"Brother Ma, I want to pass three levels."
The main store of the calligraphy and painting stall is located in the deepest part of Toilet Alley. It belongs to Wong Lo Kat and is controlled by Big and Little Ma.
After leaving the pawn shop, Jiang Jiahao took his new little brother back to the Zihua Stall, found the number and reported it, and then found Brother Ma alone who was smoking.
Zihua Stall has a smoke shop, and Brother Ma has received a new batch of tobacco bricks. As an addict, Brother Xiao naturally has grown up in the smoke shop and refuses to move away.
In the single room of the opium shop, Xiao Ma was lying on the bed with his eyes squinted.
There is a coquettishly dressed cigarette boy beside him, cutting cigarette bricks for him, adding tobacco materials, smelling the escaping smoke, with a look of enjoyment on his face.
When Jiang Jiahao found Brother Ma and explained his purpose, he was laughed at mercilessly by Brother Ma.
"Ah Hao, not everyone is qualified to pass three levels. Are you worthy?"
"As your boss, I have the obligation to remind you that you know how to advance and retreat."
As soon as Brother Ma opened his mouth, Yantong on the side immediately covered his mouth and snickered, his eyes full of disdain.
"Brother Xiao Ma, since I dare to propose three levels, I am certainly confident."
"Please ask Brother Ma to tell the stewards for me that Jiang Jiahao, the straw shoe, wants to pass the third level!"
"Hey, listen, your tone is very strong."
Brother Ma was smoking the pipe, looking at Jiang Jiahao, and then he held Yantong in his arms and kneaded him.
After a long while, he sat upright, leaning on Yantong's body, and left the single room.
"Ah Hao, you are messing with me. If you can pass the third level, I will have some dignity on my face."
"Go to the inner hall and wait while I contact the deacon!"
"Thank you, boss, for your support!"
Seeing Brother Ma leave, the corner of Jiang Jiahao's mouth curled up.
Suddenly he looked at Yan Tong beside the bed, walked over and gave her a hard mouth.
"I am a straw sandal from the Zihua stall. Brother Xiao Ma laughs at me. What qualifications do you have as a tobacco boy?"
"Give you a longer memory. If you look at me like that next time, I'll pick out your eyeballs."
Yantong covered his cheeks and cried, and when he looked at Jiang Jiahao, there was nothing but fear in his eyes.
An hour later, the inner hall was filled with deacons, and even the hall leader, Wang Laoji, appeared in the middle.
Straw shoes are considered middle-level employees of Zihua Stall. If they successfully pass the three levels, it means that they have entered the inner circle of Zihua Stall and can be in charge of a shop by themselves. This matter can be big or small.
Jiang Jiahao pushed the door open and was watched by a group of old guys. They looked calmly at Wong Lo Kat in the center of the room.
He made a gesture of worshiping a boss and bowed down to salute Wang Laoji and the deacons present.
"Jiang Jiahao, the straw shoe, wants to pass the three levels, please bear witness!"
Wang Laoji is an old man in his fifties, wearing a wealthy landlord's shirt embroidered with gold and copper coins, and playing with walnuts in his hand.
He looked at Jiang Jiahao, nodded, and winked at Brother Ma who was standing beside him.
Brother Ma rubbed his nose and clapped his hands softly.
Not long after, several horse boys brought the gambling table and props and placed them in front of Jiang Jiahao.
Brother Xiao Ma said: "The Three Levels was set up by the predecessors, so that I, a rising star in the calligraphy and painting stall, would have a chance to advance quickly. Back then, my eldest brother and I were lucky enough to enter the godfather's shop just by going through the Three Levels. Dharma Eye."
"Today the question will be given by the deacon here. I will take charge of the game for you and start the three levels. Are you ready?"
Jiang Jiahao took a deep breath, glanced at the deacons present, and clasped his fists respectfully.
"Ready."
"Very good, which senior will ask the question first?"
As Brother Ma finished speaking, an old man raised his hand and threw a note to Brother Ma.
Brother Ma took the note, opened it, hugged the old man's fists, and came to stand at the gambling table.
"Three levels are divided into guessing, clicking, and flipping. The puzzle in the first level is too simple. Why do I feel that the senior is letting it go?"
