Chapter 18: Borrowing from Usury
The world is full of living beings, and the number of gamblers is innumerable. The pen "fun" pavilion www.biquge.info has a large and small, the weight of the note, or a lot of money, such as abandoning the feathers; or the baht must be compared, the eyes are resentful; the spring breeze blows the face, the sabre-rattling people are one after another, the fish and dragons are mixed, the whales and shrimp coexist, or do their gluttony, or scatter their spirits, the mentality is different, and the temperament makes it so. If you analyze its connections, appreciate its character, and divide it into categories, it is nothing more than three grades, saying: the lower one is rich in wealth, the middle one is rich in wisdom, and the upper one is good at mind.
Bo wealth pure, ambition belongs, no distractions, only think about the cards in the hand, Bo people in the bag of money, panic in the place of gain and loss, draw between winning and losing, small into the joy, small out of the sad, red eyes and scorched tongue, empty body, the world's most public.
Not so for the wise. Although he is determined to take things, he is good at self-control, observing his words and colors, which is stronger than memory; Conceal its tao, obscure its strategy, and use both wisdom and technology. He is accustomed to doing things and never loses his temper to others. It is because people have foolishness, skills have advantages and disadvantages, wisdom and foolishness are at the same table, then the wise are easy and the foolish are restrained.
The so-called Boyi is here and the mind is there, and the heart is not tied to the god and there is a return. Don't be tired of money, don't work for things, don't work for your heart, and don't destroy your shape. When there is no time, indulge in the gains and losses, enjoy the unknown realm, and escape in the realm of selflessness. Take gambling as fun and gambling as fun. It aims to relieve worries and relieve fatigue, calm the mind, and play just a game.
The performance of the horse's victory belongs to the inferior.
The lower one's horse triumph met the flat-headed man in the middle, and he didn't bet, and his mentality was already clear.
Hearing Ma Shengli say that he wanted to change cards, the casino staff looked at the flat-headed man and asked him if he had a different opinion. The flat-headed man gave the staff a look, and then raised his hand and made an "OK" gesture, meaning that he should do what Ma Shengli said. So the staff hurriedly bowed their heads and obeyed, and it was a busy job, dismantling the cards, shuffling the cards, and making an uproar for a while, and finally the cards were all stacked and ready.
The flat-headed man began to ask for cards. This time he dealt more slowly, with a full 10-minute interval between each card. From his solemn expression and trembling hands, it is not difficult to see the pressure in his heart, as if every card he asks for, he has to go through a painful choice, make a lot of determination, and will consume more of his physical strength for this.
Ma Shengli sat opposite him with full attention, and his heart was not at all calm. He didn't even blink his eyes, for fear of missing the details of the other party's cards. His gaze has been wandering over the face and hands of the flat-headed man, hoping to guess the opponent's bottom through the opponent's eyes and movements, so as to judge the clue of the victory or defeat of this bet. As long as the opponent's eyes show a slight frustration, he can conclude that the opponent is going to counterfeit the card, then he only needs to ask for a card at will, even if the card is a flower man, only half a point, he can easily win the opponent. But the flat-headed man's face sank like water from beginning to end, and under his tightly locked eyebrows, the little mung bean-like eyes never changed, until the fifth card was about to be full, and he hesitated for a long time, until he pressed his body against the back of the chair, and then he said no. This made Ma Shengli more or less confused, looking at the flat-headed man's expression, it seemed that he was still unfinished, and there was still room for cards.
It was time for Ma Shengli to ask for a card, and the casino staff used a wooden fader to hand Ma Shengli the first card. Ma Shengli did not rush to look at the bottom of the card, but put his palms together, pressed against his eyebrows, closed his eyes and prayed silently, and then covered the card with his left hand and lifted the corner of the card with his right hand to see. Because the cards were not high, he had to lean down and put his face on the table, only to see the number on the card, which was a "2". He put down the card, his gaze resting on the flat-headed man's face again, and began to calculate in his heart. The opponent asked for five cards, if each card is a flower man, adding up to at least two and a half points, he currently only has two points, it must be less than the opponent; Of course, it can not be ruled out that the opponent is going to impostor the possibility of cards, but from the opponent's calm eyes, there is no such information at all, if you no longer want to cards, the odds of winning do not seem to be too big; If you continue to play cards, then there will be two possibilities, one may be less than "8", such a result is of course the best, there is room for another card; One possibility is greater than "8", and if it is "9", then it will be terrible, and you will not win or lose, because the other party is the banker.
