Chapter 23: Chapter 0023 Beautiful Women Love to Hear These Words
Lin Jialan was grading homework when Luo yang arrived, and she greeted him warmly. She was also very angry when she mentioned how frightened her daughter was by Xie Dongshan.
"Sister An, extend your hand, let me take your pulse," Luo yang said.
An Yuying then placed her hand on the table.
After taking her pulse and according to the medical knowledge recorded in the Shennong Scripture, An Yuying was overly frightened. A massage followed by taking Cinnabar Calming Pills would do.
Having the prescription for Cinnabar Calming Pills in his mind, Luo yang said, "Sister An, I'll write you a prescription, and your illness should get better after taking it for a few days. I'll give you a massage now."
So An Yuying lay down on the long sofa, and Luo yang massaged her according to the techniques described in the Shennong Scripture.
After finishing the massage, he asked An Yuying for paper and pen and wrote down the prescription for Cinnabar Calming Pills.
Once done, he handed it to An Yuying to review.
It read: "Cinnabar (grind separately, water levigated to a thin coat) 15 grams, Rhizoma Coptidis (remove whiskers, clean, wine washed) 18 grams, honey-fried licorice root 16.5 grams, raw Rehmannia 4.5 grams, Angelica Root 7.5 grams."
"Grind the medicine into fine powder, refine with honey into pills; take 6-9 grams each time before bed with warm boiled water; or as a decoction, reduce the dosage proportionally according to the original formula, finely grind the cinnabar and take with the decoction."
Looking at the vigorous and powerful handwriting, An Yuying exclaimed with admiration, "Niu Zai, you are so talented!"
As Luo yang reminisced about the earlier scene where he glanced at An Yuying's delicate figure, he was brought back to reality by her praise and chuckled, "Sister An, you are a university graduate, how could I possibly compare with you?"
With just one sentence, he flattered An Yuying into a beaming smile.
After sitting at the An Family's house for a while, Luo yang said goodbye and left. However, instead of heading home, he walked toward the house of Hongyun Brigade's biggest village bully, Lang Yifeng.
Lang Yifeng had set up a gambling den in his own house, which buzzed with activity every night. He was extremely fierce and acted with caution and cunningness, slightly understanding counter-surveillance. Whenever gambling was organized, lookouts were placed along the road to the gambling house, and he often escaped punishment.
Not only people from Hongyun Brigade would gamble there but also people from other brigades, and occasionally some bosses would come to play.
In the open space behind Lang Yifeng's three-story western-style house, a large tent had been erected. At night, it was brightly lit, and the shouts of the gamblers rose and fell in chorus.
As a member of Hongyun Brigade, Luo yang was not stopped by the lookouts who were from his own village and recognized him as he entered the gambling house.
He was considered a rare visitor, as he seldom came here.
The tent was filled with smoke that was even thicker than firsthand cigarette smoke. Judging by the attire of the gamblers, one could tell who were the bosses and who were the ordinary villagers. Bosses typically played only with people they knew, as a precaution against cheats and tricksters.
The bosses gambled big, and usually, a crowd of gamblers surrounded them to watch the excitement.
After entering the tent, just a single glance was enough for Luo yang to know there were four bosses playing three-card brag, and that was the liveliest table.
The rest were ordinary villagers, with some playing Texas hold'em, others blackjack, three-card monte, and even mahjong. There were even games of dominoes, which had become a rarity in those times.
Lang Yifeng was in the gambling house. He was about 30 years old, about 1.8 meters tall, and built like a bull. He had sharp, piercing eyes, especially when looking at people. He practiced martial arts from a young age and often danced with lions during the Spring Festival. His nickname was 'Lion King.' He wore a thick gold chain around his neck, sported a rooster's comb hairstyle dyed red, and from a distance, it appeared as if a tuft of fire was perched upon his head.
Seeing Luo yang, Lang Yifeng asked with his face raised, "Niu Zai, wanna play mahjong?"
"I'm here to play Texas hold'em," Luo yang replied.
Just then, a gambler who had lost all his stake made room, and Luo yang took his place.
Mahjong tiles were too thick for even Luo yang, despite his X-Ray Ability, to see through.
Only with playing cards could he easily discern the numbers and suits. Playing Texas hold'em was almost an assured win for him.
After several games, Luo yang had turned his initial stake of two hundred yuan into two thousand yuan. His winning streak caught the attention of many people.
Lang Yifeng brought a mirror and stood behind Luo yang, placing the mirror in front of him, and said, "Niu Zai, look at me in the mirror and tell me, who's handsomer, you or me?"
Actually, Luo yang was aware of his intentions. If there were any high-tech equipment for X-Ray Vision concealed in his eyes, it would reflect in the mirror.
"I'm still the handsomer one," Luo yang laughed.
"No wonder you've been so lucky tonight," Lang Yifeng said as he took away the mirror and stood by to watch.
After this incident, Luo yang realized he had been too conspicuous. Continuing like this, he feared no one would dare to play with him. So he adopted a strategy where he would lose small but win big, repeatedly losing small bets and then suddenly winning a large one. In this cycle, he was still making money.
Inadvertently, Luo yang had won over twenty thousand yuan, and the gamblers playing Texas hold'em with him were both envious and frustrated, yet they had run out of money and wanted to borrow from him.
"Sorry, it's not appropriate to borrow money during gambling. Everyone understands this rule; there's no need for me to explain further," Luo yang said earnestly.
"Niu Zai, you've had particularly good luck tonight. How about playing all night?" Lang Yifeng suggested.
Luo yang, of course, heard the implication in his words—it meant that since he had won money, he could not leave and had to battle until dawn.
However, Luo yang was on a hot streak and not many gamblers dared to come up and play Texas hold'em with him.
To fill the seats, Lang Yifeng personally took up the game, and several of his subordinates joined the gambling ring, suggesting they would not let Luo yang leave with the money he had won.