My Taoist nun girlfriend is from the Republic of China era, 1942.

Chapter 69 The Gambler with No Way Out

Lu Yuan carefully folded the letter and put it back into the wooden box.

Just as he was about to say a few words of comfort, a burst of noisy cursing suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. The rough male voice, like a broken gong, tore apart the tranquility of the small courtyard.

"Huang Wei! It's almost the end of the month, get the hell out here! Stop hiding at home like a coward!"

"If you don't pay me back, believe me, I'll tear down your door!"

The old hens in the yard were startled and clucked and ran around.

Zhou Yanchun, who was on the recliner, trembled. Her face, which had just regained some color, turned ashen, and her eyes were filled with shame and fear.

Huang Wei suddenly sprang up from the bench, his face turning pale and then red, and shouted at the door in a low voice, "What are you yelling about? Are you trying to kill me?"

Before the words were even finished, the already rickety wooden door was kicked open with a loud bang, the door panel crashing against the wall and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Three thuggish-looking men blocked the doorway. The leader was a fat man with a buzz cut, a fake gold chain around his neck, a face full of scars, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

It was Cai Dabao, a notorious hoodlum in Anqiao Town.

"Oh, we have guests over?"

Cai Dabao's eyes swept around the room, and when he saw Chen Xiaomiao, his eyes lit up.

"Huang Wei, you're something else! This pretty girl is a distant relative of yours?"

"Brother Bao, he's a college student, and he came to ask me about my grandpa's affairs..."

"A college student? The last time I went to a bathhouse in Jiangcheng, the person who helped me also said he was a college student."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Dabao's two henchmen burst into laughter.

Although Chen Xiaomiao couldn't understand Cai Dabao's lewd remarks, she could more or less sense that something was wrong.

Her eyebrows furrowed, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she took a step forward, angrily shouting, "Who are you people! What do you think you're doing in broad daylight!"

Cai Dabao chuckled, spat out his cigarette butt, and reached out his greasy hand to pinch Chen Xiaomiao's shoulder.

"Young lady, you've got quite a temper..."

Before Cai Dabao could touch Chen Xiaomiao, a hand gripped his wrist like an iron clamp.

Lu Yuan's face remained expressionless as he calmly stared at Cai Dabao, slowly increasing the pressure in his hand.

"what--!"

Cai Dabao's smile began to twist in pain, and his pig-like screams echoed throughout the courtyard.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Let go! Let go of me now!"

Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate, Huang Wei rushed over, his face plastered with a humble and obsequious smile, and grabbed Cai Dabao's other arm while bowing and scraping.

"Brother Bao, Brother Bao, please calm down! We have guests at home, please give me some face, don't shout, don't shout..."

He turned to Lu Yuan and pleaded, "Brother, please have mercy! It's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Lu Yuan glanced at Huang Wei and let go of his hand.

Cai Dabao clutched his bright red wrist, wincing in pain. His eyes held a hint of fear as he looked at Lu Yuan, but his words remained foul: "Damn it, you just wait..."

"Brother Bao!"

Huang Wei quickly interrupted him, took out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and handed it to him: "How about this, you come with me to the bank in town, I'll withdraw some money for you, and pay off this month's interest first, okay?"

Cai Dabao stared at him suspiciously: "You have money?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It just arrived in my account!"

With a forced smile, Huang Wei almost bent over and pushed Cai Dabao towards the yard: "Come with me, let's talk outside, don't scare my mom."

Cai Dabao followed Huang Wei away, cursing and swearing. The room returned to silence, with only a lingering smell of smoke remaining...

Lu Yuan stared at Huang Wei's departing figure, a thought rising in his mind.

Just received the money?
Where would a gambling addict get money?

Zhou Yanchun's shoulders shrugged slightly, and after a long while, she finally let out a sigh: "I've... I've made you all laugh at me..."

"Grandpa, please don't say that."

Lu Yuan pulled Chen Xiaomiao to sit down again, his tone very gentle: "Everyone has their difficulties."

After calming the old man down, he changed the subject.

"Grandpa, have Niu Niu and her brother been taking care of you all along?"

"yes……"

Zhou Yanchun wiped her eyes with the back of her hand: "My two grandchildren are both sensible...it's just that they're unlucky to have such a father..."

As they were talking, the little girl named Niu Niu returned to the house and carefully poured a cup of tea for Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao.

"Brother, sister, have some tea," the little girl said in a childish voice.

Looking into her clear yet timid eyes, Lu Yuan's heart softened, and he reached out to pat her head.

"Niu Niu is such a good girl."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled gently at the little girl: "Niu Niu, I need to go to town to take care of some things later, but I don't know the area well. Could you show me the way?"

