Chapter 3 third chapter

In fact, Rukichi Kawashima didn't need to be instructed by the company staff member Hamaoka. He had already vaguely felt that the partners of the mahjong brand used tricks when they counted fools for themselves. The partners are indeed very fast.Just as I pushed down the cards, the other party only needs to sweep their eyes, just like a computer, and say the number in a blink of an eye.Immediately afterwards, with a swipe of his hand, he pushed the card into the middle of the miscellaneous cards, and it was too late for Kawashima to check.Therefore, the partners counted for him, usually one turn, at most occasionally a double turn.

Kawashima had suspected this for a long time, and couldn't help but let himself do the math, but the look that he couldn't figure out the reason after all the calculations aroused everyone's ridicule.In the end, I had no choice but to ask others to count.As Hamaoka pointed out just now, Kato and Yokoi are the ones with the most tricks.The others didn't want to offend Kato and Yokoi, so they pretended not to know. Kawashima already had doubts about whether money is money, but now that Hamaoka pointed it out, he felt even more angry with Yokoi and Kato.Not only that, Yokoi and Kato are really unable to accommodate their gambling debts.A little later, they said that they couldn't turn around and asked him to pay in cash as soon as possible.Kawashima has no choice but to constantly overdraw his monthly salary from the accountant.

"I am very close friends with them, and I have repeatedly wanted to protest. However, although I know they have done something wrong, I still don't mention it!" Kawashima stood still and said to Hamaoka.The purpose of saying this is to cover up my humility. "That's right, there's no point in quarreling over cards. However, I mentioned this to you because I think both Yokoi-san and Kato-san are really despicable. They are not very good at cards, but they specialize in tricks. " The young Hamaoka expressed sympathy for Kawashima and was quite angry when he said it.

"Really, I don't want to play cards with them anymore. However, sometimes there are not enough people to play cards, so they come to me again. Although I don't want to play, it's not easy to refuse." Kawashima said seriously. "That's understandable. In that case, Mr. Kawashima, you might as well come to my house for a try. If you think it's suitable, you can come to my place often in the future. I'm very welcome; if you don't think it's suitable, it doesn't matter. Our group They will never cheat, they are all decent people." Hamaoka persuaded him.

At this time, Kato's long face appeared at the gate, and Hamaoka immediately moved a few steps away from Kawashima. After meeting, Hamaoka was stopped by Kato and said a few words.Both of them laughed, and Hamaoka bowed to Kato and walked into the door with some politeness. Then, Kato stood there motionless, waiting for Kawashima to approach. "Hey, what's up, let's go to war tonight?" When he said that, he smiled so much that his teeth were bared.Kato and Kawashima are roughly the same age, but they have many wrinkles on their foreheads, giving them the appearance of a monkey-like old man.

"No, I don't have time to play cards tonight." Kawashima said.Because just a few minutes ago, Hamaoka had just told him that Kato had performed a spell while playing cards, so he immediately refused.However, the smile on his face did not dare to cancel. "Really? I'm so sorry. I was going to have a good night with you. What's the matter?" Kato was still persuading him, and he was probing. "I have something to do. Excuse me tonight!" "It's too bad. There aren't enough players! Now the only ones who can play are me and Yokoi. Maybe we can find another one. If you don't participate, you won't be able to make it up."

"Although it's not suitable, I really can't fight." When Kawashima said that, he thought of Hamaoka who had just broken up. "How about Hamaoka? Didn't you just talk?" "Hamaoka doesn't work either. I tried it and it didn't work." The two talked a few words just now, maybe they were talking about this matter.Kato continued: "Hamaoka seems to be going to open a mahjong house. Things are busy there, so he probably won't be able to come to our place." Hearing this sentence, Kato seemed to already know it. "Although Hamaoka is young, he is very smart. It is said that he wants to open a mahjong hall in the name of his wife. As a part-time job, we can't learn it. According to Hamaoka, he is teaching his wife how to play cards recently. Because it is newly opened There are not enough cards, and when Hamaoka is not at home, his wife has to play. However, playing cards is always late, and there is work during the day, and Hamaoka is busy enough."

