Manager Chen's unusual behavior was attributed by Yang Jian to too much alcohol, so he didn't argue and agreed to transfer some money back for building the house.
Manager Chen's attitude then softened: "Little Yang, I'm saying all this for your own good. People's hearts are hard to read, don't trust people too easily. Xiao Li is the only girl of the Chen family of this generation. I treat her as my own daughter and don't want her to suffer poverty with you."
Yang Jian nodded, "Don't worry, Uncle, I won't let her suffer."
Manager Chen patted his shoulder and left for the restroom without saying more.
Yang Jian didn't take his words to heart and was busy greeting others, forgetting about it later.
The boss bought cars and treated everyone, and the carpentry class felt like a festival, eating meat and drinking, with no overtime for the night shift.
The construction site's extra meal was simple: braised pork belly with dried tofu, a large bowl for everyone, then a fish each, and a few bottles of beer. They bought their own peanuts, eating and drinking with great pleasure.
Yang Jian returned from Baoping, and the carpenters were still celebrating with drinks. Thinking there was no overtime that night, he didn't stop them and walked to the casino alone.
San Pang and others, who were dealing, hadn't drunk any alcohol. When Yang Jian arrived, they had already started.
There were more gamblers than before, and those who arrived late couldn't even squeeze in. Outside the casino, besides those watching videos and playing mahjong, there were quite a few food vendors.
Huang Hua's wife monopolized the cigarettes and drinks in the casino, earning several hundred a day from this alone. She was also responsible for the meals of the casino staff, earning a thousand yuan a day.
The rent for the casino premises was also a thousand yuan a day, collected by Huang Qiao's wife.
The rent and meal expenses were all paid from the gambling company's commission. After deducting the salaries of the internal and external staff, as well as expenses for bribing the police, Yang Jian didn't get much from the gambling company each day; the lion's share went to the Huang brothers.
Fortunately, dealing was very profitable, and he didn't worry about his own venue being sabotaged. Tonight was a good situation, with several high-stakes gamblers arriving from Baoping, betting tens of thousands at a time.
As the venue became more and more popular, Huang Qiao had long since raised the betting limit to one hundred thousand yuan, meaning the dealer could bet a maximum of one hundred thousand per round. If one didn't have this capital, they shouldn't deal.
According to the rules of Pai Gow, with a betting limit of one hundred thousand, the dealer should have at least five hundred thousand yuan to play. However, Yang Jian and his group didn't prepare that much capital, always having a reserve of one hundred thousand. This was because San Pang could now control the entire game, preventing them from losing too badly, but also not winning too much, otherwise, the Huang brothers would become suspicious.
Since there were big fish tonight, Yang Jian decided to go for a big win. Having spent over three hundred thousand on a car during the day, he wanted to win at least half of it back tonight.
Standing on a high stool outside, Yang Jian sent a text message to San Pang with just two words: "Slay the pig."
Upon seeing the message, San Pang naturally understood and began targeting those big gamblers.
San Pang now played dominoes with masterful skill, able to roll the dice to get any number he wished. As long as he was willing, he could let a player win or ensure someone lost.
"Damn, Old Hei, you're having good luck today, won over ten thousand, right?" A tall, thin gambler said enviously to his companion who was putting money into his pocket. The four of them had come together; three had lost over a hundred thousand, while only Old Hei had won, and he was preparing to quit.
Old Hei chuckled, "Not bad, won fifteen thousand. I'm done playing. Do you guys want to continue?"
"Continue what? Today's been terrible luck. Not only did I lose all the money I brought, but I also borrowed eight chips from Boss Huang. I'm done. I'll come back tomorrow."
The tall, thin gambler got up and left. He still had some self-control and quit after losing.
As the two were leaving, the other two also felt they couldn't recoup their losses and got up to leave together.
With the four big fish gone, San Pang began to let go of some wins. Because they had won too much, nearly three hundred thousand, if he didn't let some out, the Huang brothers would not only be suspicious but also envious. To continue dealing, one couldn't win too much at once; this was the experience he and Yang Jian had concluded.
"Wow, the dealer lost it all."
As San Pang revealed his four cards, the entire place erupted in cheers.
His four cards were a two-point ground card, a four-point sum card, a ten-point card, and an eleven-point card. No matter how they were combined, they wouldn't be large.
San Pang combined the two-point and eleven-point cards to form a three-point head card, and the four-point and ten-point cards to form a four-point tail card. The smallest head card among the seven players was a six-point, which was still larger than his tail card.
He had to pay out to seven players, and this single round alone cost over fifty thousand.
The subsequent rounds also saw more losses than wins.
This situation was what the Huang brothers liked best. Money on the gambling table circulated between the dealer and the gamblers, and they received more commission from the "water money."
If the dealer won all the gamblers' money too quickly, or if the dealer kept losing, they wouldn't get much commission.
Also, they didn't want the dealer to lose too much, because if the dealer lost too much, they wouldn't deal anymore. They themselves were unwilling to deal, as it involved risk. Their main income came from commission and betting limits, which were safe and stable, so there was no need to take the risk of dealing.
However, it was also not good for the dealer to win too much, as gamblers would lose money and fewer people would come to play, which was not in their interest.
San Pang clearly understood their mindset. Each time he won thirty to fifty thousand, and occasionally lost a couple of rounds, he remained inconspicuous among the various dealers.
If they were to win too much, the Huang brothers might revoke their dealing privileges or use high-tech means to sabotage the dealer.
Tonight was no different. With the four big gamblers who came, San Pang couldn't kill them all; he had to let one person win and leave, otherwise, they would become suspicious.
When the total winnings reached about one hundred and fifty thousand yuan, the gambling for the night concluded. After exchanging a portion of the cash for the Huang brothers' meal tickets, San Pang and Liang Liang handed over all the cash and meal tickets to Lu Feng without counting them.
This was the rule for dealing; not letting the gambling company know how much money they had won. Of course, if the gambling company's croupier was attentive, they could estimate the approximate amount, as the dealer's winnings all passed through their hands.
Due to carrying a large amount of cash, San Pang and his group now returned to the construction site together.
Lu Feng and Liang Liang received their wages from the company, and then, along with Yang Jian, San Pang, and Liu Chao, returned to the construction site.
All of them were in high spirits because they knew they had won the most today.
"We're getting a new car today, and bonuses. Five thousand each. Little Chao, don't tell your elder brother about this. We won too much today, and it's not good if it gets out."
When they won money, Yang Jian never kept it all to himself. He often gave out bonuses like this. San Pang had already saved over thirty thousand yuan, something he wouldn't have dared to imagine at home. He had never had tens of thousands in savings before.
"Don't worry, Brother Jian. I never tell my elder brother about the casino. He also doesn't dare to ask me because he's afraid I'll tell my sister-in-law and parents about his affairs with other women."
Liu Chao now strongly disliked his elder brother. All day long, he was either reeking of alcohol or bragging and boasting, as if his brain had gone bad. Compared to before, he seemed like a different person, extremely arrogant.