Ignoring the strange, scrutinizing gaze of the neighbor, Lin Ya calmly returned home.
The rice and eggs came from his mother-in-law; although she couldn’t bear to see the original owner’s despondent state, she wanted to prevent her granddaughter and grandson from starving. Afraid he would be wasteful, she only visited every ten days or half a month, bringing some rice, oil, eggs, and vegetables, with no money to spare.
The fragrant smell of cooked rice made the child hiding in the wardrobe of another room’s closet grumble with hunger. He quickly emerged, thrilled because only when his grandmother visited was there food to eat.
If grandmother was here, it meant that sister should be back too.
Listening to the distant rumbling in his stomach, Lin Ya swiftly served the cooked eggplant from the pot and used a cloth to pick up the steamed eggs from the rice cooker. He set up a small table in the kitchen and placed the dishes on it.
“Dinner’s ready, come over.”
Ren Chao, peeking out from the door, waved him over. As Ren Chao slowly relaxed his guard and walked in, Lin Ya placed the egg custard in front of him and served him a bowl of rice.
Lin Ya’s expression softened a bit as he gently said, “Eat up.”
The five-year-old boy, growing in such an environment, appeared quite sensible. He cautiously glanced at Lin Ya, seeming to feel that his father was very different now, which gave him a bit more courage. Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t eaten all day, he picked up the spoon and began eating while murmuring, “So delicious…”
After a couple of bites of the egg custard, he pushed the bowl towards Lin Ya.
“Dad should also eat; the egg is delicious.” He was clearly very tempted but tried hard to suppress it, only his unwillingness evident in his eyes.
Lin Ya reached out to pat his little head and pushed the bowl back.
“Be good; Dad doesn’t like to eat. You eat, and when you finish, go back to your room to play. Father needs to go to grandmother’s house to pick up your sister. I’ll bring you some candied hawthorn when I come back.”
Ren Chao’s eyes widened, a shy smile appearing on his thin face as he nodded vigorously, “Okay!”
After they finished eating, Lin Ya sent Ren Chao back to his room. Noticing the sour smell on himself, Lin Ya hesitated but eventually decided to leave the house as it was.
After all, he would be going to a dirty place anyway; it was better to wash up after coming back.
The town’s casino was where Ren Jing had loved to go these past two years. The people at the casino naturally recognized him, and greetings were inevitable.
“Hey! Scholar Ren is here again!”
“Are you going to play big or small today? Or are you playing Pai Gow?”
Lin Ya nodded slightly and smiled as he replied, “I didn’t have enough fun yesterday, so I’m back for more today.”
“Still playing big? I dreamt of the God of Wealth last night, so today should be good for fortune.”
“That’s perfect! Come on in!” The people in the casino chuckled to themselves; everyone knew that this scholar Ren had gambled away even the dowry left by his wife and, it was said, that he had sold his daughter yesterday.
This was quite the scholar…tch.
Lin Ya paid no mind to their thoughts and stepped into the casino. As soon as he entered, the noise inside became gradually louder.
The casino was located in a small alley near the entrance of the town, where the residents were generally lowly characters. The two-story wooden building was quite spacious; the first-floor hall was divided into two rooms by boards, one for playing dice and the other for Pai Gow, while the second floor had private rooms.
Lin Ya directly entered the room on the right where the dice were being played, finding several tables. He approached a long table surrounded by people just as the dealer shook the dice in his hands.
With a “bang,” the bamboo tube filled with dice landed on the table.
“Come, come! Bets are closed!”
“I bet big!”
“Small, small, small! I bet small!”
“Big! Big!”
Lin Ya did not hesitate; he directly pressed his half tael of silver and several copper coins on small. The other players were stunned. Usually, people only bet with copper coins, and it wasn’t much, so half a tael was quite rare.
Unless one was blinded by excitement or was from a relatively wealthy family, such behavior was still uncommon in their small town.
The dealer was momentarily taken aback, but then quickly called out, “Bets are closed! Here we go!”
He promptly picked up the bamboo tube.
“It’s small!!!”
Everyone marveled at Lin Ya’s good luck; he could earn a decent amount from this round.
To avoid drawing attention in the casino, Lin Ya did not place all his winnings at once but spread them out. By the end of the morning, he had lost some but mostly won, pocketing his winnings and constantly changing tables; the others had no idea how much he really won.
As Lin Ya stepped out of the casino, his arms felt heavy with the weight of his earnings. He hurried towards the county town, about a half-hour trip from the town. He needed to purchase the flower building in the heart of the Misty Willow Alley, hoping he could reach it in under an hour.
The city gates would close before six in the afternoon, so he had to be back before they shut.
As he entered the Misty Willow Alley, the once bustling street felt more tranquil in the daylight, with numerous exquisite pavilions and towers compared to ordinary houses.
Lin Ya traversed the lively street, calming his rapid breaths, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. It was a long way to walk in the hot weather, and his body, used to years of heavy drinking and lack of exercise, was undoubtedly struggling.
The late May sunlight was particularly glaring. Upon a closer look, the drought had long been foreseen. Since the start of spring, there had been little rain; the rice that had been planted now looked shriveled, sparse on the cracked ground, which could only retain some moisture if water was carried in by people.
Even the trees in the mountains were not as lush as in previous years, and the river had lowered its water level, causing the animals to flee deeper into the mountains.
Perhaps experienced old farmers could have made some guesses, but it was uncertain at this time.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Lin Ya arrived at the small courtyard behind the Misty Rain Tower and knocked on the wooden door fitted with a copper lock.
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