Chapter Twenty-Four: Old Zhou’s “Card-Saving Trick”—Holding All the Singles Until the End

Underworld Card Games: From Fighting the Landlord to Four-Strike – Volume 2, Chapter 24: Old Zhou’s "Card-Saving Technique": Keeping All Singles for Last

The incense table at the City God Temple had just been wiped down by Xiao Hei. Stains from the soup left crooked marks along the edge, looking much like the "tombstone markers" Old Zhou had secretly drawn the night before. Wang Er-Ma squatted by the table, gathering the four decks of cards toward the center. He stopped midway—Old Zhou was squatting opposite him, using his finger to slide a "Diamond 4" to the bottom of the pile, then pressing a pair of "10s" on top, as if he were hiding away secret savings.

"Old Zhou, what are you hiding?" Wang Er-Ma raised an eyebrow and reached out to rummage through his pile.

Old Zhou scrambled to hold it down, his face turning beet red. "N-nothing! The cards are just slippery, I didn't want them to fall." His fingertips still clutched a "Heart 6," its corner wrinkled from his grip, clearly just pulled from the outer layer of the deck.

Xiao Li, squatting at the other end of the incense table with the yellow paper of card-counting rhymes on his knees—the words "Hearts in stacks, Spades laid out" now sticky from a splash of Meng Po’s soup—shuffled his own cards and laughed. "Brother Zhou must be reluctant to play his singles again. Yesterday during practice, he hid three '3s' in his pocket, saying he was 'saving them for a bomb,' but he never managed to form one."

"I was saving them for a purpose!" Old Zhou insisted, neck stiff, as he pushed the "Diamond 4" deeper into the pile. "With four decks, there are so many singles. What if I can form a pair later? It would be a waste to break them up." He pulled a small blue cloth pouch from his tunic and dumped it on the table—out fell a few sunflower seed shells and half a "Club 2" that had fallen out during practice the day before. He had actually picked it up and kept it.

"This isn't saving cards; it's digging them a grave." Wang Er-Ma pried open the pile and, sure enough, found a stack of singles at the bottom: "3, 4, 6, 7, 9... Good grief, your singles are long enough to form a sequence, longer than Xiao Li’s poem."

Old Zhou quickly snatched the singles back, rubbing his fingers over them. "This is called the 'Card-Saving Technique.' Once the opponents play all their pairs, I’ll play my singles, and I’ll be sure to win." He restacked the singles and pinned them down with a pair of "Ks," as if locking away a treasure.

Just then, Meng Po walked over from the soup stall carrying a clay basin filled with freshly roasted sunflower seeds, still steaming. "How's the practice going?" She set the basin on the table, and the scent of seeds filled the courtyard. "I heard from Xiao Hei that yesterday, Old Zhou hid cards in the seed bag?"

Old Zhou blushed and shrank back behind his card pile. "That was an accident... the bag is soft, the cards don't bend easily." Yesterday, fearing Wang Er-Ma would force him to play his singles, he had indeed stuffed two "5s" into the seed bag, only to nearly chew on the cards while eating seeds, much to Xiao Li's amusement for the rest of the night.

"Stop hiding them," Meng Po said, smiling as she handed out seeds to everyone. "The Judge just said there’s a Four-Strike warm-up match this afternoon against the 'Naihe Bridge Team'—three ghosts who just passed their 'Fighting the Landlord' ranking. It’s a good chance to practice."

"Ghosts?" Old Zhou’s eyes lit up, his grip on the seeds loosening. "Then my 'Card-Saving Technique' will be perfect—ghosts surely won't keep singles."

Wang Er-Ma was just about to retort when he saw the Judge walking over with a cloth bag, the corner of a rule manual and an abacus peeking out. "All ready?" The Judge placed the bag on a stone stool by the table. "The 'Naihe Bridge Team' is already waiting at the card table. Don't dawdle."

"Coming, coming!" Xiao Li stuffed the yellow paper into his tunic, grabbed his soup-bowl card rack, and headed for the card court. Old Zhou carefully tucked his stack of singles into his blue cloth pouch, patting it afterward to ensure nothing fell out.

The card court was in the back courtyard of the City God Temple. A temporary stone table had been set up, with the roots of Red Spider Lilies wedged under the legs to "stabilize the card energy"—though in reality, it was just a heavy object Xiao Hei found to keep the table from floating away. The three ghosts of the "Naihe Bridge Team" were already seated, wearing grey cloth tunics and clutching their cards. Seeing Wang Er-Ma arrive, they stood up and bowed. "Master Ma!"

"No need for formalities." Wang Er-Ma sat on a stone bench and set his card rack on the table. "This is just a warm-up. No stakes for losing."

The tall, thin ghost nodded quickly. "We know! The Judge said you are the 'King of Unorthodox Tactics' in Fighting the Landlord, and we should learn from you." He lost his grip on his cards, dropping a "Heart 3," and scrambled to pick it up and shove it into his pile, exactly like Old Zhou.

The Judge squatted by the stone table and placed his abacus on the ground. "Start! Naihe Bridge Team leads."

