Card Room (Rebirth)

In the cold winter months, the temperature plummeted and the heavy snow for several days turned the entire city of Jiangzhou into a world of silver.

School was off for winter vacation and the students had already returned home. Xiao Lou was sent by the department to attend an academic exchange. This meeting lasted until the 28th day of the 12th lunar month. Then after a day of rest, he packed his bags and flew back to his hometown to spend the new year with his grandparents.

As a child, his parents had been too busy working and Xiao Lou lived in the countryside for a while with his grandparents. He had been too young at the time and only had a vague memory of his childhood. However, he returned to his hometown every year during the Spring Festival because the New Year reunion was a tradition of the Xiao family. His father and uncle would bring their wives and children home to spend the new year together.

By the time Xiao Lou arrived home, it was the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. He entered and his female cousin Xiao Xinyue greeted him with a smile. “Brother, why are you so late? Grandmother was just saying something about you!” She came over and whispered in Xiao Lou’s ears. “She is asking why you aren’t married yet.”

Xiao Lou, “…”

Every New Year’s Day at home, he would be urged by his elders to marry.

Xiao Lou was now an ‘old, unmarried youth.’ The 27 year old was still a single dog.

He went to school early and was admitted to medical school at the age of 17. After graduating from university, he stayed on as a teacher and became an associate professor at a young age. Xiao Lou was tall, had a gentle personality and looked very handsome. It was reasonable to say that he should be very popular in the blind date market…

Unfortunately, he studied forensics.

If a person heard the word ‘forensics’, they naturally thought of corpses. Who wanted to be with a man who dissected corpses every day?

In fact, Xiao Lou wasn’t a criminal forensics investigator and there was no need for him to go to a murder scene to identify the cause of death.

After graduation, he stayed on at the medical university under the recommendation of his supervisor. He usually spent most of his time teaching students of the Forensics Department. In his spare time, he would go to the Jiangzhou Forensics Identification Centre to help. The cases sent to the identification centre were generally to identify car accident injuries, fighting injuries and occasionally genetic identification and poison identification. He hadn’t seen a corpse in a long time.

Xiao Lou went to the living room and politely greeted the elders. He distributed the gifts to everyone and then his grandmother asked him with a smile, “Little Lou, when are you bringing a wife home to grandmother?”

Xiao Lou placed one hand on the old lady’s shoulder and spoke warmly, “Grandmother, I am currently too busy at work. I want to wait until I am 30 to consider marriage.”

Xiao Xinyue teased him from the side, “Brother, if you studied clinical medicine and went to the hospital as a doctor then you will definitely have many girls waiting in line to chase you. Now when they hear that you are a forensics doctor, most of the girls are scared away. Hahaha.”

Xiao Lou looked at his cousin and smiled. “This is professional prejudice. A forensics doctor doesn’t dissect living people. It isn’t as perverted as horror movies. Moreover, I haven’t touched a corpse in a long time.”

Hearing the word ‘corpse’, Xiao Xinyue’s scalp became numb and she immediately turned away.

They headed to the dining room and prepared to start the meal. Xiao Lou helped his grandmother sit down and changed the topic by asking Xiao Xinyue, “Do you have any idea what school you want to apply to next year?”

His youngest cousin Xiao Xinyue was 18 years old and would face the university entrance examination next semester. The moment Xiao Lou asked this, the elders started discussing what courses would be good for a future job. Xiao Xinyue actively joined the discussion and no one mentioned Xiao Lou’s marriage, causing Xiao Lou to feel slightly relieved.

The New Year’s dinner finished and the elder started to play mahjong. Xiao Lou took his cousins to the next room to play.

Xiao Xinyue took out a brand new deck of cards. “The three of us will play Fight the Landlord (card game). How about the losers drink?”

His younger male cousin Xiao Wei rolled up his sleeves and looked eager to try. “Come, I am the best at Fight the Landlord!”

Xiao Lou wasn’t interested in playing cards but every Spring Festival, the elders would always play mahjong. It was too boring for two people to play cards so he had to accompany them as an elder brother.

Fight the Landlord was one of the most common ways to play cards. The rules were very simple. The ‘landlord’ could add a few hands to enhance combat power while the other two ‘peasants’ needed to unite. The two sides were divided into two camps and whoever lost their cards first won.

Xiao Lou’s first hand was very good and he directly got a king bomb. (TL: In the game, the two jokers are the highest rank. A king bomb is having two jokers).

Seeing the king bomb in his hand, he didn’t hesitate to say, “Calling me Landlord.”

Xiao Xinyue and Xiao Wei had to join forces to beat him.

The result was that in this game, Xiao Lou’s cards were too good. In addition to the big straight of 9, 10, J, Q and K, he had several pairs, four bombs (four cards of the same rank), and a pair of king bombs. He simply didn’t give the opponents a way to live.

The younger brother and sister looked at him with a sullen expression as he finished playing all the cards in one breath.

Xiao Lou smiled. “I won, you drink Coke.”

Xiao Xinyue and Xiao Wei had to drink Coke with a bitter expression.

Next, regardless of whether Xiao Xinyue was the landlord or Xiao Wei in the village, every time they would be beaten by their big brother. Xiao Lou’s cards tonight were so good that people couldn’t evaluate it. Several times, he touched a king bomb and the brother and sister almost vomited as they drank.

The trio played until midnight.

The deafening sound of fireworks came from outside and the brother and sister excitedly ran to the yard to set off fireworks. Xiao Lou had just put on a coat and went outside when his mobile phone lit up and a message appeared on the screen. “Happy New Year.”

Sender: Yu Hanjiang.

Seeing this familiar snowy avatar, Xiao Lou’s lips slightly curved and he quickly replied, “You too. Happy New Year.”

Yu Hanjiang asked, “When are you going back to school?”

Xiao Lou replied, “I’ll be back on the seventh day after New Year’s Day.”

Yu Hanjiang: “Thank you very much for your help last time. Once you come back, I’ll invite you to dinner.”

Xiao Lou: “Captain Yu is too polite. I’ll contact you when I

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