Xiang Wudi: "Haha, top-notch!"
Li Jincheng: "You guys are too cruel, second brother, I support you, I’ll just play a minor role and then stop."
Yang Ge: ಠ益ಠ
After the second round was over, Yang Ge silently paid these three scoundrels the full amount of money they won.
"Rustle rustle..."
The three of them began shuffling the mahjong tiles again, and Yang Ge spoke up, "Xiang, what have you been up to all this year? I haven’t seen you messing around or visiting me..."
Xiang Wudi blandly replied, "What else could I do? I was holed up at home studying and practicing martial arts. Li has beaten those seven families so badly that they group up every two or three days to come to my house to lament, blocking my door so much that I couldn’t go out. They’re all somehow related, so I couldn’t be too harsh. I just had to stay home and refuse visitors."
Li Jincheng sneered, "It seems I still beat them too lightly!"
Xiang Wudi glanced at him annoyedly, "Keep it down. If you really beat them too badly, I might not be able to withstand my uncles and aunts coming to seek a settlement."
Li Jincheng angrily said, "Can you blame me for this? Did I go to Jiangnan on my own to find them..."
"Stop stop stop..."
Yang Ge had a headache, "Xiang didn’t say much, what are you getting so worked up for? Since you’ve already decided to talk to them, if they don’t take the hint and step down, I don’t think they’d have the face to seek Xiang’s help anymore, right?"
Xiang Wudi pointed at Yang Ge, "Look at second brother, and then look at yourself. Do you even have a bit of the majesty of a family head?"
Li Jincheng: "Hmph!"
Yang Ge: "But really, their intentions are clear, and you hiding like this isn’t a solution."
Xiang Wudi: "What’s your brilliant idea, second brother?"
"Nothing brilliant..."
Yang Ge shook his head, "I just think that our people in China are talented and the land is spirit-filled, home to hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Yet, everyone is just doggedly fighting over the same small territory passed down from our ancestors, which is such a waste."
Xiang Wudi’s mind was stirred, "What do you mean, second brother?"
Yang Ge: "Go out, fight out, expand our territory, build a nation elsewhere!"
"Smack."
Xiang Wudi, excited, slammed the mahjong table, causing the tiles to jump around: "I knew it, second brother, you understand me. I’ve been discussing with Wang, trying to see if he can allocate me a few dozen ships to go to the South Seas and plant our flag. You mentioned before, didn’t you, that countries overseas are desperately grabbing for money, land, and people? Isn’t this exactly what our ancestors excelled at?"
"Oh?"
Yang Ge looked at Xiang Wudi in surprise, "Is that really what you think?"
Xiang Wudi: "For over a year now, that’s all I’ve been focusing on. Provisions, manpower, weapons, armor, including the follow-up measures of land reformation and temple building, I’ve got it all roughly planned out. Just need Wang to get me those ships, and I could set sail by next midsummer..."
"Damn it!"
Yang Ge, also excited, slammed the mahjong table and gave Xiang Wudi a thumbs-up, "Just with this ambition and vision, you should indeed be the leader of the young generation in the martial world!"
Yang Tiansheng also gave Xiang Wudi a surprised thumbs-up, "Son of a gun, we’ve met nearly ten times this year, haven’t we? And you didn’t breathe a word about it, awesome, you’re really fucking awesome!"
Li Jincheng heavily slapped Xiang Wudi on the shoulder, "For anything to do with water, don’t just rely on Wang, you know. Lianhuan Fort is an expert in this too. Just give me a shout when the time comes, I’ll send a team over, way more reliable than all your uncles and aunts!"
"Thanks, thanks..."
Being close friends, Xiang Wudi wasn’t secretive, showing off a little as he bowed to everyone, "As long as you’re interested, you’re definitely in on this... Tsk, that Zhao Family does nothing right. We men definitely won’t play with them anymore. The world outside is vast; where can’t we make a living?"
Yang Ge, with a smile on his face, played the last mahjong tile: "Let’s find a time soon to sit down and thoroughly plan this out, get the supplies ready... Eh, none of you won?"
The three simultaneously nodded, "Hmm... Have you made your hand yet?"
Yang Ge looked at the table, then at his own hand. His smile quickly disappeared as he yelled, "Fuck, are you guys trapping and slaughtering me again?"
His smile moved to Yang Tiansheng’s face, who pushed his tiles with a full grin, "None of us want bamboos, and yet you insist on making a bamboo flush. Who else should we cut if not you? Long Qi with pairs."
Li Jincheng, looking smug, gently brushed the tile surface and pushed forward, "Backing off? You actually backed off from all those excellent characters, who else should we cut if not you? Big win, characters flush with two kongs."
Xiang Wudi sighed and pushed the last tile in his hand, "I even gave you a hint, but you kept discarding. Who’s to blame... Kongs with circle fishing."
Yang Ge glanced at the pixiu ornament to his left, silently for a moment before suddenly rising and yelling, "From today on, I swear off gambling!"
Having said that, he turned around and stalked off, fuming.
The three behind him laughed so hard they couldn’t straighten up; this feeling was even better than beating Yang Ge in a duel!
"Hmph, ganging up to fleece my second brother, huh?"
Zhao Miao, rolling up her sleeves and marching confidently to Yang Ge’s seat, said, "Watch how I teach you a lesson!"
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.