Eliminate the cards in the opponent's hand, and then remove the cards in their hands, there are only forty-eight cards left, even if the four "9" are all in it, then every twelve cards may appear a "9", one in twelve, the probability of occurrence is not too high. No way! I still have to ask for it. He raised a finger at the casino staff, who understood, and quickly handed him another card. He took a deep breath, put his palms together again against his head, muttered words without making a sound, and leaned down, opened his eyes, and repeated the action he had made when he looked at the first card. The corner of the card was slowly lifted, and a small semicircle was revealed where the numbers were displayed, and Ma Shengli "snapped" his hand and did not dare to look further. I think there is no "0" in the number of playing cards, with a semicircle of only 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, Q these six cards, if this card is "9", today can be a complete break, lose all the money won, not to mention, but also have to lose the old capital.
The flat-headed man was always watching Ma Shengli's every move. To be honest, he likes opponents like Ma Shengli very much, pretending to be old but not serious, acting a little impulsively, and being the kind of hairy boy who can't hide things in his eyes. But think about yourself today is enough to hang, almost in the gutter overturned, if it weren't for the kid on the other side of the anxious, his later two bets and good luck, maybe he has now become a standing spectator.
The audience was silent, and everyone was looking forward to the final result. In the unusual silence, Ma Shengli seemed to hear his "thump" heartbeat, and he was eager to know the numbers on this hole card, but he was particularly afraid to know the numbers on this hole card. In front of everyone's eyes, he lowered his head again, stretched out his trembling hands to reveal the hole card that he had not seen clearly. He closed his eyes and silently muttered "not 9, not 9", and when the card was unveiled to a certain height, he opened his eyes suddenly, and at a glance, it was "8"! I couldn't help but attack with enthusiasm, my heart was full of joy, and my surprise was overflowing. He tried his best to stabilize his mind, thinking about whether to continue to ask for cards, thinking about it, and feeling that although the possibility of the next card being a flower man existed, it was not worth the risk. Of course, it's better if it's a flower man, but what if it's not a flower man? Won't all your work be wasted? Besides, "ten" is second only to "ten and a half", and the opponent's five cards may not be greater than their own, so it is better not to do so. Thinking of this, he made an "OK" gesture to the staff, which means that the hole cards can be revealed.
According to the rules of the poker field, the next house and the dealer take turns to show the bottom.
Ma Shengli first opened the "2", and the opponent's first card was "A"; Ma Shengli then opened the "8", and the opponent's second card was "2"; Ma Shengli has no cards to appear, and the opponent has turned over three or four cards in a row, and it is two "2s". There was still one last one left, and the flat-headed man didn't rush to open it. He stared at Ma Shengli with his eyes, with an unpredictable smile on his face, he was deliberately selling Guanzi. The atmosphere on the table was dead silent. Ma Shengli felt that his heart was about to pop out, and he wanted to stand up immediately and snatch this card into his hand to see what was going on, but reason suppressed this impulse. As long as the opponent is not a "3", it is any other card, it can be said that you have won this bet.
After riveting everyone's patience, the flat-headed man stretched out his right hand, he picked up the buckled hole card with his thumb and forefinger, turned it over with a slight twist, and clicked it on the table. The audience was in an uproar. Ma Shengli also saw the number on the card clearly at the first time, and it was really a damn "3", a number he didn't want to see but couldn't avoid. His head was "buzzing" for a moment.
Ma Shengli sat slumped in his chair, his mind in a mess. He watched as the casino staff used a wooden clipper to hold all the money in front of him, and then pushed it to the flat-headed man, consciously knowing that the money once belonged to him, but now it belonged to someone else. Ma Shengli's heart is annoyed!
