She passed through the grand entrance of the gambling house, only to find the place teeming with people and filled with a smoky haze.
Inside the gambling house, there were numerous tables, all surrounded by crowds. The gamblers had fervent expressions, each one looking as if possessed, fixated on the dice cup atop the table.
"Come on, all bets are final, all bets are final!"
"What?? How come it’s small again?"
"My luck’s rotten today; the Old Lady is done playing!"
Someone slammed the table in a huff, and though they vowed to stop playing, to stop gambling, their hands told the truth. They pulled out a handful of copper coins, eyes blazing as they stared at the gambling table. "Last round, I’ll gamble this one last time! If I don’t win, the Old Lady is definitely leaving!!!"
The woman dealing at the table had a stern face; she shook the dice back and forth before finally ’clank!’--lodged them onto the table.
"Come on, any last bets, any?"
"I’m betting on a sequence—the payout’s higher!"
Just as everyone finished placing their bets, the dealer chuckled internally, ready to unveil the dice, but suddenly, a Small Ginseng flew towards the gambling table.
"I bet on one-four-six, with thirteen times the payout!"
Immediately someone shouted, "Who is this person? Is she here to wreck the place? We’re betting silver here, not grass—what’s with this radish-looking thing?"
Just then, the crowd that had been pressing against the gambling table automatically parted to both sides.
Dong Huiying came walking slowly with her hands behind her back, while Zhi Chen followed her with a smile.
Suddenly someone exclaimed, "It’s Dong Dabao!!"
"Is that man behind her her fiancé? Seems like his last name is Liang??"
Miss Dong stood poised before the dealer, "Dong is betting with a Small Ginseng, aged eight years." Soon after, she looked back at the man behind her, "Zhi Chen, what would be the market price for a ginseng of this quality?"
The man answered with a smile, "Such ginsengs, the older they are, the more valuable they become. If converted into silver, it would be worth at least Eight Taels of Silver."
Dong Huiying looked again at the dealer, "How about it, Dealer, shall we count my ginseng as Eight Taels of Silver and place my bet?"
The dealer’s eyes flickered, looking down at the petite Dong Huiying, "Of course, you can, Miss Dong. It’s been a good while since you’ve come to our Taihang Gambling House."
"Ha, busy, aren’t we all busy? Since we can place bets, then let’s roll the dice. My family is nearly starved; we urgently need the silver."
But everyone looked at her as if she were a fool.
To dare betting with a thirteen-fold payout? Had Dong Dabao gone mad? The payout is high, indeed, but the odds against her were even greater!
While everyone was suspicious, the dealer lifted the Dice Cup, and what followed made everyone gasp.
She had actually guessed it right?
The others on the scene were stunned as well, their faces filled with disbelief.
She had actually lucked out like that? A blind cat bumping into a dead mouse?
The dealer’s hand trembled slightly.
The reason why the Taihang Gambling House business was so prosperous relied entirely on the support from the surrounding villages. But after all, these were highland folks; even though many were fond of gambling, none dared to throw around a Small Ginseng worth Eight Taels of Silver with such bravado like Dong Huiying. Considering the villagers’ standards of living, nearly ten taels of silver, if saved up, could even last an entire year of meals. For smaller families, the ten taels of silver might not be exhausted in a year’s food supply.
When Dong Huiying initially placed her bet, the dealer was thrilled. Those who dealt at the gambling house had a share in the profits.