Night fell, nine o'clock.
In Yuzhou City, fierce winds howled and thunder roared. The sky seemed to split open with countless cracks as torrential rain gathered into waterfalls and poured down upon the earth.
River Dam Flats.
Warm yellow light filled every corner of the room. In the little flowerpot on the desk, lush, heart-shaped pothos leaves hung down.
The standing fan was set to oscillate, swaying from side to side and sending out a gentle breeze.
The girls' laughter filled the room, brimming with a peaceful warmth.
A bed board had been laid on the floor. Xue Yuantong sat cross-legged on the cool mat, playing Fight the Landlord with Bai Yuxia and the Chen sisters.
Though there were four of them, they were playing three-person Fight the Landlord, because the Twins' brains were not enough for separate play, so they chose to combine forces.
Jiang Ning sat by the bed holding his tablet, playing games while watching the match.
The game had reached its final stage. The Twins, who were the landlords, had only three cards left: a six and a pair of queens.
Xue Yuantong and Bai Yuxia, the farmers, each had just one card remaining.
Chen Siyu held her three cards. It was her turn.
She warily watched the two of them while her sister Chen Siqing stood beside her, backing her up.
Xue Yuantong gave Bai Yuxia a look, indicating that things were bad. She had memorized every card that had been played.
So she had calculated the cards everyone still held.
Her remaining card was a king, while Bai Yuxia's was a seven.
Chen Siyu, the landlord, would play first, and she had a pair... This round was certain to end in Xue Yuantong's defeat.
Bai Yuxia remained calm in the face of danger and