"But didn't you want to see how to make friends with that monkey…?" Qiao Jiajing sounded puzzled. "Why are you suddenly all about gambling?"
"What, you hate gambling that much?" Chen Junnan grinned. "I figure there's a way to deal with a 'gambler.' If I can beat him at the table, we should be able to have a proper chat."
"Jun Nan Zai, why does this plan sound so familiar to me?"
"Yeah, Old Qiao." Chen Junnan nodded seriously. "Isn't that how it always goes in your Hong Kong movies?"
Their conversation caught Di Hou's attention. He picked up an old tea mug, took a sip, and said, "You two young lads look like newcomers. Tight on money, huh?"
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajing froze for a second, then looked at him.
"Tight on money is no big deal." Di Hou stared blankly at his tea mug, pursed his lips, and blew at the tea leaves floating on top. "First-timers don't have to pay the entry fee. Just sit down and play."
"This old bastard thinks we're stupid," Chen Junnan muttered with a cold laugh, lowering his voice to Qiao Jiajing. "No entry fee, but we still have to pay the blood money."
"Yeah," Qiao Jiajing nodded. "Besides, it's already pretty late today. Even if you and I really went on a winning streak, there's no way we could earn twenty 'Dao' before he closes up."
"Yeah, better keep our lives for now." Chen Junnan nodded, then waved at Di Hou from a distance. "It's getting late today. We'll come back early tomorrow, Brother Monkey."
"Fine," Di Hou said, lifting an eyelid. "If you come back tomorrow, you'll be regulars. Regulars have to pay the entry fee."
"Pfft, don't you worry. You think I'd short you a few measly coins?" Chen Junnan waved his hand, then turned around, his face instantly going cold. He and Qiao Jiajing walked out of the house one after the other.
On the opposite side of Di Hou's place, they found a building that looked relatively clean. They opened the backpack they'd gotten from "Cat" that morning, had some flatbread and water, and then Qiao Jiajing started teaching Chen Junnan the basics of gambling.
To Qiao Jiajing's surprise, Chen Junnan—who didn't exactly look like a straight-laced guy—actually knew absolutely nothing about mahjong or cards, let alone the more niche game of pai gow.
After an intense crash course, Chen Junnan felt that even if he wasn't a gambling god now, he was at least a gambling saint.
While the knowledge was still fresh, he returned the favor and explained the concept of "Dou Di Zhu" to Qiao Jiajing. This novel gameplay blew Qiao Jiajing's mind. The simple rules turned poker—a game of strategy and chance—into a full-on competitive brawl.
It wasn't until the sky went completely dark that they ended their chaotic day. They collapsed onto the floor and fell asleep immediately. Before long, their snores filled the room.