Manager Li hid the jade hook in his right hand just now. He should be able to change it this time. After the old gentleman finished writing the answer, he opened his clenched fist, and the jade hook was still in his right hand!
This time Zhao Rang won!
The answer he wrote on the paper was right!
The old gentleman lost, he wrote left...
The old gentleman is neither sad nor happy, just two words:
"Bookkeeping."
The fourth brother took out his notebook again and recorded it. This time Zhao Rang won fifty taels, and Manager Li would advance what the old man lost.
"I am willing to admit defeat and win two out of three games."
Manager Li said after giving Zhao Rang more money, and then took out the third jade hook.
The third jade hook is more rounded, but it is blood red. Manager Li said this was not jade, but coral.
The corals produced in the southern part of Dawei have always been favored by the royal family. Among them, red coral is the most valuable because of its delicate texture and festive color. www.
After showing that there was no problem, Manager Li repeated the process again.
This time the old gentleman wrote the answers as fast as Zhao Rang.
They both finished writing before Manager Li was fully prepared.
"Both of you are very confident!"
Manager Li opened his hand as he spoke. He didn't change positions, but still held it in his right hand!
"Best of three, I lost."
The old gentleman took the initiative to admit defeat. According to the rules of the gambling game, there was no need to confirm the result.
"Still keeping accounts?"
Manager Li asked.
After the old gentleman nodded, he turned to Zhao Rang and said:
"If you have anything to say, go to my house."
After speaking, the old gentleman stood up, bowed his hands to Manager Li, and walked out the door.
Zhao Rang just wanted to follow, but was stopped by Manager Li:
"Don't worry, he will wait for you."
"Xiao Si, what about the things you prepared?"
The fourth brother took out a brocade box with understanding.
Zhao Rang didn't see clearly where he took it out from, as if it was conjured out of thin air!
The brocade box was placed on the table, and just as Zhao Rang was about to open it, Manager Li suddenly stretched out his hand to hold it down.
"Don't worry, watch it when you go back. Watch it with your friends!"
The friend that Manager Li was talking about was, of course, Yuan Mingkong.
Zhao Rang became even more confused.
How could an old eunuch from the former dynasty, who was still alive in Lotus Alley, be like a chess player and know everything about the royal city?
What's even more strange is that Zhao Rang still can't figure out his intentions and where his attitude lies.
That cabinet of files was of course very useful in the past, but times have changed and all the people from that time have died, so what's the point of keeping them?
Whether General Manager Li can't let go of his past glory, or whether there is something in it that is still remarkable today, Zhao Rang doesn't know...
This is no longer something you can figure out with your brain.
If the person involved does not tell many secrets, they will remain secret forever until the last insider dies and the secret is carried into the coffin and becomes eternal.
Zhao Rang hesitated for a moment and opened the brocade box without asking for any more greetings.
Sometimes it's good to be less stubborn and be able to put aside your own opinions for a while. In particular, Manager Li also mentioned his "friends". The brains of two people are better than those of one, let alone just a brocade box, even if it contains this dead head, Zhao Rang is not afraid.
"After all, we are all from there, aren't we?"
When Zhao Rang was about to walk out of the house, Manager Li suddenly said this.
Zhao Rang paused slightly, but still did not answer.
When we returned from the corridor to the previous hall, there were already far fewer people.
The remaining people were shouting more and placing less bets. It seemed that today's gambling game was about to end. How many people will come tomorrow and how lively it will be depends on those who have left to pick up the work. If you make more money, you will naturally come here to enjoy yourself.
Before leaving completely, Zhao Rang looked at the room where the Mi Mi sound came from. At this moment, the door of the room was open, and there was no one inside. There was only a simple wooden frame bed inside.
The fighting bugs at the gate have also dispersed. The scorpions used to attract business have been put into jars, and a gangster is throwing the caught bugs in to feed them.
The sun outside was still very bright, so Zhao Rang barely adapted to it after covering it with his hands.
The old gentleman stood in the shade not far away, smoking. Next to him stood a young woman, also smoking. 1
Zhao Rang took a look and made sure there was no communication between the two people, then walked over and said hello to the old gentleman.
The old gentleman said nothing, took two puffs of cigarette, and then led Zhao Rang forward.
Zhao Rang had been to his home and knew that he was heading in the right direction, so he followed him.
But the old gentleman did not take the path he was familiar with. Halfway through, Zhao Rang had already transferred.
When he was standing in front of the door, Zhao Rang still hadn't realized how he got there.
Suddenly the old gentleman pushed open the door. The lock hanging on it was just a decoration and was of no use at all.
The old gentleman's room was spotless, and everything was just in order.
He made the small house into two partitions. One side is used for sleeping, and the other side has a wide table.
Of course, this table is not as gorgeous as Manager Li, but it attracts Zhao Rang even more.
There are various craft tools arranged in different categories on the table, including several photolithography knives of different styles.
"This piece of yellow mud was specially bought by me. The mud on the Gobi Desert in Danye Kingdom is too crumbly to be pinched. The mud on the grassland is okay, but there are too many grass roots in it. It takes too much time to pick them out one by one. ."1
The old gentleman washed his hands and rolled up his sleeves.
