Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Good Hand

"Brother Zhang, are you aware of this?"
"Of course I am. Just a few days ago, Ma San went to your house and almost took your wife away as payment for your debt. The whole of Donghai is talking about it now."
Xu Fei set his wine cup down, bowing his head in silence.
"Look at you. I was just asking, but it's as if I'm making things awkward for you."
"Fei, your Brother Zhang wants to help you."
Xu Fei was taken aback.
He looked at Zhang Mingyang.
At this moment, Chen Da and Wang Yiming raised their cups.
"You weren't here just now when Mingyang brought it up. We're all having a good time, and you're a man of loyalty, Xu Fei. As for Ma San, your Brother Zhang can put in a word or two with him," Wang Yiming said, glancing at Zhang Mingyang. "Mingyang, you should be the one to handle this."
With that, he pushed his wine cup toward Xu Fei.
Xu Fei hurriedly picked up his own cup.
Chen Da smiled and pushed his cup forward as well. The three clinked their cups and drank them dry.
After drinking, Xu Fei looked at Zhang Mingyang, who had sat silently across from him the whole time. "Brother Zhang, can you really help me?"
Zhang Mingyang gave a faint smile. "Fei, I do know Ma San, and I can talk to him. Still, you owe him money, and that debt must be repaid sooner or later. But I can ask him to be lenient, so he doesn't come and harass your wife for payment again."
Hearing this, Xu Fei poured wine for Chen Da, Wang Yiming, and himself.
"Brother Zhang, if you really can put in a good word for me and get him to give me a few more days, I'll be forever grateful," Xu Fei said, raising his cup again.
"Alright, I'll speak to him about it."
With Zhang Mingyang's promise, Xu Fei's heart filled with happiness.
Ma San was coming to collect the debt again tomorrow morning.
If Zhang Mingyang would go with him and help delay things a bit, he might just be able to earn enough money in the meantime.
The group drank for a while longer.
Zhang Mingyang didn't hold his liquor well, so Chen Da suggested they stop before anyone got too drunk to continue the evening.
Zhang Mingyang put away the cups, and Sun Qigong cleared the dishes.
Wang Yiming brought out a deck of cards.
"I've learned a new game today. Want to give it a try?"
Zhang Mingyang glanced at Wang Yiming with a smile. "Old Wang, always scheming. You know the game, and we don't. Does that mean you'll win all our money tonight?"
Wang Yiming shook his head repeatedly. "Come on, Mingyang. Would I take advantage of my brothers? It's really simple. Once I explain, you'll all get it."
"Alright, let's hear it," Chen Da said eagerly, always up for something new.
Xu Fei sat quietly to the side. He was the youngest in the group and didn't expect to win much anyway.
All he wanted was to get on good terms with Zhang Mingyang and the others.
Of course, winning some money would be a bonus.
But forming connections was Xu Fei's true goal.
"It's called Cockfight."
Xu Fei's eyes lit up at the name. He'd learned this game back in university from a classmate from the north.

Wang Yiming took out three cards for each player. "Everyone gets three cards. If you get a 'leopard,' that's three of a kind. If you get a flush, that's all the same suit. There's also a straight..."
He explained the rules in detail.
"This is interesting," Zhang Mingyang said with a smile, nodding.
Chen Da nodded as well.
"Shall we give it a try?"
The three agreed.
Wang Yiming dealt the cards.
Xu Fei was very familiar with the game, though he kept that to himself.
With Cockfight, the stakes made all the difference.
If there's no limit, it comes down to sheer nerve and resources at the end.
If you have money, you can clean up.
If you don't, you might not even get to see the others' cards.
Xu Fei glanced at Wang Yiming. Was he suggesting this game because he thought Xu Fei didn't have as much money?
Unfortunately for him, Xu Fei had just pocketed eight hundred today.
Even though the others weren't short of cash, he would bet they never imagined that he—who owed five hundred and almost lost his wife—actually had eight hundred in his pocket.
The first round, Chen Da won with a straight flush.
They played a few more hands, and the excitement in the room grew.
The game was simple, but also full of suspense.
You couldn't see the others' cards, and the bets could quickly escalate to dozens per hand.
After a few rounds, Wang Yiming won a hand with three nines, beating Chen Da's straight flush.
Chen Da had thrown in over fifty on that hand, and his face was starting to look grim.
Zhang Mingyang and Xu Fei had both folded early.
Chen Da played cards just as impulsively as he lived: whenever he had a good hand, he was convinced it was unbeatable.
He was loud and obvious, and everyone could read him like a book.
Xu Fei saw through Wang Yiming's act—he played it cautious at first, giving nothing away, but in the final hands he suddenly doubled down, clearly trapping Chen Da.
"Again!"
Chen Da pulled off his jacket.
"Old Sun, got any water?"
Sun Qigong quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.

Gulp, gulp.
Chen Da eyed the three cards that Wang Yiming had dealt, muttering to himself.
Xu Fei suppressed a laugh.
It looked like Chen Da wouldn't be winning tonight.
His nerves were shot.
Chen Da picked up his cards.
Sun Qigong leaned over to peek, but Chen Da glared at him.
"Get lost! What are you looking at?"
Sun Qigong grinned and backed off.
"Old Chen, are you getting desperate?" Zhang Mingyang said, glancing at his own cards with a smile.
"Damn it, losing fifty in one go—how can I not be desperate?"
Wang Yiming grinned. "Chen, I've got a good hand this round."
He laid his cards face down and tossed in a five-yuan note.
"Come on, that's just bullying," Chen Da complained—he was almost out of money.
Xu Fei noticed he had just ten yuan left.
Wang Yiming was clearly trying to push him out of the game.
"Chen, if you have a good hand, I've got money. My cards aren't great this round, so take my cash," Xu Fei offered.
Chen Da was taken aback and looked at Xu Fei. "Are you serious?"
Xu Fei nodded, handing him the forty-odd yuan he had left.
He shot a look at Wang Yiming, who seemed momentarily surprised.
As expected, Wang Yiming's hand must have been mediocre; he simply wanted to knock Chen Da out and end the game early.
"You really helped Chen out there, Fei," Zhang Mingyang said, glancing at Wang Yiming. "Wang, I'm out this round too."
Chen Da looked at his cards, tossed in a five-yuan note.
"I'm out," Wang Yiming said, throwing his cards into the pile.