After dinner, it was time to enter the venue. Yang Jian drove Old Wu, Biao Biao, Liang Liang, and Si Xi, while the others stayed at the hotel.
Normally, Emperor Company would send four people into a casino: one to manage the money and three to the gambling tables. If short-handed, three would suffice, but for larger casinos, more people were needed.
The casino they entered tonight was about two kilometers from the hotel, located in an urban village.
The casino was set up in a garage. When Yang Jian and his group entered, over twenty people were already inside, waiting for Emperor Company's arrival.
Si Xi was clearly familiar with the boss here. After a brief greeting, they got straight to business. Old Wu took the dealer position, with Biao Biao and Liang Liang acting as croupiers on either side.
The opening procedure was the same as they had seen before: the gambling company and Emperor Company each provided a die.
However, the dice-shaking equipment was slightly different. Yang Jian had previously seen ceramic dishes and small ceramic bowls. Here, the dice-shaking tool was somewhat peculiar. The base was a pack of soft-pack cigarettes, and on top was a straight-sided ceramic wine cup, about six centimeters high and four centimeters in diameter.
"Brother Si, why is the base here made of cigarettes instead of a dish?"
After the gambling started, Yang Jian couldn't help but ask Si Xi.
"Many venues are adopting this method now. Using cigarettes as a base makes it harder to cheat. After the game, the pack of cigarettes will be opened and distributed for everyone to smoke. It's relatively fairer. Also, because the cigarette pack is softer than a dish, the dice jump less on it, making it easier for gamblers to judge."
Si Xi's explanation was detailed.
"Are you saying these changes are made according to the gamblers' requests?"
"Of course. To attract gamblers, gambling companies have to present themselves as fair and just as much as possible. To some extent, they even have to lean towards the gamblers' preferences."
"That makes sense. Without gamblers, the venue can't operate. Emperor Company is easy to find, though. By the way, Brother Si, does Brother Hao usually not enter the casinos?"
Yang Jian had wanted to ask this question for a long time. When they were at Xunsi River before, Song Jianhao rarely stayed in the casinos.
Si Xi smiled and said, "Brother Hao is the boss; we can't control where he goes. But he really rarely enters the venues. It's mainly because he has to handle negotiations and socializing everywhere. Setting up a casino isn't easy; it's all through introductions from friends. During the process of scouting casinos, he often has to gamble in those places to support the house and get acquainted with their bosses. So, he only takes us into the casino for the first couple of days when it opens, and then he generally doesn't go anymore."
"Then if Brother Hao gambles frequently, does he lose money?"
"Definitely. The reason we didn't make much money last year was largely because he lost a lot and even borrowed money. If Emperor Company were solely focused on operations, there wouldn't be such significant losses."
"But Brother Hao always tells his subordinates not to gamble. How can he not control himself?"
Yang Jian was speechless. Song Jianhao was also addicted to gambling.
"Brother Hao has no choice. To secure a venue, he has to support the house. But he is indeed fond of gambling and can't quit."
"Brother Si, what did Brother Hao do before? He probably wasn't always involved in casinos, right?"
Yang Jian suddenly became interested in Song Jianhao's past. He hadn't inquired about these matters before, feeling it was improper to pry into others' privacy.
This casino seemed normal. Old Wu, as the dealer, didn't find anything unusual, so Yang Jian and Si Xi didn't stay in the casino.
It was Emperor Company's rule that the person managing the money should try to stay out of the casino, mainly to avoid being caught along with the money if the police showed up.
"Brother Hao used to be involved in shady businesses. He was quite prominent for a while in the 1980s."
Since he was bored anyway, Si Xi started talking.
Yang Jian's interest piqued: "Shady businesses? What kind?"
"Brother Hao first learned from a master in 'Lao Rong'."
"What does 'Lao Rong' mean?"
"It means pickpocket, also known as a 'three-finger hand.' To put it crudely, a thief who steals from pockets. He was caught red-handed and imprisoned for over a year. After getting out, he started smuggling, traveling back and forth along the Yunnan-Myanmar border, mainly dealing in silver dollars and cultural relics.
Brother Hao made a lot of money back then. He was the first in our hometown to build six red brick houses with large tiled roofs. In the 80s, our village was full of houses made of adobe and blue tiles, and even the county town had many houses with blue bricks and tiles. Red bricks and red tiles were rare and expensive materials at that time."
Yang Jian nodded: "I know that. My family didn't build a red brick house until many years later. Brother Hao is truly capable."
"Indeed. Brother Hao was less than twenty years old then. He bought the first Jialing motorcycle in Luogang Town. He always had a few younger followers, frequently changed girlfriends, and wore suits, leather shoes, and watches when he went out. That 'three-piece set' was rare even in the city at that time. He was incredibly successful and a well-known figure in Luogang and even the county town."
"That's very impressive. Twenty years ago, being able to afford a Jialing motorcycle was not something ordinary people could do; it at least meant being a 'ten-thousand-yuan household.' Even now, most people still ride bicycles. What happened later?"
"Later, he ran into the crackdown on crime, and he was arrested again. This time, he was sentenced to five years, but with sentence reduction, he was released after serving just over three years. After getting out, he still didn't do legitimate work but partnered with others to play 'flower cards'."
Yang Jian didn't understand: "Play flower cards? How is that played?"
"Playing flower cards is a street scam. A few people set up a game on a busy street, using three poker cards and offering generous rewards to lure passersby into guessing one of the Kings. It looks easy to guess, but they use sleight of hand, just like cheating in 'Zha Jin Hua.' Many people fall for it. People still do it now, just with different methods."
"Oh, I see. Is it like the red and blue pencil guessing scam? I've seen it twice on long-distance buses."
"Yes, and the Jianlibao winning scam. They all evolved from the initial flower card games. These people are professional con artists who specialize in various scams. Besides flower cards, red and blue pencil guessing, and Jianlibao winning, the most common ones include setting up chess endgame puzzles on the street. Remember, if you see people doing these things, don't go near them, and don't think about watching the fun."
"Why?"
"These people have highly sophisticated rhetoric. They can trick onlookers into involuntarily handing over money. By the time you realize what's happening, they've vanished without a trace."
"So, was Brother Hao very skilled at that?"
"What's the use of being skilled? He was still caught again. Because it was considered fraud, he was sentenced to another three years. It was during this imprisonment that he met Xiao Wu. After being released, Brother Hao didn't return to his previous professions but started frequenting casinos, and he's been doing that ever since."
"Has he never been married then?"
"He had a brief marriage before his third imprisonment. They divorced after he went to jail, and he's been single ever since."
With a few simple sentences, Si Xi summarized Song Jianhao's tumultuous early life.