Playing mahjong is quite simple, but the variety of combinations adds a lot of fun and complexity to the game.

At first, Li Wuwei and his two concubines played cautiously. Since they were unfamiliar with the game, they preferred to play slowly and get a feel for the rhythm rather than rashly trying to win.

Chen Huanzhi, having a bit more experience than them, managed to win a few rounds initially.

This gave Chen Huanzhi a bit of confidence.

It seemed that when Changyang said he didn’t know how to play cards, she was using herself as the benchmark.

Chen Huanzhi was deep in thought. His serious, expressionless demeanor made him appear quite imposing and mysterious. Li Wuwei and his concubines hesitated to make any bold moves and decided to observe Chen Huanzhi’s skill level first.

However, after a few rounds, Mei Lan discreetly signaled to her sister.

It appeared that this Young Master Chen was all show and didn’t actually know how to play this kind of gambling game very well.

At the beginning, the few hands Chen Huanzhi won seemed rushed, and he didn’t seem to notice that Mei Lan and Zhu Juwere secretly coordinating.

Mei Lan had originally prepared to be discovered by Chen Huanzhi.

In the gambling house, it was common for two people to team up.

“Sister, don’t worry, I’ll test him first,” Zhu Ju signaled to her sister. She then glanced at her own tiles and played a Wan tile.

This was a deliberate move to test what tiles Chen Huanzhi needed to win.Chen Huanzhi’s eyes lit up, and he declared without hesitation, “Pung.”

Got it.

So, he’s aiming for a pure Wan suit.

Mei Lan immediately caught on and signaled to Li Wuwei.

This Young Master Chen might be a rare talent in both literature and martial arts, but in this kind of gambling game, he was a complete novice.

In this mahjong game, there were only four players. With the three of them already in sync, dealing with one young and inexperienced player should be a piece of cake.

With just a slight blink from Li Wuwei, the two women knew their master wanted to give this Young Master Chen a bit of a setback.

After all, Chen Huanzhi, at such a young age, had come up with such an interesting game. As a senior, if Li Wuwei couldn’t show some skill, wouldn’t he be underestimated?

Chen Huanzhi was still a bit too naïve.

He had never been involved in gambling. Even if he could bluff with his demeanor, his age and lack of experience were obvious. Once seen through, he would easily fall into a passive position.

“Hu.”

Chen Huanzhi felt something was off. His game seemed to be going a bit too smoothly.

It shouldn’t be like this.

Maybe, in the next round, he should play a bit more cautiously.

……

Dong Changyang went to school to pick up her exam admission ticket.When she arrived, almost all her classmates looked at her with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Yes, while her classmates had been burying their heads in books for the final exam these past few days, Dong Changyang could leisurely stay at home and play. How could that not make people envious?

Just like now, Dong Changyang could leave right after picking up her exam admission ticket, and the teachers treated her with great politeness.“

Changyang, have you been studying well at home? Since you’ve chosen to take the entrance exam, you should aim for a good score,” the homeroom teacher said, looking at Dong Changyang with an especially kind expression.

If Dong Changyang could achieve a good result in the entrance exam, it would not only be an honor for Thirteenth Middle School but also for her homeroom teacher.

Even if Thirteenth Middle School does end up merging, at least this teacher could leverage Dong Changyang’s top ranking to secure a good position at the new school. Based on past experience, those who score in the top three in the entrance exams or the top five in the advanced exams are almost always promising candidates for Tsinghua or Peking University.

Furthermore, Dong Changyang is an art student. As long as she doesn’t give up in high school, she is almost guaranteed a spot at a top-tier university and can be highlighted as a key figure for promotional purposes.

From this perspective, it’s no wonder so many high schools want to recruit Dong Changyang. Although First Middle School is reluctant to let such a promising student go, it is the best high school in Shangnan County and a provincial key school, so it can’t afford to lose face over this.

“I just finished a practice test,” Dong Changyang replied with a smile to the homeroom teacher’s question. “Teacher, I’ll head back to study now, class is about to start.”

“Go on, go on,” the homeroom teacher replied with a smile, seeing Dong Changyang off. Returning to the classroom, the teacher addressed the students once more with the usual lecture, “Did you see that? I’ve said it before, the harder you work in the first two years of middle school, the easier it will be in the third year. If you had all studied well from the beginning, you could be enjoying your time at home now too.”

