Chapter 14: Negotiating Business

After shaking off the clingy little black-haired boy, Wanshun didn’t go home. Instead, she headed to a game parlor tucked away in a narrow alley.

The place was small, barely squeezing in five tables. The patrons were mostly idlers and the impoverished, the air thick with smoke and noise. There were women, but certainly none as young as Wanshun. Her appearance drew the attention of everyone in the room, but only for a fleeting moment before they returned to their games.

Wanshun wandered about, then approached an old man lounging by the doorway, sipping tea and listening to the radio in his rocking chair.

“I’m looking for Shancannon,” she said.

The old man lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. “No such person here.”

Wanshun arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

He ignored her, losing himself in the opera playing on the radio.

Clicking her tongue, Wanshun pried a trembling old man from one of the tables and took his seat herself.

When the opera ended, the old man looked up to find the rest of the patrons cursing as they made their way out.

“Hey, hey, you’re all leaving already?”

A man with blackened teeth spat, “What’s there to play? It’s all bad luck.”

The old man, bewildered, looked back at the room. Only Wanshun remained, sitting on a chair with a bright smile, raising her teacup at him.

He squinted, “Little girl, what did you do?”

Wanshun shrugged innocently, “We were just playing. They couldn’t stand to lose.”

It was then the old man noticed the pile of small bills stacked before Wanshun. The denominations were meager, but the total was considerable—she had won everything from everyone.

They had come for diversion, but only losing and never winning was certainly dispiriting.

The old man’s expression soured. “Little girl, don’t cause trouble.”

Wanshun curled her fingers, crushing the enamel mug into a flat disc. “So, is there a Shancannon or not?”

A vein throbbed on the old man’s forehead. “Fine. Follow me.”

He led Wanshun to the back courtyard.

Beyond a moon gate, the place opened up into a corridor thirty meters long, ending in a grand hall. More than twenty tables filled the space with room to spare, revealing its ample size.

Compared to those in the front room, the people here were in another league—sharper attire, more refined bearing. There were more ways to play as well.

The old man, having brought her in, left her be, but not before signaling to several people. In no time, at least ten pairs of eyes were trained on Wanshun.

She paid them no mind and strolled the room.

Whenever she found a suitable table, she played—and each time, she won.

Gradually, more and more people began to take notice of her. Eventually, Wanshun sat at the high-stakes table, chips piled before her like a small mountain.

Her current opponent’s eyes were bloodshot with loss. The game was “Big and Small,” and Wanshun won every round with three sixes—a commanding and insulting dominance that would make anyone’s temper flare.

But her target wasn’t him. Scanning the room, she locked eyes with a man in the corner and beckoned him over.

He hesitated, then approached. “What do you want?”

“I’m looking for Shancannon.”

He frowned, about to refuse, but Wanshun pushed all her chips forward. “Is this enough to qualify? If not, I can win some more.”

His face darkened. This was a threat.

“Wait here.”

He left and soon returned, gesturing for Wanshun to follow.

She trailed after him without a care, while he glanced at her with a hint of contemptuous smirk.

In a narrow alley, four or five burly men loomed before Wanshun.

“So, which one of you is Shancannon?”

The man at her side signaled the group with his eyes.

They grinned wickedly. “We all are.”

“Oh,” Wanshun nodded, as if understanding. “Shancannon owes me a million or so. Come on, pay up.”

Their faces turned grim. One swung a fist the size of a sandbag at her.

Wanshun smiled slyly, pulling a brick from her waistband—

Three minutes later, she stepped over the heap of groaning men and stopped before the silent man. “Seems none of them are Shancannon.”

The blood-dripping brick hovered under his nose; he could see the fresh gore and smell the sharp tang of blood.

His face was ashen, his legs weak. Without a word, he turned and walked off.

Wanshun clicked her tongue, tossed the brick aside, and ambled after him.

Outside a dilapidated squat house, the man motioned for her to enter alone.

Wanshun was surprised—a man as notorious as Shancannon hid out in a place like this. Quite cunning. Without hesitation, she pushed open the door.

The man pressed his lips together, uncertain whether Wanshun was simply headstrong or truly skilled.

Inside, the contrast was stark. Real leather and solid wood furniture, gleaming white walls, exquisite utensils—this was understated luxury with substance.

Shancannon himself was a wiry man in his early forties. He showed no surprise at Wanshun’s arrival—someone must have kept him informed.

“Bold little girl. Sit.”

Wanshun took a seat across from him and accepted the tea he poured. “Top-grade Maojian.”

Shancannon’s hand paused mid-pour. “Didn’t expect a girl like you to know tea.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Is knowledge of tea reserved for old men like you?”

He snorted. “You’re fearlessly bold. Aren’t you afraid you won’t walk out of here?”

Wanshun leaned in. “You can try.”

The atmosphere was tense, Shancannon’s yellowed eyes shifting until he finally laughed. “You know my name and have made it into this room. Clearly, you’re capable. But, little girl, I’ve eaten many more years’ worth of rice than you. If you stir up trouble without a reason, you really won’t leave here.” The threat was clear.

Wanshun shrugged and leaned back, relaxed. “I sought out the famous Shancannon precisely because I respect your reputation. I wouldn’t dare cause trouble. I’m here to do business with you, sincerely.”

Shancannon crossed his legs with interest. “Girl, I run a game parlor. I don’t mediate little squabbles among girls. Maybe you should go to the community aunties. Or the village women’s director?”

She ignored the sarcasm and spoke coolly, “I need information about Cao Baojian and Luo Cheng from the Couple’s Diner—anything, black or white. Also, I want you to take care of someone named Wan Yin, a regular here.”

Shancannon raised his brows in surprise. He wasn’t sure about the other two, but he’d heard of Cao Baojian—a cadre, after all.

This girl really had business here, though she was a bit too audacious.

“Girl, I run a proper establishment—small but honest. And business is about give and take. You already used your chips to see me. What else do you have to trade?”

“Information,” Wanshun replied, unflinching.

Shancannon laughed until tears came. “Is it gossip about why the East and West households fought? Or how Wang Er next door is fooling around with the Li family widow?”

Wanshun said, “The news about Damai Commune being upgraded to Damai County next year—you must have heard, right?”

Shancannon was taken aback. How could a little girl know such things?

“So what if I have?”

“To develop further, especially without affecting the upgrade, the commune will definitely carry out sweeping reforms and purges. By the end of the year at the latest, there’ll be a major cleanup. Shancannon, your game parlor is in danger. You should plan ahead.”

Shancannon paused. “Let’s set aside whether my business is proper—I’m not afraid. But a commune skipping two levels to become a county? That’s not likely. Don’t take rumors and blow them out of proportion.”

Wanshun smiled lightly. “You know better than I whether these are rumors. You also know better than I how proper your business is. And as for the cleanup, you already have plans—you’re talking cooperation with Chen San, aren’t you?”

Only then did Shancannon’s face change. This little girl truly knew something.