After Liu Dakai's quit-smoking meeting, as soon as he got off the sedan chair, Hu Jingsun sent someone to deliver a hundred packs of quit-smoking pills and a business card. After Liu Dakai accepted them, he really started to quit smoking, taking the pills on time every day and not daring to stop. Surprisingly, the pills worked; he didn't crave cigarettes anymore. However, the downside was that the pills were also addictive, causing discomfort if not taken for a day, just like being hooked on opium. But it was better to be known for taking pills than for smoking opium, so Liu Dakai wholeheartedly took the pills and dared not touch cigarettes again.
Before you knew it, it was spring. Things were pretty quiet at the government office in January, with not much happening besides New Year's greetings, socializing, gambling, and drinking. Huang Sanliuzi knew he had an insider, and the boss really favored him, giving him a promotion and more responsibilities. To show his gratitude, Huang Sanliuzi had the second shopkeeper of Yujihao send eight thousand silver notes to the government office, hoping for any position that would give him some prestige. The boss said he'd find him something, but told him not to rush things and attract attention. The second shopkeeper relayed this to Huang Sanliuzi, who was naturally happy, knowing that the government office had agreed, giving him hope for the future. He felt very pleased and continued to enjoy himself.
Some officials from out of town came to the capital for the New Year. These officials had all gotten rich by fleecing the people. With nothing to do, some junior officials used dinner parties as an excuse to invite the senior officials over. After dinner, they either played dice or played Pai Gow; even a few coins extra for the household helped. Everyone knew that Huang Sanliuzi loved gambling, and as long as there was a gambling game, he didn't care about status or hierarchy. He never missed a gambling game. If he won money, he generously rewarded others, and if he lost, no matter how much, he never frowned—a great guy to gamble with! So everyone liked him.
Lanterns go up on the thirteenth of the first month. On the twentieth, the yamen opens for business, and the officials get busy, no longer able to play leisurely. On this day, a substitute prefect living in Jiaoqigan hosted a banquet. Shuang Fu, or "Second Master Shuang" as everyone called him, was a Manchu from the Red Banner. His old man had been the Vice Governor of Zhapu in Zhejiang, and he himself had served as a junior official in Zhejiang. He was the second eldest in his family and had been waiting for an actual posting for years after buying himself a prefect's position in Zhejiang. Although he was an official, he still acted like a spoiled rich kid. He rented a large mansion and hired a chef to cook. He also loved gambling and had friends over every day for food, drink, and gambling, with stakes of five hundred or one thousand yuan per game. His relationship with Huang Sanliuzi was very good. Although the higher-ups were pushing for austerity, Shuang Er Ye's family couldn't always follow the rules.
Gambling wasn't prohibited in the first month. Shuang Er Ye had friends over every day, eating, drinking, and then gambling. They started with dice, but that got boring, so they switched to Pai Gow, happily gambling for several nights. A few days later, the Jinhua prefect, Peng Zihe, and the county magistrate of Shanyin County, Xiao Tianjue, came to the provincial capital to celebrate the New Year. They were sworn brothers and old gambling buddies with Shuang Er Ye. Shuang Er Ye was especially happy and invited them to his house the next day for a meal and gambling. Since they had to visit someone else, they rescheduled for the thirteenth. The night before, Shuang Er Ye told the chef to prepare the best dishes. Other friends came to gamble every day without needing a special invitation. After lunch the next day, because there weren't many people yet, they couldn't start the game and played eight rounds of mahjong first. These were all wealthy people, with stakes of one thousand yuan per game, calling it just a small game. The butler set up, and they were off. After two hours and four rounds, they reshuffled and dealt the cards again. Shuang Er Ye lost half his stake and declared mahjong too boring, letting someone else take over.
