Chapter 9

Several people were gambling together, and from their appearances, none of them seemed to be good people. Each one glared with eyes wide open, gripping their cards tightly as if they were charging into battle.

But I know that gamblers usually lose nine times out of ten. Why did Uncle Er get involved in gambling?

This was the first time I had seen Uncle Er gamble, and the stakes were so high. I felt an indescribable tension in my heart. If he lost money, would he leave me here to pay off his debts?

The thought of being left here to pay off debts made me even more nervous. If there was one thing I knew Uncle Er would do, it was the worst possible thing!

I watched the game nervously, not really understanding much, but I couldn't think of anything else to do except watch. I just hoped Uncle Er would take me away quickly.

They kept placing more money on the table, and I had no idea what cards Uncle Er had. I just watched as one bill after another was placed on the table, as if they were just pieces of paper with no value!

The air conditioning in the room was set very cold, but I was sweating profusely, my heart hanging in mid-air. At that moment, I was more nervous than anyone else!

Soon, everyone stopped placing bets, and it was time to reveal the cards. My palms were sweating profusely, hoping Uncle Er wouldn't lose. If he lost so much money, what would we do...

The few people playing cards revealed their hands, each with two cards. I had no idea who had the better hand, but Uncle Er was the last to reveal his cards.

"Come on, Dongzi, show your cards! What are you waiting for?" an old man playing cards urged. My heart was pounding, but Uncle Er smiled as if he didn't care.

"I'm afraid if I show my cards, you'll all lose your pants, hahaha!" Uncle Er rubbed his hands, as if he was sure of his win, but he didn't rush to reveal his cards, instead smoking a cigarette and stalling.

"Cut the crap, I'm waiting to win your BMW and take a girl out for a drive and a hotel room!" The speaker was a fat man, weighing at least 400 pounds, fatter than the fattest pig in our hometown.

"Alright, I'll satisfy your greedy desires!" Uncle Er placed his hands on the cards, crossed them, and revealed a pair of nines!

The room exploded in chaos! Some slammed the table, others cursed, while Uncle Er collected the money with a smile. I was drenched in cold sweat because I knew that when Uncle Er crossed his hands, he had switched the cards!

Others might not have noticed, but I did, because Uncle Er had once taught me this trick. I suddenly understood why he had so much money despite not working for years!

But I couldn't believe that Uncle Er was cheating, and it seemed the others hadn't noticed. This was cheating, after all!

In our hometown, if you were caught cheating in a card game, you'd either get a beating and have to pay, or worse, have your hands chopped off!

Xiaohua's uncle had his ten fingers chopped off for stealing cards during a game, and his bare hands were terrifying!

Amidst the curses and sighs, Uncle Er calmly picked up his pair of nines, crossed his hands again, and put the two cards back into the deck. I knew he had switched the cards again!

Uncle Er had once said that in a deck of cards, the number of cards, suits, and values were fixed. If you couldn't switch the cards back, you'd fail. Throughout the process, he remained calm, smoking and chatting with others.

As the saying goes, "A minute in the casino is worth ten years of hard work!"

The whole process took only a few seconds, and he won a lot of money. I was drenched in cold sweat, feeling almost suffocated by the tension!

I looked at the stack of money in front of Uncle Er, which was so thick I couldn't count it. Uncle Er turned and kicked me, saying harshly, "What are you standing there for? Help me collect the money!"

I trembled as I helped collect the money. I had never seen so much money in my life, let alone touched it. The few people around glared at me, their eyes bloodshot. I was terrified, and my hands shook uncontrollably.

The fat man tilted his head and stared at me, making me even more nervous. Suddenly, Uncle Er slapped my hand, which stung, but my hands stopped shaking.

"Sanming, why can't I reach you on your phone? Where have you been? Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?" Uncle Er wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, and I pretended to nod.

Actually, I was nervous, feeling as if everyone could see through me. If they discovered Uncle Er's cheating, they would beat him to death. I kept thinking about Xiaohua's uncle's bare hands...

I never imagined Uncle Er would dare to cheat in a card game! I also never imagined that the card tricks he taught me were actually cheating techniques!

Uncle Er seemed to notice something was off. After collecting the money, he told the others to continue playing and pulled me to a sofa, giving me a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. I didn't think twice and put one in my mouth.

