Chapter 20

Seeing this situation, Chen Sheng became a bit anxious. He wasn't stupid and knew that if Liu Yong and his gang played tricks, these pastries would be in trouble again. But now, Chen Sheng was waiting for Zhao Jin to speak up, subconsciously feeling that Zhao Jin must have a plan.

"Everyone, come and draw a tile from this pot. There are black and white tiles numbered from one to thirty-two. After drawing, those with the same number will fight each other. After the fights, the thirty-two winners will draw again, with black and white tiles, and continue fighting until the first place is determined," Zhao Jin shouted loudly.

What Zhao Jin said was a bit complicated, and many of the young boys couldn't process it immediately. The area around the platform became quiet again, but Zhao Jin didn't mind and shouted again, "Fighting will be done bare-handed. Knocking your opponent to the ground counts as a win. After they fall, you can't continue attacking, you can't hit the back of the head, you can't poke the eyes, and you can't kick below the waist. Attacking these areas will result in a loss."

There was a slight commotion among the boys, with a few whispering to each other. More and more people started to discuss, and the eyes of each boy became very eager.

Zhao Jin looked at the crowd below and smiled, feeling that the desired effect had been achieved. He took the opportunity to shout, "Whoever wants to participate in the competition, raise your hand!"

Without hesitation, everyone raised their hands. Zhao Jin moved the pot forward and shouted, "Those who want to participate, come and draw a tile!"

With a loud noise, the boys surged forward. Mu Shulan and Chen Hong, who were standing next to Zhao Jin, hurriedly moved back. Chen Sheng was initially startled by the enthusiastic scene, then asked Zhao Jin in confusion, "Why didn't you say who I would fight?"

"You also draw a tile. If you have the skills, win first place!" Zhao Jin shouted to Chen Hong, as the noise was getting loud.

Thanks to Zhao Jin's reputation from yesterday when he beat Liu Yong and the shorty, and the wooden sword in Chen Sheng's hand, the order wasn't completely lost. However, a few steps in front of the platform, the boys were pushing and shoving each other.

Seeing this, Chen Sheng hurriedly drew a tile from the pot. Zhao Jin also drew one, and both of them got black tiles.

With Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng supervising, the tile-drawing process went relatively smoothly. Although there were many children in the yard, there weren't a hundred, and not everyone wanted to participate. Some were too young, some came from good families, and some looked timid.

Liu Yong and his gang initially didn't dare to step forward, but seeing that Zhao Jin didn't stop them, they also squeezed in, each drawing a tile. The stuttering Sun Fat also squeezed in and drew a tile.

Everyone was worried that the gangs would control the competition, making it their own game. However, drawing tiles from the pot couldn't be faked. Even if they were in the same gang, they could draw different colored tiles. Once they saw different colors, their expressions changed, and they might become opponents.

Seeing the enthusiastic atmosphere, Chen Sheng was completely stunned. In the past, he had also called out for people to fight over pastries, but few were willing. Why was today so different?

"Zhao Jin, what's going on?" Chen Sheng asked curiously.

"To make everyone feel they have a chance to win, and to set the grand prize as incredibly attractive," Zhao Jin explained with a smile.

Chen Sheng understood somewhat but not entirely. What Zhao Jin was actually drawing on was the concept of lottery tickets from the future. The threshold was low, and it only took a small amount of money to participate. The grand prize was extremely attractive, and if you won, it could change your life. The rules were set so that everyone felt they had a chance to win, even though the actual chances were very low.

This time, the competition used a similar method. Although there wasn't a grand prize, the pastries were a significant temptation for the boys. The tile-drawing method made everyone feel they had a chance, and Zhao Jin specifically mentioned bare-handed fighting. Many children thought Chen Sheng was only strong because he had a wooden sword and a stick, and without them, their chances were better.

Another point was that drawing black and white tiles for the competition was itself very interesting, and everyone had the desire to participate.

Chen Sheng might not have understood the logic, but he was now excitedly looking at the crowd below, wondering who his opponent would be.

"I will call out the numbers. Those with the corresponding tiles, step forward," Zhao Jin shouted from the platform.

Two boys stepped forward, and coincidentally, they were from Liu Yong's gang. Both were tall and strong, looking very confident. Before drawing the tiles, they had been laughing and joking, but now they had no smiles.

As Zhao Jin called out the numbers, he found that while everyone recognized the numbers one, two, and three, few recognized the others. Zhao Jin had to write the numbers on the side of the platform for the boys to match.

He thought recognizing these numbers was normal, as in his previous life, ten-year-olds could recognize them. However, he didn't realize that in this era, most people were illiterate for their entire lives, and recognizing numbers was a significant achievement.

Zhao Jin was busy and engaged, but he didn't notice that at the other end of the yard, two adults were watching. One was a servant from the Chen family, and the other was his uncle, Zhao Zhenxing.

"I didn't expect the young master of your esteemed household to be so clever. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed a child could come up with these ideas," the servant said politely.

Zhao Zhenxing was also watching the yard and replied with a smile, "What esteemed household? Our Zhao family has only had good days for less than eight years."

The servant chuckled, and Zhao Zhenxing continued, "I know what you mean, but these ideas are all from Little Jin. No one taught him. My brother and sister-in-law don't have this kind of cunning, and as for me, I'm even more surprised than you."

"Master Sun's young master came back and told us about these methods. The family was busy until late last night preparing. Today, the master instructed me to come and observe. It was worth it," the servant said with a smile.

Zhao Zhenxing knew the servant was a close attendant of Chen Sheng's grandfather, Chen Peng, and was now the Chen family's steward. The "master" he referred to was Chen Sheng's grandfather. Preparing the black and white tiles and the pastries required adult supervision to see what was really going on.

"The fights are starting," Zhao Zhenxing said.

The servant looked over and said with a smile, "Young Master Jin's luck isn't good; he's up against a big guy!"

Zhao Jin's tile was black number five. When this number was called, a boy below raised his tile, white number five. Zhao Jin didn't know the boy's name but had a vague impression. This boy often hung out with the kids from the scissors alley.

The boy was a bit taller and much stronger than Zhao Jin, seemingly a year older. Seeing his opponent was Zhao Jin, he spat on the ground in anger. Recently, Zhao Jin had defeated Chen Sheng and knocked down Liu Yong, gaining a lot of respect. In contrast, the other boys were relieved.

Chen Sheng's opponent was a small, thin boy. The small boy looked miserable, and Chen Sheng's expression wasn't good either. He wanted a proper opponent for a satisfying fight.

The fat boy surnamed Sun also drew a tile, and his opponent was Liu Yong. They were about the same height, but Liu Yong was more agile and aggressive. Everyone thought Sun Fat wouldn't stand a chance.

Although the yard was large, to ensure fair competition, Zhao Jin couldn't start all thirty-two fights at once. He drew a circle near the platform as the fighting area, and everyone watched to prevent any cheating.

Zhao Jin kept looking up at the sky, feeling a bit anxious. Martial arts training was his top priority, and he had already wasted too much time.

"Brother Jin, it's still early. We left much later than this yesterday," Mu Shulan said brightly.

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