Rebirth and making money first

As soon as Zhang Jing boarded the bus, she was surprised to find it already packed. After finally finding a seat, she quickly sipped some water. Knowing the long journey would be, she decided to get some sleep. However, the air conditioning was too cold. Luckily, she had some experience, so she pulled a thin crocheted shawl from her bag, wrapped it around her, and closed her eyes to rest.

Slot machines, in both her past and present lives, were not her forte. The same could be said about bridge and mahjong; she had no clue. The only thing she could do was bet on the big/small, but she only had 1,000 RMB with her, and after converting it to Hong Kong dollars, that didn't leave her with many chips. She figured she'd be able to spend the money quickly and leave the casino. Winning would be even better, but if she lost, she'd just consider it a relaxing break.

Today, she decided not to answer any calls, though she'd decide to answer texts based on the situation. This was part of a lesson passed down by Zhang Zhi's husband, Zhang Jing's brother-in-law from Hong Kong. They firmly believe that if you tell anyone you're going to the casino, your luck will slip away. Zhang Jing speculated that this might be what those occultists call "success through secrecy," which sounds a bit mysterious.

Hong Kong brother-in-law also mentioned a few taboos of Hong Kong people:

Don't lend money to others, especially when you have won money. This is called lending your luck to others, and you will lose money as soon as you lend it.

Don't talk to strangers, it will ruin your luck. Ignore those who approach you too eagerly. The money that belongs to you will stay with you.

There's a rule about using the restroom in casinos: If you're winning, don't hold it in. Otherwise, your winning streak will turn into a losing streak, and you're bound to lose money. If you're losing, you have to go to the restroom, even if you can't pee, drink the free water until you pee. Once you're done, your luck will return.

Zhang Jing was thinking about all kinds of questions about the casino while listening to the idle chatter of people in the car.

A woman said, "I've never been to Macau before, so I'll have to follow you closely this time!"

The other woman replied, "Don't worry, it's not my first time there."

The first woman continued, "I didn't dare tell my husband, for fear he would scold me. I'll tell him when I win the money, and it will definitely scare him."

The second woman asked, "How much money do you plan to invest this time?"

The first woman hesitated for a moment before saying, "I only brought 8,000 yuan. I didn't dare bring more because I was afraid of losing it all."

The second woman comforted her: "It's okay, I only brought 5,000. If I lose, I can just go home early."

The first woman nodded in agreement. "That's right. If we really win, we'll have to retreat quickly. We mustn't be too greedy."

Zhang Jing listened to their conversation silently and couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the friendship between the two women was so deep and they could share their ideas and plans so frankly.

Zhang Jing was listening boredly when she suddenly heard a low quarrel next to her. She opened her eyes curiously and looked over, and found that two men were arguing. One of the men in yellow complained in a low voice: "Didn't I tell you to wear red or yellow clothes? Why are you wearing white again?" The other man explained in a low voice a little embarrassedly: "I am a grown man, and it is really embarrassing for me to wear such bright colors..." The man in yellow said angrily after hearing this: "You are out of your mind! We are here to pray for wealth today. How can we not wear red and yellow? You just don't listen to me. If you lose money later, don't blame me for not reminding you!" Zhang Jing couldn't help but smile when she heard this, thinking that these two people were really interesting. She thought to herself: "There are weirdos every year, and there are especially many this year! We are all like-minded people!"

At that moment, Zhang Jing remembered she was also wearing a yellow T-shirt and shuddered. She recalled hearing in a past life that the entrances to Macau casinos were shaped like a ferocious tiger, its maw gaping. It was said this design was crafted by a feng shui master to symbolize that anyone entering the casino would have their wealth devoured. Consequently, people devised various countermeasures.

For example, one time, someone was wearing a T-shirt with a Sun Wukong print over a jacket. Upon entering a casino, he quickly took off his jacket, revealing the Sun Wukong print underneath. Then, he charged aggressively at the gambling table and unexpectedly won a ton of money! Thinking of this, Zhang Jing found it somewhat amusing. She wondered if anyone had ever worn the Wu Song print.

Whether these rumors actually worked or not was a question for now, but since she was already here, she might as well give it a try. Perhaps she'd find something unexpected! Zhang Jing silently prayed that everyone wouldn't choose the same color, as that would be too awkward. While she dismissed it all as a myth, she could accept the idea that yellow brought wealth. It was just a shame that this yellow T-shirt was just something Zhang Zhi had casually given her. She'd definitely buy a new one when she had time.

