The so-called "picking lucky money" was, to some extent, similar to the rake taken by card rooms and casinos.
The difference was that card rooms and casinos took a cut from every table, every hand, regardless of the game.
Picking lucky money, however, was different.
I'm not sure about customs elsewhere, but in Anhai, picking lucky money only happened when playing Changpai or Mahjong.
Furthermore, you didn't automatically get lucky money just by being there.
You had to serve tea and offer cigarettes to the players, and after each round, the winner would take a portion of their winnings and place it at the corner of the table (usually the southeast corner) as lucky money for you to pick.
In 2008, the going rate for picking lucky money was about 1 to 5 yuan per hand.
That might seem like a lot, but the time it took to play a hand of Changpai or Mahjong couldn't be accurately estimated.
From shuffling and drawing cards, even the shortest hand would take three to five minutes.
Longer ones could easily take ten to twenty minutes.
If a session lasted 4 hours, and an hour saw an average of 6 to 8 hands, you wouldn't pick up much lucky money by the end.
The value generated by services like picking lucky money was entirely determined by the recipients.
There were smaller amounts, and there were larger amounts.
However, no one was willing to pick up the smaller amounts, and the larger amounts were inaccessible.
Alright, back to the main point!
I had originally planned to leave after work, but as soon as I heard there was a card game, I changed my mind.
Players, whether in terms of attention or spirit, were generally focused on the game and rarely guarded against those not participating.
At times like these, offering cigarettes first and then engaging in casual conversation would likely help me get acquainted.
Especially for internal company card games, if you could get along with the older employees, and didn't foolishly ask questions involving personal privacy, like chatting about gossip related to the boss, you could often gain unexpected insights.
So, after a moment of feigned contemplation, I agreed to Xu Peiyu's request and arranged to meet her at the card room on the third floor after changing clothes.
While changing in the locker room, I sent text messages to Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun, explaining the reason to each of them.
...
When I arrived at the card room on the third floor, through the open private room door, I saw that Xu Peiyu was already seated in the outermost private room, and they were already playing!
Upon entering, I was amazed!
It was all women!
Besides Xu Peiyu, the other three women were also dressed fashionably, all around their early twenties.
As soon as I entered, I saw a girl with dyed blonde hair and a butterfly tattoo on her chest wink at Xu Peiyu and say, "Yo! Sister Peiyu, changed partners again?"
Hearing this, Xu Peiyu waved her hand and said with a smile, "Stop it, Xiao Mei! This is the apprentice Manager Yun asked me to bring. It's his first day working."
"I think he's quite serious and well-behaved in his work, and I quite like him, so I thought I'd do him a favor and bring him along to pick up some lucky money."
Upon hearing this, the woman named Xiao Mei's face was filled with gossip as she teased, "Like you? Like which part of you? Above or below?"
Hearing this, all four women at the table, including Xiao Mei herself, burst into laughter.
As expected! If women get frisky... there's really no room for men.
After a silent sigh, while the women were teasing each other, I took out a pack of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes I had just bought from the supermarket next to the club and offered one to each of them.
Few women who work in clubs don't smoke.
Because they stay up late, without cigarettes... they really can't handle it!
As she accepted the cigarette, a woman with wavy perm hair, sitting directly opposite Xu Peiyu, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Sister Peiyu, your little apprentice is quite generous. We've all benefited from you since early this morning!"
Facing the teasing of the wavy perm woman, Xu Peiyu not only didn't mind but, as if to provoke, tossed her hair, "Of course! Who do you think he's an apprentice of!"
While the women were teasing each other, I remained silent, diligently performing my service duties, offering them cigarettes and pouring tea.
After temporarily serving everyone, I stood behind Xu Peiyu and watched her play...
Before, Xu Peiyu had mentioned that there were three most popular card games in Xingjia.
Red Ten, Atom, and Dou Niu!
They were playing Dou Niu.
Few cards, quick money, short game time.
I won't go into the rules.
In this hand, Xu Peiyu was the dealer, and her card draw for the first four cards was very good.
4, 6, 9, K, guaranteed a basic Niu Yi.
As long as her luck was normal, any card from 8 to A would make it a Niu Qi at the start, aiming for a double.
Looking at the card draw, she was sure to win against at least two players, if not all three.
But unfortunately...
For the last card, with the card draw already showing 7 good and 6 bad out of 13 cards, Xu Peiyu actually drew the worst card, a 2!
In other words, a hand that could have been a Niu Qi was directly reduced to a Niu Yi by her!
Seeing this, my brow furrowed.
If you ask me why I frowned, I would answer that as a professional cheat, sometimes... intuition is very important!
My intuition told me this hand was not simple!
Because someone had placed a heavy bet right from the start!
Although Xu Peiyu was already dealing when I arrived, and I didn't know if anyone had cut or tampered with the cards, but...
In the eyes of us cheats, anyone who bets heavily from the start, besides aiming to break the bank, is most likely trying to become the dealer themselves and continue to hold the bank.
As long as there's no rule set beforehand that dictates when to give up the bank, those who dare to sit can continue to hold the bank indefinitely.
Encountering such a person when playing Niu Niu is actually very dangerous.
Because you have no idea whether the other person is human or a ghost!
...
At this moment, as Xu Peiyu sullenly revealed her cards, the woman with the wavy perm hair, who had bet heavily at the start, burst into laughter.
"Sister Peiyu, your little apprentice's Zhonghua cigarettes are too effective, aren't they?"
"You made me get a Niu Niu right from the start! Hehehe~ I'm so sorry, Sister Peiyu!"
After laughing, the wavy perm woman opened her cards.
5, 7, 8, 10, Q.
Niu Niu, the dealer has to pay three times.
Since the perm woman had bet 100 yuan heavily, Xu Peiyu had to pay her 300 yuan.
"Don't cut the cards next time, let Xiao Mei cut them! You're cutting off all my luck!"
After speaking, Xu Peiyu, looking dejected, handed over 300 yuan to the wavy perm woman.
Hearing Xu Peiyu's words, I, watching the game from the side, couldn't help but smile.
I've encountered a fellow professional!