It's not terrible to fail, it's terrible not to learn from it and use it as a way to clear the way for next success. Ma Shengli learned from the pain and decided to summarize where he fell. He sat there, carefully recalling every detail of today's gamble, and thought that the strategy and tactics he had used in the early days were completely correct and extremely wise. From 8,000 yuan to nearly 200,000 yuan, it is only one step away from success, and the achievement of the results is completely the result of my own cool head at the beginning. As for the later three notes, which led to failure, it was due to the eagerness for quick success, profit and dizziness. Alas! If I hadn't been so impulsive later, and I could have been steady and steady, maybe I would have been the one who was counting money now.
If you can carry out the original strategy and tactics to the end, if your later mentality can be less impetuous, if the last bet can restrain yourself from being less impulsive, if you ...... If you are afraid to think about the good in everything, you will have a lot of hope after pondering it for a long time. Ma Shengli thought that if he could start all over again, he would definitely be able to become the ultimate winner. But start all over again, what to take? Is there anyone else at the table who wants to give you credit? Ma Shengli suddenly remembered the Yamaha motorcycle he had at the entrance of the Crystal Palace, so he straightened up again, trying to cheer himself up. He dared to ask the flat-headed man at the table, "Sir, I have a small proposal, I wonder if you can consider it?" ”
"Oh!" The flat-headed man was putting a pile of yards of money into his bag, and when he heard Ma Shengli talking to him, he became interested, he stopped the movement in his hand, and turned to look at Ma Shengli: "What is the proposal?" Speak up and listen. ”
"That's right." Ma Shengli said: "At the gate of the Crystal Palace, I have a Yamaha motorcycle that I just bought more than a year ago, and I don't usually ride it, and it is basically new. When I bought it, it was more than 5,000 yuan, and I wanted to use it as a gambling book, and the discount was 3,000 yuan, no, it was only 2,000 yuan, how about we gamble again? ”
"Don't!" Before Ma Shengli could finish speaking, the flat-headed man waved his hand at him: "If you want to die quickly, you need to kick it." I was timid and never dared to ride a motorcycle. ”
"That'...... What do you think of me using the property as collateral? Ma Shengli was in a hurry, and suddenly thought of the house.
"Property?" The flat-headed man still shook his head, he patted the bag on the table and said, "Can the property fit in this bag?" I only come for cash, not for physical purposes. ”
"Cash?" Ma Shengli smiled bitterly, there was no way. I want to have cash, why am I still here with you so much! But where do you get the money? In a hurry, a person suddenly popped out of his brain, right! If you find him, there will be a way. Thinking of this, he said to the flat-headed man again, "I think so, sir! Can you wait for me here for an hour? ”
"Wait for you for an hour?" The flat-headed man looked puzzled: "What do you mean?" ”
"I want to raise money, and I hope to gamble with you again." Ma Shengli explained.
"Raising money? And then bet? The flat-headed man smiled and lay on his back in the chair, and he said to Ma Shengli in a serious tone: "Forget it, brother! You can't take gambling too seriously. Luck is a thing that no one can fathom or grasp, so don't go against the law and compete blindly. ”
"You're right." Ma Shengli pleaded, "But I just want to bet with you again." ”
"You said you were going to raise money now, how much can you raise?" The flat-headed man asked rhetorically: "Three thousand?" Five thousand? Don't you think it's unfair to me? ”
"How much money do you have in your bag and on your table?" Ma Shengli asked.
"What do you mean?"
"How much money you have, I'll figure out how much money to raise, so it's always okay, right?"
The flat-headed man's face was full of suspicion, and he was obviously a little unconvinced. So he straightened up, reluctantly reached out and tossed the money on the table, raised his face and counted it, and finally said with disdain: "Two hundred and ninety-thousand." ”
"Okay!" Ma Shengli said: "You are only waiting for me here for an hour, just an hour!" After an hour, I can't raise 290,000 yuan, and you'll leave! ”
"Why should I trust you?" The flat-headed man looked at Ma Shengli's anxious appearance, and deliberately stimulated him: "Besides, I'm a little tired today, and I don't want to gamble anymore." ”
"You're an elder." Ma Shengli said: "You will not let my request down. ”
The flat-headed man laughed when he heard the "haha", and then showed an embarrassed expression on his face. He was silent for a moment, then leaned back in his chair again. He looked into Ma Shengli's eyes, stretched his voice and said, "Okay! For your sake, I'll wait for you for an hour. ”
"Thank you!" Ma Shengli spoke, stood up and hurried to the door of the casino.
