Chapter 3 I'm going to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle
The underground market has never been closed.
In 1998, almost all transactions were cash transactions, which was in the most elementary stage of market development.
After 2002, telephone calls began to be used. Investors placed bets over the phone, and the proceeds were transferred through banks. The increased concealment and convenience made the market grow like a snowball.
After the rise of the Internet, the styles became more diverse and a mature industrial chain was formed.
This pool in Dongjiang City has only been in operation for two or three years. It has handicaps for the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Champions League, and other popular leagues. The bookmaker behind it is unknown, but it has a good reputation, is safe and reliable, and is very popular among golfers.
Whenever a big game starts, everyone gathers in one or more secluded places, with a TV hanging in front of them. The game goes to the pool to fill with water, the game is broadcast live, and money is divided according to the odds of winning or losing.
However, this is the first time that Dongjiang has opened a World Cup match.
Lin Baiyao didn't plan to go alone. He didn't know the secrets involved, so he entrusted Chu Gang to come forward, which not only reduced the trouble, but also offset the possible risks in the future.
"...That's it. My dad has to go in and rest for two days, but it's the World Cup finals. He asked me to come to you and put all the money on Brazil 0:3 France."
Chu Gang frowned and said, "Shouldn't it be Aunt Shi who told me this? Why did I let you come?"
"My mother went to take care of my grandpa and was not at home during this period... Brother Gang, you understand, after all, my father's arrest is a disgraceful matter, and he doesn't want my mother and relatives over there to know..."
Forty thousand yuan is not much for a person like Chu Gang.
After all, he works in an entertainment hall and makes a lot of money every day. He has seen a lot of money.
But this money is really not too much for ordinary people. If you throw it all in, if you lose it...
Chu Gang hesitated and said: "I am still a friend in the nursery and asked Uncle Lin..."
"Oh, Brother Gang, you still can't trust me? Besides, my dad came out in two days. How dare I give you so much money without his permission?"
Lin Baiyao said with a smile: "Brother Gang, I'm going to brag about myself, so don't laugh at me. My dad has made a lot of money in restaurants in Xinkai District over the years. Forty thousand yuan is enough for him..."
"That's true!"
When it came to this point, Chu Gang couldn't refuse, and said: "Uncle Lin has really thought about it, is he betting on France? I heard that everyone is optimistic about Brazil..."
"My dad said that he doesn't understand football, but when everyone is optimistic about Brazil, then they have to bet on France to win. Otherwise, how can the big foreign bookmakers make money? Just by pumping water? They will be hungry."
"That makes sense!
In fact, big bookmakers can achieve perfect profits by adjusting odds. Even if they really want to control the game, the trick is to bribe the referee, such as what Bangziguo did in 2002, rather than bribe the opponent's players.
Therefore, the conspiracy theories about the 1998 World Cup finals are simply nonsense.
"You play a game first, and I'll ask someone for directions. We'll go there later."
"good!"
…
The No. 1 entertainment hall is divided into two floors, with hundreds of arcade machines. The most popular games from all over the country, such as "Master", "Dinosaur Island", "Metal Slug", "Eater of Heaven and Earth", "King of Fighters", "Street Fighter", etc.
.
As for some kind of tiger-eating machine, Lin Baiyao didn't see it, but he knew with his toes that it must be placed in a more hidden place.
These days, if there are no slot machines in the entertainment hall, it’s like Guangxing Street has no young ladies. How can it be popular?
Perhaps because of the summer vacation, almost all the machines were occupied, and there were dense crowds of spectators standing behind them, several times the number of players.
This situation seems to be familiar. In later generations, anchors would sit at home and play games, while the audience would watch happily on the live broadcast platform.
Now there are groups of spectators gathered in the entertainment hall, watching with equal excitement people they know and don't know playing games.
Times are changing, and the game methods are changing, but the core and spirit of the game remain the same:
Game, just for fun!
Lin Baiyao finally found a machine in the corner and tried the joystick: Well, it is made by Sanwa, the island country next door, and the quality is good.