"After I finish my business, I'll treat you to something delicious."

Niu Niu subconsciously looked at her grandmother.

A glint flashed in Zhou Yanchun's cloudy eyes. She knew the young man meant well, so she nodded to her granddaughter: "Go ahead, listen to your brother."

"Mmm!" Niu Niu nodded vigorously, and a childlike smile finally appeared on her face.

The only decent fast food restaurant in Anqiao Town is called "McKenji," but its red and yellow signboard looks utterly cheap and knock-off.

Lu Yuan ordered a family bucket for Niu Niu. The little girl was a bit reserved at first, with her hands neatly placed on her knees.

But when Lu Yuan handed her a hot chicken leg, her big eyes instantly lit up with longing.

She nibbled on the food, her mouth greasy, her face beaming with pure joy.

"Niu Niu, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Lu Yuan handed her a tissue.

Chen Xiaomiao watched from the side, feeling a pang of sadness. She recalled the early days when she first arrived, when being able to eat a full meal felt like the greatest happiness.

"Niu Niu, what grade are you in?" Lu Yuan asked casually.

"First grade," Niu Niu answered vaguely, her eyes still fixed on the chicken wings in the bucket.

"How was studying?"

"You just got first place in the class last time!"

"Where's your brother?"

“My brother is in junior high school, but he said he doesn’t want to study anymore and wants to go out and work.”

Lu Yuan's heart stirred slightly, and he continued to ask questions.

"Does your family have high daily expenses? How do you make a living?"

After finishing a chicken leg, Niu Niu picked up a chicken nugget and thought for a moment: "Grandma has a pension, a few hundred yuan a month. Sometimes the uncles and aunts in town bring her rice and oil..."

"Is that all? Is there anything else?"

"besides!"

As if remembering something important, Niu Niu said mysteriously to Lu Yuan, "Dad, a sum of money is deposited into his bank card at the end of each month!"

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly: "A sum of money? Do you know how much?"

"I do not know."

Niu Niu shook her head, then added, "But I overheard my dad complaining to his gambling buddies that he has to pay 20,000 yuan in interest every month, and only the rest can he use to win back his winnings at the gambling table..."

Twenty thousand... there's still quite a bit left...

Lu Yuan felt a surge of anger rise from his chest to the top of his head. His smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were now icy cold.

The first thing they did upon acquiring money was not to think about their elderly mothers and children who were suffering, but to focus solely on making a comeback.
He's a damn hopeless beast!
As for the origin of the money, it was most likely arranged by his maternal grandfather through his subordinates to take care of the descendants of his deceased relatives.

Unexpectedly, it became the gambling money of a gambling addict, which he squandered on the smoky and chaotic card table!
"Brother, what's wrong?" Niu Niu noticed that Lu Yuan's expression was off and asked in a low voice.

"fine."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and forced a gentle smile.

After finishing the meal, there was still more than half of the family bucket left. Niu Niu looked at the remaining fried chicken and fries, licked her lips, and asked cautiously, "Brother, can I take this back for Grandma and brother? They've never eaten this before."

"of course can."

Lu Yuan waved to the waiter and ordered the exact same family bucket again.

He packed one of the packages and handed it to Chen Xiaomiao: "Xiaomiao, take Niuniu home first, wait for me at home, and don't go anywhere."

"middle."

Chen Xiaomiao could tell that the man had something to do, so she obediently took the things.

After seeing the two off, Lu Yuan drove to the bank in town, parked the car in an inconspicuous corner, turned off the engine, and waited quietly.

Not long after, Huang Wei walked out of the bank and stuffed a thick wad of banknotes into Cai Dabao's hand, who was waiting nearby. Cai Dabao counted the money, grumbled, and left.

Huang Wei hummed a tune, his face showing the excitement typical of a gambler, and turned to go into a mahjong parlor across the street, hidden behind a curtain.

Lu Yuan sat in the car, took out his phone, and made a call.

The call was quickly connected, and Qi Lili's crisp yet slightly lazy voice came from the other end.

"Hey, Yuanzi, what made you suddenly decide to call your sister-in-law?"

"Sister-in-law, you have many connections, could you please help me out..."

Lu Yuan's words were concise and to the point.

……

The night was as dark as ink in the early morning.

The roller shutter door of the card room slammed shut, and Huang Wei, hunched over and looking utterly dejected, left.

Judging from his gloomy, parentless look, he was clearly having the worst luck with the game tonight.

He was cursing and swearing as he walked towards home. Just as he turned into a dark alley without streetlights, several shadowy figures suddenly sprang out from the shadows and dragged him in without saying a word.