Old Man Shuang was having a great time when someone came to report that Governor Peng had arrived. Governor Peng had just returned from elsewhere, wearing his official robes. He entered the hall to pay New Year's greetings and chatted for a bit with everyone, most of whom he did not recognize. Just as he was about to sit down, Huang San Liu Zi barged in, shouting, "You didn't wait for me; you started so early!" Upon entering, he saw Governor Peng in his official robes and was stunned for a moment. Old Man Shuang told him that this was Governor Peng from Jinhua Prefecture, who had just arrived yesterday. Shuang then introduced Huang to Governor Peng as "Observer Huang." Governor Peng had long admired the reputation of Huang San Liu Zi and, as his superior, did not dare to be negligent. He hastily lowered his sleeves and paid his respects. Huang San Liu Zi didn't know how to respond, thought for a moment, and said, "Haven't gotten around to visiting you yet, mate." Old Man Shuang quickly asked someone to offer a seat and serve tea. While busy with this, Mr. Xiao from Shanyin County also arrived. Old Man Shuang introduced their identities once again. Huang San Liu Zi just sat there, quiet as a mouse, only chatting with Governor Peng about the weather, his trip, and how long he'd be staying.
Crikey, the mahjong is over, and other gamblers are coming one after another. Shuang Er introduced them one by one; all were some officials like Taishou and Guan Chaoshi (low-ranking officials), while those with lower ranks than him were called Mr. X. There were also several salt merchants' sons, hotel owners, and money shop assistants. At that time, I didn't even count how many people there were. Huang Sanliuzi was the first to cheerfully say, "Let's stuff our faces and then gamble again!" Some said, "Let's gamble after we eat." Huang Sanliuzi disagreed. Shuang Er, knowing Huang Sanliuzi's seniority, gave in. In the end, there were thirty to forty people at the table. Huang Sanliuzi didn't like rolling dice, insisting on playing Pai Gow, a card game. Peng Taizun had no choice but to say, "Playing Pai Gow now isn't a good look; it's still early, so let's roll dice first and play Pai Gow after eating." Huang Sanliuzi said, "I'm sick to death of rolling the dice. If we have to roll, I must be the banker!" There happened to be a money shop assistant who eagerly wanted to be the banker, and as soon as he heard they were going to roll dice, he sat down. The host, desperate to keep Huang Sanliuzi happy, quickly apologized and got rid of the assistant. Huang Sanliuzi sat down without waiting for everyone to arrive, picked up the dice cup, shook it a few times, and opened it to check the points. The scorekeeper jotted down the results.
Before you knew it, three rolls had passed. Huang Sanliu rolled the dice a few more times, waiting for everyone to place their bets. In the previous rounds, no one could see the pattern clearly, so the bets were small. Huang Sanliu won a few grand and was very happy. Shuang Er Ye said, "Old Xiantai, you don't like rolling the dice. Let you win two rounds, and you'll be a believer." Huang Sanliu replied, "That's why I never play as a player, only as a banker. As a banker, I can win a few rounds, but as a player, I only lose." Shuang Er Ye said, "That's not necessarily true." Just then, Huang Sanliu rolled the dice a few more times, and the pile of cash grew on the table. After losing two rounds in a row, he counted the money and realized he had lost almost all of what he had won, but fortunately, he still had his stake. As the bets got bigger, he lost more and more, totaling at least forty thousand yuan. In a flash, thirty-six rolls were done, with only four to go. Huang Sanliu was desperate to win it back, griping that everyone was betting too small and even claimed that the winners were holding back.