This is not licking, but facing the facts.
In the island country in the 1990s, the so-called craftsman spirit had not yet become the shameless craftsmanship spirit that it later became. The products produced were durable and were quite different from the copycats.
"Street Fighter extras..."
As a senior arcade enthusiast, I was an invincible player in surrounding schools during high school, so I know this 3D battle game that was just launched in 1998.
Lin Baiyao quickly found the feel, and was enjoying the crackling. The tall fat man next to the machine turned his head, stared at it for a while, and suddenly said: "Brother, let's play a round?"
Most fat people use their voices to control welfare, and this one is no exception. He is tall and slender, but his mouth is the ceiling for Qing Shuyin.
In other words, without a mouthful of 82-year-old phlegm, there is no way to produce such a bubble sound that makes a girl blush and her heart beats.
Facing the challenge from his peers, Lin Baiyao had no reason to refuse and said with a smile: "Come on!"
Twenty seconds!
Complete abuse!
The fat man was dissatisfied: "Hey, brother, okay, let's play another round?"
"come."
Fifteen seconds!
Complete torture again!
However, the fat man exchanged fifty coins without blinking an eye, and huffed and fell on the table next to him, making it clear that he wanted to fight Lin Baiyao.
Lin Baiyao was not polite, he changed roles after a round, and made all kinds of sexy moves to make the fat brother cry.
He was convinced!
"Great God...I want to worship you as my teacher..."
"It's okay to have a discussion, but there's no need to become a disciple."
"Then, can you make a friend?"
"Okay, let's get to know Lin Baiyao!"
"My name is Cao Mengde!"
"...Are you sure you really want to make friends?"
It was obviously not the first time that Fatty encountered this kind of doubt. He calmly took out his second-generation plastic ID card and pointed to the name and stamp: "Look, Cao Mengde, certified by the state, fidelity!"
Lin Baiyao gave a thumbs up and said: "This name is amazing..."
"My name is not awesome, my brother's is awesome."
Cao Mengde's face was full of pride and he said: "My brother's name is Cao Zhongmou!"
Cao Cao said that having children should be like Sun Zhongmou.
Good guy, your dad is going to kill Cao Cao and Sun Quan in one fell swoop!
Lin Baiyao asked with admiration: "What's your uncle's name?"
"Cao Bei!"
learn!
If there was a rice circle in the Three Kingdoms, your whole family would be die-hard fans!
He and Cao Mengde were discussing and talking, and when night fell, he left in advance and made an appointment to find a day to play together. Chu Gang also came back from outside, told his younger brother to watch the scene, and rode on the Dayang 100 curved beam motorcycle placed at the door.
Said: "Come on, I've found out where the odds are and I'll take you there to open your eyes."
Dayang Motorcycles were all the rage in the 1990s, but this model of imported engine costs about 13,000 yuan. Serious workers cannot afford it, and only crooks like Chu Gang, who are young and can make money quickly, can afford it.
I'm willing to buy it to support the scene.
Chu Gang said: "Brother, do you have a helmet?"
This is the instinct of the reborn:
Cherish your life!
"In the movie "Love", when Andy Lau got a nosebleed while riding a motorcycle, did he wear a helmet?"
"No……"
"understand?"
"Understood...real men don't wear helmets!"
Lin Baiyao sat behind the car and couldn't help but rolled his eyes:
Brother, in your profession, shouldn’t you like to watch Young and Dangerous? Why are you so interested in romance movies?
Besides, the focus of Andy Lau's last scene was the nosebleed, and he wore a helmet and filmed it for the ghosts to see!
…
The motorcycle was speeding towards the west, the wind was blowing against his face, and the boy's drool-worthy hair volume and texture were like tassels flying in the stars.
The whole city did not have the high-rise buildings and dazzling light pollution of later generations. The dim street lights were enough to illuminate the road underfoot. In the distance, there was a mixture of light and shadow, prosperity and dilapidation. People returning home in a hurry would cast envious eyes when they heard the roar.
, and then quickly disappeared into the darkness behind him.
