Noon.
Courtyard House.
The sun hung high overhead, its warm light spilling over the stone table. Clatter, clatter—four people washed the tiles, and the sound of mahjong never ceased.
"Come on, keep going."
"East Wind."
"Six of Wan."
"Wait, I'll take that tile."
"...Mm, One of Birds."
"Hehe, that's exactly what I was waiting for. Mahjong."
"Why did you win again? Xiao Bin, why do you keep feeding tiles to your mother-in-law?"
"Enough. My son-in-law has been feeding both of you plenty too. Pay up, hehe."
Dong Xuebin had not wanted to play for money, but Han Jing, Xia Yanzhen, Ci Lifen, and the other elders seemed accustomed to gambling when they played, so he had no choice but to join in. Of course, they were only betting one or two yuan. No one cared about that little money; they were just playing for fun. But even if it was just for fun, even if no one would take offense, Dong Xuebin, as the junior, did not dare win. So he displayed his fearless spirit by not winning a single hand. Instead, he kept building hands and feeding tiles to the three elders—letting his mother-in-law win twice, then letting his eldest aunt win twice, and finally feeding his second aunt one hand. He made sure everyone was taken care of. That took far more skill than playing mahjong properly.
He had already lost over a hundred yuan.
Dong Xuebin felt around in his pockets. All his small change was gone.
"What's wrong? Lost it all?" Han Jing asked with a smile.
Dong Xuebin said, "Could one of you exchange some small bills for me? Sigh, the three of you are too good at this. I can't handle it anymore. I haven't won a single hand."
Xia Yanzhen looked at him