Coming to the door of the casino, Ma Shengli grabbed one of the four handsome guys and asked, "Where is Brother Long?" ”
"Brother Long?" The man stared at Ma Shengli: "What are you looking for him?" ”
"Since you're looking for him, of course there's something wrong." Ma Shengli said anxiously: "Tell me where the others are?" ”
"It seems to be on the fifth floor, and I haven't seen him come down. Go up there and look for it! The man replied.
Ma Shengli said "thank you", let go of the man's arm, and rushed to the fifth floor in one go. The fifth floor is the fitness hall, and there is a bar at the entrance of the hall, and he asked the young lady who was taking a selfie in the mirror in the bar: "Miss, is Brother Long there?" ”
The bar lady pointed to the corner of the hall with her hand: "Brother Long? Isn't that? ”
Following the direction of the young lady's finger, Ma Shengli saw a person who was lying on the ground pushing a barbell. Ma Shengli thanked the young lady, turned around and walked in the direction where Brother Long was.
Brother Long was lying on a single blanket at the moment, his slender arms holding the bent barbell bar. The barbell piece weighing more than 200 pounds does not seem to be too heavy for him. Brother Long saw someone coming to his side, and heard the person respectfully shouting "Brother Long", knowing that someone must have something to do, he stopped his hand and put the barbell back on the barbell rack steadily. He stood up, took the large bath towel from the waiter's hand, wiped it vigorously on his face, put on the black windbreaker handed by the waiter, and put on wide glasses with gold trim.
Brother Long is forty years old, very tall and thin, giving people a feeling of weakness. Especially after wearing glasses, he looks even more gentle, with a scholarly demeanor. This made Ma Shengli feel very confused, and he couldn't even imagine that the more than 200-pound barbell was lifted by the person in front of him.
Brother Long is the younger brother of the proprietress of the Crystal Palace, and it is said that he has great powers, and he eats both black and white. In H City, there is nothing that Brother Long can't do. He was entrusted by his sister to take care of the affairs of the Crystal Palace on weekdays. said that it is to take care of it, but in essence, it is to protect the field. Someone in Baidao came to check, someone would inform him in advance, he was responsible for the reception and coping, in the previous "anti-evil, anti-pornography and gambling" struggle, Crystal Palace has always been a reputable enterprise; If someone on the underworld comes to smash the field, Brother Long is not a vegetarian, just make a phone call and move his mouth, someone will come forward to clean up the comer. He ate, drank, and lived in the Crystal Palace every day, and when he woke up in the morning and as soon as he opened his eyes, he began to patrol his territory, from the first floor to the fifth floor, and from the fifth floor to the first floor. The time spent on each floor is longer or shorter, and sometimes when you go to the first floor, you can itch your body and take a shower by the way; When I turned to the second floor, I was interested, and I was able to sing and dance with my young lady in my arms; When you go to the third floor, if you feel thirsty, you sit down and have a cup of tea; He rarely set foot in the gambling hall on the fourth floor, and it is said that he never gambled for money; His favorite place to stay is the fifth floor, because he believes that the body is the capital of the revolution, and only with a good body can he better enjoy the glory and wealth. Therefore, people who want to find him will generally not be empty in the fitness hall.
"Are you looking for me?" Whether the person who comes is older or younger, Brother Long will always use "you" to show respect.
"Brother Long." Ma Shengli was sincerely afraid: "I want to borrow money from you." ”
"You're looking for the wrong person." Brother Long listened and refused: "In the Crystal Palace, I never lend money to others. ”
"That's right! I understand. Ma Shengli looked crying: "But I believe you will be able to think of a way for me." ”
"Really?" Brother Long looked at Ma Shengli through the lens.
"Yes." Ma Shengli looked at Brother Long's face, almost in a pleading tone: "Because you are Brother Long, if even you can't do anything, then I really can't do it." ”
"You're a good talker." Brother Long said with a smile.
"Please also ask Brother Long to think of a way for the younger brother." Ma Shengli continued to plead.
"There is a way." Brother Long retracted his gaze, stretched out his index finger and dusted off a grain of dust on his windbreaker: "I can only help you match." ”
"Thank you, Brother Long."
