19: Chapter 19 Gambling Dispute in the Train Car

The metal seats of the green-skinned train were scorched by the sun. Chen Jie had just shoved his backpack under his seat when he heard a sharp "snap" from the row behind—like playing cards being slapped onto a table, mixed with the shouting of men, drowning out the ambient noise of the carriage.

"Jie-zi, look, they're gambling again." Zhao Kai gestured with his chin toward the back row, his phone screen still lingering on an image editing interface. "They haven't stopped since we got on. The smell of smoke mixed with sweat is even more choking than the kitchen at Wang Leis Braised Food Stall."

Chen Jie frowned. Three men in the back row were playing cards around a small folding table. One of them, a man with a thick beard, slapped his cards onto the table, spraying spittle onto the straw hat of the old man opposite him. "Are you betting or not? If I lose this round, I'll give you my entire salary for next month!" The old man's hands trembled as he fished out a cloth bag. Just as he was about to open it, the man in the Flower Shirt beside him pressed his hand down. "Uncle Li, don't gamble with him. This guy is cheating!"

"Bullshit!" The bearded man stood up abruptly, causing the metal table to clatter loudly. "I think you just can't afford to lose!" His fists were clenched white, his knuckles turning red—much like the jammed compressor Chen Jie had repaired last time, ready to burst into a harsh, grating noise at any moment.

Chen Jie subconsciously touched the backpack under his seat. The ink-green jade stone was scorching hot through the canvas, even more so than when it had absorbed the thick smoke at the campsite. The patterns on the stone's surface seemed to imprint a faint outline onto the canvas; the horizontal and vertical lines looked as if they had been scratched on with fingernails, exuding an indescribable sense of agitation. He hated gambling more than anything. When he was a child, a neighbor had gambled away his entire family fortune, even using his child's tuition money for bets. That incident had left a scar in his heart—a topic he could not touch.

"What's all this noise!" A conductor walked over carrying a kettle, the steam from the spout condensing into droplets on his face. "Keep it up and I'll take you all to the security office!" The bearded man sat down sullenly, but his eyes were still glaring at the Flower Shirt, like two brawling billy goats with their horns about to lock.

Just as Zhao Kai was about to pull out his phone to record, he saw the Flower Shirt suddenly slam his cards onto the table. "These cards are rigged!" He picked up an Ace of Hearts, rubbing his fingertips along the corner. "See? The edges have been filed down. You can tell what the card is just by touching it!" The bearded man lunged forward to grab the cards, and the two of them collided with a row of seats. The water bottle Chen Jie had placed on the corner of the table fell to the floor with a "snap," splashing boiling hot water onto the bearded man's pant leg.

"Ouch!" The bearded man jumped up in pain and threw a punch at the Flower Shirt's face. Chen Jie was quick, reaching out to grab his arm—the Qi from his fingertips surged along his arm, carrying the cool chill of the jade stone. The bearded man's movements suddenly slowed by half a beat, as if he had been hit by a slow-motion button, his fist stopping an inch from the other man's nose.

"What are you doing?" The bearded man glared back at him, his eyes red as if they were spitting fire.

"Let's talk this out properly." Chen Jie's voice was as flat as a stone slab. "Gambling is wrong to begin with, and throwing punches is even more pointless. Your pant leg is burned; check if you're hurt first." Once he said this, the onlookers joined in to persuade them. Taking the opportunity, the Flower Shirt snatched the cloth bag from the old man. "Uncle Li, I told you he was a swindler!"

The old man finally snapped out of it, clutching the cloth bag to his chest, his hands trembling like leaves in an autumn wind. "Thank you, young man... This is money for my grandson's medical treatment, I almost..." Before he could finish, tears fell onto the cloth bag, soaking into a dark spot.

The bearded man looked at the water stain on the floor and suddenly squatted down, falling silent. The Flower Shirt was still cursing and swearing, but Chen Jie noticed something—the hot water that had splashed onto the floor was flowing along the floor cracks toward the underside of his seat. It formed a tiny ring of water around his backpack, circled twice, and then vanished, leaving not even a damp trace behind, as if it had been quietly sucked dry by the jade stone.

"Guess it's my bad luck." The bearded man stood up suddenly and walked toward the carriage connection, his back slumped like a piece of wood soaked in rain. "These cards... they really are rigged."

The Flower Shirt spat and followed him out. The old man thanked him profusely, stuffing the cloth bag into his chest, and before leaving, he glanced at the underside of Chen Jie's seat. "Young man, what is your bag made of? How come it doesn't even get wet?"

Chen Jie smiled without speaking and touched the backpack under his seat. The jade stone's temperature had receded, but the patterns on its surface were clearer than before, faintly revealing a shape similar to a wrench under the canvas—when he had grabbed the bearded man earlier, he clearly felt the jade stone vibrating, as if someone had tightened a screw inside, quietly "fixing" that volatile temper and smoothing it out.

Zhao Kai leaned over and said, "Not bad, that was fast earlier. Just like when you're fixing a tabletop—steady, accurate, and ruthless." He glanced at the back row. "But then again, you hate gambling the most. Remember when Wang Lei's cousin came to borrow money to bet on soccer, and you kicked him out?"

Chen Jie didn't respond. He gazed at the utility poles flashing past outside the window, like rows of upended rulers. This jade stone could sense danger, absorb foul odors, and now it could even calm conflicts according to his will. It was like a wrench in his hand, always useful when force was needed. He didn't mention, however, that the moment he grabbed the bearded man, he seemed to hear a faint "click" from inside the jade stone, like the sound of gears re-engaging—just like those lives disrupted by gambling; as long as one was willing to reach out and turn the wrench, there was always a possibility of setting things back in place.

The carriage gradually quieted down, leaving only the "clatter" of the train rolling over the tracks. Chen Jie pulled his backpack closer to his chest. The jade stone pressed against his heart, cool and soothing, like a plumb bob reminding him to hold his ground. He knew this journey wasn't over yet. Just like the endless old objects waiting to be repaired, new problems would always emerge, but as long as the "wrench" was in his hand, there was nothing that couldn't be screwed back into place.