Lin Baiyao narrowed his eyes due to the wind.
The past and the present, the past and the future, are so intertwined, wonderful and lucky.
The strange thing is that he is not him.
Fortunately, he is still who he is!
Arriving at the entrance of an alley deep in the West City, Chu Gang stopped his Dayang motorcycle and said, "We're here."
This is the most common small alley in the urban-rural fringe area. There are not many storefronts, and all the old shops open are hairdressers, pedicures, and shoe repairs, etc. that cater to people in the area.
There is a billiards hall at the end with twenty or thirty tables. Not to mention the decoration, it has more functions of sheltering from the wind and rain than in the open air.
However, such a simple place has become futilely lively since the World Cup.
…
"Brother Gang, are you short of money recently?" Lin Baiyao jumped out of the car and asked seemingly casually.
Chu Gang turned around, with a strange look in his eyes, and said, "How do you know?"
Lin Baiyao stood next to the car and said: "I also heard someone say that your best brother was stabbed because he saved you. He is still in coma in the ICU and the medical expenses are estimated to be less than 200,000. His mother has cancer.
The cost of chemotherapy and medicine every day is not a small sum, and my sister just took the college entrance examination this year. If her grades are good, college tuition and living expenses will also be an expense... All of these things are placed on you, and all the money in your hand is included.
Your favorite motorcycle is also ready to be sold..."
Chu Gang didn't ask further questions, because these things were not secrets, and too many people around him knew about them.
He did not look at Lin Baiyao, but turned his head and said in a low voice: "Money is not a problem, we can always find a way to solve it..."
"How to solve it? Ask Boss Li of the entertainment hall to borrow it? Hundreds of thousands, it's not a small amount. Have you ever thought about how much you have to pay to get someone to lend you money?"
A trace of struggle flashed in Chu Gang's eyes, and for the first time his face, which had always been resolute and vigorous, showed a helpless sadness, saying: "You are still young, you don't understand..."
"I understand! Shit tastes bad and money is hard to make. Tens of thousands of dollars can cut off someone's hands and feet. How many people can kill for hundreds of thousands?" Lin Baiyao's tone had never been so sincere, saying: "Brother Gang, for money
, You can’t do it. You have to believe me and listen to me tonight. It only takes one night, and I will give you 300,000!"
"Um?"
Chu Gang looked in a daze and suddenly felt that Lin Baiyao seemed different from before. His words and actions not only seemed more stable than his age, but also had a somewhat unpredictable and profound flavor.
This can't be faked. Without enough experience and strong self-confidence, it can't be concealed from his sharp eyes that he has honed for many years in society.
"You have watched me grow up, and it is not too much to say that we are brothers. I will tell you the truth, my father was deceived and owed Dongcheng Brother Hu a loan shark of 30,000 yuan. The interest is now estimated to be 10,000 yuan.
Wan Chutou..."
"Brother Tiger?"
Mentioning this man, Chu Gang's expression became serious and he said, "That's a dog-skin plaster. How did Uncle Lin get into trouble with him?"
"You know what Brother Hu is like. If you don't have enough money, your family will be ruined. Tonight is my only chance. If I win, I will solve my troubles and your troubles. If I lose, the worst possible outcome will be to return to the status quo... Brother Gang,
Do you dare to give it a try?"
Silence, silence again.
Then,
It was easier than imagined for Chu Gang to agree!
However, this was also within Lin Baiyao's expectation.
As a desperate man, unless he agreed to Boss Li to do something that completely changed his fate later on, Chu Gang could only treat a dead horse as a living horse doctor.
When people are desperate, the stimulation of adrenaline will affect their reason and judgment, making them more likely to obey instigating and bewitching language, and then deceive themselves and make a desperate move.
"What are you going to do?"
"From now on, my name is Jia Yuxuan. My ancestral home is Dongjiang. I am from Omen. My family runs a small business. This time I am going back to Dongjiang to worship my ancestors. I heard that I know your boss Li and I want to come and experience the underground market in Dongjiang..."