The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 84 Little Hao's Mahjong Parlor

It certainly takes effort to make a plain woman look alluring.

Fortunately, Cheng Jing has a good foundation.

In particular, his fingers, covered in calluses from smoking, almost completely concealed his lack of worldly airs.

"Isn't it a bit late to be scrolling through short videos and fantasizing now, hot lady?" Cheng Tan looked at the woman's insecure expression and then comforted her, "A lonely middle-aged housewife whose husband is away from home all year round should have stories in her eyes! Not just blindly follow that landlady trend!"

"So what if she's a landlady! I just like her! She's so chivalrous and has such a strong presence!" Cheng Jing still protested.

"Alright, alright, we're not going to show off today, just to win a little money, and then we'll treat ourselves to hot pot tonight!" Cheng Tan sighed. "And while we're at it, how about we find out some information about Jin Xiaohao?"

It seems that even though Cheng Jing is suspended from her job, her mind is probably filled with nothing but chivalrous stories, besides the case.

On the way to the west of the city, Cheng Jing drove while Cheng Tan meticulously dressed her up, filling her mind with stories about playing cards in a small mahjong parlor. Cheng Jing was completely confused, as if she didn't even belong in Jiangcheng.

"And what about you?" With the mahjong parlor still a block away, Cheng Jing parked her car on the side of the road and then remembered that she had been getting ready, and Cheng Tan hadn't told her how she was going to do it.

"Of course I can't go with you!" Cheng Tan pointed to the burger joint by the roadside. "Could you please order a double steak and extra spicy burger combo, sis? I promise it'll be delivered to you in a bit!"

"Then at least make yourself look handsome, otherwise the contrast will be too great and the people inside will become suspicious..." Before Cheng Jing could finish speaking, Cheng Tan had already gotten out of the car and disappeared in a flash.

Turning a corner, Cheng Jing saw a neon sign that read "Ah Hao Music Cafe".

Ah Hao! That's Jin Xiaohao!

Wasn't it supposed to be just a small mahjong parlor in an urban village? This doesn't seem to be what the two of them had imagined... Cheng Jing thought to herself as she went inside.

"Madam, smoking is prohibited in our tea room!" A waiter approached and bowed politely.

"This isn't a place for playing mahjong! Did I... come to the wrong place?" Cheng Jing stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray the other person offered, and asked, puzzled, "I'm alone, so I won't have any tea!"

"It's...it's mahjong! But we're a members-only club..." the waiter said somewhat awkwardly. "Madam, you can get a membership card!"

"A membership system?" Cheng Jing was truly surprised this time.

"Madam, please come this way... Getting a membership card is very simple!" the waiter said with a smile as he guided her through the process.

Just then, the side curtain was lifted, and a group of people came out.

"Sister Hong can come anytime. You are our VVVIP. This is your VIP card. If you have any questions, just call us anytime..." a man's voice said.

Then, a woman's voice drifted by, soft and quiet, yet so familiar.

"Mmm...okay...okay!"

The voice wasn't loud, just a few polite words, but it already astonished Cheng Jing.

Yang Hong... actually appeared here.

Perhaps sensing that someone was watching her, several pairs of eyes swept towards Cheng Jing from the side!

"Where... did this stranger come from?" a man who looked like a manager asked curtly.

"Casual customers... from the village, here to play mahjong!" the waiter quickly replied, while giving another waiter a wink.

"Excuse me, ma'am, we only have a tea room here, no other entertainment or gambling options. Please look elsewhere... for example, across the street..." The waiter pointed to the opposite side.

Startled, Cheng Jing quickly lowered her head.

Fortunately, Yang Hong didn't recognize her because of her rustic, country-girl attire.

After she made her debut, the waiter who had been urging her to get a membership card had changed his attitude. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get into this upscale mahjong parlor this time.

But she wasn't discouraged; the new discovery instantly filled Cheng Jing's mind with excitement.

When a seed suddenly sprouts from the soil of doubt, the excitement in a criminal police officer is no different from that of a card player who always loses suddenly winning.

She pulled her collar up high, covering most of her face, and only slowly walked out of the luxurious front hall of the teahouse after Yang Hong and a Mercedes-Benz sped away from the door.

Following the direction the waiter had pointed, she indeed saw the mahjong parlor.

A sign made of cardboard from a ramen box, reading "Xiao Hao Chess and Card Room," hangs askew in the corner.

The characters are written with a brush, the strokes are messy, and below is a slightly curved arrow pointing to a storefront facing the street.

As soon as I reached the door, the loud clatter of cards being played inside could be heard.

"Two of coins... six of bamboo... one of bamboo..."

"I won!"

……

"I'm the dealer again..."

Taking advantage of the dim light, Cheng Jing took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

"People are here...we can have a table again!" She heard a joyful voice.

"Come on... come on, sis, we're one short for mahjong!" A loud-voiced man across the street was already calling out to her.

"I... just learned how!" Cheng Jing said somewhat awkwardly, "Just playing a small game... to kill time!"

"Let's go to this table then, I need to go back and help my kid with his homework!" The woman who had just won the game stood up, wiggled her fat waist, and glanced contemptuously at the others. It seemed she had been the dealer for the night, winning big against them.

"How can that be? You think you can just walk away after winning? That's not like you, Tiger Girl!" A thin old man in the opposite seat seemed unhappy.

"Old Master Zhang, aren't you always like this! Are you saying only officials are allowed to set fires…?" Tiger Girl, without waiting for a reply, threw a small bill onto the counter. "I already paid for the tea!"

Before he could finish speaking, he had already lifted the curtain and gone out.

"Then... shall we continue?" Cheng Jing plopped down on the mahjong table, tossing her cigarette case onto it. "Does anyone have a lighter? Can I borrow one?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the eyes of the gaunt old man opposite her flicker.

A familiar light flickered coldly.

On the left was a middle-aged, overweight man with his legs crossed, his shoes half-hooked up, the heels sunk deep into his shoes. On the right was a woman who looked neater, holding a thermos and sipping her tea slowly.

Before the game was even over, Cheng Jing realized that her meager card skills were utterly insignificant in the world of small card rooms.

Basically, every time someone else wins, it's because you yourself were the one who caused the winning hand.

The biggest one was a triple blast.

As night fell, the group at the table became excited.

Then, the middle-aged man next to them spoke up mysteriously:

"I heard... Kim Siu-ho has confessed!"

"This is all old news! It's hardly breaking news!" The woman seemed very interested in the topic.

"Of course there are leaks, like the relationship between Jin Xiaohao and Liu Li!" the old man casually remarked.

Cheng Jing's heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to speak, the curtain of the mahjong parlor was pulled open again.

"Who ordered takeout?"