Chapter 19: The Supreme Hand? The Monkey King Pair?

Yao-Dong held onto the chicken, his gaze filled with laughter as he looked at his childhood friends seated around the table. Money or no money, happiness was what mattered! He silently counted heads: Xiao-Xiao, A-Zheng, Fatty, Mouse, Chen Wei, and A-Guang, who’d gone to the pier—everyone was here. The seven misfits of Baisha Village had reunited!

Back then, he was closest to Xiao-Xiao, A-Zheng, and A-Guang, but in a few years, the three of them would leave, each going their own way. Only a few of the others would remain in the village, and they’d rarely meet after that.

He asked A-Guang’s younger sister to boil some water while he got a bowl to catch the chicken’s blood. After sharpening the kitchen knife, he grabbed the rooster’s comb, plucked a small patch of feathers from its neck, and made a swift cut with the blade.

The rooster struggled, scattering a few drops of blood around, but most of it dripped neatly into the bowl. He added a small spoonful of salt water to it, and after letting it sit for twenty minutes, he’d have a blood curd solid. Once stir-fried with chicken giblets, it’d make a delicious dish.

While the water was heating up, Yao-Dong tossed the twitching rooster aside and went over to watch his friends play cards.

“Oh, not playing Fifty K? Playing Pai Gow instead?”

“With five people, we can’t play Fifty K. We’re using playing cards to play Pai Gow. Want to bet? This hand’s about to open, so you’d have to wait for the next one.”

He shook his head, deciding not to play. Pai Gow wasn’t just any card game; better to just watch from the sidelines.

Xiao-Xiao held his two cards, his thumb covering the top left corner, inching it up gradually with a look of intense excitement. “Hearts… hearts… it’s here! No border… no border… it’s coming, it’s coming…”

Yao-Dong craned his neck to catch a glimpse. Xiao-Xiao’s first card was a joker, and the second card, with a glimpse of red, was a heart. As he pulled it out further, he saw there were no edges—it could only be a 2 or a 3!

“Damn! No edge? That’s either a 2 or a 3—could he have the Supreme Hand?”

They were using playing cards as a stand-in for Pai Gow tiles, with the joker representing 6 and the 3 of hearts representing 3. Together, this combo was the “Supreme Hand,” the Monkey King Pair!

Xiao-Xiao was equally thrilled; he couldn’t see any borders or numbers on the edge, so it had to be either a 2 or a 3.

He turned to the others, shouting, “Did any of you pull a 3?”

The others urged him, “Quit stalling! We’ve all seen our cards already; we’re just waiting for you to reveal yours. Hurry up, don’t waste time.”

“Yeah, hurry! Is it the Supreme Hand or not?”

“Let us help you…”

“No way, I’ll do it myself!” Xiao-Xiao dodged, twisting away from their hands.

“Then hurry up! You’re going to wear the cards out at this rate!”

“Why rush? Real men take their time!”

Xiao-Xiao’s thumb remained firmly over the card’s top left number. Knowing it was either a 2 or a 3, he didn’t pull it out any further to the right; instead, he slowly slid the first card down.

After confirming the first heart symbol, he continued his fervent chant, “3! 3! 3! Heart… heart… damn, Supreme Hand!”

He threw his two cards onto the table in a burst of excitement. “It really is the Supreme Hand! Monkey King Pair! Pay up, pay up!”

The cards were so bent from his grip that everyone could clearly see one joker and one 3 of hearts. They all cursed, “Holy crap, it really is the Supreme Hand!”

Just then, A-Guang returned, hearing their shouts of “Supreme Hand” from afar. He hurried over, intrigued. “What Supreme Hand? Who’s got the Supreme Hand? That’s amazing!”

“It’s Xiao-Xiao! Damn, his luck today is insane, and he’s the banker! Total wipeout!”

“What kind of rotten luck is that? I even had a Heavenly King paired with a 9!”

“What’s that compared to mine? I got a pair of red eights—a human pair! Thought I’d win for sure, but no, up against the Supreme Hand! Damn, such a waste of good cards! Got all excited for nothing!”

“Heh, lucky for me I had a 4 and a 6. Died an honorable death!”

A-Zheng chimed in with a grin, “Same here! I had a 5 and a 6, no hope at all!”

As the others grumbled and cursed, Xiao-Xiao cheerfully pocketed their small winnings, though he couldn’t help but sigh, “Such a tiny game, just a few cents here and there—what a waste of my Supreme Hand!”

“Oh, come on. You wiped us all out! We’ve been playing this game forever, and none of us have ever drawn the Supreme Hand!”

A-Guang, relieved he’d arrived late and avoided betting, thought to himself, Dodged a bullet there! Today might be my lucky day!

“Too bad we didn’t let Yao-Dong bet, we could’ve gotten another head in the mix!”

Yao-Dong rolled his eyes, “Want my two cents?”

“Of course! Even a little’s still something!”

“Alright, enough of you! Keep the game going while you’re on a hot streak!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go again!”

Xiao-Xiao was already shuffling for the next round when Fatty spoke up, “Nah, I’m done! Finally landed a pair of red eights, and still ran into the Supreme Hand. Bad luck!”

“Oh, come on, it’s just a few cents, and it’s all friendly. Let’s keep going!”

Fatty was no ordinary villager; his family’s well-off. And in a time when food was scarce, only his family, known as “the village of cooks,” was blessed with a rich diet. You could see it in Fatty’s robust physique!

“Fine, but I’m the banker this round, or I’m out!”

“Alright, alright!”

After all, they weren’t playing for high stakes; most of the money just went to snacks and drinks they’d all share. No one was losing out.

Once A-Guang handed the crabs and mantis shrimp he’d bought to his sister, he sat down to join the game.

In a small rural town like this, there weren’t many things adults could do for fun. They’d already had their fill of mountain and sea adventures as kids, and with the summer heat, they didn’t feel like getting sunburned. So, cards were the perfect way to pass the time indoors.

Yao-Dong was engrossed in watching them play. He still had two yuan in his pocket from last night’s game—not that he remembered how he won it. He kept reaching into his pocket, tempted to join in, but held back. This was his entire fortune! Pai Gow was all about luck, whereas he had decent card skills, hardly ever losing at those.

Just as he settled in to watch a bit longer, A-Guang’s sister informed him the water was boiling. Reluctantly, he tore himself away to get to work.

“Ouch, damn, that’s hot!”

Yao-Dong flinched as he plucked feathers from the rooster.

You had to use boiling water to scald the bird for plucking, but it was burning his fingers. Why had he agreed to do this?

Couldn’t he have just enjoyed the cards instead?

He chuckled to himself, Seeing old friends really does make you forget everything else.