mahjong rules：

Aspect Description Objective Form a complete hand by drawing and discarding tiles to create combinations (melds) and meet a specific winning condition ("Hu"). Number of Players Typically 4 players. Tile Types 144 tiles (varies by region), including: - Suit Tiles: Bamboo, Characters, and Circles (1-9 each, 4 of each tile). - Honor Tiles: Winds (East, South, West, North) and Dragons (Red, Green, White). - Bonus Tiles: Flowers and Seasons (optional, used for bonus points). Gameplay Phases 1. Drawing: Each player starts with 13 tiles (14 for East Wind) and draws one tile per turn. 2. Discarding: After drawing, discard a tile to maintain 13 tiles. 3. Claiming Tiles: Players can claim a discarded tile to form melds or declare Hu. Melds (Sets) Players aim to form these combinations: - Pong: Three identical tiles. - Chow: A sequence of three tiles in the same suit (e.g., 4, 5, 6 of Bamboo). - Kong: Four identical tiles (exposes the set and draws a replacement tile). - Pair: Two identical tiles (needed for a winning hand). Winning Hand A complete hand typically consists of: - Four melds (Pong, Chow, or Kong). - One pair. - Special winning hands vary by rules (e.g., All Pairs, Seven Pairs). Scoring Points are calculated based on the complexity of the hand (e.g., “All in One Suit” or “Self-Draw”). Bonuses for Flowers, Seasons, and specific combinations apply. Variations Rules and scoring systems differ across regions (e.g., Hong Kong Mahjong, Japanese Riichi Mahjong, Chinese Official Rules).

What I imagined the world of martial arts to be was all swords flashing, shadows flickering, and blood staining the skies.

But when I left the small town for the city, I realized everything wasn’t much different from the town itself.

The only noticeable changes were the neon lights, towering skyscrapers, and bustling streets.

When I left, Old Liu gave me just 100 yuan for travel expenses.

Old Liu wasn’t short of money. If he were, he wouldn’t have been able to court so many women.

The reason he only gave me 100 yuan was that he told me:

“There’s plenty of money in the world, and women are everywhere. If you want them, go find them yourself.”

The problem was, I had no idea where to start looking.

I grew up in a small border city in the north, where bathhouse culture thrived.

To make ends meet, I took a job at Tianxiang Bathhouse as a service attendant, responsible for distributing supplies to the various bathing areas. Of course, this didn’t include the women’s section.

Six months passed by just like that.

That afternoon, after finishing my routine of distributing supplies and preparing to clock out, Team Leader Hou Jun called me over.

“Go up to the manager’s office on the sixth floor and deliver a fruit platter to Sister Mei.”

Sister Mei was the manager at Tianxiang. She wasn’t much older than me, probably around 25 or 26.

The first time I saw her, I was a little stunned.

She was beautiful, far more striking than any of the women Old Liu had been involved with.

She stood about 1.7 meters tall, her skin fair and delicate, smooth enough to look flawless under any light.

But what stood out the most were her legs—long, slender, and so fair they almost glowed.

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Any man would find himself entranced just by looking at her.

I carried the fruit platter and knocked on the door before entering. Sister Mei was in the adjacent suite playing mahjong.

Everyone in the bathhouse knew Sister Mei loved mahjong. Whenever she had free time, she’d be upstairs playing a few rounds.

Many men tried to get close to her by competing for a seat at her mahjong table.

“Sister Mei, here’s the fruit platter for you.”

After setting the tray down and greeting her, I was about to leave when she stopped me.

“Wait a moment...”

She gestured toward a nearby teapot.

“Change the tea. Use the pre-Qingming Dragon Well tea from the box under my desk.”

I started boiling water and preparing the tea.

While waiting for the water to boil, I stood nearby, watching the group play mahjong.

They were playing the most common local variation—“Push Down Hu,” with bets starting at 100 yuan.

Don’t underestimate that 100 yuan. With the way the winnings multiplied based on combinations, a single game could result in someone losing tens of thousands.

From where I stood, I could see Sister Mei’s tiles and those of the player to her left.

The player next to her was also a woman, about the same age as Sister Mei, but with a completely different vibe.

