Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 21
byThe Card Game Showdown
Inside a villager’s home in Mengle Village, the lights were off, leaving the room dark, with only faint moonlight spilling onto the floor.
“Where did you trick Sister Chen’s Xiao Gang into going?”
“Who did I trick? Isn’t it up to him where he chooses to go work?”
“You’re lying! If you hadn’t misled him, who would have known…”
“You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you want. Whoever did something bad knows it in their heart.”
The voice from the opposite side suddenly fell silent.
Closing the village office’s file box, Chen Jin understood that to uncover the secret, he absolutely had to get past Sister Li.
His first thought was naturally to seek help from Sister Chen, as she still held some sway among the women in the village.
“Sigh.” As soon as he entered, he saw Sister Chen and Uncle Liao sitting on small stools, sighing heavily.
“Sister Chen, what’s wrong? Why all the sighing?” Li Ming Ming strode forward boldly, grabbed three stools, and sat down naturally, patting the stool next to him to invite the couple to sit.
Wu Zeng was impolite, taking a large step and sitting directly next to Li Ming Ming. The stool groaned under his weight with a loud thud, effectively separating Chen Jin and Li Ming Ming. “Chen Jin is prone to oxygen deprivation due to his rhinitis. It’s better for him to sit by the door.”
Oxygen deprivation? Chen Jin’s ears twitched slightly, recalling some unknown sensations in his mind.
“It’s nothing…” Sister Chen hesitated, her face etched with unconcealed anxiety.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s nothing’?! It’s because he insisted on leaving that things are like this now!” Uncle Liao suddenly became agitated. It was clear he did not support Xiao Gang’s decision to leave.
“Has Xiao Gang lost contact?” Wu Zeng calmly uttered a few words, and the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.
“He just left this morning. He might be busy right now…” Sister Chen’s voice sounded shaky.
“How could he be busy! I saw his ticket; he arrived at noon! No matter how busy he is, it’s impossible not to be able to contact him until now.” Uncle Liao drained his cup of water and then slammed the cup back onto the table. Sister Chen flinched, gripping her arm tightly with her fingers.
It was already late into the night, the clock hand firmly fixed at the 9 position.
Having lost contact for less than a day, the couple’s extreme nervousness must have been influenced by other villagers. The key now was to stabilize their emotions.
“Which city did Xiao Gang go to?” Wu Zeng poured hot water for the couple. The gentle sound of water filling the glass cups gradually soothed their emotions.
“Yue Dong.”
Chen Jin suddenly straightened his back and began subtly observing Wu Zeng. His knee accidentally brushed the coffee table in front of him, and dust immediately appeared on his black trousers.
Li Ming Ming was sharp-eyed and immediately pulled out a tissue to hand over.
But Wu Zeng was faster. He reached out and lightly patted Chen Jin’s trousers twice, making the dust vanish. “You’re such an adult…”
The teasing words, wrapped in a hot breath, landed on Chen Jin’s ear. Wu Zeng deliberately elongated his final syllable, glancing triumphantly at Li Ming Ming’s hand, which was frozen mid-air, holding the tissue. “Isn’t that a coincidence?! Xiao Jin and I are from Yue Dong. Have you tried contacting the company?”
As expected, he dragged me into this too. Chen Jin picked up a shelled peanut from the table, peeled it open, and found the kernel inside was shriveled and moldy.
“We called! We called the number Xiao Gang left during the day, but they said no one had reported for duty yet! No one answered at night!” Sister Chen’s expression darkened further.
“Do you know which company he went to?” Chen Jin forced himself to speak. “Many of our classmates work in Yue Dong. If we happen to cross paths, maybe we can help ask around.”
“Huh? Chen Jin, aren’t you from Ming University? Why did all your classmates run off to Yue Dong?” Li Ming Ming questioned.
“Is it a problem if my family is in Yue Dong, but I attended Ming University? After nine years of compulsory education plus three years of high school, wouldn’t I have classmates?” Wu Zeng turned his head, his eyes smiling, but his words were squeezed out from between his back teeth. “He’s my younger brother. Wouldn’t I know him?”
“Oh, right. Next time I go to Yue Dong, I’ll definitely come find you!” Li Ming Ming looked enlightened and winked excitedly at Chen Jin.
Wu Zeng’s straight posture instantly slumped, completely blocking Li Ming Ming’s view.
“He went to Ding Bo Leather Shoe Factory. They said they provide food and accommodation, a base salary of 7,000 yuan per month, with more pay for more work, and a chance to go to an overseas transit station if he performs well later.” Sister Chen pulled out her phone and read the message Xiao Gang had sent, word for word.
Chen Jin silently checked the information for Ding Bo Leather Shoe Factory. The company was indeed in Yue Dong, but it was only a small to medium-sized enterprise with less than a hundred employees. For a non-high-end industry, it shouldn’t be offering such a high salary. Something was definitely wrong.
“Sister Chen, Uncle Liao, I happen to have a classmate who works as an accountant at Ding Bo Leather Shoe Factory. I’ve already messaged her, and she promised to help ask around. I’ll contact you immediately once I get a reply,” Chen Jin said, closing his phone, his face betraying no emotion. “It’s late now. You two should rest early. We won’t bother you any longer.”
Having spent so much time with Wu Zeng, his psychological fortitude was getting better and better.
