Chapter 94: 94

Chapter 94 The Mahjong Conference

 

Eating was not important, drinking was not important. Everyone sped up for the upcoming face off. Mom picked up vegetables for Tian Yuan, and Pan Lei was responsible for sweeping the rest into Tian Yuan's bowl. Within minutes, the food in his bowl had piled up into a small hill.

 

“This is good, it’s high in protein. That's also good, it’s your favorite. Where’re the spare ribs? Grandpa, can you pass me the ribs? Tian'er likes them best.”

 

Pan Lei was busy plundering. He stood up and piled dishes on Tian Yuan's plate one after the other.

 

"Eat more, alright? I don't know when the next meal will be served."

 

Tian Yuan wanted to roar at him. Let Laozi sit and eat peacefully. This is not a gathering of bandits! They were not in the era of famines. Was there any need to rob?

 

No one at the table cared about Pan Lei's predation. He speeded up his movements and continued stuffing Tian Yuan's bowl with food.

 

"Eat quickly, don't be embarrassed. That’s it! Eating is the same as fighting."

 

Mama Pan comforted her new son, and gave him a piece of braised fish in passing.

A table of food, plus drinking and eating, finished in just half an hour.

 

The servants hurriedly cleaned up. The guards had already set up three mahjong tables in the living room by pushing aside the sofa and moving the coffee table. Three mahjong sets and a small box containing a deck of playing cards were arranged on the tables.

 

Pan Ge had been delayed and arrived quite late. He had barely finished drinking a bowl of soup when he was called over to join the fun.

 

Grandpa Pan, Pan Lei, Tian Yuan, and Pan Ge sat at a table and began playing Mahjong.

 

The three elders of the Pan family and Pan Zhan sat at the adjoining table.

 

Grandma Pan and her three daughters-in-law sat around the third table.

 

Sister Pan had no choice but to go sit on the sofa and play cards with Ling Si'er.

 

Since all players were in place, the battle began in earnest.

 

The generals removed their jackets and unbuttoned the top buttons of their green shirts, relaxing completely.

 

Wasn’t this crowd gambling?

It was clear no one would dare to come over and catch these gamblers. Every member could make the police poop their pants...

 

Tian Yuan was usually inundated with work, and was not very good at playing cards and such. Pan Lei spent most of his time in the army, and when he was idle, he more often than not spent time with his fellow soldiers, or played “Fight the landlord”.

 

There was not a single member in the Pan family who couldn't play Mahjong. It might sound unbelievable but just a look at the present situation was enough to confirm this. Even the youngest member, Ling Si’er, was having fun.

 

"Peng[a]. West Wind."

 

The old man threw a tile and looked up at Tian Yuan.

 

"Leizi said earlier that you were kidnapped a few days ago. What happened? How did the society outside become so messed up? How could a good doctor encounter such a thing?"

 

Pan Lei drew and discarded one tile.

 

Tian Yuan was sitting next to him and could scoop up all the tiles sent his way. Pan Lei said he wanted to win against Grandpa, and the two of them had to work together. Tian Yuan quickly picked up and dealt the tiles.

 

"Peng. Jiu tiao[b]. Grandpa, it’s nothing. A lady passed away due to the negligence of a doctor in our hospital. To be honest, that man is quite pitiful. Strictly speaking, I was at fault. The dean promoted me to be the deputy director. I had a competitor. My promotion frustrated my colleague and she delayed the operation. The situation was critical and the patient died. The husband could not bear the blow and acted wildly. If that man has a good lawyer, I don’t think he’ll get a long jail sentence. After all, he has a two-year-old child. It's too pitiful."

 

Pan Ge discarded a tile.

 

"That woman in your hospital is a monster. She has angered everyone and still has the gall to cry."

 

Grandpa Pan played a tile.

 

“Third daughter-in-law, quickly find a job for Tian Yuan at the Armed Police Hospital. No matter which hospital or people, no one can bully our family.”

 

Dang Hong was also busy at the adjoining table.