Everyone was really angry with him. A few old gamblers looked at the pattern, and both the big and small roads were on "two." As a result, most people at the table bet on "two." Some didn’t believe in the pattern, some specifically bet on the established pattern, some bet on the underdog, and some followed the trend, so there were quite a few bets on three, four, and the other options. County Magistrate Peng used to love rolling dice when he was young. Another term for rolling dice is "listening to the self-ringing clock," a colorful expression for the act. He often said, "Because I listened to the self-ringing clock, I once lost two pawn shops and three money shops, so I’m considered an old hand." By the 37th round, he was sure it was "two." Not satisfied with just betting on "two," he also changed the bets on the in and out options to "two." A money shop assistant who bet on "four" didn’t believe it and insisted it had to be "four." County Magistrate Peng wanted to bet with him. He ignored him and shouted, "Two turns to four!" County Magistrate Peng shouted back, "Four turns to two!" The money shop assistant shouted again, "Another turn on four!" County Magistrate Peng also shouted, "Another turn on two!" The assistant wanted to shout again, but the host, Mr. Shuang, waved his hand and said, "Wait, you calculate it." Huang said, "What's there to calculate?" Mr. Shuang replied, "Don’t ask what to calculate. County Magistrate Peng has already placed bets on 'two' on the in and out options, and now he has doubled down on the opposite bet twice. If it turns out to be 'two,' how much do you think he’ll lose? Even if it turns out to be 'four,' County Magistrate Peng won't be at ease." The cashier was about to pick up the abacus to calculate, but Huang was eager to leave the table and shouted at Mr. Shuang, "They can handle their losses, you don’t need to worry! I can’t wait!" As he spoke, he lifted the dice cup and everyone shouted together, "Four!" Huang said, "Whether it’s 'four' or not, you win or lose on your own; I’ll mind my own business." The money shop owner was overjoyed, muttering, "How about that? I’ve been gambling for decades, and the least I believe in is the road. If I could guess it, no one would play this anymore." At this point, he was the only one feeling pleased with himself, and no one else paid him any attention. County Magistrate Peng was furious, slammed the chips on the table, and said, "Losing money is a small matter. I’ve been playing big and small roads for decades and have never lost. This is absolutely outrageous!" The cashier settled the debts according to the doubling amounts. Huang quickly finished the remaining three rounds. In the end, County Magistrate Peng lost the most, probably around fifty thousand. Huang won back some in the last three rounds, probably leaving with over thirty thousand.
The banker is the biggest winner. After forty rounds, some were celebrating their wins, others were just chatting, but he, dressed in a long robe, said, "I have something to attend to, I must go back." Peng Taishou yelled, "Don't go!" Both Second Master and Huang Sanliu came to persuade him to stay. Huang Sanliu said, "You've won so much in the whole game, how can you leave? Even if there’s something urgent, we won't let you go. We're all pals, but this is your first time meeting the magistrate. He'd feel bad if you left." The banker couldn't resist everyone, so he had to remove his robe and eat with them. Although Second Master specially prepared good dishes to invite Peng Taishou, he couldn't taste a thing.
After eating, Huang Sanliu urged them to play Pai gow, while Peng Taishou insisted on being the banker. Second Master was in a dilemma; fortunately, it was at night, with twenty more gamblers than usual, so they had to split each round in two, one for the banker and one for Pai gow, and everyone could choose. Huang Sanliu gathered a group to play Pai gow, while Peng Taishou gathered a group to run the game. It was past nine o'clock when they started eating, and by the time they started gambling, it was almost one in the morning. That night, they played continuously until the next day without stopping, and later some people couldn't hold on any longer. Winners went home to bed; losers stuck around, hoping to win back their money. When Huang Sanliu saw fewer people, he wanted to combine the two rounds into one. Everyone asked about their wins and losses; Peng Taishou only won back a couple of thousand, while Huang Sanliu lost a bundle. Second Master personally came over, let everyone have some snacks, and said, "It's only the 14th. No big deal. Why don't we all take a nap first, finish eating, and then continue playing?" Huang Sanliu said, "So what if we've been playing all night? As long as I can gamble, I won't blink for ten days and nights straight!" Peng Taishou said, "When I was in Jinhua, I played mahjong with friends on the 'Jiangshan Boat' for days on end without rest—piece of cake!" So everyone became interested again. At this time, Peng Taishou also stopped being the banker and joined in playing Pai gow.