I used to not smoke, always choking on the smoke and tearing up, but now smoking made me feel more relaxed.

But I was still drenched in cold sweat, feeling restless and eager to leave. The cheating had been too much for me, and my fear overrode everything.

"What's wrong with you? Did a dog bite your ass?" Uncle Er's mouth was always full of insults, but I had no patience to argue with him. I just wanted to leave the mahjong parlor.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Uncle, how can you gamble? Who are these people? Let's go quickly..."

At this, Uncle Er laughed and patted my shoulder, saying, "Sanming, Sanming, I know what to do and what not to do. You're not in a position to lecture me."

I was furious, but he seemed unconcerned. If we didn't leave quickly, he would be in serious trouble for cheating!

"But you can't... cheat! If you're caught, they'll chop off your hands! Xiaohua's uncle had his hands chopped off because..."

Before I could finish, Uncle Er's face darkened, and he looked very serious. I instinctively shrank back, not daring to say another word.

"What did you just say? You could see it?!" Uncle Er's eyes were sharp, and his low, hoarse voice made my heart race. His eyes were wild, and I dared not speak.

I wasn't trying to accuse him of anything. Cheating in a card game was dangerous. Although I had never gambled, I knew it wasn't a good thing.

Uncle Er looked back and, squinting his eyes, whispered, "Come with me."

Without waiting for my response, Uncle Er grabbed my arm and dragged me to the corridor, his eyes bloodshot and looking more and more terrifying.

But I sensed a hint of excitement on his face. Thinking about how he used card tricks to cheat, my heart raced. He might not fear death, but I did!

Uncle Er handed me a cigarette and, putting his arm around my shoulder, whispered, "Sanming, tell me the truth. What did you see?"

I quickly shook my head, afraid he would get angry. Although he was always careless, he still held a high place in my heart.

"I'm asking you! How did you know I was cheating?" Uncle Er tightened his grip on my neck, his fierce expression scaring me.

"It was when you revealed the cards, using the card-switching technique you taught me..." I crossed my hands to demonstrate, the exact motion he had taught me.

But Uncle Er's face turned even more serious, and he tightened his grip on my neck. "I'm asking you how you saw it! Tell me, what else did you see!"

At that moment, Uncle Er seemed like a stranger, his eyes wild in a way I had never seen before. Perhaps he was afraid of being caught cheating, or perhaps he didn't believe I could see through it.

I repeated what I had seen, explaining that if he hadn't taught me the technique, I wouldn't have understood. Some things, once learned, are hard to forget. Even though Uncle Er's movements were smooth and hidden, I could still recognize them.

In fact, I only saw the movements and not the actual card switching. I deduced that Uncle Er was cheating based on the movements. In just a few seconds, he had switched cards twice. If nothing went wrong, he should have at least two cards on him now!

After I finished, Uncle Er burst into laughter, slapping my shoulder hard. Although it hurt, I saw tears in his eyes, and I felt that today's Uncle Er was very unusual.

"Good job, Sanming. You surprised me, really good job." Uncle Er wiped his tears. I had never seen him cry, and although he had laughed, I felt his tears were not from joy...

We stood in the corridor smoking, and no one would believe we were uncle and nephew. He didn't act like an uncle, and I didn't act like a nephew.

After finishing the cigarette, Uncle Er's face gradually calmed down, but he wasn't his usual carefree self. I had a big question in my mind, one that puzzled me greatly.

"Uncle, can I ask you a question?" I asked cautiously, and Uncle Er nodded.

"Why did you teach me these cheating techniques? Are you planning to have me help you gamble in the future?"

"No, just because you're different from others!"

Uncle Er's words confused me. I had always been an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, and I had never felt I was different.

If I had to say what made me special, it was that I was good at playing League of Legends and was destined to become a champion!

Uncle Er patted my shoulder and said earnestly, "Starting tomorrow, you will come to this mahjong parlor every night, no matter the weather. Even if the sky falls, you must come. Understand?"

"Damn, why? I don't agree!"

If I had to come to this dirty mahjong parlor every night, how could I go to the internet cafe? How could I help my teammates climb the ranks?

"Because you're different from others, unless..." Uncle Er smiled wickedly, and I had a bad feeling...

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