The tall, thin ghost cleared his throat and laid down three cards: "I play three 3s!"

Wang Er-Ma checked his hand; he had three 4s. Just as he reached for them, Old Zhou tugged his sleeve and whispered, "Master Ma, don't play them yet! Save them. Wait for them to play a bomb, then we’ll beat it."

"What kind of bomb can three 3s be?" Wang Er-Ma ignored him and laid down his three 4s. "Beat it!"

The round-faced ghost quickly laid down three 5s: "We play three 5s!"

Xiao Li checked his cards and pulled out three 6s: "I play three 6s!"

The short, stout ghost scratched his head and rummaged through his pile for a long time. "We... we don't have anything to beat that."

"Our turn." Wang Er-Ma looked at Old Zhou. "What pairs do you have? Play a pair."

Old Zhou hesitated for a long time while clutching his pile, then pulled out a pair of "10s" and laid them down. "I play a pair of 10s." His fingers were tight, and he paused when placing them, as if he were afraid of hurting the cards.

The tall, thin ghost’s eyes lit up, and he pulled out a pair of "Js": "We play a pair of Js!"

"My turn!" Xiao Li pulled out a pair of "Qs." "Pair of Qs!"

The round-faced ghost pulled out a pair of "Ks": "Pair of Ks!"

Wang Er-Ma pulled out a pair of "As": "Pair of As!"

The three ghosts looked at each other, and the short, stout one whispered, "We have no more pairs..."

"Great chance!" Wang Er-Ma looked at Old Zhou. "Do you have any singles? Play a single to transition."

Old Zhou immediately clutched his pile to his chest, shaking his head like a rattle. "No! I have no singles!" The blue pouch was bulging, and the corner of a "Diamond 7" was poking out, which Xiao Li spotted instantly.

"Brother Zhou, your pouch is leaking!" Xiao Li pointed at the pouch and laughed. "Isn't that a single?"

Old Zhou quickly hid the pouch behind his back, his face turning bright red. "That’s... that’s one I found! It doesn't count!"

"If you found it, you can play it." Wang Er-Ma was a bit frustrated. "Play a single so they can't follow, then we can play our pairs."

"No!" Old Zhou insisted. "Singles are useful! What if they play a single later? I need to be able to beat it." He secretly shoved the pouch under the stone table, his fingers inside smoothing the singles out until they were perfectly aligned, like counting ghost money.

Wang Er-Ma had no choice but to play a single "2" from his own hand: "I play a single 2."

The three ghosts rummaged through their cards for a long time, and the tall, thin one shook his head. "We have no singles to beat that."

"Your turn, Old Zhou." Wang Er-Ma urged him. "Play a pair, let's finish these cards."

Old Zhou slowly pulled out a pair of "8s," but just as he laid them down, he snatched them back. "Wait! Let me look again!" He stuck the pair of "8s" back into his pile and pulled out a pair of "5s": "I play a pair of 5s!"

"Why aren't you playing in order of rank?" The Judge couldn't help but chime in. "A pair of 5s is low. If they have a pair of 6s, they can beat it."

Sure enough, the round-faced ghost's eyes lit up, and he pulled out a pair of "6s": "We play a pair of 6s!"

Old Zhou hurriedly pulled out the pair of "8s" again: "I play a pair of 8s! Beat it!" His hands were shaking as he played, as if he felt pained to use those "8s."

The short, stout ghost pulled out a pair of "9s": "We play a pair of 9s!"

Xiao Li pulled out a pair of "Js": "Pair of Js!"

The three ghosts were now out of pairs, squatting on the ground and rummaging through their remaining cards. Only a few singles were left. "We'll play singles." The tall, thin ghost pulled out a "4." "I play a single 4."

Wang Er-Ma quickly looked at Old Zhou. "Do you have a single 5? Beat it!"

Old Zhou reached into his pouch, pulled out a single 5, but then stuffed it back in. "No! I don't have a single 5!" He secretly tried to push the 5 to the bottom of the pile, but Wang Er-Ma caught him red-handed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Wang Er-Ma snatched the 5 and laid it on the table. "Play it! Stop hiding it!"

Old Zhou stomped his feet in frustration. "I was saving it to make a pair! A pair of 5s could beat a pair of 4s!"

"They played a single 4!" Wang Er-Ma said, exasperated. "Can you not tell the difference between a single and a pair?"

The three ghosts couldn't help but laugh at Old Zhou hiding his singles. The tall, thin ghost pulled out a single 6: "We play a single 6."

"Old Zhou, do you have a single 7?" Wang Er-Ma asked.

Old Zhou shook his head like a rattle. "No!"

Wang Er-Ma reached into his pouch and pulled out a single 7: "Isn't this one?"

Old Zhou was speechless and had to watch as Wang Er-Ma played the 7.

Back and forth it went, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the endgame. Wang Er-Ma and Xiao Li had almost cleared their hands, but Old Zhou’s pouch was still bulging—he had stubbornly kept all ten of his singles, not playing a single one.