Then he sat in front of the desk, opened the oil paper wrapping the yellow mud, patted it repeatedly with wet hands and kneaded it gently. The movements are soothing and gentle, like a lover's breath.
Zhao Rang was just about to ask about what happened last night, but the old man said first:
"As soon as it got dark last night, I arrived near Qingshanke."
"Aren't you writing letters during the day?"
Zhao Rang asked rhetorically.
The old gentleman's temper was obviously not as good as Mr. Li's, and he seemed very unhappy when he was interrupted.
"Didn't I say it was dark?"
Zhao Rang explained:
"I thought you would be going later."
Because Zhao Rang and the others were still in the Chunhua Building on the Black Street at that time. It was already late at night when we returned to Qingshan Guest. If the time was wrong, there was no need to ask further.
"I stayed there from just after dark until late at night."
The old gentleman's tone was extremely dissatisfied, and Zhao Rang quickly shut his mouth.
After he divided the whole piece of yellow mud into small pieces, he continued:
"About an hour later, there was a slight drizzle. Four people came out first. They looked like diners. They drank a lot of wine. They were holding each other's arms and walking staggeringly."
"The one in the middle is a bald man with a big belly. He is the only one who is not joking with anyone else. He holds his waistband with both hands and just looks down at the road. I don't know what he is thinking."
Along with the words, the old gentleman quickly squeezed the clay ball with his hands. With extreme kung fu, a vivid clay figure was placed on the table, with the same characteristics as the person he just described.
Zhao Rang marveled at the old man's craftsmanship. But it is a pity that this talent is not what he is looking for because it is still early. At this moment, he and Yuan Mingkong are still in the Chunhua Building on the black street, listening to Haidiya and Aziz telling what happened twenty years ago. past.
The old man took out another piece of mud from the divided ball, kneaded it softly with one hand, then patted it on the table and continued:
"Among the passers-by, there was a very distinctive person who walked in. That was after you came back."
Zhao Rang asked:
"Did you see me coming back?"
The old gentleman nodded and replied:
"I saw it! There are two carriages, one for you and a young man and another for Heidi. In the other one is a tall, fat man with two girls."
The tall and strong fat man the old gentleman mentioned was Ximen Dazhuang. Fortunately he wasn't here at the moment, otherwise he would have been angry.
The mud ball in his hand began to spin rapidly again. The difference was that this time, while squeezing it, the old man grabbed some more from other mud balls.
"A tall, strong, fat man is just a waste of material!"
These words made Zhao Rang burst into laughter and said:
"Old sir, after you've finished kneading this tall, strong fat man, can you give it to me?"
The old gentleman replied:
"Can."
"But you have to buy it!"
“And it uses a lot of materials, so you have to pay extra!”
Not long after he finished speaking, a smaller version of Ximen Dazhuang was ready.
"Don't touch it! It's not dry yet."
Zhao Rang wanted to pick it up and play with it, but the old gentleman immediately stopped him.
Clay figurines that are not fully dried are easily damaged. If you are not careful, it will deform, and it is almost impossible to repair it. You can only flatten it with your palm and pinch it again.
"Okay, no matter how much it costs, I will buy this clay figurine."
As soon as Zhao Rang finished speaking, the old gentleman shook his head again.
"The money I lost to you for hiding the hook is still kept in Manager Li's account. Although he compensated you with the money, I am the loser after all."
Zhao Rang didn't understand what the old gentleman meant, so he didn't speak.
The old gentleman did not explain, but continued to pick up the new mud ball and began to knead it.
"Who is this again?"
Zhao Rang asked.
The old gentleman replied:
"This man came after you entered Qingshan Guesthouse. I can't remember exactly how long it was, but it must have been later."
The old gentleman did not introduce the physical characteristics, but just used two words to summarize:
"usually."
"Wei Xingshu?"
Zhao Rang exclaimed.
The old gentleman said calmly:
"I don't know what his name is. He's just very ordinary. But besides being ordinary, he also has an indescribable feeling."
Zhao Rang knew that the old man's powers of observation far exceeded his own, and he was sure that the person he was pinching was Wei Xingshu, so he asked a few more questions.
"His footsteps are very heavy and he walks very solidly. His breath is very slow and long. It can be seen that his martial arts cultivation is not low."
Zhao Rang nodded repeatedly, thinking that the old gentleman must have some cultivation skills, otherwise he would not be able to speak so thoroughly and completely.
After pinching it, it turned out to be little Wei Xingshu again. This is already the third clay figurine, and Zhao Rang's previous excitement has calmed down a lot.
"When did he come out?"
The old gentleman thought for a while and said:
"He didn't come out."
After saying that, he felt that what he said was not accurate enough, so he added:
"Or maybe he didn't come out from where a normal person should come out."
Zhao Rang agreed with the old gentleman's statement.
Wei Xingshu possesses the Jue Ying Technique and has killed so many people, so he will definitely not go in and out through the front door with such arrogance. 1
