Chapter 90: For Whose Sake?
Jun Jiuling
This was her just starting?
How will her next plays be like?
The pitch-pot director was moved again.
This girl truly was knowledgeable about pitch-pot.
The bets gradually trickled out and the Jinyun Hall fell silent again, but the girl and the director on stage hadnât moved at all.
Was she not continuing?
This was some peopleâs guess. The bets here were already greater than several thousand taels. If she lost, that girl must compensate ten thousand taels of silver.
It probably scared her.
Ten thousand taels was not just something you could throw about at will.
Seeing the silence on stage, Ning Yunyan started to grin. Because of the good position of the room, she could see the person on stageâs expression.
Jun Zhenzhenâs face was covered by a gauze, but the stunned look on the directorâs face was clearly discernable.
What? Was it terror?
"Throw, keep throwing," Ning Yunyan said through gritted teeth.
"She just won quite a bit of money, but she lost more when she was fighting with us," observed Zuo Yanzhi, her eyes flashing. "If she loses now, sheâll have a big price to pay."
"She canât not play," said another girl hastily when she heard.
Right, she canât not play. The more she played the greater her losses would be if she lost.
"Six hundred," Ning Yunyan shouted to the outside.
The servant girlâs expression betrayed her hesitation.
Actually, Young Miss said Jun Zhenzhen had lost a lot previously, but she probably forgot that they also had lost quite a bit.
"Young Missâ¦" she couldnât help but say.
"What are you doing? You still havenât left," Ning Yunyan wrinkled her brows at her and barked.
Ning Yunyan rarely showed her anger. The servant girl jumped in fright but didnât finish her sentence and rushed out.
A girl sitting on the other side was too scared to voice out what she was thinking.
She wanted to say, that before Jun Zhenzhen had said she was doing the most basic stuff, but instead pulled out a terrifying skill.
Once was a coincidence. Twice was true ability.
She also wanted to say that everybodyâs bets for Jun Zhenzhenâs inverted ear seemed to be for a much harder throw. Actually, for someone who could throw a full pot and backwards through the ears, an inverted ear was nothing difficult.
The girl looked at Ning Yunyan, and then the other girls in the room.
Everybody just said that Jun Zhenzhen had been hooked by the fight from before, but now she thought that the one who had been hooked was Ning Yunyan.
Seeing the girl on stage not move, Jinchuan clasped her hands and thanked Heaven and earth.
"Young Lady knows whatâs too much," she said.
But Fang Jinxiuâs lips curled.
"Is this knowing her limits or is it stupidity," she commented. She shouted to the outside, "One thousand."
Jinchuan almost rushed to cover Fang Jinxiuâs mouth in surprise.
The attendant outside announced her bet as always.
This sent the silent main hall into whispers.
Fang Jinxiu still wasnât finished yet. She pulled back the curtains and shouted outside.
"Keep playing Young Miss, you canât be scared."
The sudden voice sent everyone into shock.
What were they saying? What were they saying?
This was an elegant stage for pitch-pot, not a gambling den.
The young men and women of today were more and more lawless.
Miss Jun smiled when she heard Fang Jinxiu but didnât really care. Next to her, the director nervously rubbed his hands.
Of course, he was not frightened by Fang Jinxiuâs shouts nor was he frightened by the sum of the bets. Rather, he was afraid because of the quiet words he and Miss Jun had exchanged earlier.
"This has never happened."
He looked at Miss Jun, stumbling over his words.
"Yes, I know there is no precedent. I apologize for changing your rules," Miss Jun said warmly. "The important thing is that letting everyone bet like this is not too fair."
The director smiled bitterly.
She was saying she was still doing it for the good of the crowd?
"Moreover, you said there were no limits before, but I canât just throw forever," Miss Jun continued.
So youâre saying that it was possible for you to never stop throwing.
The director was somewhat speechless.
It was undeniable that this girl was of consummate skill, but it was really conceited.
"Thatâs fine. You asked before what the rules of pitch-pot were here, and I told you that there were no rules. There are no limiting rules, even on the style of throw," he explained thoroughly. "Since itâs like that, I will do as Young Miss requests."
Miss Jun nodded.
The director stepped forward. When the crowd saw him step forward, the humming ceased.
Although the music still clanged, the atmosphere was nervous.
"Donât be afraid," said Fang Jinxiu again.
Someone sputtered out a laugh, and then more people began to laugh afterwards.
"Donât be afraid."
"Thatâs right, keep on playing."
The voices kept on coming, half laughing half shouting. The building became noisy.
The elegant air was swept away.
"Whatever next, whatever next?" exclaimed the cautious as they shook their heads.
The director also laughed. He raised an arm in greeting at the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the bets will be changed for next round," he said sonorously.
Changing the bets?
The raucous crowd quieted down.
"What change?" someone asked first.
"This Young Miss will announce the pitch-pot style," the director said, smiling.
"Right, of course itâs as she says. Could it be that we are the ones who should say it?" someone said with a laugh.
"This Young Miss will announce the pitch-pot style," said the director again. "Then she will decide on the betting amount."
"Interesting," said the companions squeezed together by the window.
"This young miss actually wants to set the price herself."
This was why girls werenât allowed in the Jinyun Hall. Being commented and scrutinized like this was unpleasant for the eyes and ears.
Girls that could come here frequently were from wealthy and powerful families. For them, reputation was more important than gold.
Ning Yunzhao frowned and shook his head.
"Letâs pay attention to what theyâre saying," he reminded.
His friends laughed and listened to the voice of the director outside.
"In the pot, one thousand taels."
In the pot?
Just as the director said this, everyoneâs gazes turned to the display in front of them. The young woman had just thrown a full pot and the through the ears, bringing the total arrows in the pot two fourteen. It was packed to the brim.
How can she do it in the pot?
"A brave arrow can go a hundred times over," Ning Yunzhao said. This time, not only was he looking at the window, the people standing at the window had moved. "One thousand taels. Iâll bet on it."
He made his way over to the window. The curtains had been pulled back, and he saw the girl on stage.
Her!
His face transformed into amazement. His eyes suddenly glistened.
It was her!
This was the third time he had seen her. He believed he would never see her again, and it seemed that she would never appear again. That encounter at the Lantern Festival was like a dream.
No one knew her, no one witnessed their fantastic match. All the happiness and worry related to her was something only he knew.
He had gone to many places and met with many people, hoping to have another encounter with her, but to no avail.
He had given up. He knew there were many people and things that he would only meet once as ordained by fate.
But when she truly appeared in front of him again, he knew that a meeting of fate was inferior to the happiness of reunion.
Yes, he actually still hoped to see her again.
Thatâs right. This was happiness.
At this very moment, his heart was filled with happiness.
And she had appeared in a stage full of scrutiny.
Thatâs right. This is how she should appear, as if part of his imagination.
"I bet one, one thousand taels," Ning Yunzhao said again as he looked out the window.
.......
âInterestingâ was the general consensus of people watching the girl on stage.
"An into the pot isnât into the pot. The pot is already full," they smiled and said.
"Letâs see this brave arrow skill."
......â¦
"Room 23 bets one thousand taels."
"Section 1, room 5 bets one thousand taels."
"Section 2, room 7 bets one thousand taels.
...â¦.