In the 1980s, there were no dedicated card rooms yet. This gathering spot for playing cards in the town had originally been a breakfast stall. After the townspeople finished morning market shopping, the owner would clear off the tables. With six tables, four sets of mahjong tiles, and two poker tables, it became a makeshift card room.
Gambling was illegal after all, so almost everyone who came here was a regular. Wins and losses were tallied using homemade cardboard chits that the owner cut with scissors to the size of mahjong tiles, settling up with real money only at the end. Even if a random inspection or a report came in, they could usually manage to dodge it.
With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, Li Lin was showing off by wearing a woolen overcoat, a pair of leather gloves, and puffing on a Zhonghua cigarette. At first glance, he looked like an upstart nouveau riche, somewhat out of place, but in the eyes of the locals, he was the picture of a successful man.
Chapter 139