Chapter 60 Casino

Originally, the gamblers in this village casino were mostly locals, but later many people from neighboring villages flocked over as well. As the crowd grew larger, the old man borrowed another table and ten long benches, opening a second gambling den in the three front rooms.

Those three front rooms were relatively spacious. The west room held a bed where the old man slept, while the east room was used for storing various sundries. Further to the north, connected to the east room, was a kitchen featuring one large and one small cooking stove. A stack of hay stood between the hearth area and the east room, and a small door in the kitchen led directly to the two rooms in the back. The central hall was completely empty, and it was here that the front gambling setup was located.

Across both casinos and all three gambling tables, the crowds were packed three deep. People on the outer fringes had to stand on benches and ask others to place bets on their behalf; only those with substantial stakes could comfortably and confidently sit right by the tables, while small-time gamblers and onlookers were relegated to the outermost layers.

Wang Hongbing did not gamble, but he occasionally came by to watch the excitement. Noticing that Caiyun’s business was thriving and realizing she must be making a profit, he went back and told Han Xiuxia, "I saw Caiyun selling dumplings and roasted peanuts at the casino. Lots of people are buying them, and her prices are even higher than the market rate. She's definitely making money."

"I know how to wrap dumplings, and stir-frying peanuts is a piece of cake for me. How about I go sell them too?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

"No sooner said than done. I'll start getting things ready right away and go sell them tonight."

After Han Xiuxia moved in, she priced her dumplings at eight cents each and her roasted peanuts at one-and-twenty cents per liang, both cheaper than Caiyun's prices. Believing that resorting to vicious price-cutting would ultimately mean nobody made any money, Caiyun refused to lower her prices and kept them at the original rate.

Han Xiuxia’s strategy proved remarkably effective, instantly seizing the market. Caiyun's sales plummeted, yet she still refused to drop her prices.

Han Xiuxia had been quite smug these past few days, having effortlessly snatched Caiyun's business away. She was now so busy she couldn't manage it alone; since her two daughters were already married, she had no choice but to call upon Santatou to help out.

Santatou was twelve years old this year and had just entered the fourth grade of primary school, yet his grades were perpetually at the bottom of the class—a stark contrast to the clever and astute Wang Hongbing.

Wang Hongbing believed this was due to inferior seed, and frequently pointed at Santatou's forehead, cursing him as a "stupid donkey." However, the children Caiyun had borne were all quite smart, which somewhat baffled him; he figured the soil on Caiyun's side must simply be superior.

Although Facai had been dead for several years, whenever Wang Hongbing looked at Santatou, he was reminded of that donkey-like face that had once forced him to eat excrement. Consequently, he never once gave Santatou a pleasant look.

Santatou had repeatedly asked his mother why his father disliked him. Han Xiuxia always told him that deep down, his father actually loved him, but simply believed in exercising strict discipline toward his sons.

Han Xiuxia knew that Wang Hongbing was firmly convinced Santatou was Facai's spawn, and no amount of explanation on her part could change his mind. Eventually, she stopped trying to explain and instead tried to compensate for the missing paternal affection with an excess of maternal love, which gradually devolved into excessive pampering of her son.

After Han Xiuxia's health gradually recovered, Wang Hongbing desperately wanted his wife to bear him a son. However, whenever she strained her lower back, it hurt so intensely that she failed to conceive. Now, he was forced to pin all his hopes of continuing the family line on Santatou, a realization that filled him with profound anguish.

Santatou loved the commotion. Seeing the crowd packed layers deep around the gambling table, he wriggled his way through the people right up to the table's edge. Watching the money placed on the table being swept away one moment and returned the next, he found it immensely entertaining. Fascinated, he watched closely and soon grasped the basic principles of winning and losing.

He asked his mother for money to play. Han Xiuxia refused, but Santatou was relentless and badgered her endlessly. As usual, Han Xiuxia ultimately capitulated: "Son, I'll give you just one yuan. If you win, you can keep playing; if you lose, you stop. Deal?"

"Deal!" Eager to get his hands on the money first, Santatou agreed without a moment's hesitation.

In less than an hour, Santatou came running out, shouting at the top of his lungs to his mother, "Mom, I won! I won over three yuan!"

"Really? Hurry up and let Mom see!"

"Here!" Santatou handed all his winnings over to his mother.

"Oh, my precious son, you're amazing! Let's see who dares call you stupid from now on!" Han Xiuxia took the money, scooped up her son, and planted several heavy kisses on his face.

"Mom, can I keep playing?"

"Of course. Here, go win some more."

"No problem. Just wait for my good news!"

As a result, that very evening, Santatou used that single yuan to win over five yuan in total. Han Xiuxia concluded that her son wasn't stupid at all—he just didn't like studying, whereas he clearly had a natural talent for gambling, and making money this way was truly fast.

In truth, Santatou couldn't even recognize all thirty-two tiles in pai gow, let to alone understand the specific rules of winning and losing. Therefore, his winning streak that night was purely a matter of good luck, having nothing whatsoever to do with any innate talent, contrary to what his mother believed.

Over the past few days, Caiyun had been racking her brains over how to make her dumplings taste even better. Through repeated experimentation, she developed two new fillings: chive and egg, and tofu and carrot. Not only were they savory and flavorful, but they also carried a slight, appetizing kick of spice.

Yet she remained unsatisfied and began researching how to make the dumpling wrappers chewy and resilient. After mapping out several methods for comparative testing, she finalized her recipe: adding a small amount of salted water and alkaline water to cold water, then letting the dough rest for about a quarter of an hour after kneading. Dumpling wrappers made this way turned out soft yet wonderfully chewy and resilient.

To successfully launch her new product, she wrapped eighty dumplings at the casino and announced, "I've invented a brand-new kind of dumpling. Not only are they delicious, but one of them actually conceals a 'Fortune-Bringing' ancient copper coin inside. Whoever gets it not only signifies that your gambling luck has arrived, but I'll also reward you with two yuan in cash."

"Is that really true?" several people immediately asked.

"Of course it's true, so many people here can bear witness."

"Give me four!"

"Give me eight!"

...

Everyone wanted a taste of her new dumplings and wanted to try their luck as well.

The eighty dumplings Caiyun had prepared in advance sold out in a flash. The copper coin was ultimately bitten into by Wang Honglei, and Caiyun immediately rewarded him with two yuan.

After finishing her dumpling sales, Caiyun strolled over to the casino to gauge everyone's reactions. Suddenly, she heard Big-Head Langzi roar at the top of his lungs, "Sleeping at midnight—above all others!" Anyone in the casino instantly recognized that he had drawn an exceptionally superior hand: the Red Man pair.

In pai gow, the Monkey pair ranked highest, Heaven second, Earth third, and the Red Man pair fourth. Consequently, it was a remarkably strong hand, and predictably, he won.

Caiyun thought to herself that the "Fortune-Bringing" copper coin must have truly worked its magic, bringing him good fortune.

That very night, Big-Head Langzi used those two yuan to win over twenty yuan, completely recouping all the money he had lost over the past half-month. Overjoyed and beside himself, he sprinted all the way home to share the good news with his wife.

Everyone who tasted Caiyun's new dumplings praised them to high heaven, declaring that both the fillings and the wrappers were exquisite. Because the dumplings resembled ancient ingots and contained a "Fortune-Bringing" copper coin inside, everyone began calling them "Ingot Dumplings," and bestowed upon Caiyun the nickname "Ingot," a moniker she was more than happy to accept.

Even though she stopped hiding coins in them later on, they remained in high demand, whereas Han Xiuxia couldn't sell a single dumpling, leaving her so furious that she packed up her stall and went home early.