They gambled from eight in the morning, taking turns as banker, until way past sundown. Huang Sanliuzi didn't even get a chance to lie down. Fortunately, he was only focused on gambling and didn't feel hungry. Even though his boss, Second Master, kept sending over snacks, Huang Sanliuzi didn't touch 'em. When he wanted to smoke, the butler helped him light it, packed in a long rubber tube, like a skinny hose. The butler lit it for him on the kang, and he could sit and smoke comfortably. But after playing all day, he was about even. By the evening, more people came than the previous day, and surprisingly, Huang Sanliuzi's luck slowly turned around, winning three consecutive rounds. The other players saw how things were going and backed off from big bets. Huang Sanliuzi continued to play, winning seven or eight more rounds, feeling pretty damn good about himself.
Just as he was happy, a servant from his house came and whispered in his ear, "Hey, the bigwigs are all heading to the yamen tomorrow for the Lantern Festival. You gotta get back to the mansion early tonight so you can make it there on time tomorrow." Huang Sanliuzi said, "What's the hurry? I'm playing all night. Have my sedan chair pick me up here tomorrow. I'll just stay here tonight and go straight to the yamen from here tomorrow. I'll sleep when I get home." The servant knew his temper and could only retreat and comply.
Throughout the night, his luck was pretty lucky, winning more than losing. Later, seeing that everyone was done playing, he had to step down as the banker and let others play. After counting, he won over twenty grand, but still needed half as much as he'd lost yesterday. He regretted playing that risky stall game yesterday and kept saying, "If I'd kept playing, this twenty grand wouldn't have been anything; I coulda won another thirty or fifty K easy..." When it was someone else's turn to be the banker, he placed bets and played for a while, but the banker bailed after losing a few hands. Although he won money, he felt it was boring, so everyone had to let him be the banker again. After taking turns being the banker, it was already four in the morning when it was his turn. Then, out of nowhere, his luck was amazing, betting one thousand and winning one thousand, betting five hundred and winning five hundred. At this point, there wasn't enough cash on the table, so they used chips instead. He had a huge stack of chips next to him, probably worth another twenty to thirty grand.
As everyone was tense, the banker suddenly threw out "Five in Hand." Upon revealing the cards, he saw a heavenly card and a red nine (one point total). Thinking he had definitely lost, he placed the cards on the table and silently smoked a cigarette. To everyone's surprise, the other three players revealed their cards: the top door had a person tile and a one-bamboo; the heavenly door had a tile and a three-six; the bottom door had a winning hand and a one-six. They all added up to just one point. Everyone stared at each other, speechless. Huang San finished his cigarette, turned around, and saw that everyone had one point! This was a shock! He flipped his cards over, slammed them on the table, mumbled an apology, and collected the chips. Those who won money remained silent, while those who lost began to mutter. One said, "Something's fishy here; how could all four doors be one point? And coincidentally, they are heavenly, earthly, human, and winning?" Another said, "The dice must be rigged! Why not throw 'Two on the Banker'? Why not throw 'Four to the End'? But instead, we get 'Five in Hand'? The banker wins with 'Heavenly Nine One'; there’s definitely something going on." Someone else chimed in, "It’s not the cards that are the problem; there must be a ghost! We should burn some paper money; otherwise, why not get other points, but exactly heavenly, earthly, human, and winning all one point?" A big argument broke out, and the game was over.
Huang San Liu Zi was initially afraid of affecting everyone's mood, so he dispersed the gambling session and repeatedly said, "It's not unheard of for casinos to be haunted... We should burn more paper money. When I used to run a casino in my hometown, I had to spend a couple of bucks burning paper money every day. The elderly often say, 'The spirits get jealous watching us have all the fun; they get itchy fingers watching us win. If they have no money, they come to tease us. Burning some paper money for them is fine.'" Shuang Er Ye listened and repeatedly said, "Yeah..." and immediately instructed the steward to buy silver ingots to burn as paper money. After burning the paper, Huang San Liu Zi shuffled the cards and became the dealer again. Unfortunately, there was a gambler who lost the most money and was not convinced, insisting that the cards were rigged and the dice were unreliable. Huang San Liu Zi got angry and argued with him. The man did not back down, and the two argued non-stop. Shuang Er Ye quickly came over to mediate and pulled the losing gambler out of the door. He swore his way out. Peng Tai Zun also strongly advised Huang San Liu Zi, saying, "Chill out, man... He's just a nobody! Don't waste your breath on him." After the quarrel, the game broke up. Some timid people had already slipped away while they were arguing. Seeing that the gambling was not going well, Huang San Liu Zi put the chips in his pocket, lay down, and smoked.