During a break and a restroom stop, Zhang Jing was surprised to discover that the two women in the car were wearing cheongsams, earrings, and necklaces, as if they were attending a grand party. She couldn't help but sigh, "There are always people better than you." Even more surprising, however, was when one of the women, upon seeing the shawl draped over Zhang Jing's shoulders, immediately grabbed her and asked where she had bought it. Upon learning that it was handwoven by Zhang Jing, the woman praised her craftsmanship. However, their companions were urging them to get on the car quickly, so Zhang Jing had no choice but to leave in a hurry.

The car continued on its way, soon arriving at Gongbei. Zhang Jing followed the same path she had taken in her previous life to exchange Hong Kong dollars. This time, she only needed 1000 Hong Kong dollars, which cost her 896 RMB. In her previous life, she always exchanged 1000 RMB for around 1260 Hong Kong dollars, sometimes with 3 RMB left over. She couldn't spend it, and it wasn't worth it to exchange it back.

She asked around at several different counters, and they all had the same exchange rate. She figured they were all colluding, so the exchange wasn't much, so Zhang Jing didn't mind. After packing her money, she decided to eat first. Speaking of eating, Zhang Jing felt helpless.

When Zhang Jing was in school, her school assigned her Go lessons as part of her physical education class. Since she knew very little about the game at the time, her classmates showed little interest. However, her physical education teacher was passionate about Go and hoped to spark her students' interest by sharing stories about Go players. Among those who particularly impressed Zhang Jing were those about famous players like Nie Weiping and Chang Hao.

Zhang Jing still remembers some basic Go knowledge: the board has two colors, black and white, and they have different numbers, but she can't quite recall which color is more numerous. Furthermore, there are many tactics in Go, the most common of which is "calling for capture," which is considered a good tactic because it involves capturing.

Among the many stories, Zhang Jing's most vivid memory is about a match played by "Fat Brother Nie." He only ate two slices of watermelon before the match. The reason for this was that if he ate too much, blood would be diverted to the stomach for digestion, leading to oxygen deprivation in the brain, which would affect his thinking ability and judgment. This would significantly reduce his chances of winning the match.

The same would be true at the casino. Zhang Jing knew the best course of action would be to follow "Nie Xiaopang," but she couldn't bear to do anything to her stomach. Undeterred by the need to win glory for her country, Zhang Jing sat down at a fast food restaurant and ordered a bowl of sliced ​​noodles. "At worst, I'll eat until I'm 8% full, and that'll be balanced."

After eating the noodles, Zhang Jing realized that she was only 70% full. The soup was still salty, so she had to drink water to get rid of the saltiness. It was hard to describe it in words. She just queued for the restroom and left.

Leaving Gongbei and entering Macau, Zhang Jing sped up as she watched the crowd surge. It was hot, and there were many people waiting for the bus. Foreigners of all kinds were everywhere. Their skin colors were different, but their desire for money was so similar. To some, unearned gain is attractive.

There were also people with northern accents arguing with the shopkeepers inside because the exchange rates were so different. Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel lucky that she had exchanged money in advance inside the customs, so she didn't have to bother.

"Big Tiger of Macau, I'm here to see you! I need some money. Can you help me win a comeback with a smaller force? May all the Buddhas and spirits bless me with victory. If you do, I will definitely go to the temple to do good deeds."

Zhang Jing muttered to herself as she searched for a bus to Grand Lisboa. Suddenly, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen and saw it was A-Long calling. Zhang Jing frowned, figuring a call at this hour couldn't be good news, so she hung up.

However, the phone kept ringing, again and again. Zhang Jing was a little impatient, but she still firmly hung up each call. She decided to ignore A Long and concentrate on finding a car to go to Grand Lisboa.

Finally, Zhang Jing found a car and quickly lined up to board. She knew the free rides were destined for the Grand Lisboa Casino, and finally, it was her turn. She settled into seat 13, near the back, closed her eyes, and silently prayed for victory at the casino. She also hoped the Buddhas and deities would bless her and help her through this difficult time. If she truly won a fortune, she would keep her promise to go to the temple and do good deeds to thank the gods for their protection.