Chapter 48: The Gambler's Ghost

  "Forgot to ask Mr. Zhao for his phone number!" Jin Mingzhe scolded himself severely.

  Bai Haijun thought for a moment, "Jin Ge, I can find out Mr. Zhao's address."

  "Bai Jun, you'd better think about how to face your boss's scolding tomorrow." Mei Jun said coldly.

  Jin Mingzhe left without even lifting his head.

  Bai Jun's face turned sour and he immediately transformed into a humanoid bitter melon.

  Zhu Zijun was very puzzled, "Zhiqiang, you're back and didn't even come to see me. Tsk, tsk, and with over 10 million yuan, how can you still drive this broken car? At least exchange it for a modern sedan, this...this is too low-class!"

  He can't sit comfortably no matter how he sits. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Zhiqiang, you didn't really become a gambling king, did you? The 10 million just now was all your winnings?"

  Zhao Zhiqiang drove while listening to Zhu Zhijun's words, without responding.

  Zhu Zijun thought for a moment, still feeling a bit itchy, "Hey, boss, how about we go to the Sea of People? There's also an underground casino there, although it's smaller than this one, but there are still tens of millions of yuan in bets. Let's take a look, there's still time before dawn, and besides, you can play during the day too, his place is open all day."

  He sat there fidgeting with 300,000 yuan in his hand, restless and uneasy.

  Zhao Zhiqiang gave him a glance and said seriously, "Xiao Jun, that's enough. Haven't you learned your lesson from the last time you lost? If Zhao Tiejun didn't know you're a compulsive gambler, how could he have tricked you so easily?"

  "I'm not suitable, hehe, you're suitable though. That lousy stuff..."

  "If you listen to me, quit gambling from now on! Your unstable temperament is not suitable for gambling at all. If you quit, I guarantee that you will live a life that is thousands or even tens of thousands of times better than it is now!"

  "Haha, Brother Qiang, if you can teach me your gambling skills, I'll definitely be able to live a good life."

  Zhao Zhiqiang shook his head speechlessly, how did this guy become a compulsive gambler?

  Originally intended to leave some money for his family, but later Zhao Zhiqiang thought about it and didn't leave it. He handed over the 300,000 yuan to Zhu Ziqing personally, "Big brother, this money, even if that guy goes to jump off a building or lie on the tracks, don't give it to him!"

  ……

  Zhao Zhiqiang couldn't believe that Zhu Zhijun would change so much, wondering if he would go back to his old ways the moment he left. After leaving the Zhu's house, Zhao Zhiqiang suddenly remembered that Gu Quanyou had lent him a place to stay, but he didn't even know where it was.

  Zhu Zhiqing believed Zhao Zhiqiang, but he didn't know where the money came from. He asked his younger brother, but his younger brother didn't say anything either. Zhu Zhiyun was thinking about how to learn the gambling technique that could earn 10 million yuan from Brother Qiang, and even forgot what he had for breakfast. As for whether or not to go gamble again, he hadn't thought it through yet. Brother Qiang's expression when he left was very unpleasant.

  He has changed.

  Zhao Zhiqiang found a breakfast stall on the street and casually ate a mouthful of soy milk and fried dough sticks. Seeing that it was still early, he drove to the Tienan Street Nursing Home.

  He remembered that there were more than 30 elderly people from the countryside living here, and if the director hadn't changed, he would have recognized him as his primary school teacher Liu Zhanfu, an old man who had been a private teacher for 30 years and later became a volunteer at the rural nursing home. After Zhao Zhiqiang and Zhao Tiejun had their last big fight, he hid here for three days, and from then on, he suddenly woke up and realized his mistake.

  He has always been grateful to Teacher Liu, or rather, it's more like admiration. This time, apart from sending money, he also wanted to talk to Teacher Liu, and he made up his mind to do something for the village, even if he didn't have any copper coins on him, when he returned, he would still do some things.

  Not far from Chang'an Village, it is Linzhou South Station, which is now outside the edge of the new district in the south of the city. The original freight station around is now Tie Nan Street, and after the re-planning of the southern district, the original townships were integrated into a large street. In the future, Zhenxing Avenue will go straight to here, and the terminal is Chang'an Village on the top and bottom of Longbei Mountain, and walking forward is the exit road leading to Bincheng.

  Zhao Zhiqiang remembers that when he was a kid, this place used to be all farmland and woods. Now it's all construction sites and half-finished high-rise buildings with cranes.

  Tie Nan Old People's Home is located in a remote courtyard surrounded by red brick walls at the south end of the main street, with four or five rows of low houses, several broken gardens with only bare soil, and more than a dozen grayish white smoke rising from the morning cooking smoke and heating stoves, blending into the morning mist of the entire street.

  Zhao Zhiqiang slowed down the car and stopped at the roadside outside the yard, picked up the unused black bag, and hit the rusty iron gate with a large lock head.

  He wasn't sure if Teacher Liu was there or not, and the old man didn't have a phone, so he could only try his luck.

  After knocking for over a minute, the thick black curtain of the red brick house near the gate was lifted, and a short, white-haired old man wearing a worn-out military coat came out.

  "Really?"

  "Teacher Liu, it's me." Zhao Zhiqiang exclaimed with joy.

  "Haha, you're back!" The old man happily ran over, almost tripping on a brick, and opened the door to welcome Zhao Zhiqiang into the house.

  "Old companion, Daqiangzi is back, hurry up and get a cup of boiling water!" Liu Zhanfu shouted excitedly. "Have you eaten? Your teacher's mother just steamed a pot of bean buns, I remember you like them the most, haha, eating bean buns with white sugar!"

  The old lady cooking in the back room kept responding with a smile, beckoning Zhao Zhiqiang to come in from across the stove.

  It's very warm.

  Zhao Zhiqiang remembered the situation at home three years ago. It was a day like this, very poor but also very warm.

  "Teacher, I've already eaten before I came, but I like to eat tofu buns, hehe." She smiled foolishly for a moment, then walked to the back room to help her teacher's wife with cooking.

  This meal is not Liu Zhanfu's family dinner, but the breakfast of more than 30 elderly men and women, including bean buns, small jade porridge, and mustard greens.

  Zhao Zhiqiang looked around and felt heartbroken, almost shedding tears.

  The old people and teachers, they just eat this at home, no mistake, it's green, but...

  Zhao Zhiqiang took out his mobile phone and thought for a moment before calling Zhu Zijun, who had just thrown himself at home.

  Three calls and it's connected.

  "Qiang Ge, is it going to the mortal world of the sea?"

  Zhao Zhiqiang could even imagine the sly look on his face, and immediately interrupted him, "Zhu Zhijun, you go now and bring me forty portions of breakfast, including milk, eggs, cake, various small dishes, etc. In short, it's what old people eat. You must do this within twenty minutes and have it delivered to the Jinan Street Nursing Home by car."

  "Ah......ah! How many people? Forty, okay, okay, I'll be right there!" Zhu Zhi Jun didn't know what Zhao Zhi Qiang was going to do, but in the four or five years they'd spent together navigating the Jianghu of Chengnan District, he'd never asked his boss for a reason.

  Liu Zhanfu, although only in his fifties, looked like a man in his sixties, with a head of gray hair and rough skin on his face and hands. He was startled by Zhao Zhiqiang's sudden arrangement as he was just taking out freshly steamed bean buns.

  "Zhao Zhiqiang, you can't spend your money here, we're all used to living a simple life, it's nothing, nothing at all, don't use your money!" Just as he was about to grab Zhao Zhiqiang's phone.

  Have you seen Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate? Now I've seen it... Seeking recommendation votes, seeking collection!