Tang Qinghua groggily woke up!
He looked around in bewilderment: the blazing sun shone on the old factory building, the rumbling noise of machinery was deafening, and he was dressed in foreign blue work clothes, emblazoned with —— "Longmen Steel Rolling Factory" across his chest.
Panyu Dagang Town,
Longmen Steel Rolling Factory?
Does it feel like it's the year 2003?
"Slap!"
He gave himself a hefty slap.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
"This is not a dream, I really have been reborn!"
"I've returned eighteen years in the past!"
Tang Qinghua trembled with excitement.
He was just crossing the road to buy a pack of cigarettes, but got hit by a car, which sent him from 2021 back to 2003 — this year, he was only eighteen years old, having just finished his college entrance exam, he reluctantly went south to Dongguang to work!
However, this year,
was the darkest year of his life!
Half a month before the college entrance examination, his father, who was a driver, had a car accident. The driver from the other car was killed, and his father was severely injured. In those days, there was no insurance, and under the principle that the dead have the final say, the traffic police negotiated that the Tang family should compensate the deceased's party 80,000 yuan.
The deceased's family came to make a fuss at his house, which caused his mother to fall ill from anger. Upon hearing the news, Tang Qinghua hurried home. He borrowed everywhere and sold the small van; he barely scraped together 50,000 yuan. Among them, 30,000 was paid in compensation to the other side, and 20,000 was used as medical expenses, to maintain his father's emergency care.
The day after his college entrance exam, he risked the SARS danger and headed south to Guangzhou with his bedding under his arm. In order to make as much money as possible, he worked in the backbreaking steel mill, working fourteen or fifteen hours a day. He fainted again and again amidst the harsh working conditions.
Today, he fainted again and was taken to the guardroom...
What he didn't expect, however, was that the water they splashed on his face woke him up, only to find it’s the rebirth of his soul eighteen years later!
"Rebirth?"
"But why is the rebirth today?"
Remembering all this, Tang Qinghua wasn't happy but anxious: "Why couldn't it be two months earlier? Then I could stop that car accident, prevent that tragedy from happening? My father wouldn't be severely injured and hospitalized, my family wouldn't fall apart like this..."
Of course, God won't answer...
"Well, at least it gave me another chance!"
After a long time, Tang Qinghua gradually calmed down and began to think about the future: "Although my father is severely injured, there's still hope for recovery. I need to make a lot of money. I need to heal his wounds, I need to save my family... I won’t stay at the steel mill anymore because I can’t achieve that here."
With these thoughts, he decisively stood up and walked out of the steel mill without a backward glance.
...
"Boss, give me a bottle of cola!"
The weather was too hot, and upon passing a roadside stall, he ordered an icy-cold cola.
Having gulped down over half the bottle, he still felt unbearably stifled by the heat. But, when he touched his wallet, he felt a chill run through him instantly!
Oh, no, he was out of money!
It was only now that he abruptly remembered that in order to save as much money as possible, he lived and ate in the factory, and had sent all his earnings home, leaving absolutely nothing for himself... After feeling around his entire body, he found only a one-yuan coin in the pocket of his shirt, which was left for making phone calls.
"Madam--"
Tang Qinghua looked at the madam with embarrassment, "I forgot to bring money when I left, and this is all I have, can it do...?"
"What? If you don't have money, then why drink cola?!"
The lady boss flared up instantly, grabbed him by the collar: "You're young and able-bodied, but can't even come up with three yuan? It's utterly disgraceful! I know you outsiders are poor, but poverty still requires dignity. Is it not shameful, go outside to freeload meals when you're broke?"
"I just forgot to bring--"
Tang Qinghua's face turned beet red in an attempt to explain.
"Bullshit forgot to bring! I've seen too many people like you!"
The lady boss didn't believe him at all and looked at him with disgust: "Looking all prim and proper, yet you're such a disgusting person, even wanting a three-yuan cola for free, was you born of a mother, but raised without a father?
"Wanting to drink cola with no money, caught right in the act! Totally disgraceful!"
"These foreign workers who come to our town, they're all so lazy and love to eat, otherwise why would they be so poor!"
"Based on his looks, I didn't expect him to be this kind of person!"
There were quite a few locals around, pointing and whispering!
"I, I..."
Tang Qinghua was immediately red in the face!
The shopkeeper held onto his collar tightly, her spit flying onto his face, even having lived two lifetimes, Tang Qinghua had never suffered this kind of humiliation. He felt so ashamed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into!