 

"Dad, our family’s Tian Yuan doesn't like to be nepotistic. Give him some time. I will reserve the position for him. He can come over whenever he wants."

 

Eldest Uncle, who was sitting diagonally opposite to her, was the next to speak.

 

"Pan Ge, how do you plan to deal with that doctor? You can't keep such a doctor to endanger society."

 

Pan Lei continued giving tiles to Tian Yuan, letting Tian Yuan grab a Kong[c].

 

"The doctor has an ambiguous relationship with the director of surgery. Bah, she’s a little mistress raised by the old man. I heard that she took a leave of absence saying she was frightened and shocked."

 

Grandma Pan slammed the table, making the entire table shake.

 

"The nerve of this woman! She dares run over my precious grandson because of her backer? Pan Ge, when you deal with this matter, you must deal with it seriously. Don’t let that woman get away."

 

Tian Yuan grabbed a Kong and pushed a tile.

 

"I’ve won."

 

Pan Ge and Grandpa Pan paid him the money. Pan Lei grinned. Winning more than a hundred at a time? His family’s darling was very lucky.

 

"This is an internal affair of the hospital. I don't know how the dean will deal with it."

 

Father Pan was also pissed off. Someone had dared to bully a member of the Pan family. Humph! If they have the ability, let’s cross swords and see who has the better support!

 

"That damned woman! Call the Health Bureau and let them intervene in this matter. This kind of woman shouldn’t be allowed to practice as a doctor. The Health Bureau will revoke her medical qualifications."

 

Dang Hong agreed, and threw a tile. Grandma Pan won the game. She collected the money, smiling like a flower, and went on.

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"Just revoking her qualifications is not enough. She must be held legally responsible."

 

Eldest Uncle laid his tiles on the table. He had won the round.

 

"All-in-one dragon[d]. Pay up! Pay up! Sue her for jeopardizing social harmony, disrupting public order, and negligence of duty."

 

Second Uncle lost more than fifty dollars in one fell swoop and fumed. He was more furious when he heard the others discuss this matter.

 

"Sue the heck out of this little mistress and lock her up for a few years."

 

Grandpa Pan was the most ruthless.

 

"If we were at war, I would’ve tied her up with explosives and tossed her at the Japanese Military Headquarters. At least she could’ve made a little contribution."

 

The three older Pan brothers laughed out loud. They had clearly learned arrogance from their parents.

 

At last, the matter was crystal clear to Tian Yuan. The Pan family was a bandit den. None of them were good.

 

Grandma Pan gave the final order.

 

"Regarding this matter, Pan Ge, you are in charge of interrogation. Pan Zhan, find a good lawyer to sue the woman. Pan Lei, you brat, protect Tian Yuan from now on. He is a talented man and gentle in conduct. He doesn't have your skills and has never experienced war or violence. He is an ordinary, good child. You must take good care of him. Brat, the next time I see him, if he’s lost weight, I will make you suffer the military regulations."

 

A lot of matters about the Pan family were discussed at the Mahjong table. The family was gathered around the three tables. There was no obstacle to the conversation. Everyone expressed their own opinions and after arriving at a decision, it was the duty of the juniors to implement it.

 

They were not ignoring Tian Yuan, but attaching great importance to him. The family gathering had turned into a discussion about Tian Yuan’s matter, enough to prove the importance the whole family placed on him. Please overlook the fact that they were playing Mahjong, okay?

 

Such was the Pan family’s Mahjong Conference.

 

Time flies when you’re having fun. Tian Yuan had more and more money in front of him as they continued playing Mahjong. Grandpa Pan was unlucky. He lost six out of the eight rounds played. Tian Yuan was seated opposite the door. In Pan Lei’s words, the purple clouds[e] coming from the east were raking in money for him.

 

Pan Ge despised Pan Lei but he didn’t say anything. The couple had joined forces, Pan Lei discarding good tiles for Tian Yuan to pick, letting Tian Yuan win the game and earn money. He despised those who cheated at cards and teamed up to bully the elderly. His brother had completely discarded his righteousness, and made him lose all his money.

