Chapter 325: Mahjong Ladies
Liu Yishou was dumbfounded.
He had already imagined how furious Lu Jingyao would be just from him bringing Xu Youyou to a place like this. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Xu Youyou to walk in on her own!
“Miss Xu, a distinguished person like you shouldn’t be in a place like this,” Liu Yishou said anxiously.
Xu Youyou waved her hand dismissively.
The place she entered wasn’t a massage parlor or tea house. Though it looked a bit shady from the outside, the sign above the door read “Suan Ni Hu La” (“Counting Your Wins”), and it was actually a mahjong parlor.
It was broad daylight, yet the room was filled with smoke, and every table was packed with players.
Xu Fang quickly caught up and handed Xu Youyou a mask.
Xu Youyou wasn’t used to the heavy smoke either. After putting on the mask, she casually glanced around. Each mahjong table was surrounded by men and women; most of the players were men, while quite a few women dressed in tight-fitting qipaos with heavy makeup stood around watching.
These women were older, probably in their thirties or beyond, but they still exuded a certain charm. Whenever a player won a hand, these women would immediately and sweetly shower them with compliments. If a man won money, he would happily grab a handful of cash and give it to them.
“Are these women hired by the mahjong parlor?” Xu Youyou asked Liu Yishou.
Liu Yishou shook his head and quietly said, “They have a specific title — pai gu (牌姑, ‘mahjong ladies’). They make a living here, though whether the parlor officially hires them is unclear.”
“Their income mainly comes from two sources: first, when a patron wins money; and second, if the patron gets… other ideas, they can engage in other kinds of exchanges.”
Though Liu Yishou spoke vaguely, Xu Youyou understood immediately.
“Miss Xu, these people make their living in straightforward, unsophisticated ways. Perhaps we should leave before your eyes are sullied,” Liu Yishou urged her.
But Xu Youyou didn’t agree. The reason she was interested in these women was partly because of Liu Xiangyi’s sudden and strange comment, which had sparked a certain suspicion in her — like a random hint from the system, eventually pointing her to the city of Hualien.
If that were true, and if she didn’t explore every street, maybe the system’s golden pointer would keep spinning aimlessly.
Sure enough, even though she hadn’t followed the system’s direct instructions to reach this street, after arriving, the golden pointer on her system interface condensed once again, now pointing straight at this mahjong parlor.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help feeling a bit excited. This was the only street she hadn’t visited yet — perhaps it was like the heart of a formation in a novel, hiding something crucial she needed.
The golden pointer pointed at one pai gu, then shifted to another.
It didn’t stop, seemingly falling into the same chaotic state as a few days ago, pointing here and there without settling.
Xu Youyou grew frustrated. She felt like things were at a standstill again. As she was thinking, Liu Yishou’s phone kept vibrating incessantly beside her, adding to her irritation, but she forced herself to stay silent.
“Miss Xu, you were curious about the pai gu just now. I asked a friend — it turns out the parlor doesn’t take any cuts from the pai gu. Whatever they earn, they keep,” Liu Yishou suddenly said, holding up his phone.
Only then did Xu Youyou realize why Liu Yishou’s phone kept buzzing — he was investigating for her. She couldn’t help asking, “No cuts? Then doesn’t that mean no one protects them either?”
Not having to pay a cut wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Usually, gray-market operations like this would have protection — in exchange for handing over part of their earnings.
Liu Yishou explained, “The other women on this street do have to pay cuts, but the pai gu are an exception. In the past, they also had to pay, but a few years ago, the management changed. The new manager said they’re pitiful and should be protected if possible.”
Xu Youyou kept thinking about the connection between all these things. The golden pointer was indeed pointing chaotically, and no matter how many times she asked, the system gave no reply. Still, she believed the system wouldn’t act without reason — there had to be some link here.
She asked, “Who’s protecting them? And why?”
The Liu family had put in a lot of effort to get on her good side. Previously, Liu Yishou had only known bits and pieces about this street. Now, every time Xu Youyou asked a question, Liu Yishou immediately relayed it to his contacts.
Less than ten minutes later, Liu Yishou replied, “A man surnamed Chang, known as Seventh Master Chang. He came to Hualien about ten years ago. He’s very capable, has lots of connections, and has businesses all over the city. But his mahjong parlors are his least profitable ventures.”
“Isn’t your family supposed to be the ‘King of Hualien’? You didn’t seem to know much about him before,” Xu Youyou asked.
Liu Yishou answered helplessly, “Miss Xu, people flatter my family by calling us that. In reality, the only industry we still control here is marble. The rest of our businesses have moved north to other parts of the island. Plus, Seventh Master mainly operates in the gray zone — we hardly have any dealings with him.”
Xu Youyou barely understood.
Liu Yishou continued, “Rumor has it that Seventh Master Chang wasn’t born on the island — he grew up in northeast mainland China. He first came here to find relatives. It’s said that the reason he protects the pai gu is because someone in his family might have worked in this industry too.”
Xu Youyou immediately caught the key point: “You said he has businesses all over Hualien?”
Liu Yishou nodded.
Xu Youyou reached out her hand, and Xu Fang quickly handed her a map of Hualien City.
She pointed to several places she had visited over the past few days.
Liu Yishou’s phone buzzed again and again as his contacts fed him more information.
And then Xu Youyou completely understood: every place she had been to in the past five days was tied to Seventh Master Chang. Some streets she had visited multiple times were entirely his.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help thinking that, compared to Liu Yishou, Seventh Master Chang seemed more like the true “King of Hualien.”
“I want to meet him,” Xu Youyou said.
Liu Yishou wasn’t afraid of her making requests — he was afraid she wouldn’t make any. As long as she made a request and the Liu family fulfilled it, they could build a real connection.
But after informing the elders, the result wasn’t too optimistic.
“Miss Xu, my father asked a friend to pass the message to Seventh Master Chang. His people replied that he’s currently undergoing a period of purification and will not meet anyone for a whole month,” Liu Yishou said with a bitter expression.
He was secretly hoping Xu Youyou would be willing to wait a month.
But Xu Youyou’s mission deadline was fifteen days, and she couldn’t even be sure whether her clue really pointed to Seventh Master Chang.
“A month is too long — I can’t wait that long,” Xu Youyou said. She had already wasted six days since accepting the mission. “I want to meet him within five days.”
