Chapter 296: He ran into an iron wall

Xiao Ningxun had already made a plan: "The Qian family was just raided yesterday; now is not the time to investigate the Riverwide Firm."

Xiao Er nodded and said, "Third Young Master is right; Shen Wanjin must be as jumpy as a startled bird, on high alert."

Lu Qi said bluntly, "So, we should go check the spices?"

Xiao Ningxun nodded.

Tuan Tuan didn't care where they went; as long as they went out to play, she was happy.

The group walked out of the inn and headed for the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

The street market had just wakened; the aromas of various breakfast foods mingled with the morning mist and drifted away.

"I want to eat this!"

"What is that?"

Tuan Tuan found everything novel and wanted to try a bite of each.

Xiao Ningxun bought her each item; Tuan Tuan pinched a sesame sugar cake and took small bites, her cheeks puffing in and out.

"Third Brother, where are we going?" she asked, lifting her face.

"Let's—" Xiao Ningxun hadn't finished when a clamor up ahead cut him off.

All he saw was a crowd three layers deep, three layers wide, packed at the street corner.

"Guess odd or even! Guess odd or even!" a somewhat childish voice called from the crowd, "Bet one, win two—no cheating the young or old!"

Tuan Tuan's curiosity was instantly sparked; she tugged Xiao Ningxun and dove into the throng, "Third Brother, let's go have a look!"

Xiao Ningxun had no choice but to shield her as they pushed in; the others hurried after them.

In the center of the crowd sat a boy about thirteen or fourteen, squatting on the ground with a piece of bleached‑white blue cloth spread before him.

On the cloth lay three coarse porcelain bowls, a small pile of soybeans, and a few scattered copper coins.

The boy was gaunt; he grabbed a handful of soybeans with his left hand, flipped his wrist, and the beans clattered into the middle bowl.

"Watch this!" the boy scooped up the bowl with his right hand, snapped his wrist, and the beans rattled crisply inside.

He swiftly inverted the bowl onto the cloth, lifted his head, and scanned the onlookers: "Odd or even? Place your bets—no take‑backs!"

A few passersby hesitated, then tossed in some cash—some betting odd, some even.

The boy grinned, lifted the bowl, and spread the beans apart with a thin bamboo stick.

"One, two, three, four… seven!" someone counted, "Odd! Those who bet odd win!"

The two who had bet odd happily collected their money; those who had bet even groaned and shook their heads.

The boy swiftly scooped the beans back into the bowl, flicked his wrist, and capped it again: "Come on, next round!"

Xiao Er watched cold‑eyed, impressed by the boy's lightning‑fast hands.

But the instant he capped the bowl, his sleeve twitched slightly, and at least three beans slipped into the cuff.

He was a seasoned hand.

"Third Brother," Tuan Tuan tugged his sleeve, pointed a small finger at the boy, and whispered, "He's playing with beans, using them to cheat people!"

She found it fascinating and squatted down beside the blue cloth.

"Hmm." Xiao Ningxun replied, "This is the most common jianghu swindle."

He was about to coax Tuan Tuan away when the boy glanced over.

"Well, well, little miss," the boy's eyes lit up as his gaze landed on the delicate pearl hairpin in Tuan Tuan's hair; though not extravagant, the pearl's lustrous sheen showed it was no cheap trinket.

"Wanna play? Come on, bet whatever you like—cash, hair ornaments, they all count!"

"Trying to cheat me?" Tuan Tuan blinked, looked at the boy, then at the last bite of sesame sugar cake left in her hand.

She popped the final bite into her mouth, wiped her hands on her lapel, and pulled two copper coins from her sachet.

"I bet this!" she placed the copper coin on the "odd" side.

Low chuckles rose around them; "What a cute little girl—so young and already playing this."

A flicker of cunning flashed in the boy's eyes as he took in the girl's attire; her family surely had some money, and that pearl pin was worth a decent amount of silver.

"Let her win two rounds first, give her a taste of sweetness, then clean her out in one go—that's 'playing the long game to catch a big fish.'"

"All right!" the boy answered cheerfully, grabbed a handful of beans with his right hand, and shook his wrist.

This time his motion was faster than any before, the bowl nearly a blur in his hand, the clatter rapid and dense.

With a "crack," the porcelain bowl hit the ground.

"Little lady, odd or even?" he asked with a smile.

"Think you can beat me?" Tuan Tuan stared at the bowl and replied crisply, "I guess there are nine little beans in there."

The surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Then erupted in even louder laughter.

"Hey kid, it's odd or even, not a number guess!"

"Nine beans? Why not say ninety?"

The boy also laughed: "Little miss, the rule is to guess odd or even. You said nine beans? Fine—if you're actually right, you win this round."

He didn't take it seriously at all.

The bowl held six beans; he had just slipped another in, making nine? Impossible.

The boy reached out and lifted the bowl.

The laughter cut off abruptly.

Everyone's eyes widened.

The bowl's bottom held exactly nine soybeans, laid out neat and tidy.

Round and plump, they glowed a pale yellow in the morning light.

The boy's smile froze.

He suddenly lowered his head to look at his own cuff; the sleeve was empty, the few beans that should have been in the sleeve had all vanished.

Not only those were gone, the eight beans that should have been in the bowl also turned into nine.

"Really nine?"

Someone, in disbelief, counted again, "One, two, three… it really is nine!"

"Incredible! This little girl is incredible!"

The boy's face flushed bright red in an instant.

Tuan Tuan stretched out her small hand, took back her copper coin, and also scooped the few copper coins in front of the boy to herself, lifted her little face, and smiled with curved eyebrows and eyes: "I win!"

Xiao Er smiled proudly; this boy, when he met a miss, really kicked a steel plate.

"Not counted!" the boy suddenly leapt up, "You cheated! This round doesn't count!"

"Why not count?" Xiao Ran arched an eyebrow, "You said it yourself—if you guessed right, she wins. Everyone's listening."

The onlookers all nodded.

"Indeed, young lad, we all heard it!"

"A bet is a bet; you can't renege."

"The little girl has won!"

The boy was at a loss, looking at the empty blue cloth before him; the money he had won early this morning, along with the last few copper coins on his person, had all been scooped away by that little girl.

He clenched his teeth, haphazardly rolled the porcelain bowl and the remaining beans in the blue cloth, stuffed them into his bosom, and pushed his way through the crowd.

As he passed by Tuan Tuan, he seemed irritated and nudged her, causing Tuan Tuan to bump into a skinny boy beside her.

"Ouch!" Tuan Tuan exclaimed, quickly reaching out, steadied the boy she had knocked into, "Does it hurt?"

The little boy, looking about eleven or twelve, shook his head and turned to leave.

Lu Qi, however, moved.

He seized the boy's wrist in one hand and lifted him up directly.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" the boy struggled, shouting.

Xiao Er also moved; with a big hand he reached out and seized the boy who had just been pushed out of the crowd.

Lu Qi flipped open the boy's palm, and inside was, astonishingly, Tuan Tuan's small Sachet at her waist and the pearl hairpin she wore on her head!