When dawn broke, Huang San Liu Zi's steward and sedan bearers came to serve him to the yamen. In addition to Peng Tai Zun, several junior officials also followed. Huang San Liu Zi greeted everyone to have some snacks and asked everyone to settle up. Huang San Liu Zi said, "What's the hurry? If that punk doesn't show, we'll just gamble later at the office! We've got the chips, right?" The host just kept saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." They used real cash and foreign coins to buy chips, and Shuang Er Ye's games were always legit – fancy chips with his nickname engraved on each one to stop anyone cheating, so everyone felt safe. Now that Huang San Liu Zi suggested gambling after going to the yamen, the host naturally happily agreed.
Soon, everyone finished their snacks and got dressed up. Huang Sanliuzi put on his brocade robe, and before he could put on his outer coat, he counted the gambling chips he had won. In addition to winning back the money he had lost in the past two days, he cleaned up over ten thousand! He was overjoyed, stuffing the chips into his arms one by one without bothering to wrap them up. The steward said, "That's not a good idea, you'll drop them. Let one of your family carry them for you." Huang Sanliuzi replied, "This is the money I won. Today is the fifteenth. Carrying this to the yamen on the fifteenth is lucky!" The family members didn't dare say much.
After dressing up, the sedan chair leader came running and said, "One of my sedan chair bearers is late, please wait a moment, sir." Huang Sanliuzi was fit to be tied, letting out a string of curses. At this time, a military officer, a deputy general temporarily filling in as the right camp commander, saw Huang Sanliuzi waiting at the yamen gate, and since it was the camp office, he said, "Here, use my sedan chair. You go ahead." Huang Sanliuzi saw that he was very enthusiastic, so he got to talking with him, "Brother, you look familiar, have we met somewhere before?" Before the military officer could answer, Shuang Er came over to introduce him. Huang Sanliuzi kept saying, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," and added, "Brother, your soldiers are well-trained; their marching was impeccable, I really admire it!" The military officer said, "You're our boss here, so please look out for us." Huang Sanliuzi replied, "Of course!" As he spoke, he shouted, "I remember now! On the seventh day of the twelfth month last year, there was a funeral, and I think I saw you, leading the procession on horseback, looking mighty impressive! The soldiers under your command were banging on those drums like it was the Lantern Festival itself, with a strong rhythm! C'mon, let's have some fun at the yamen!" After speaking, he quickly went out and got into the sedan chair. The military officer also quickly called his sedan chair bearers. Unexpectedly, Huang Sanliuzi's sedan chair bearer also arrived. Although Huang Sanliuzi scolded him a few times, he still got into his own sedan chair.