“Wait, wait, aren’t you going to ask about Sister Li?” Li Ming Ming quickly interjected. “You came here for that reason, and now you’re leaving before you even ask?”
Li Ming Ming was truly insensitive. The couple was already heartbroken over their son losing contact after leaving for work. Bringing up the same issue now would only rub salt in the wound.
“There will be other opportunities,” Chen Jin said with a forced smile.
The night was inky black, and there were few people on the streets. The two set off back to the Guesthouse.
“We don’t need to go to Li Ming Ming’s place tomorrow,” Wu Zeng’s voice sounded muffled.
“Why are you so hostile towards him?”
“Just don’t bring him along, that’s all.” Wu Zeng shook his head, his tone slightly petulant.
Chen Jin made no comment. At the moment, Wu Zeng looked like a dejected large dog, which made Chen Jin want to laugh a little.
“Chen Jin, what are your plans for tomorrow?” Wu Zeng teased. “Someone promised Sister Chen and Uncle Liao that they would get back to them with news as soon as possible today.”
Chen Jin pulled out his phone, his slender index finger tapping the screen. The homepage of Ding Bo Company appeared. He scrolled to the bottom, where the company’s contact information was listed. “Can’t we just contact them directly to ask if they’re hiring?”
The card parlor on the west side of the street was still brightly lit. Flattened, empty cigarette packs were scattered beneath the roller shutter door, and a few lonely cigarette filters were stuck in the mud. The entrance was still crowded with people.
Passing the card parlor again, vulgar curses drifted out from inside: “F* your mother, a bomb!”
The two didn’t want to get involved. Just as they were raising their feet to bypass this muddy pit of conflict, an old man in a hemp jacket inside suddenly flipped the card table. Dice scattered and rolled to Chen Jin’s feet. A middle-aged man in a blue jacket grabbed a folding fruit knife and swung it. The blade reflected the warm indoor light like a wound. The local man next to him was not to be outdone. He grabbed a nearby stool and swung it, his flying spittle smelling strongly of smoke. “What the hell are you doing? Cheating me in a game of poker!”
“Stop!” A gentle female voice rang out. “If you want to play cards in my shop, the first rule is obedience, and the second is order. What are you two doing now?”
The graceful woman stood up, leaning on the table with one hand. The jade earrings on her ears swayed with her movement. She calmly watched the two conflicting men, not saying another word.
Clang—Oddly, the two men, still muttering curses through gritted teeth, obediently put down their weapons and squatted back down in their original spots.
“You are tired. Go back and rest early.” The woman spoke again, issuing a clear order to leave.
The onlookers at the door gasped. Wasn’t this just adding fuel to the fire? A few timid people quietly slipped away, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Wu Zeng and Chen Jin exchanged a look, then stepped aside to observe.
The two conflicting men inside had already stood up and moved outside the door. The former participants became spectators, but no one dared to take their places, fearing they might ignite trouble if they displeased someone.
Seeing no one step forward, the woman smiled and gestured for Wu Zeng to take a seat.
This person certainly knows how to pick them. Chen Jin lightly pushed Wu Zeng from behind. Third time’s the charm; this card parlor was unavoidable. Might as well go for it.
Wu Zeng smiled slightly, then grabbed Chen Jin’s arm and pulled him onto the card table with him. “Two against two.”
“Since you two young men are here for the first time, let’s start with something simple.” The woman’s fair fingertips slid across the backs of the cards, then she dealt one card to each person at the table, briefly explained the rules, and sat back down on her stool.
“We don’t know what the corresponding rewards and penalties are for winning and losing,” Wu Zeng said, tapping his finger lightly on the table, his expression slightly languid.
“It’s 10 yuan, nothing more,” the woman chuckled softly.
The uncle at the same table snorted, “Little kids don’t know anything!”
Chen Jin looked at his card: the Ten of Clubs. According to this set of rules, it was the worst card, meaning he had to draw again. “Draw again.”
Wu Zeng suddenly rubbed Chen Jin’s ankle lightly with the tip of his shoe, then pulled the dice cup in front of him. “Roll the dice.”
This indicated he was fully confident of a direct hit.
Wu Zeng held the dice cup between two fingers and executed a flourish. As his sleeve slid down, a faint blue vein was visible on his wrist. There was only one die inside the cup, and the sound of it clattering echoed in the ears of the surrounding crowd.
“Open the die.” Wu Zeng opened the cup. Inside was a three.
“My deference.” The woman’s red lips parted slightly. She stared intently at Wu Zeng and slowly uttered the two words. She flipped over her card: a three.
“I lost.” Wu Zeng flipped over the card in front of him: a four. He smiled at Chen Jin and continued, “However, my younger brother still has a chance to win.”
Wu Zeng reached out and covered the card in front of Chen Jin. With a flick of his wrist, it was revealed to be a three.
Chen Jin knew Wu Zeng was skilled at sleight of hand, but he didn’t know when he had made the move. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t shocked, but Chen Jin maintained a calm expression.
“Tch, small stakes.” The uncle at the table flipped over his card, an eight. He then put down 10 yuan and stood up to leave.
Chen Jin gave Wu Zeng a look, and the two decided it was time to retreat.
“Wait a moment, two young brothers. Have a cup of tea before you go.” The woman tapped her finger lightly on the table. Someone in the side room immediately opened the curtain and brought out tea bowls.
Looking closely, it was clearly Aunt Jiu.