"It's only three yuan, perhaps he really forgot--"
At this critical moment, a crisp voice came over, it was a young and beautiful woman: "Shopkeeper, everyone has their difficulties, there's no need to be so persistent... I'll pay for his Coke!"
"I don't care about the three yuan, I just despise this kind of person!"
Seeing that someone was speaking up for him, the shopkeeper slightly furrowed her brows, collecting the money while coldly laughing, "Young lady, you're still young, you don't understand these foreign workers, poor and lazy and gluttonous... don't let them fool you!"
"I believe him--"
The young woman calmly replied.
"Thank you--"
Tang Qinghua's face was burning as he bowed to the woman, then ran away in shame.
He had known hardship, fatigue, and had felt wronged,
But I've never known such humiliation!
Because of a single yuan, I've been shamed to this extreme!
...
After running through several streets, he finally stopped and sat in the roadside flower bed, reflecting upon his life.
For the rich, East Guangdong is affluent and prosperous, opportunities laying everywhere;
But for the poor, it is cruel and inhospitable.
Now with only a single yuan to his name, not to mention making a fortune, even survival becomes a problem.
One yuan,
What to eat tonight?
Where to sleep tonight?
Would I have to return to that filthy, messy dormitory in the factory?
He thought about borrowing money, but the few acquaintances he has, are not in Panyu. If he wanted to ask them for money, he needed to take a bus to reach them... With only one yuan, he doesn't have enough for inter-district bus Fare!
"What should I do, what should I do?"
Tang Qinghua's mind was frantically spinning.
What can one yuan do?
He could buy a popsicle, a bottle of mineral water, a lighter, a deck of playing cards...
"Huh, playing cards—"
Thinking suddenly of playing cards, his eyes instantly light up.
He runs to the roadside convenience store, buying a deck of cards with his last coins. He then goes to the nearby park, sets up a half-finished game of poker at the most populated area, and writes out the rules with pen and paper: "Poker Endgame"
"Upon the following two options, thou may choose either"
"The loser leaves thirty, the victor offers a hundred"
Subsequently, he sits down in front of the endgame, waiting silently.
"Poker endgame? That's novel!"
"This youngster dares to open an endgame? Not a small courage, let me take a look!"
"Old bull, you're skilled at poker, give it a try!"
At this time, it's not off work hour. Those wandering in the park are locals, among whom there are some well-off relocated residents. People were used to seeing chess endgames, but poker endgames were a rare sight, so a crowd quickly gathered.
The endgame set up by Tang Qinghua was actually quite famous in later generations. It was known as "Eighteen Arhats Battle the Heavens". The solutions could be found online in the future, which spares further description in the word count. But it was 2003 today - he believed that nobody could break it in the short term.
the card layout for both sides can be found online, no need to waste words on it
"I'll give it a try—"
After watching for a while, a chubby man can't hold back anymore.
He places thirty yuan on the bench and starts playing the cards decisively.
The cards he chose were fine, but unfortunately, he didn't see through the game. After only four rounds, his defeat was already apparent.
"I'm sorry, you lost!"
Tang Qinghua quietly collected the money.
The fat man was stunned, racking his brains but still could not understand how he lost.
"Fatso, you shouldn't have played a three on your first move,"
A middle-aged man who looked like a boss remarked.
"If you're so skilled, you play!"
The fat man was not happy and engaged the man with a cold face.
"All right, here I come—"
The middle-aged boss, after being challenged and his pride on the line, took out thirty Yuan and threw it on the remnants of the game.
He had been playing poker for years, was familiar with many ways to play, and was an expert of this game...
However, the remnants of the game were not so simple, nor worthy of being called remnants. The middle-aged man in the suit was cautious but still lost quickly, getting stuck after only three rounds!
"I'm sorry, you lost!"
Tang Qinghua was as calm as ever, silently collecting the money again.
The magic of the tactic of the remnants is - it seems like you can win every step, but actually, every step is a trap. Only the step that's hardest to think of is the only chance of winning!
"I refuse to believe this curse!"
"Hehe, let me give it a try too."
"This is really curious, let me go first-"
After two successive losses, the audience's morale wasn’t dampened. Instead, more people's interest was piqued.
Everyone thought they could break the deadlock. Therefore, one by one they got on stage, bare-knuckle challenging Tang Qinghua — not for the hundred dollars, but to unravel this stalemate. To regain some face in public - we Guangzhou folks are full of talent, how could we be stumped by a factory worker from a steel plant?
