Chương 62: Delivering a Gift

Qinghe County, late at night. Following the map marked in his mind, Song Que quickly found his destination. The Golden Deer Casino. The name was incredibly rustic, but it was absolutely one of the top two largest gambling dens in Qinghe County. This was one of the Fierce Tiger Gang's primary sources of income, so one could well imagine the level of security here. The gatekeepers and the security team were uniformly martial artists!

A First-Grade martial artist, who would be considered a local tyrant in Yellow Leaf Town, had to obediently guard the door here—and do so without the slightest hint of resentment. This was a lucrative job with plenty of 'oil and water' (extra income/bribes) to be skimmed. Others were practically cracking their heads open trying to get a spot here. Jingling a few dozen taels of silver in his hand, Song Que was quickly led inside by a waiter. Entering for the first time, Grandee Song's eyes lit up.

The space was expansive and clean. The walls were covered with sparkling glazed lamps, and the faint scent of incense and spices lingered in the air, very pleasant to the nose. The tables and chairs were arranged logically and neatly, presenting a truly magnificent and resplendent scene. Around the tables, there was no shortage of heavily made-up women walking back and forth. Some were shouting and cheering, while others acted coquettishly to encourage the high rollers.

The management here really has a head for marketing! I wonder if they learned this from somewhere else or came up with it themselves. If it's the latter, this person is absolutely a talent. Song Que secretly noted. Waving away a few approaching brothel girls, Song Que wasn't in a hurry to start 'working'. Instead, he took his time strolling around. Compared to the ones in town, this casino—whether in terms of scale, number of customers, or quality—was vastly superior.

Naturally, the betting limits were also much higher. Bets of five or ten taels were commonplace everywhere. The types of gambling were also abundant. Not only were there dice, but card games, board games, and mahjong had all appeared. Grandee Song felt dizzy just looking at them all. While he was absorbed in observing, a waiter in uniform approached and asked attentively:"Honored guest, have you found a game that interests you, or do you have any questions?"

"Oh, nothing much. I'm just looking to see if my companions are here. I arranged to meet some people tonight to scratch this itch, but I haven't seen a single one of them yet." Song Que smoothly lied without batting an eye.

"I see. This humble one noticed you looked very unfamiliar, Honored Guest, and was afraid you might not be accustomed to the games here. If you need anything explained, please don't hesitate to call for me." Excellent observational skills, and very attentive service! Song Que inwardly praised their operational style. To have this kind of business mindset in this era was absolutely rare.

"Mm, you can step back. I was just taking a look. Since they aren't here, whatever, I'm not waiting anymore. My hands are already itching!" The 'God of Gamblers' Song waved the waiter away with a hearty laugh, rubbed his hands together eagerly, and headed toward a dice table. He didn't forget to discreetly watch the waiter approach a middle-aged man in white robes with a thin mustache and whisper to him. Memorizing the man's face, Song Que finally focused his attention on the gambling table in front of him.

He used the same old method: when he won, he secretly stashed the money in his Storage Space; when he lost, he acted as if he wanted the whole village to know about it. After playing a few rounds, he changed tables. Only when the money in his hand was down to the last silver coin did he angrily grumble a few curses and leave with a look of regret. Song Que had barely taken a few steps out the door when someone called out to him. It was the same waiter from before.

He respectfully offered up a tael of broken silver with both hands and said with a smile:"Honored Guest, my Shopkeeper saw that you had terrible luck today and lost all your money. Fearing that you might have difficulty getting by tonight, he instructed me to gift you a little travel money for self-defense, hoping that next time you come, luck will be on your side and you'll return with a massive win." This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Looking at the silver offered by the waiter, Song Que was genuinely impressed. With service like this, even the most difficult customer would feel comfortable. Curious about the 'Shopkeeper' the waiter mentioned, he probed:"May I ask who your Shopkeeper is?"

"To answer the Honored Guest, our Shopkeeper's name is Fan Yiwang. He is the manager of this establishment." Fan Yiwang, huh. Song Que memorized the name. He reached out, took the silver coin, and immediately shoved it back into the waiter's hand as a tip, asking with a smile:"Keep the silver. I'm traveling with companions; I won't starve to death. Tell me more about this Shopkeeper Fan." Receiving the tip, the waiter was thrilled.

He nimbly tucked the silver into his robes, and his mouth, like an unsealed valve, poured out everything he knew. From him, Song Que learned that Fan Yiwang was originally a poor scholar. His family couldn't afford to keep him in school, so he had to hit the streets early to make a living. He went from sitting on street corners selling calligraphy to doing accounting for people. Having a great talent for business, he quickly stood out.

He was fortunate enough to catch the eye of Xu Chong, the Grand Elder of the Fierce Tiger Gang. Promoted steadily, he was now the Shopkeeper of the Golden Deer Casino. Furthermore, Fan Yiwang was meticulous, reliable, and his performance was increasingly outstanding, earning him quite a reputation within the gang. Even Gang Leader Lu Tianxiong had mentioned him numerous times. Secretly memorizing all of this, Grandee Song waved the waiter away.

