SWDnovel Chapter 49 The Gambling House Opens
Chapter 49 The Gambling House Opens
As soon as this word comes out,
The scholar standing nearby was stunned.
Zhao Fuquan was also stunned.
Why do these four words, "Heaven on Earth," sound so familiar?
Then he remembered that Qin Chuan had mentioned a few days ago that the new gambling den was called "Heaven on Earth".
Zhao Fuquan also had a plaque made, covered it with coarse cloth, and hid it in the backyard storeroom.
Could it be that the picture posted on the bulletin board is the name of this gambling den?
Thinking of this, Zhao Fuquan shook his head repeatedly, trying to shake this absurd idea out of his mind.
Impossible! How could that be!
That kid was born a beggar and didn't even know what sandalwood was. How could he possibly paint a picture that would attract half the town's attention?
He had just seen the painting with his own eyes. It was so lifelike that even the scholars at the county school said it was an extraordinary work of art. Could it have been painted by Qin Chuan?
It's probably just a coincidence that those four characters are the same.
While Zhao Fuquan was in turmoil, the scholar surnamed Li on the other side spoke first.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Zheng, what's wrong with these four characters? 'Heaven and Earth'—these four characters evoke a sense of ethereal beauty and profound meaning, quite fitting with the celestial figure of the woman in the painting. To me, they actually complement the painting perfectly. Perhaps the characters above are too ugly, thus detracting from the painting?"
The scholar in the blue robe shook his head, his regret deepening, and sighed, "Brother Li, if it were just these four characters, it wouldn't be so bad. What I mean by 'vulgar' is not that the handwriting is ugly."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone now tinged with resentment, "What angers me is that after the four words 'Heaven on Earth,' there are two more words. It is these two words that completely ruin the artistic conception of the entire painting."
The scholar surnamed Li quickly pressed on, asking, "Which two characters?"
The scholar in the blue robe took a deep breath, slammed his folding fan into his palm, and said, word by word, "Gambling den."
Upon hearing this, the scholars froze on the spot, their expressions shifting from confusion to astonishment, and then from astonishment to a kind of inexplicable absurdity.
They were just moments before lost in their reverie about the fairy painting, but in the blink of an eye, those two words pulled them back to the most vulgar mortal world.
The feeling is like watching a beautiful woman gracefully dancing on stage, only to discover that she is actually a burly, rough man.
"A gambling den?" The scholar surnamed Sun was the first to react, forgetting to even fan himself, staring intently at the scholar in the blue robe. "So the complete sentence is—'Heaven and Earth Gambling Den'?"
The scholar in the blue robe nodded: "That's right, it's exactly the six characters 'Heaven and Earth Gambling House.' Below that, there's a line of smaller characters that says the opening date: tomorrow at 5 PM."
He fanned himself, his tone now tinged with inquiry. "I was just curious, so I casually asked my uncle when a gambling den called 'Heaven on Earth' appeared in Qinghe County. Guess what he said? He said he could recite the names of all the gambling dens in the county, but he'd never heard of 'Heaven on Earth.' Do any of you know anything about this gambling den?"
The scholars around looked at each other, some frowning in thought, others shaking their heads in bewilderment.
The scholar surnamed Li pondered and said, "If one has ever heard the name 'Heaven and Earth,' there is no reason why one would not remember it."
The scholar surnamed Sun chimed in, tapping his folding fan against his palm: "Strange! The posters have been up for three days, and the name has been displayed for three days, yet the gambling den doesn't seem to exist? Could it be a prank, deliberately posting a few posters to fool the whole city?"
"To tease?" The scholar in the blue robe shook his head, unfolded his folding fan, and slowly waved it twice. "If this is just teasing, then it's a bit too much. You didn't see the painting's skill with your own eyes. I dare say, you can't find a single painter in the entire Qinghe County who can reach that level. Who would go to such lengths just to tease someone?"
The group chatted amongst themselves, their curiosity growing with each conversation, but none of them could offer a definitive answer.
Finally, the scholar surnamed Sun shrugged and said, "Whatever, we'll go and see for ourselves tomorrow at dusk. If there really is such a gambling den, we'll have to see if the fairy in the painting is actually there."
