flstandardbreds Chapter 323 Card Girl
Chapter 323 Card Girl
Liu Yishou was dumbfounded.
When he brought Xu Youyou to such a place, he could already imagine Lu Jingyao's anger, but he never expected that Xu Youyou would actually walk in on her own initiative!
"Miss Xu, how can a distinguished person like you enter a place like this?" Liu Yishou said anxiously.
Xu Youyou waved her hand.
The shop she entered was not a massage parlor or a teahouse. Although it looked rather unreliable from the outside, there was a sign on the door that said "You're the one who wins", and inside it was a mahjong room.
It was broad daylight, the mahjong room was filled with smoke, and the tables were all full of people.
Xu Fang quickly caught up and handed a mask to Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou really couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes inside. After putting on a mask, she took a casual look and saw that there were men and women at every mahjong table. Most of those sitting and playing cards were men, and there were also many women wearing slim cheongsams and heavy makeup around them.
These women were relatively old, probably over 30 years old, but their eyes and eyebrows were full of charm. When they saw the card player win, they immediately gave out money as if it was free. The men seemed to be happy when they won, and they grabbed a handful of bills and gave them.
"Are these people also specially raised by the chess and card room?" Xu Youyou asked Liu Yishou.
Liu Yishou shook his head and whispered, "They have a special name for them, called Pai Gu. They make a living in chess and card rooms every day. But whether they are specially raised by chess and card rooms is hard to say."
"The income of a card girl comes from two sources. One is to see if the sponsor wins money. The other is that if the sponsor becomes interested, they can also engage in other exchanges..."
Although Liu Yishou's words were vague, Xu Youyou understood them.
"Miss Xu, these people who do low-level business are very straightforward. Why don't we leave here first to avoid offending your eyes." Liu Yishou persuaded Xu Youyou to leave.
Xu Youyou did not agree. The reason why she paid attention to these people was indeed because Liu Xiangyi's sudden words made her have some guesses, just like the system's random instructions, which finally marked the city of Hualien.
If that were the case, and if she hadn't walked through all the streets, the system's golden pointer might still be spinning around.
Sure enough, she did not follow the system's instructions to walk to this street, but after she came here, the system's golden pointer quietly condensed and pointed directly at this chess and card room.
Xu Youyou couldn't help but feel a little excited. This was the only street in Hualien that she had never set foot on. It was like the core of a formation in a novel. Maybe it hid what she needed.
The golden pointer pointed at a certain mahjong girl and then pointed to the next one.
The golden pointer did not stop, as if it had returned to the same disorder as in the past few days, pointing everywhere without stopping.
Xu Youyou was overwhelmed, feeling that things had reached a deadlock again. While she was thinking, Liu Yishou's cell phone beside her kept vibrating. Xu Youyou felt extremely annoyed, but she held back and didn't say anything.
"Ms. Xu, you were just curious about the Pai Gu. I asked my friend, and he said that the Pai Gu chess and card rooms here don't take any commission, and whatever money they earn is theirs." Liu Yishou suddenly said, holding up his cell phone.
Xu Youyou finally understood why Liu Yishou's phone kept ringing, and couldn't help asking, "No one's taking a cut? Doesn't that mean there's no one protecting them?"
Not having to pay is not a good thing, because this kind of gray industry is usually protected by someone, and of course, a portion of the profits must be handed over accordingly.
Liu Yishou said, "All the other women on this street have to pay a commission, but the mahjong girls are the only exception. In the early years, they also had to pay a commission, but in recent years, the person in charge has changed. They say these are poor people and they should be protected if they can."
Xu Youyou has been thinking about the connection between these things. The golden pointer is indeed pointing randomly. Xu Youyou asked several times, but the system did not respond. However, she believed that the system would not do things without principles, and there must be some connection between them.
She asked, "Who is protecting them? Why?"
The Liu family has also worked hard to get on board Xu Youyou's big ship. Liu Yishou only had a vague knowledge of the information about this street before, but now, as soon as Xu Youyou asked a question, Liu Yishou would relay the question to the person on the other end of the chat software.
After waiting for less than ten minutes, Liu Yishou said, "His surname is Chang, and he's known as Master Chang Qi. He came to Hualien ten years ago. He's very capable and well-connected. He has businesses all over Hualien. His least profitable business is the chess and card room."
"Isn't your family the King of Hualien? Why do you seem to not know him very well before?" Xu Youyou asked.
Liu Yishou said helplessly, "Miss Xu, the brothers are so kind to support my family, but the only thing left in Hualien is the marble industry. The rest of our business has long been moved to the north of the island. Besides, this Mr. Chang Qi mainly operates in a gray area, and my family has almost no business dealings with him."
Xu Youyou reluctantly understood.
Liu Yishou continued, "It's said that this Mr. Chang Qi was not a native of the island. He grew up in the inland northeast and originally came to the island to look for his relatives. Rumor has it that the reason he protects the pai gu is because his relatives may have also worked in this industry."
Xu Youyou suddenly grasped the key point: "You said before that he has businesses all over Hualien?"
Liu Yishou nodded.
Xu Youyou stretched out her hand, and Xu Fang quickly handed her a map of Hualien city.
She pointed to several places in succession, all of which she had visited in the past few days.
Liu Yishou's phone started to buzz and vibrate again. The people on the other end of the chat app found out the news that he didn't know about one by one for him.
Xu Youyou finally understood that wherever she had been in the past five days, Chang Qi had businesses there. In a place she had been to several times, an entire street belonged to him.
Xu Youyou couldn't help but think that compared to Liu Yishou, Chang Qi was more like the "King of Hualien".
"I want to see him." Xu Youyou said.
Liu Yishou was not afraid of Xu Youyou making requests, he was only afraid that she would not make any requests. If she made a request, the Liu family would help her fulfill it, and Xu Youyou would owe the Liu family a favor, and only then could they truly get in touch.
But after telling this to the elders, the results were not very optimistic.
"Miss Xu, my father asked his friend to pass a message to Master Chang Qi. Master Qi's subordinates said that he is fasting these days and will not see outsiders for a month." Liu Yishou said with a bitter face.
He hoped that Xu Youyou could wait for a month.
But Xu Youyou's mission deadline is fifteen days, and she can't even be sure whether the clue to her mission falls on Chang Qi.
"A month is too long. I can't wait that long." Xu Youyou had already wasted six days since she received the mission. She said, "I hope to see him within five days."