The students in the class quietly lowered their heads and continued reading.

Over the years, their school has sent students to participate in the advanced exams, but only a handful have successfully passed. Having an art student like Dong Changyang who not only participated but also took first place is a legend that will be remembered in Shangnan County for the next decade. Such a top student isn’t someone they can catch up to just by working a little harder.

Holding the exam admission ticket, Dong Changyang finally felt a sense of reality about her upcoming entrance to high school.

The high school entrance exam is different from the advanced exams. The former mainly assesses basic abilities and focuses on fundamental knowledge. It’s easy to pass, with only a few difficult questions.

In contrast, the advanced exams are full of challenging problems that test comprehensive abilities. After getting used to the difficult questions of the advanced exams, Dong Changyang’s biggest challenge with regular exams is just “carelessness”; everything else is manageable.

On her way back, Dong Changyang spent two yuan to buy a set of poorly printed test papers to work on.

Hmm, she wondered what Brother Chen is up to these days?

He mentioned before that he was going to improve mahjong with the gambling master from his era. She wondered if he would suffer any losses?

After all, Brother Chen is a good kid who has never been involved in games like mahjong or dice.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy Dong Changyang felt.

She decided to check it out.

Dong Changyang immediately lit some incense and through Brother Chen vision, she saw the people sitting in front of him and the tiles in his hand.

Wow.

A handsome uncle.

Oh, and two beautiful older sisters.

Dong Changyang couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, wondering if everyone around Brother Chen had beautiful genes, as they all seemed so handsome and pretty.

She had barely admired the good looks for two minutes when the pretty sister in the red dress played a tile with the character “wan” on it, and Dong Changyang’s spirits immediately lifted.

“Oh no, you can’t pong this!”

As soon as she said it, Brother Chen went ahead and ponged.

“Agh,” Dong Changyang groaned, holding her forehead in frustration. “Brother Chen , how can you be so naïve? These two sisters are obviously teaming up. They’re deliberately playing wan tiles to lure you into breaking your hand.”

Otherwise, why would they play the tile you need?

No, Brother Chen is still too inexperienced.

Unfortunately, there’s no incense lit on Brother Chen’s side, so no matter how much Dong Changyang shouts, he can’t hear her.

“Three circles.” Brother Chen drew a tile and, after hesitating for a while, decided to play it safe and discarded the circle tile he just picked up.

“No, no, no!” Dong Changyang cried out, as if she were the one playing the tile. “Don’t play this; they need this to win.”

Of course, such “good advice” was also unheard by Brother Chen.

Dong Changyang’s worry was all for naught; there was nothing she could do.

She could only hope that after losing a few times, Brother Chen would smarten up and contact her quickly.

Although these three were new to playing mahjong, given their level of coordination, they were undoubtedly experts in other areas.

When it comes to playing cards, proficiency in one game often translates to proficiency in others. Moreover, mahjong isn’t that difficult.

If Brother Chen continued playing like this, he would only find the game increasingly unfavorable, and his luck would worsen.

Having grown up in Shangnan County, Dong Changyang was somewhat superstitious about mahjong’s “tile luck.”

One of the superstitions was not to play haphazardly relying on good luck, as it would scare the luck away.

There was no scientific basis for this, but everyone followed it instinctively.

Brother Chen’s current situation was exactly like this.

He could clearly go for a big win, but he insisted on settling for a small one.

Isn’t that just ridiculous?

No, no, no, to be precise, under the current understanding between these three, it’s difficult for Chen Huanzhi to win at all.

“I’ve won.” Zhu Ju pushed her tiles forward, a hint of shyness on her face. “It’s my first time winning, and Master Chen was gracious.”

Chen Huanzhi glanced at her tiles and nodded gracefully. “Not at all, it’s because of the lady’s skill.”

Character and style in playing mahjong are related.

Chen Huanzhi isn’t very skilled at playing, having been pampered since childhood. He hardly needs to read others’ expressions and naturally doesn’t understand such games well, even if communication isn’t verbal, there are plenty of ways to communicate.

Fortunately, Chen Huanzhi has excellent character; even when he loses, he doesn’t complain and instead exhibits great grace, seemingly unaffected.