"Master Ma, I’m out!" Xiao Li laid his last card on the table and let out a sigh of relief.

"I’m almost there." Wang Er-Ma pulled out his last pair of "2s." "I play a pair of 2s!"

The three ghosts were completely out of cards. They squatted on the ground and looked at Old Zhou. "Brother Zhou, it’s just you left."

Only then did Old Zhou slowly pull his singles out of the pouch and spread them across the table: "3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q..." The ten singles were laid in a row like a string of unlinked hawthorn candies.

"Why are you holding onto so many singles?" Wang Er-Ma glared at him. "I told you to play them earlier and you wouldn't!"

"I was afraid of wasting them..." Old Zhou said, feeling wronged. "What if I could have made a pair?"

"Make a pair of what? Four decks are almost gone!" The Judge squatted nearby, clicking his abacus. "According to the Four-Strike rules, if you have more than five singles left at the end, it counts as 'holding the bottom,' and the loss is doubled!"

"Doubled?" Old Zhou’s face went pale, and he hurriedly gathered the singles. "Then... then can I play them now?"

"Too late!" the tall, thin ghost said with a smile. "We’ve all finished. Your singles count as 'held back,' so the loss is doubled!"

Old Zhou was so anxious he nearly cried, squatting on the ground and shuffling his singles. "Why did I lose... my singles could have beaten theirs..." He picked up a single Q, then put it down; picked up a single 10, then sighed, as if the waste of the singles pained him more than losing the game.

Wang Er-Ma sighed and sat on the stone bench. "Your 'Card-Saving Technique'... you saved yourself right into a loss." He grabbed a handful of seeds from the basin Meng Po had provided and stuffed them into Old Zhou’s hand. "Eat some seeds, calm down."

Meng Po walked over with sweet soup and placed a bowl in front of Old Zhou. "Drink some soup, Old Zhou. Four-Strike isn't Fighting the Landlord. Keeping singles is useless; if you should play them, you play them." She pointed at his singles. "Look at these ten cards; if you had played them earlier, we would have won long ago."

Old Zhou held the sweet soup, tears welling in his eyes. "I just feel... a single is still a card, it’s a pity to throw it away." Yesterday during practice, he had dropped a single "3" on the ground and spent half the night squatting under the table looking for it, saying, "Cards are like chips; you have to save them."

Xiao Li squatted nearby, picked up Old Zhou’s singles, and laid them in a row. Suddenly, he smiled. "Brother Zhou, I’ll write you a poem: 'Old Zhou loves to keep his singles, keeps them till his hair turns white; better to play them out with vigor, win some seeds without a fight'—how’s that?"

Old Zhou burst into a laugh, but tears fell into his soup, creating little splashes. "I won't save them next time..." He sniffled and stuffed the singles back into his pouch one by one. This time, he didn't bury them deep, but left them right on top. "Next time I’ll play my singles, faster than anyone."

The Judge put his abacus into his cloth bag and stood up. "Alright, the warm-up doesn't count for wins or losses; it’s just practice. Old Zhou, if you keep singles next time, I’ll punish you by making you shell three pounds of sunflower seeds."

Old Zhou nodded vigorously. "I'll shell them! I will! Just don't make me keep the singles." He took the singles out of the pouch, smoothed each one out, and stacked them into a neat pile next to the soup bowl, as if afraid he might hide them again.

Sunlight shone through the treetops of the City God Temple, landing on the singles on the stone table and making the "Heart Q" glisten. Wang Er-Ma watched Old Zhou carefully smoothing the corners of the cards and suddenly felt that while this "Card-Saving Technique" was foolish, it was a bit endearing—at least Old Zhou truly treated the cards like treasure, which was better than those ghosts who would cheat when they lost.

"Come on, one more round!" Wang Er-Ma gathered the cards. "I’m watching you this time. If you dare to keep a single, I’m confiscating your blue pouch!"

Old Zhou clutched the pouch to his chest, then quickly let go. "I won't hide them! I really won't!" He mixed the singles back into the deck, pulled out a single "5," and laid it on the table. "I play a single 5!"

Everyone laughed, the sound causing the Red Spider Lily roots by the stone table to sway gently. Old Zhou looked at the single he had played, then at Wang Er-Ma, and suddenly smiled, too. It turned out that playing singles wasn't that hard—at least he didn't have to squat on the ground and hide them secretly anymore.

Meng Po added a scoop of sweet soup to everyone's bowl, the lotus seeds floating lazily. "Don't keep any singles when we meet the Old Zhao team next time," she said with a smile. "Old Zhao might be bad at counting, but he plays his singles fast. Don't let him take advantage of you."

Old Zhou nodded hard, stuck the single "5" back into the deck, and pulled out a single "6." "I play a single 6!"

Wang Er-Ma watched him scramble to play his cards and suddenly felt that this Four-Strike "headache" was actually quite interesting with Old Zhou as his "Card-Saving" teammate—at least even when they lost, watching him squat on the ground counting his singles in agony was more entertaining than winning a game in the human world.