They soon arrived at the yamen, submitted the invitation together with the other officials, and were summoned. Upon seeing the magistrate, everyone knelt down to pay their New Year's respects. After the greetings, Huang Sanliu was about to get up, but unexpectedly a colleague on his right accidentally stepped on his official robe. Huang Sanliu got up too quickly and lost his balance for a moment, causing both him and the person who stepped on his clothes to fall. The magistrate saw this and asked repeatedly, "What's going on..." Both of them blushed and struggled to get up. Just as they were halfway up, Huang Sanliu stumbled too hard, and the gambling chips in his robe slipped out of his pocket, fell into his outer coat, and then scattered all over the floor. The magistrate initially only heard the noise and didn't know what it was, so he said, "You two, something fell on the ground; why don't you pick it up quickly..." As he spoke, he asked the patrol to help pick it up. Huang Sanliu felt uneasy and quickly squatted down again, scrabbling on the floor with his sleeve. Fortunately, not many chips fell out, and after picking them up, he didn't dare to put them back in his robe, only holding them in his hand. He dusted off his clothes and followed the other officials to their seats. But he noticed that there was still a valuable chip worth one hundred taels that he hadn't picked up, lying on the carpet. Huang Sanliu felt uncomfortable but dared not pick it up again, his face turning red. In fact, the magistrate had already seen it and knew that it was Huang Sanliu's gambling stake. The magistrate loathed gambling and originally wanted to say a few words to him, but changed his mind and held back. Luckily, the patrol saw the chip, picked it up, and quietly took it away. The magistrate pretended not to see it, and after seeing off the guests, he asked for the chip back, sealed it, and had his messenger return it to Huang Sanliu, sending a message: "Don't let me catch you doing that again, or you'll be sorry!"
Huang Sanliu was a nervous wreck the day he left the yamen, feeling uneasy. He returned home dragging his feet without going to Second Uncle Shuang's house to gamble. When he didn't show up, Second Uncle Shuang sent the steward to invite him. Huang Sanliu sent someone to explain to Second Uncle Shuang's steward that he wasn't feeling well and would go another day. By then, everyone knew about his fall at the yamen and the scattered gambling funds, which became the talk of the yamen. He refused to go again, feeling embarrassed, so no one forced him. A day later, Huang Sanliu received a letter from the yamen, along with the chip he had lost. He felt a mix of gratitude and shame. To avoid any more trouble, he sent a thank-you gift of three thousand taels of silver. When he received a reply saying the official had accepted it, he felt relieved and continued his duties. Meanwhile, Liu Dakuangzi, after taking Hu Jingsun's quit-smoking pills for three months, found his craving for cigarettes had disappeared. However, his face was ashen, and without the pills, he felt even worse than when his cravings hit. Liu Dakuangzi quickly went to ask Hu Jingsun for an explanation. Hu Jingsun said, "You quit smoking; that's all I'm responsible for." Liu Dakuangzi thought he had a point and couldn't argue, so he went to find another doctor for treatment. So much for that.
Since Liu Dakuai went to the provincial capital, his superiors have always been cold to him, and his work assignments were a nightmare. Later, the leader saw his pale face and said his heavy smoking was sapping his energy. Every time they met, he'd get a regular earful. They also said, "Your boy's a real screw-up; you need to get him in line." Liu Dakuai was at a loss, so he went to ask for help from the Fan Tai, saying, "I can't take much more of this." Fan Tai said, "He and your brother aren't close; he might not listen to him. Just endure for a while, then think of a solution." Liu Dakuai had no choice but to go to his uncle. His uncle had been in the officialdom for a long time, had seen it all, and was a smooth operator. After listening to his nephew's complaints, he closed his eyes, thought for a moment, then asked, "What does he usually scold you for?" Liu Dakuai roughly explained the situation. His uncle asked, "Is he really that close to your old man?" Liu Dakuai said, "They've only met a few times; even if there is a relationship, it's just average." His uncle said, "I've got it! To deal with a sanctimonious hypocrite like that, you have to fight fire with fire. You've gotta play him at his own game." Liu Dakuai hurriedly asked, "What method?" His uncle leaned in and gave him the lowdown. Liu Dakuai was half-believing, feeling that it was not quite right, but since things had reached this point, he'd just have to play it by ear.