Hmm, that’s also one of Chen Huanzhi’s strengths.

Dong Changyang noticed this too. No matter how bad Chen Huanzhi’s playing skills are, he maintains an exceptionally good attitude. In other words, he never lets emotions get the better of him like ordinary people, nor does he display a “gambler’s mentality.” He truly embodies the demeanor of a gentleman.

But what’s the point of being such a gentleman in playing cards?

Others aren’t playing by gentlemanly rules at all.

“Interesting, interesting,” Li Wuwei chuckled as he rearranged his tiles, watching Chen Huanzhi’s constant admiration. “Mahjong is truly fascinating. I’ve played several rounds now, each one different from the last. There are so many opportunities to make decisions about melding and discarding tiles. Sometimes, victory or defeat hangs on a single thought. I truly believe that once mahjong is introduced, it will become popular throughout the capital, from top to bottom.”

“Uncle Shi, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease,” Chen Huanzhi smiled. “I’ve heard that Uncle Shi has friends all over the capital. After mahjong is launched, could I ask Mei Lan and Zhu Ju to assist at Jinjiang Pavilion for a few days? We can discuss the compensation. Jinjiang Pavilion mainly attracts female customers, and for the successful launch of mahjong, we’ll need female instructors.”

“It’s not just that, right?” Li Wuwei propped his chin on his hand. “You have something else on your mind, don’t you? With so many friends of mine, are you hoping I’ll write a few letters to drum up interest for you? Or perhaps make an appearance at your Jinjiang Pavilion?”

“Uncle Shi is indeed astute,” Chen Huanzhi nodded slightly, not denying it.

In his younger days, Li Wuwei had been the talk of the town in the capital. Despite lacking scholarly achievements, his handsome appearance and social skills made him admired by the older generation, while younger women who had been raised with refined education ideals saw him almost as a hero.

Before he came here, his mother had secretly told Chen Huanzhi that if Li Wuwei were to visit Jinjiang Ge, many reserved noblewomen would likely want to visit as well, changing the current demographic of exclusively young girls at Jinjiang Pavilion.

Young women were pleasant, but compared to their mothers, they had limited access to information, which was somewhat limiting for gathering intelligence for Jinjiang Pavilion.

However, attracting those well-informed noblewomen wouldn’t be easy.

Li Wuwei was the best endorsement they could get.

That was also why Chen Huanzhi willingly came here.

Perhaps in Dong Changyang’s heart, Chen Huanzhi was the epitome of uprightness, but having grown up alongside the Crown Prince, witnessing the Intrigues of the court, even the most outwardly upright individuals could harbor a hint of cunning beneath the surface.

Using conventional methods, it would have been impossible to persuade Li Wuwei.

But now that the conversation had reached this stage, and the atmosphere had escalated to this point…

Fortune favors the bold.

Chen Huanzhi knew this was an exceptional opportunity.

An opportunity substantial enough to instantly launch mahjong and make it a sensation throughout the capital!

The shortened timeline was sufficient to make up for their earlier failures.

Therefore, it was worth the risk.

Besides, he still had an ace up his sleeve!

“In this regard, you’re quite like your father,” Li Wuwei chuckled, seemingly unworried about losing. He had already assessed Chen Huanzhi’s skill through the previous rounds of play.

If that was the case, granting him a slight advantage with words was harmless.

In games of strategy like this, without a bit of stakes, it would be quite dull.

“I won’t make it difficult for you either. If we’re going to play this game, it ought to have some stakes. How about this: each of us puts up five hundred taels as gambling capital. By sunset, if the silver on your table surpasses mine, I’ll assist you. Mei Lan and Zhu Ju can also temporarily lend you some.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Of course.”

Chen Huanzhi breathed a sigh of relief, already planning ahead in his mind.

On the other side, Dong Changyang heard Chen Huanzhi’s words and a smile similar to Chen Huanzhi’s appeared on his face.

As the saying goes, “One who is near vermilion is stained red, and one who is near ink is stained black.”

In that moment, Dong Changyang also understood what Brother Chen wanted to do.

Who says you can’t have a strategist in a mahjong game?They were not fighting alone!

“Uncle Shi, it’s a deal. But I have a quirk—if I want to focus on something, I need to purify myself with incense and pray to the gods. I wonder if Uncle Shi has incense here?”