Several scholars agreed and walked away, fanning themselves. One of the scholars, surnamed Li, could be faintly heard muttering, "A fairy dealing cards as the dealer, it doesn't seem real at all."
The scholars all left, but Zhao Fuquan stood there, stunned.
He heard the entire conversation just now.
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard a slight noise behind me.
He turned his head and saw Qin Chuan coming out of the house.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to begin.
Qin Chuan glanced at him and said, "When you come tomorrow, remember to hang up the 'Heaven on Earth' signboard."
......
The sun is rising, and it will soon be dawn.
In a guest room on the second floor of Xiangmanlou, a scholar surnamed Li, who had stayed there the night before, rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up in bed.
He chatted with several classmates in a brothel until late last night and drank quite a bit of wine, so he decided to stay overnight at Xiangmanlou.
Once outside the building, he took a deep breath, and the hangover he felt dissipated somewhat.
After walking a few steps, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a building across the street that was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Red silk hung above the door, and two brand-new red lanterns were hanging on either side.
The scholar surnamed Li paused, silently muttering to himself.
Which brothel opens for business so early in the morning?
He didn't pay much attention and casually glanced at the lintel.
The newly painted plaque bears four large characters neatly engraved on it, with vigorous strokes and dazzling gold paint.
Heaven on earth.
The scholar surnamed Li yawned, looked away, and continued walking forward.
After walking a few steps, I was halfway through a yawn when my mouth suddenly froze.
He whirled around, nearly twisting his neck, and stared wide-eyed at the plaque once more.
Heaven and earth!
That's right, those are the four words.
The painting mentions the gambling den that Brother Zheng mentioned yesterday, the one that couldn't be found even after searching the entire city.
"Heaven and Earth! It's here!"
The scholar surnamed Li blurted it out almost without thinking, his voice so loud that even he was startled.
That shout was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake; the few pedestrians on the street all turned their heads.
"Heaven on Earth, which Heaven on Earth?"
"Heaven and Earth? Is that the one in the painting?"
"Oh my, it really is here? This gambling den is really located here?"
"Go and call the third brother, he was talking about it yesterday."
......
The news spread like wildfire, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, swiftly darting through the streets and alleys in the early morning.
In less than half an hour,
A huge crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the gambling den, a dark mass that blocked half the street.
However, the gambling den remained tightly closed at this moment.
Zhao Fuquan looked out the window at the scene before him, his face full of astonishment.
He had lived half his life and had never seen so many people in front of a gambling den.
He turned to Qin Chuan and said anxiously, "There are so many people, aren't you going to open the door? There are at least a hundred or two people outside. If we wait any longer, the whole street will be blocked!"
Qin Chuan glanced at Zhao Fuquan: "What's the rush? We don't open until 5 PM, it's still early."
Zhao Fuquan grew anxious and rushed to Qin Chuan from the window, pointing outside. "Still early? It's so congested outside! With so many people gathered here, what if they disperse if you don't open the door?"
Qin Chuan's gaze swept across Zhao Fuquan's face before turning to the window: "Manager Zhao, I told you before, I run this gambling den to make money off the rich. Take a good look at those people outside, do any of them look like they're wealthy?"
Zhao Fuquan was speechless at his question: "We can't just leave it hanging like this. We should at least open the door and warm things up."
"Open the door, and a huge crowd of onlookers will flood in; there won't be enough room for everyone."
"So what do you suggest we do? Just wait around?"
Qin Chuan spoke up: "Where are the invitations I asked you to buy? It's time to send them out."
Hearing this, Zhao Fuquan was somewhat bewildered: "Send invitations? To whom?"
Qin Chuan glanced at him and replied, "Naturally, whoever has the money will get it. You've been the manager of the gambling den for so many years, don't you know better than I who's in Qinghe County? You fill in the title on the invitation yourself, and say it politely. Just say that the Heaven and Earth Gambling Den opens today at 5 PM, and cordially invites you to come. Make a big show of it, don't let people think you're just here for the fun, make them feel that receiving this invitation is a matter of prestige. Understand?"