The next day, Liu Daqiang went to see the boss again. He was a figurehead, and the boss could have easily ignored him, but since he had a good temper and spoke well, the boss tolerated him, often using him as a scapegoat. So, out of ten times he went, he managed to see the boss nine times. After their meeting that day, the boss made small talk for a moment before turning serious, asking, "How much worse is your smoking addiction now?" Liu Daqiang replied, "Boss, I've quit smoking for over two months." The boss scoffed. Liu Daqiang continued, "Ever since I took the pills from Hu Jingsun's 'Association for the Poor and Weak to Quit Smoking,' they've worked pretty well." The boss said, "I don't give a damn whether you smoke or not. Just look at your face in the mirror—who would believe you've quit? Your grandfather didn't smoke; how did you end up picking up this terrible habit? Your grandfather would be rolling in his grave!" Liu Daqiang said nothing, just wiped his tears with his sleeve. The boss went on, "When you step into this role, all that talk about honoring your ancestors is just nonsense! Just don't bring shame on the family name, and you'll be alright." Hearing this, Liu Daqiang felt a mix of his own grievances and his uncle's teachings, and he broke down, crying. The other officials were shocked, and a few felt a pang of sympathy.
I never thought the boss wouldn't be mad. After a while, he said to him, "What I said wasn't meant to hurt you; no need to cry." Liu Dakui wiped away his tears, sniffed, and said, "Boss, I know you meant well. I've listened to your teachings, and it reminds me of when my old man was alive; he often taught me like this. Now my dad has been gone for many years. Listening to your teachings, I feel like such a failure, and I miss my old man. I've been so choked up, I almost cried a few times, but I didn't want to be disrespectful. I couldn't hold back today!" After speaking, he stood up, knelt on the ground, and bowed three times, not getting up for a long time. The boss quickly stood up and helped him up, and the other officials also stood up. The boss said, "What's all this? Get up and talk." Liu Dakui cried and said, "Sir, your teachings, just like my old man used to say – it's all my fault, I deserve it! Please fire me today, so that I can redeem myself; even my dad in heaven will thank you." After speaking, he took off his official hat, removed the second-grade top, and said, "I'm resigning. Boss, you were my dad's best friend; I look at you like a father. I'll quit, follow you around, and learn from you. Maybe someday I can be a better man and not disgrace the family name." After speaking, he knelt straight. The boss kept telling him to get up, and the other guys joined in, but he wouldn't budge. "You gotta promise me first," he said. The boss said, "If you're serious about changing, I'll promote you and show the others what's possible. Why quit?" With that, he had someone put his button back on. The boss personally helped him up, and seeing how much the boss appreciated him, Liu Dakui bowed three more times, then sat back down. The boss said, "Everybody makes mistakes. It's all about learning from them. I hate smoking. It ruins people's lives." At this point, he turned to see the director of the Commerce Bureau also present and asked him, "Is this Hu guy's stop-smoking program any good?" The director of the Commerce Bureau said, "His pills are a hot seller; he's got tons of locations." The boss said, "Just because something sells well doesn't mean it's safe. Look at Liu – he's looking worse than ever. Something's gotta be wrong with those pills." The director of the Commerce Bureau said, "I asked Hu, and he said he's using some old recipe. Since it's making Liu sick, I'll look into it. If there's a problem, we'll shut it down before anyone else gets hurt." The boss said, "Good." After that, he showed them out.
Liu Dakuazi came out from his maternal uncle's place and went to find him again. His uncle asked him how things were going, and Liu Dakuazi laid out the whole situation in detail. His uncle said, "We've already tried this. I promise you'll get promoted in the future and won't hit any more snags. But if you want a good job, you'll have to wait. I'll see what I can do to help you land a top position." Liu Dakuazi pressed his uncle for a firm commitment. His uncle got frustrated and said, "Don't rush! It'll be ten days to two weeks; there will be results. Why are you in such a hurry? I need to think carefully too!" Seeing his uncle getting angry, Liu Dakuazi had no choice but to keep quiet.
Gossip travels fast in official circles. When someone high up farts, everyone below hears it. One day, someone said that Hu Jingsun's medicine was no good, and that same day someone warned him to be careful. Hu Jingsun was a master flatterer. Recently, he pulled some strings to snag a document from the Shandong Relief Donation Bureau, allowing him to handle the donation persuasion work. He was over the moon with this job, visiting people and building relationships. Toting his regulations and receipts, he hustled to persuade people to donate money everywhere. After a month of schmoozing, he managed to obtain a fifth-rank official title, two honorary titles, and five or six passed scholars. That was no small feat. One day, he heard some news that felt like a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. He spent the whole night in the store, pacing back and forth, feeling desperate. Later, he suddenly remembered the provincial governor, whom he had met before and even asked to write a calligraphy piece for his charity event. Maybe he wouldn't forget him. He bit the bullet and went to ask for help. That night, he couldn't sleep.
