"These are the deeds to all my shops, ten in total, all staked here. If I win today, I'll be a rich man. If I lose, I'll be no different from a beggar on the street. I wonder if young master Liu dares to play." The man looked at him with ill intentions.
To be honest, Liu Pengyuan hesitated. If the stakes weren't so high, he would have liked to play. After all, he had won some silver in gambling houses recently, and things were looking up. Seeing the stakes were so high, he hesitated.
Before today, he didn't have so many shops. Today, his sister's dowry was reclaimed by his father, and these things, which had left his hands, had now returned to his hands. Even so, there were only thirteen. He didn't forget his father's whip. Besides, he was still young and unmarried and needed them to marry a wife.
"Everyone, look quickly, this is the young master of the Grand Tutor's mansion. He doesn't have as much courage as I, a small merchant." The man, seeing this, chuckled and quickly put away the deeds, clearly relieved. It was obvious that he was also a bit scared, but it was understandable. After all, who wouldn't feel a little flustered when handing over their entire fortune?
Liu Pengyuan was born to a concubine. He relied on his sister for mutual support and was accustomed to being looked down upon. What he feared most was being despised. Although he tried hard to achieve scholarly success, he was not naturally gifted for studying. He wished he could achieve good results in the imperial examinations like his elder brother and be admired by others, but some things were beyond his efforts.
The moment his mother passed away, he swore that he would ensure a good life for himself and his sister, and anyone who stood in his way would not be tolerated. When everyone around him looked at him with contempt and disdain, that familiar feeling returned. He couldn't stand tall in front of his elder brother or father, but could he not do so in front of these commoners and merchants?
What's so special about shops? It would be best if he won, but if he lost, he would find it back elsewhere.
"Fine, I'll play with you. Don't regret it, and don't say I'm bullying you with my status." Liu Pengyuan seemed to have made up his mind, staring at him with unblinking eyes.
This time, it was the man's turn to hesitate. To be honest, he had been a bit impulsive earlier. Now that he had calmed down, he felt his previous actions were a bit risky. If he lost, wouldn't all his years of hard work go up in smoke?
"Is there something you're afraid of? Young Master Liu wouldn't gamble with you, so you mocked him. Now that he's willing to gamble, you're hesitant."
"Yes, yes, aren't you chickening out? I'll look down on you from now on."
"You always used to call others cowards. Today, I can finally get payback on you."
...
Seeing the crowd chattering away, while the young master opposite him calmly watched them criticize him, he knew this contest was unavoidable. After struggling for a moment, he adopted a somewhat defiant attitude.
"Alright, alright, stop talking. I know you all want to see some excitement. I'll satisfy your curiosity today. Don't think I'm being indecisive. I'm just a commoner, and this time I'm putting my entire fortune on the line. While young master Liu here is from a noble family, even if he loses, he still has the Grand Tutor's mansion. This is just a drop in the bucket for him. Of course, I have to be cautious." The man said, taking the deeds from his embrace, trying to justify himself.
The crowd nodded in agreement upon hearing his words. After all, they were all commoners and understood his feelings. For them, having ten shops in their lifetime was impossible, and playing such high stakes was out of the question. But what he said was true.
Soon, the two stood opposite each other at the table, surrounded by a crowd of curious gamblers. As the dice began to rattle, sweat dripped down the man's face.
In fact, Liu Pengyuan was also nervous, but seeing the man on the opposite side constantly wiping sweat, his own mindset became much calmer.
"Bang." The moment the dice stopped rolling and were placed on the table, the man jumped and stammered, looking at Liu Pengyuan, "Young... Young Master Liu, are you betting big or small?"
"You first." Liu Pengyuan savored his fearful expression. He worried that if he won, the other party might accuse him of cheating, so he wanted the man to choose first, wishing to see his regretful expression after losing.
The man looked at the other party, then at the dice, and finally gritted his teeth, shouting, "I bet big!"
Liu Pengyuan, seeing his blustering demeanor, suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction and said with a smile, "I bet small."
As soon as the words fell, the man reached out with a trembling hand to lift the lid. The moment the lid was opened, he tightly shut his eyes, unable to watch. When there was no sound for a long time, he quickly opened them. Seeing everyone looking at him with pity, his heart sank to the bottom, and he had a bad premonition.
He suppressed his fear and quickly looked down. Just as he had expected, at that moment, tears unexpectedly fell.
Putting on a show of nonchalance, he placed all the deeds in front of Liu Pengyuan. "Alright, I am now a penniless man. I accept my loss."
Just as everyone thought he would turn and leave in dejection, he suddenly took a dagger from his embrace and slammed it onto the table. "Everything I worked hard for over half my life has been lost to you. It's equivalent to taking my life. This is the last gamble. I'll bet my life against yours. If I lose, I'll fall before you. If I win, you must return everything, including your share."
"What if I refuse? In my eyes, your life isn't worth that much money." Liu Pengyuan looked at him arrogantly. He had to gamble with him just because he wanted to? There was no such thing in the world.
"Not gambling? That's fine. Then I'll let you experience how fast this knife of mine is. After all, someone with nothing to lose isn't afraid of someone who has something to lose." Seeing the other party looking at him with bloodshot eyes, Liu Pengyuan realized he had been too rash. Many people who came here were desperate. Killing and arson were minor matters to them. It seemed this matter wouldn't end peacefully today.
He glanced around peripherally and suddenly found everyone looking at him with ill intentions. At this moment, he was the one who was frightened. He suddenly realized he had walked into a trap, and perhaps not only would he lose all his shops, but he might also lose his life.
Liu Pengyuan had no choice but to gamble with them. As expected, he lost this time.
When the IOU appeared before him, Liu Pengyuan carefully examined it. Once confirmed, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he unhesitatingly pressed his handprint on it. Sudancn.com
He walked out of the gambling house late at night. Looking at the empty street, he hurried away. The fighting and robbery he had imagined did not occur. After all, he was penniless now; what was there for anyone to rob? Having suffered such a heavy blow in the gambling house, he had to get his revenge.