"Who are you? Which establishment are you from? Did Cai Dabao send you?"

Huang Wei was terrified. He could tell at a glance that the group of people were not locals and assumed they were some creditors who couldn't wait any longer.

No one answered him.

A piece of duct tape with a pungent smell was tightly sealed to his mouth, and then a barrage of punches and kicks rained down on him.

Those men were very careful in their attacks, targeting the fleshiest parts of the body, causing excruciating pain without hitting any vital organs.

The whole process took less than three minutes. Just like when they appeared, the young people disappeared silently into the night.

Huang Wei lay curled up on the ground for more than ten minutes before he could catch his breath.

He ripped the tape off his mouth, his bones felt like they were falling apart, and struggled to get up from the ground, limping out of the alley.

A blinding beam of headlights shone directly into his face as the old A8 quietly parked at the alley entrance.

Huang Wei was so blinded by the light that he couldn't open his eyes. It took him a while to recognize that it was the college student's car. He reached out and opened the back door, then plopped down inside.

"He's tough and thick-skinned; looks like he's been beaten up quite a bit."

Lu Yuan's indifferent voice came from ahead.

Huang Wei froze, and his anger flared up instantly.

But the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain. Then, remembering the inexplicable beating he had just received, his anger was suppressed by fear.

"You...who are you?"

Lu Yuan turned on the light and looked coldly at his disheveled appearance with a bruised and swollen face through the rearview mirror.

"You spent so much of my grandfather's money, can't you even speak more politely?"

Huang Wei's mind went blank for a moment, and he was completely dumbfounded.

Grandpa?

Lu Yuan didn't give him time to think, his voice devoid of any warmth: "I'm informing you that starting next month, you won't receive a single penny in that card anymore."

These words struck Huang Wei like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.

"Don't! Don't!"

Ignoring the excruciating pain, Huang Wei lunged forward and slumped against the back of the driver's seat, shouting, "Young man! Mr... Mr. Lu!"

"Our two families have been friends for decades. Please, for the sake of my grandfather and your grandfather, spare my life!"

If he can't pay his debts, he really will be beaten to death...

Upon hearing the words "family ties," Lu Yuan's last remaining doubts vanished.

Huang Wei knew it after all.

The person sent by my maternal grandfather to deliver the money must have already explained the history between our two families to him.

"I have no interest in whether a gambling addict lives or dies." Lu Yuan's voice was as cold as ice.

"I'll change! I definitely will!"

With tears streaming down his face, Huang Wei swore, "I'll never gamble again! I'll turn over a new leaf and be a good person, or may I be struck by lightning! Please, give me another chance!"

Lu Yuan sneered and retorted, "Do you think I would believe the nonsense of a gambling addict?"

"Mr. Lu..."

"Shut up, or I'll make you get another beating!"

"..."

Huang Wei slumped in the back seat, as if all his strength had been drained away, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Seeing Huang Wei's mental breakdown, Lu Yuan slowly spoke again.

"However, it's not like there's no way out."

Huang Wei quickly grasped at the last straw, a glimmer of hope rekindling in his eyes: "What way out? Tell me! I'll do anything to survive!"

Lu Yuan sighed: "Only if you can go to a place where you can't spend money and can't gamble can I believe you will really change."

The money will still be deposited into your account at that time, to support your mother's retirement and pay for your children's education..."

Huang Wei was stunned.

A place where you can't spend money or gamble...

He pushed open the car door listlessly, staggered out, and walked out like a soulless walking corpse.

……

When they returned to Zhou Yanchun's house, the lights were still on.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and went in. Chen Xiaomiao immediately stood up from the bench to greet him.

"Lu Yuan, where did you go? Why are you only just coming back?"

"I just went to take care of something..."

Lu Yuan patted the back of her hand to comfort her, his gaze sweeping across the main room before settling on the octagonal table.

On the table, a bank card lay quietly.

"Huang Wei came back?"

In the corner, Huang Wei's son, Huang Jietao, nodded.

“My dad… came back just now. He went into the kitchen, then threw the card on the table, kowtowed three times to Grandma, and left without saying a word.”

Lu Yuan looked at Zhou Yanchun on the recliner.

The old woman kept her eyes open, neither crying nor speaking, but staring blankly at the roof beams. Her wrinkled face held an almost deathly stillness.

She seems to have... guessed something.

Before long, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. A man, pulling up his trousers, rushed to the gate, panting, his face full of panic.

"Oh no! Grandma Zhou! Oh no!"

"Your Huang Wei...your Huang Wei stabbed Cai Dabao at the town entrance!!"

(End of this chapter)