Mahjong is a knife

  Mahjong is a knife

  Sunday, drizzle all over. I have nothing to do, so I go to Sanbao's house to try my luck.

  The Sanbao family is a notorious entertainment center in the village, where people make or lose fortunes almost every day.

  I arrived at Sanbao's home, and Sanbao and his wife were accompanying two gamblers playing mahjong together. When they saw me enter, Sanbao's wife hastily stood up to greet me: "Ah, the lone player has arrived! Better late than never, we're having a 'Battle of Fangcheng' here, just in time for three lacking one." Sanbao's wife hurriedly offered me a seat, and I couldn't decline her enthusiastic invitation, so I had no choice but to accept.

  "Rubbing hemp is purely entertaining but not stimulating, why don't we make a small bet on winning or losing?" San Bao suggested.

  Sun Jun echoed in agreement, and Li Jun did not object either.

  The three of them cast their eyes on me, and I listened respectfully.

  The Fangcheng War opens its curtain...

  …………

  "I'm blowing the 'North Wind', which of the Four Winds has the capital to stop me?" Sun Jun said with a pleased smile.

  "How about 'Three North Visits England and Taiwan' here?... Haha...... Gun head blooming...... Glued. Ten yuan per person, take out your wallet." San Bao exclaimed with joy.

  "Old Sun, shouldn't have made a move when he did, isn't this atypical mahjong master making a low-level mistake?" Li Jun reminded.

  "Who wants to play cards with a rotten melon, didn't even get 360,000 from the upper house, and was delighted to pick up golden ingots on the way." Sun Jun said nonchalantly.

  "Unharmonious and self-willed, poor in spirit and cruel at heart, thin horse with long hair." Li Jun blamed.

  "Unreasonable with the family above, reasonable with the family below, and only then can it be called a fixed principle." San Bao said sarcastically.

  "In my opinion, playing mahjong and that family have no fixed rules, only relying on luck, fortune, and wealth, that's the only fair way." I also mediated from the side.

  "It's all because I listened to San Bao's words and didn't follow the rules of the signboard. If not, we would have made a fortune with the three families long ago." Sun Jun said regretfully.

  "You're still alive after losing at cards, and you even wrote 'The Secret of Mahjong', stop fooling people." Li Jun sneered.

  "The mahjong table is like a battlefield, winning and losing are common occurrences for soldiers. If you don't suffer in the midst of great winds and waves, how can you become a mahjong master? Do you know the origins of idioms like 'to feign an attack on the east while attacking the west', 'to secretly cross the river by night' and 'to lure someone into a trap'? That's what I call strategy and tactics." Sun Jun said with a sly smile.

  "If you want to be a master of the hemp circle, it's impossible without paying some price. This is called 'putting out a long line to catch big fish, if you can't bear to sacrifice your children, you won't be able to trap the wolf'." San Bao said.

  "Lao San, you're just like 'a knife cutting tofu - both sides smooth', just like Xu Shu in the Three Kingdoms, a good sir indeed." Li Jun said sarcastically.

  "What brand are you? Don't splash urine and take a look at yourself." Lao San retorted.

  "Alright, alright, stop spouting nonsense. Let's cut the small talk and get back on track. Let's continue!" I advised somewhat impatiently.

  The Battle of Fangcheng unfolded into an intense battle...

  I started with a string of wins, had some losses and wins in the middle games, but by the end I was exhausted and lost every game.

  Not only did I lose the 500 yuan that was all I had on me, but I also owed Sun Jun 100 yuan. What a stroke of bad luck.

  I flew back with a defeated wing, all the way thinking, "Why did my luck start so well, but when it came to the final bid, I didn't win a single game. Is this really just a matter of luck or...?"

  I can hardly believe that all this was their deliberate plan, and I'm just a poor lamb who unwittingly fell into their trap.

  A few hundred dollars, gone in just one afternoon, it's really not worth it. I'm extremely regretful, what to do? How to face my wife's inquiry when I get back? Should I tell the truth or make up a huge lie? I'm really at a loss.

  Although I failed, I finally understood a truth. It's hard to win in the mahjong room, nine out of ten people lose. As a philosopher once said: Mahjong is a knife, if you're not careful, it will leave you with scars that will make you suffer for the rest of your life.