However,
Dreams are beautiful but reality is harsh!
The third round...
The fourth round...
...
An hour passed by.
Tang Qinghua remained expressionless.
But dozens of challengers, all ended up defeated. Many challenged more than once, but ultimately they all left in resentment.
At this point, everyone had to admit—this endgame was a trap!
"Boss, dare to bet on a bigger stake?"
A tattooed young man, with bloodshot eyes, barked fiercely.
"I dare not—"
Tang Qinghua decisively shook his head: "Small bets are meant for amusement, big bets harm the body. Cleaning up the game is a thing of character building, we can't turn it into gambling... it's also late, let's end here for today!"
Having won more than a thousand, it was time to leave. He tossed the poker cards and decisively stood up to make his move.
Though the others were full of frustration, they could do nothing about it.
On his way, Tang Qinghua was deep in thought about what to do next, but he didn't realize that he drew the attention of three young hooligans. When he reached a deserted place, the three suddenly surrounded him, keeping him in the middle.
"What do you want to do?"
A startled Tang Qinghua asked.
He suddenly remembered that these days were not peaceful. Robberies and ransacking were common, and even murders over a few hundred dollars. On his first day in Guangzhou, his luggage was stolen. Even when he went out to make a phone call, he was once ambushed and robbed.
"Little brother, don't be afraid—"
The leader, with tattoos on his arm, smirked and looked down at Tang Qinghua: "Brother is not going to hurt you, or rob you. Brother is only interested in your endgame."
"Heh heh..."
Tang Qinghua chuckled and stepped back, suddenly pulling a brick from the wall, pretending to smash.
I don't trust you, whatever you say!
"Alright, I'll buy it with money—"
Seeing that intimidation had no effect, Hua Gebi reluctantly conceded.
Having lived in Guangzhou for nearly eight years, he had grown tired of this kind of life. He wanted to return to his hometown in Hunan. Little Fang in the village was waiting for him to get married, yet he had no money, no specialized skills. Shall he go back to farming?
Upon seeing Tang Qinghua’s endgame,
he saw a glimmer of hope!
Over a thousand bucks an hour, that's a fortune! If he had control of it, he'd just have to idle around, set up in a park, and his wallet would immediately swell. No need to risk his life, right?
"Buy it? How much are you willing to offer?”
Tang Qinghua was a bit confused.
Tang Qinghua wasn't playing by the rules. I was ready to fight, why did you suddenly back down?
"One thousand?"
Hua Gebi asked tentatively.
"Heh, do you take me for a fool?"
Tang Qinghua merely smirked at him. "I make over a thousand an hour, do you think I would sell it for a mere thousand?"
Let's fight, it's been a long time since I had a fight, just thinking about it excites me!
"So, how much do you want?"
However, Hua Gebi didn't want to fight.
He was secretly thrilled in his heart —
"Is it really over a thousand per hour?
That's awesome, I must get it at all costs!
But this isn't something tangible like money, that you can take by force. This is something hidden in the mind - you can intimidate to get it, but if that doesn't work, you can only buy it..."
"10000 yuan!"
Tang Qinghua demanded a large sum.
"What the hell, are you trying to fleece me?"
Hua Ge angrily responded, feeling insulted, "10000 yuan is absolutely impossible! If we all pitch in, we could probably raise 5000 yuan. You have to sell it, whether you want to or not... If you dare to object further, I swear I'll beat you up."
"5000 yuan? 5000 yuan..."
Tang Qinghua deliberated inwardly, and eventually nodded, "Alright, I'll sell it to you for 5000!"
This isn't some national secret. You could simply google the solution in the future. Why would I not sell it for 5000 yuan? In Guangzhou in 2003, the average salary was only a little over a thousand yuan per month. This 5000 yuan is equivalent to the salary of an ordinary person for three to four months.
The point is, I really need the money now!
"Could you two lend me some money first —"
Hua Ge turned to the two people beside him.
Even though both of them looked unwilling, they still managed to scrap together the money. Only after counting it carefully, did they hand it over to Tang Qinghua.
Tang Qinghua didn't do the counting, but revealed the solution.
From start to finish, he stayed extra vigilant, clenching the brick in his hand tightly and maintaining a one-meter distance from the other party. As soon as there was a sign of the other party making a move, he would smack them without hesitation…
Unfortunately,
In the end,
Nothing happened.