 

In other words, at their table, Grandpa Pan was not the biggest loser. It was Pan Ge who had lost a lot of money.

 

Mahjong was addictive. Everyone had forgotten hunger and thirst, simply refusing to end the game. As the game progressed, you could hear the sound of mahjong throughout the room. They talked about random things and had discussions at the mahjong table. Things like, If the United States and South Korea bully people, would China start a fire interception on the high seas, and declare war?

 

Tian Yuan was the first to make a fuss about whether to continue playing Mahjong. Just kidding. He was winning money. How could he say he didn’t want to play anymore? He was going to be a rich man! He didn't mind if they continued playing till dawn.

 

Tian Yuan was in high spirits, but Pan Ge pushed away his tiles.

 

"No more playing. I'm out of money."

 

He showed them his wallet. Except for a few fifty cent coins, there was really no Grandpa Mao[f] left.

 

"Hey! How can you say that? You’re no fun. Grandpa, he’s disappointing you. He deserves to be punished."

 

Pan Lei was not afraid of such small things, adding fuel to the fire.

 

"Second son, second daughter-in-law, Pan Ge has no money. You’re his parents. Support him."

 

Grandpa Pan was finally having a good time. Naturally, he wanted to continue playing. He glanced at the clock. Hey! They played only for six hours.

 

Second Uncle’s face showed distress. Pan Zhan won the most rounds at their table. His wallet was also empty.

 

What about Second Aunt? She was playing Mahjong with Grandma Pan. Could she win against her mother-in-law? All the three daughters-in-law were losers. The little old lady was the sole winner. She was penniless as well.

 

"It’s not a big deal. Second brother, you can borrow some money. Tian'er, lend Second brother two thousand. Second brother, pay him three thousand tomorrow morning."

 

Tian Yuan was very obedient and counted out two thousand dollars. Who would expect that Pan Ge would not take the money at all.

 

"Bah! No matter whether I win or lose the game, I will lose a thousand dollars. No, thanks. I won’t play anymore."

 

If he continued to play, he would be heavily in debt. Forget profit, it was just a loss making proposition. He knew he had lost mainly because Pan Lei and Tian Yuan had cheated. He was unwilling to lose any more money. As for Grandpa Pan, as long as someone played Mahjong with him, he didn’t care if he won or lost.

 

The old man's face sank.

 

"You have to play! Three people cannot play Mahjong. You’re so unfilial to me. Sit down and play quickly. Old lady, lend Pan Ge two thousand."

 

Pan Lei was a rotten scoundrel. In this family of bandits, he was the worst rascal, cheating and committing all kinds of evil.

 

"Second brother, we won’t play for money. Let’s follow the old rule, okay? Whoever loses will run cross-country bearing weights. How about it?"

 

"That’s a good idea. Exercise will not cause economic losses. Come on then, let's all play like this. Just start with a random number and use laps like bargaining chips. Just like money. If you win, subtract the laps; if you lose, add them. Tomorrow morning, those who lose will go cross-country with a heavy load."

 

Naturally, the women were exempt from this decision. The group of men, no matter old or young, would use weight-bearing cross-country runs as bets.

 

After playing eight rounds, Grandpa saw the conclusion at their table.

 

"I lost another ten laps."

 

Pan Ge almost burst into tears. Cumulatively, he lost 20 laps.

 

The old man lost three laps, Pan Lei lost eight laps, and Tian Yuan… was still the big winner. He was their family’s treasure. The more you use it, the better. Tian Yuan's patron saint was Pan Lei. Pan Lei's treasure was Tian Yuan.

Footnotes:

[a]said when you take a tile to complete a set of three.

[b]Nine of the bamboo suit.

[c]Kong is a complete set of four identical tiles.

[d]A Mahjong term. it means the winner's tiles are all of the same suit and contain three straights. Example: 123/456/789. Dragon is the literal translation. It means integrated chain.

[e]An auspicious portent in astrology.

[f]funny way of saying money. Chinese currency has Mao's image.

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