Early the next morning, he arrived at the provincial governor's office in neat attire. He handed in his official document, but the governor did not see him. Hu Jingsun said there was an urgent matter to discuss, so the governor reluctantly agreed to see him. After they met, the governor was already unhappy, and Hu Jingsun wasted time with pointless chatter. The governor got angry and said, "Just tell me what you want quickly; I'm busy and don't have time to chat with you." Hu Jingsun got nowhere, blushed, coughed, and finally blurted it out. He had only mentioned the "anti-smoking campaign" he had organized before the governor picked up his teacup, said, "I understand," and then sent him away. Hu Jingsun couldn't say anything more and had to leave. He felt completely deflated. Back at the shop, he didn't drink tea or eat, sitting there like a zombie.
Luckily, his wife was a decisive person. When she asked him what was going on, she said, "These days, you gotta have money. If the official ignores you, just give him some cash, and he’ll pay attention to you." Hu Jingsun replied, "Last year when I organized a charity event, I borrowed money from you and still haven't paid you back. How can I afford to butter him up?" His wife said, "Honey, money matters between us are separate from our marriage. Just be true to me. As for showing respect to your superiors, if you don't have cash, I’ll think of something—stuff'll work." Hu Jingsun said, "Look at my store; besides a few packs of pills and bottles of medicinal wine, what else can I give as gifts?" His wife responded, "As long as it's valuable, why can't you give it? Your prescription clearly states 'suitable gifts for officials,' so what's the problem?" Hu Jingsun said, "That's true, but do you know my ten-dollar medicine only costs a few dollars to make? To be honest, it doesn’t even cost two bucks. I'm just hustling to get by." His wife said, "I often see you bribing officials for favors. When you got this job before, you mentioned how much kickbacks you received. Where did that money go?" This reminder made Hu Jingsun think, "I've got these blank receipts. Why not use them to get the official's son a student spot? He’ll owe me a favor. If it works, I'll rake in the cash. If not, he’ll have to give me back the money or the receipts. This way, I’ll have two more students on my charity list, which will look good for future reimbursements." With this plan in mind, he told his wife. She nodded without saying anything, and Hu Jingsun casually ate a bowl of rice, quickly took out the receipts, and wanted to fill out the information with a pen. However, he didn’t know the age, appearance, and family background of the official's son, so he had to put down the pen. After thinking for a long time and not coming up with another solution, he sealed the two receipts and had someone write a letter to the official, stating, "I am currently handling donations and am willing to donate two student spots for your son. Please accept this." He also attached a small note asking the official to help him with the anti-smoking charity event. After writing the letter, he hurriedly handed it to the official's office staff and sat outside the office waiting to be summoned, thinking that this time he would definitely succeed. I sat there for ages, then they asked who sent me. I told the truth, and that was that. I waited till dark, nothing. The guy told me to come back tomorrow. Great.
Who knew that he went to the provincial governor's office for three consecutive days and didn't see anyone? On the fourth day, he received a document from his superior appointing him to handle donations, which stated "in accordance with instructions from the Zhejiang Provincial Governor's office," accusing him of "abusing his position for personal gain," and requesting him to "return the money and get this sorted out." It also stated that he was being dismissed and required to "immediately account for all the money received or not received," and so on. When he received this document, he felt as if he had been hit with a bombshell—he hadn't even solidified his position, and he was already fired. Fortunately, he managed to save face and settled his accounts the next day. Later, he put in a lot of effort to keep his position in the charitable organization and continue his business, but that's a story for another time. More next time!