This woman was heavily made up, her face caked with makeup, and she wore a black, low-cut top that left most of her chest exposed.

Watching for a while, I began to sense something off.

At first, I thought they were just friends playing casually. But I noticed the woman in black and the man across from her seemed to be working together, using signals to cheat.

Their method wasn’t sophisticated—basic hand signals, one of the most common tricks in the book.

The woman in black was aiming for an “All Pairs” hand in one suit. Her left thumb curled slightly, and her right hand rested on the edge of the tiles, focusing intently on her tiles without looking elsewhere.

The man across from her kept glancing at her hands, his gaze drifting repeatedly toward her signals.

Halfway through the round, the man discarded an Eight Bamboo tile, which the woman immediately picked up to complete a pair.

At that point, I thought it could still be a coincidence.

But after taking the tile, the woman resumed the same signaling posture—left thumb curled, right hand closing slightly.

I quietly guessed in my mind: If they were cheating, the next tile she needed would likely be Five Bamboo.

Sure enough, within a couple of turns, the man across from her discarded a Five Bamboo tile.

She claimed the tile and declared “Hu” shortly after, having drawn the winning tile herself.

It was a self-drawn win, totaling 24 multipliers: “No Terminals,” “All in One Suit,” “All Pairs,” and “Self-Draw.”

Each of the three other players owed her 2,400 yuan.

Mahjong cheating methods are diverse and intricate, ranging from subtle conversations—like commenting, “It’s warm today,” where the word “warm” could signal a specific tile type—to gestures like the ones the pair used.

Their technique, known as “Nine Section Whip,” relied on finger joints to signal desired tiles.

Although I was certain they were cheating, I didn’t know their relationship with Sister Mei and couldn’t expose them.

After brewing the tea, I prepared to leave.

At that moment, the man across from Sister Mei received a phone call.

The conversation was brief. Once he hung up, he stood and said, “Sorry, I can’t continue. My child is sick, so I need to go. Lost over ten thousand today—bad luck all around.”

The moment he left, the woman in black complained loudly.

“Sister Mei, what kind of person did you bring in? Leaving mid-game? Sick child? More like a sore loser running away! I’m just getting into the groove here...”

Sister Mei casually toyed with the mahjong tiles and replied with a faint smile:

“Dear Hua, all three of us lost. You’re the only one who won. Aren’t you satisfied? How much more do you want to win?”

The woman, whom Sister Mei had called Hua, quickly counted her winnings and pouted.

“Not even 30,000 yet. Come on, Sister Mei, call someone else. I just want to play a few more rounds today...”

Unable to resist her nagging, Sister Mei checked her phone but seemed unsure who to call at this hour.

After a moment’s thought, she turned to look at me, who was still pouring tea.

“Chuliu, you know how to play mahjong, right? Come over and play a few rounds with us.”

I didn’t expect her to call on me, but I quickly replied:

“I know a bit, but your stakes are way out of my league. I can’t afford it...”

In truth, I didn’t even need money to win in a game like this. After all, over a decade of mastering the art of deception wasn’t for nothing.

But I had to play the fool, as Old Liu had once taught me.

“A true con artist must know how to stay low, appear weak, and feign ignorance. Only when the opponent completely underestimates you can you deliver a fatal blow.”

“Don’t worry. If you lose, I’ll cover it. If you win, it’s all yours. Just sit down and give us a hand,” Sister Mei said, tossing a stack of cash onto the table.

With that, I stopped hesitating and sat opposite her.

Back in 2000, automatic mahjong tables weren’t popular yet. All the tiles were manually shuffled and stacked, making it easier for tricksters to pull off their schemes.

Even with an automatic table, the right skills could still tilt the odds.

As we began shuffling tiles, the woman in black deliberately brushed her hand against mine and teased, “Oh my, such smooth hands! Tell me, do you have a girlfriend? Still a virgin?”

Her flirtation drew laughter from Sister Mei and the remaining player.

But I stayed expressionless, focusing on stacking tiles.

When I trained under Old Liu, the first thing he drilled into me was this:

“While stacking tiles, memorize every tile in front of you and note any exposed tiles from your opponents. Even without cheating, this skill alone ensures a winning edge.”