"Don't rush to thank me, the money is not mine." Brother Long said slowly: "The conditions of the person who lends the money are more harsh, the interest rate is two, and the principal and interest will be paid off within ten days." Do you want to borrow it? ”
"Borrow! Borrow of course! Ma Shengli said in a loud voice: "But I want to get this money now." ”
"Time is not a problem, it's just that there are rules for borrowing money." Brother Long looked at Ma Shengli and asked, "Do you understand the rules for borrowing money?" ”
"I understand! I had heard it said earlier. ”
"Oh! Speak up and listen. ”
"If you don't pay back the money when it's due, you will pay it back."
"They're playing for real!" Brother Long said to Ma Shengli: "So, how much money do you need?" ”
"Two hundred and ninety-thousand." Ma Shengli said.
"So much?" Brother Long frowned when he heard this, but quickly regained his composure: "Is it a one-time payment?" ”
"Yes."
"So what do you use as collateral?"
"Property."
"Is the house in your name?"
"No, it's my mother's name." Ma Shengli said.
"But my mother only has one son, so the house will be mine in the future." Ma Shengli added.
"Alright! You come with me. As he spoke, Brother Long turned and walked towards a lounge. Ma Shengli followed him in, and the lounge was empty. The two of them sat down on the sofa, and Brother Long picked up the phone on the coffee table and dialed it. The phone was dialed, and Brother Long first exchanged a few words with the person on the other end of the phone, and then asked the person to come over with 290,000 cash, saying that the sooner the better, there are people here who are anxiously waiting for the money. Not long after the phone was put down, there was a knock on the door. "Please come in!" As soon as Brother Long's words fell, the door was pushed open and three people came in. At the head was a short and fat man, with a beard and cheeks, and his face was full of red light, and behind him stood two big men.
Brother Long stretched out his palm and pointed at the person who came, and said, "This is Brother Gang." Then he stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction where Ma Shengli was sitting, Ma Shengli quickly stood up, bowed, and introduced himself: "Brother Gang! My surname is Ma, Ma Shengli, call me Pony. ”
Ma Shengli and Humpty Dumpty both sat down, and Humpty Dumpty got straight to the point: "Are you going to borrow money?" ”
Ma Shengli nodded and said, "Yes." ”
"Are you going to use the property as collateral?" Brother Gang asked again.
"Yes."
"Mr. Ma, I think there is one thing that I have to make clear to you." Brother Gang said: "We won't want the property, we only need cash when it expires." ”
"I understand this."
"By the way, what's your house number?"
"No. 25, Huilong Lane, Phoenix Road."
Brother Gang waved his hand at the people standing behind him, and one of them understood, turned to open the door and walked out. After a while, the big man pushed the door in again, biting Brother Gang's ear and whispering a few words, as if he was talking about something that had just been verified. Brother Gang nodded, he bent down, lifted the small suitcase he brought with him when he entered the door, put it on the coffee table, he unzipped it, lifted the lid of the box, and a piece of paper was revealed inside the box, and under the paper was a stack of neatly placed RMB. He picked up the piece of paper that was placed on top of the money, the paper was full of dense words, and along the table of the coffee table, he pushed it in front of Ma Shengli.
"Mr. Ma, this is the loan agreement, you take a closer look. If there is no objection, please sign your name and put your fingerprint on it. When everything is done, the money is yours. ”
Ma Shengli grabbed the piece of paper on the coffee table, and his hands trembled a little. He read the agreement roughly, to the effect that it was a two-cent interest rate, a ten-day period, and if there was a default, the consequences would be borne by himself. Ma Shengli turned over the book, there was time to work on the details of the text, and besides, this was not his strong point. So he hastily signed his name on the agreement and pressed a bright red handprint. He didn't even have time to count the money, so he hurriedly closed the lid of the box, grabbed the handle of the box, and stood up as soon as he stood up, but he didn't forget to thank Brother Long and Brother Gang when he left.
The flat-headed man did not break his promise, and waited for him at the table in the gambling hall.
When Ma Shengli appeared in the gambling hall with a red face, he found that the flat-headed man was sitting at the gambling table with the casino staff leisurely with Erlang's legs, and the two of them were chatting and laughing. (To be continued.) )