After teasing the deacon, Brother Ma took the playing cards, pulled out a playing card and flipped it.
The flipped playing card was the Ace of Hearts, which he put aside.
He started shuffling, cutting and flipping the cards in front of Jiang Jiahao.
I have to say that Xiao Ma's poker skills are really dazzling.
After a while, Brother Ma spread the shuffled cards on the table and made a "please" word to Jiang Jiahao.
"This level is not so much about guessing as it is about testing the memory and acuity of the person who enters the level."
"The answer to the riddle given by senior is to ask you to find the other three Aces among the remaining 53 playing cards, which will count as passing the first level."
Turning around, Brother Ma nodded in respect to the old man who asked the question.
The answer to the mystery has been revealed. Countless passers-by have failed at the first level. The deacons in the hall are chatting with each other and don't seem to care whether Jiang Jiahao can pass this level.
Only Brother Ma’s gaze remained on Jiang Jiahao, his expression inexplicable.
"Thank you, senior, for asking the question!"
Jiang Jiahao clasped his fists at the old man who asked the question, came to the table, flipped out three cards, and made a "please" to Brother Ma.
Xiao Ma's eyes narrowed, and the three cards Jiang Jiahao turned over were A of Clubs, A of Diamonds, and Black of Spades. Counting the A of Hearts that he had drawn before, there were exactly four A's in a deck of playing cards.
The three Aces were turned out, the chatter in the room stopped, and all the deacons looked at Jiang Jiahao, with a hint of inquiry in their eyes.
Wang Laoji, who was playing with walnuts, had a hint of admiration in his eyes and winked at Brother Ma again.
"Seniors, as you can see, Jiang Jiahao, the straw shoe, successfully passed the first level. Guess!"
"Now, seniors, please continue asking questions!"
As Brother Ma's words fell, a note appeared in Brother Ma's hand and he threw it to Brother Ma.
All the deacons in the room raised their eyebrows. Brother Da Ma was not a deacon and according to the rules, he was not qualified to ask questions.
But he was Wang Laoji's godson, so everyone smiled and gave him face.
Brother Ma opened the note, rolled his eyes at his eldest brother, and said.
"The second level of assessment is about points, and the answer to the mystery has been revealed."
Brother Ma took a flowered porcelain bowl, showed it to Jiang Jiahao and then turned it upside down on the table, signaling Jiang Jiahao to pay attention to his movements.
The little finger of his right hand gently tapped the bottom of the flowered porcelain bowl three times, and then opened the flowered porcelain bowl.
Jiang Jiahao looked around and saw that the smooth inner wall of the flowered porcelain bowl was actually full of cracks.
The cracks are so intricate that if someone blows a breath, the flowered porcelain bowl will fall apart.
But it was dragged in Xiao Ma's hand, played with several bowls of flowers, and then fell upside down on the table.
There is no crack at all on the outer wall of the flowered porcelain bowl. It’s so skillful!
"The answer to the third level is very simple. If you can reach this point, you have passed the level."
"Xiao Ma's craftsmanship has improved again, the stall owner has a vicious eye, and he has a successor."
Xiao Ma's miraculous operation made the butlers present look in admiration and flatter Wong Lo Kat wildly.
Wong Lo Kat smiled and said nothing, rubbing the walnuts with a proud look on his face.
In front of the gambling table, Jiang Jiahao's eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of his eyes kept shaking. He was also shocked by Brother Ma.
Such exquisite control, is this the strength of Brother Ma?
He had smoked just now. If he hadn't smoked, how abnormal would his abilities be?
Biting his lip, Jiang Jiahao looked at the three flowered porcelain bowls in front of him.
In the second level, there are three opportunities for trial and error. Once all three bowls are missed, it is a failure.
It is said that when Big Brother and Big Horse broke through the three levels, they only succeeded in the third bowl.
Even though he has tried repeatedly at home, Jiang Jiahao is not sure whether he can achieve the level of Ma Ge with three bowl opportunities.
Now that the arrow was on the string, Jiang Jiahao raised his right hand with a solemn expression, and tapped the bottom of the bowl three times with his right little finger.
Ding, ding, ding... click.