When Kato said, although the wording had a bit of goodwill towards Hamaoka, in fact, he didn't have a good impression of the concurrent operation of the Mahjong House. Generally speaking, Kato has neither hobbies nor cultivation. Playing mahjong is his only pleasure.In addition, he also feels that being a civil servant is a kind of pride, which is why he criticized Hamaoka for not running the mahjong hall.In fact, although he is dissatisfied with Hamaoka's single-minded pursuit of profit, it is not without jealousy. "Hamaoka told me that his mahjong hall has opened and asked us to play cards, but how can people like us go to a house that also runs a mahjong hall business to play cards? If Hamaoka asks you to play cards, Better not go."

Kato seemed to warn him. When Kawashima heard this, he was angry. How could you still have the right to criticize others when you played cards? It was four or five days after Kawashima Rukichi was taken to his home by Hamaoka after he got off work. Before he got off work, Hamaoka called and agreed to meet outside.At half past six, the two arrived at Hamaoka's home in Okubo. It was a small house huddled among houses in a back street.Although the house in Hamaoka has a history of 20 years, a second floor about 8 pings has been added recently.This second floor is particularly noticeable.

"I added this floor just to open the mahjong house." Before entering the door, Hamaoka stood outside the building and explained to Kawashima with a smile. There is no signboard of the mahjong hall hanging on the door of Hamaoka's house. "not bad!" Kawashima thought, just from the outside, it is hard to tell that the inside is the mahjong house.Probably after entering from the gate, the depth inside is very deep.Opening up this place, how can there be guests?This is quite incredible. “Just opened so only friends come.” Hamaoka seems to have noticed Kawashima's doubts.

