Chapter 17 – Congratulations! (1/2)

Chapter 17 – Congratulations!

Part 1

April 19.

Big Boss Tang had awoken, and her eyes were open, but in front of her was a sheet of darkness. She couldn’t see a thing. It was as if her eyes were closed.

How long had she been unconscious? What time was it? What was this place? Why had the weird old man brought her here?

She had no idea.

She only knew that all important acupuncture points on her body had ben sealed in a unique and ingenious way. Her tendons, arteries, Qi and blood were all undamaged, but she couldn’t move even so much as her pinky finger.

If that old man had been a bit younger, perhaps she could have guessed what he had in mind for her. She would have thought of it immediately.

But the old fellow really was just too old, old enough that she could comfort herself because of it.

—He wouldn’t do something like that. He couldn’t be interested in a woman like herself. He couldn’t handle it. When old men want to chase women, they always chase the young, naive girls.

This was how she comforted herself, and yet thinking about it made her sick.

Fortunately, she could still hear.

Not long after she woke up, she heard the sound of two people conversing. The first was a woman, her voice thin, shrill and loud, as if she took everyone around her to be deaf.

The second person spoke at a leisurely pace and in a very eccentric tone. It was none other absurd old man.

“Did you bring that woman back?”

“Of course I did,” said the little old man. “Having been dispatched on such a duty, I achieved immediate success, as simple as stretching out my hand.”

“I know you like this kind of thing,” said the woman, her voice growing louder. “You old wretch, pervert!”

“Who likes this kind of thing? You sent me to do it. Had you asked someone else to do it, I wouldn’t go even if you knelt down and begged me.”

“Shut the hell up. You take advantage, then try to show off your cleverness?”

“Took advantage of what?”

“You… I know without doubt that you molested her.”

Suddenly, a “whap” sound rang out. The little old man had just been slapped across the side of the face. He cried out.

“Unjust treatment, unjust treatment!”

“You dare to claim unjust treatment? You dare to say you didn’t molest her?”

“If I did, then call me a son of a b*tch.”

“You’re definitely a son of a b*tch. And elderly son of a b*tch.”

“If I’m a son of a b*tch, then what are you?”

“Beat it! Beat it and get as far away as you can! The farther the better. And don’t come back until I call for you.”

“As you wish.”

The old man sighed, muttering to himself: “You live to seventy or eighty and still get as jealous as a little girl. You’ll drive me to my death.”

***

The old man’s voice faded into the distance. He seemed to be afraid of receiving another slap across the face.

Big Boss Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief. She could tell that the old man and the woman with the thin, shrill voice were husband and wife.

The man had gone, leaving behind the woman, and she was seventy or eighty. How would an old lady treat her? However she ended up being treated, it would definitely be better than what she had been imagining moments before.

Just when she began to think that she could set her mind at ease, she saw lantern light shining.

The light was exceedingly bright. Anyone’s eyes would have a hard time adjusting to such a bright light amidst the darkness.

Big Boss Tang closed her eyes. Then she opened them, and then closed them again. When she opened them again, she didn’t see a person, but only several lanterns, each and every one much brighter than the lanterns in her gambling hall.

All of the lanterns hung directly above her. By use of covers, all the light of the lanterns was directed directly onto her body. Everything else in the room was pitch black.

She squinted her eyes, trying to block the light with her eyelashes. By tilting her head, she could just barely make out the shadow of a person.

It was a woman, skinny and tall.

Big Boss Tang actually couldn’t see the person. She could only see the skirt she wore.

It was a gaudy, pleated skirt, not the type that a seventy- or eighty-year-old elderly woman should be wearing.

Seeing the skirt, Big Boss Tang could tell that this woman was taller than anyone she had ever seen before. That was because the skirt was longer than any skirt she had ever seen. And it was very tight.

The skirts Big Boss Tang wore when she was thirteen years old were more loose than this dress.

What kind of figure did you need to be able to wear such a skirt? Big Boss Tang simply couldn’t imagine.

The woman was definitely looking at her, from head to toe. After a long time passed, she asked a question with her thin, shrill voice: “What’s your surname? And what’s your given name? How old are you? Are you the one who started the As You Wish Gambling Hall?”

Big Boss Tang refused to answer. This woman didn’t have the right to interrogate her, so she felt no need to respond.

Instead, she retorted, “What is your surname? And what’s your given name? How old are you? Why don’t you tell me first?”

“I can tell you,” said the woman. “I’m surnamed Lei, and people call me Grand Miss Lei.” [1]

“Well then, I can tell you that I am surnamed Tang. People call me Big Boss Tang.”

“How old are you?”

“Did you tell me how old you are?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then why should I tell you how old I am?”

“You can tell me. You definitely can.” In a cool voice, Grand Miss Lei said, “I like your disposition. You have the kind of spirit which would rather die than be at a disadvantage. I have the same type of disposition.”

“Well that’s excellent, then.”

“Unfortunately, there is a bit of a difference between us.”

“What’s that?”

Grand Miss Lei didn’t respond. Instead, she slowly extended her hand, and then slapped Big Boss Tang across the face.

Her had moved out slowly, and yet Big Boss Tang couldn’t clearly see what the hand looked like before the palm slapped her face, then disappeared.

The slap happened very quickly.

“I can hit you, and you have no way to hit me. That is the area of difference. Do you understand now?”

Big Boss Tang said nothing.

“I can do more than slap you,” Grand Miss Lei continued. “Anything that you could possibly imagine, I could do. Even things you can’t imagine, I can do.”

Big Boss Tang’s heart began to sink. She knew that what Grand Miss Lei said was not intended to frighten her. The things women can do to women are far worse than the things men can do, and she had already imagined a few horrifying things that could be done.

Grand Miss Lei sighed. “I’m confident that you understand my meaning. So, can you tell me now? What is your name?”

“Tang Lanfang.” [2]

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-four.”

“You’re only thirty-four? That’s good. You’re still a young girl, you’ll make a good match.”

In her eyes, a thirty-four year old woman was still a young girl. Exactly how old was this Grand Miss Lei?”

Big Boss Tang really wanted to see her face, see what she looked like.

“You’re not too old, and you don’t look too bad. Even though your temper isn’t too good, it can’t be considered bad.” Grand Miss Lei’s voice grew soft. “To be frank, I’m already quite satisfied. However, I still need to take a close look at you.”