Counting the extra 500-plus taels of silver in his Storage Space, he returned home satisfied.... The next morning. Sleeping until the sun was high in the sky, Song Que finally lazily got out of bed. Zhong Hong, who had been worrying since last night, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he hadn't heard any news of major incidents in the city this morning. And now, seeing Song Que sitting comfortably in a chair, leisurely sipping congee, his heart completely settled.

Curious, he sat next to him and asked:"A'Que, what happened? Why did you wake up so late today?"

"Nothing much, Brother Hong. Just slept late last night, so I was still a bit sleepy." Hearing this, the flames of gossip ignited in Zhong Hong's heart! Dressing up in disguise in the middle of the night to do unspeakable things... his brain instantly filled in the details! A young lad visiting a bustling city for the first time, unable to resist temptation! Sneaking out in the dead of night, spear in hand, taking on a whole den of vixens single-handedly!

'The Old Man Pushes the Cart', 'Guanyin Sits in Meditation'... unleashing ultimate moves one after another! Fighting until the sky went dark and the earth spun! Looking at his slightly haggard appearance, that's almost 90% guaranteed to be the truth! Instantly, a lecherous smile spread across his face:"You're still young, kid, you need to know some restraint! Otherwise, that thing won't be able to stand up in the future! Hehehe... but tell me, how was it last night? Is there anything you still don't understand?

Let Big Brother teach you!" Saying that, he even winked and raised his eyebrows suggestively at him. Song Que's face turned black. Not bothering to explain, he waved his hand to shoo him away:"Brother Hong, you're overthinking it. If you're free, go prepare a gift for me. It doesn't need to be too expensive, around ten taels will do. I'm taking it to the Zhan family later."

"Hehehe, we're all grown men here, what's there to be embarrassed about? Next time, let's go together! I want to broaden my horizons too!" When it came to actual tasks, Zhong Hong wasn't sloppy. He teased Song Que one last time before getting up to prepare the gift. Watching Brother Hong saunter away, swaying his hips, Song Que ground his teeth in frustration. With nowhere to vent his anger, he could only bury his head and demolish his bowl of congee.... The Zhan Family Residence.

After knocking on the door, Song Que stood quietly holding the gift box, waiting. A moment later, someone opened the door, and a beautiful figure peeked out from inside.

"Miss Xiaoxiao, good morning." Seeing the handsome youth standing before her, smiling and greeting her, Zhan Xiaoxiao instantly blushed. She lowered her head and replied:"Young Master Song, what is the matter? The steamed buns are all sold out today." Does this girl think I'm addicted to her buns just because I come buy them every day?! Song Que was utterly speechless.

"Haha, I'm not here to buy buns today. Miss Xiaoxiao, is Uncle Zhan home?" Not buying buns? True, it's too late for that. Then why is he knocking on the door? Zhan Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes and asked:"My father? He is home. Does Young Master Song have some business with him?"

"Yes, I'm here today to deliver a gift and to ask Uncle Zhan for a favor." Meeting my father. Bringing a gift. To ask for a favor! The young girl's wildly imaginative mind instantly connected the dots, and her face flushed beet-red. She lowered her head, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, and mumbled:"This... Young Master Song... isn't this... a bit too fast?" Fast? Is it fast? Song Que tilted his head, thought for a moment, and felt the timing was actually just right.

He smiled and replied:"It has to happen sooner or later anyway, so I thought asking now is appropriate." As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze. Wait a minute! How could this girl possibly know I'm here to ask to learn martial arts? Then what exactly was she asking about?! Looking at Zhan Xiaoxiao's shy and bashful demeanor, Song Que's mind clicked, and then he practically turned to stone. Girl! You're thinking way too much! We've only known each other for a grand total of a few minutes!

Meanwhile, Xiaoxiao's heart was racing like a panicked deer, pounding furiously. She felt dizzy and stammered:"I... you... I think... we... still need to get to know each other better..."

"You little brat! You must have eaten the guts of a tiger and a leopard to dare tease my daughter!" Before Song Que could even open his mouth, an overwhelming, bone-chilling aura surged toward him, followed by Old Zhan's furious roar! Song Que's mind went completely blank. He felt like he'd been struck by lightning, burnt to a crisp on the outside and tender on the inside!... Let's rewind a bit to Zhan Sheng.

The father and daughter had just packed up the stall and were tidying up when they heard a knock at the door. Feeling slightly suspicious about who would look for him at this hour, but being busy, he told his daughter to go open the door and see who it was. After waiting for a long time, his precious daughter hadn't returned. Without even a word sent back to him, the old man instantly grew anxious. Could someone be trying to harm my precious daughter?! Are they tired of living?!