"Because it's an insider's business, I didn't want to be very ostentatious when I first opened. I didn't even hang up the signboard. Check the situation and try it first." Try it first, without hanging a signboard, it is clearly a black market business, and you want to evade taxes. "Okay, please come in!" Hamaoka invited Kawashima, who was standing at the gate looking around, to enter. The door is very old already, and the inside is also very dark.Hamaoka called out to the inside: "Hi!" Hamaoka's wife came out in a red sweater.She was a rather plump woman in her mid-twenties, with a round face, she could not be called a beauty, but she was pretty. She found Kawashima standing behind her husband and hurriedly saluted. "This is Mr. Kawashima from the Ministry, come and see the poker field today." Hamaoka introduced to his wife. "Please come in!" Hamaoka's wife raised her head and smiled at Kawashima. "In a few days, I plan to add a staircase outside to lead directly to the second floor. Now it's just a trial, so please go upstairs from the inside." Hamaoka went first, came to a brand new staircase, and walked up.This was added after the addition of the second floor. When you get to the top, you will immediately see the living room.There are two eight-mat rooms separated by a paper door. "There is no money, so we built it together." Hamaoka explained that it was obvious that this was the case.At the time of construction, it was decided to open a mahjong hall, so there were no places for Buddhist altars and so on.There was a chill in there for some reason.In each room, there is a card table, and there is another one in the corner, standing against the wall. "But, the place is really nice!" Kawashima looked around and said.Although it is pieced together, the wood, paper doors, and floor mats are all brand new.Hamaoka, a couple with only two people, lives in such a house. Compared with his dilapidated and old official residence, Kawashima can't help but envy.He felt in his heart that the young Hamaoka really had two hands. "It's not yet seven o'clock, and in another hour, guests will come one after another. Let me introduce you." After Hamaoka finished speaking happily, he whispered a few more words in his wife's ear.Kawashima found out that she was probably asked to prepare some snacks, so he quickly said to Hamaoka: "I haven't eaten yet, a cup of tea is enough." "We don't have anything delicious here. I'll bring you a bowl of shrimp noodles. Not far outside, there's a noodle shop. Guests who come to play cards often order something to eat there." Hamaoka's wife smiled and went down the stairs after speaking. The guests haven't come yet, the room looks empty, Kawashima and Hamaoka are sitting opposite each other. "Mr. Kawashima, wait a minute, let me play a few rounds with everyone first, you can take a look. Then, if you are happy, you can participate. The guests who come here are all nice people. It is very pleasant to play cards while talking and laughing. " Hamaoka scratched his hair and said. "I just came to take a look today, because I really haven't played cards with people I don't know. I don't know what other people's ways are, and I'm afraid." Kawashima was timid. "Don't be like this. You don't have to worry about playing cards in my house. Although everyone is talking and laughing, they don't talk nonsense like Mr. Kato and Mr. Yokoi. They are all decent people. There will be no irritating words. " At this time, Hamaoka also criticized Kawashima's poker players. Kawashima asked him, who are the people who come here to play cards?Hamaoka said: "One is an employee of a small company. One is a nearby construction foreman, and the other is a decoration worker. In short, they are all small citizens who are different from the people in the yamen. They don't need politeness or entertainment. They come here happily." "yes!" When Chuan Dao heard that they were all small businessmen from nearby neighbors, he was relieved at first; at the same time, he felt superior to his position as the deputy section chief of the department. Hamaoka's wife brought shrimp noodles, and Kawashima ate it up.She also said coquettishly, afraid that the things here might not suit his taste.Taking care of it is extremely thoughtful.When Hamaoka spoke, he called her Kayoko, and Kawashima memorized the name. Thirty minutes after eating the shrimp noodles, the guests Hamaoka mentioned arrived one after another. The first to arrive was a small and thin decorator named Goro Kondo.His face was pale and he looked bitter.He is about forty years old and his hair is gradually balding.Wearing an inconspicuous black jacket, he lacked vitality at all, and he didn't even speak very loudly. The person who came next was the exact opposite of Kondo, with a red face and a well-groomed body. He was a construction foreman named Isamu Tasuo.He is also about forty years old, and his face is oily.The sound is very loud, probably from the high-pitched instructions on the construction site to start the work and exercise.When Hamaoka introduced Kawashima to him, Tasho greeted him again and again, but he sat down in a blink of an eye and chatted with Kondo, who had a sad face.Kondo, next to Tasho, completely lost his luster. Tian Suo also chatted with Chuan Dao to inquire about the affairs of the yamen.Just a construction foreman with only a superficial knowledge of the work of the yamen. Twenty minutes later, a tall, slender man with a long face walked up the stairs quietly.Thirty-five or six-year-old, with a high nose bridge and wide glasses.The forehead is also wide, and it seems to have some knowledge.The suit on his body also fits well, the tie is neatly tied, and there is a handkerchief of the same color as the suit material in the upper pocket, and he looks quite chic.This person's name is Ryoichi Tsurumaki, and he is an employee of a company; I don't know what industry the company is in. Tsurumaki and Kawashima briefly exchanged pleasantries, and after only a few words, they showed that they were quite educated.Including Hamaoka, he is the only intellectual among them.The face is clear, but, from which angle, it looks a bit feminine. Before this group of people arrived, Kawashima had already asked about the size of the cards.Hamaoka's answer was three times that of Kawashima and his colleagues in the yamen. When Chuan Dao heard this, he became frightened and even said that he dared not play such a big card.Hamaoka said, whether you win or lose, the actual number is not that big.Kawashima said that since he started playing poker, he has lost a lot of money. If he played so big, he might lose it all.Hamaoka smiled and said that with a meager salary like mine, it is more than enough for these people. Mr. Kawashima has such a salary, so there is no need to be afraid.All in all, wait for the game to start and see it. "Okay, everyone is here, let's start." Tian urged. "Okay, everyone, let's get started!" Hamaoka put on the air of a casino owner, shuffling the cards while laughing. "Mr. Kawashima won't join?" Tian Suo turned around and asked him. "No, I'm here to take a look." As soon as Kawashima finished speaking, Hamaoka said: "Mr. Kawashima is here to visit today. See how you guys are playing?" "We are all family sparrows, and we can't make a big show. You see, I want to make you laugh." Tsurumaki said calmly with an intellectual tone.This is someone with thin lips. Kondo, with a bitter face, just faced the card table and shuffled the cards silently. "Miss Boss, bring tea!" Tasho suddenly shouted, looking at Hamaoka's wife who was in the isolation room. "Okay, here we come." Hamaoka's wife, Kayoko, ran down the stairs in two steps.Tian Suo watched her back closely.This scene has always remained in Kawashima's memory.