TEFSCBSS Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Strategic Foresight

Su Li’s script store was becoming more and more popular. The people who first came were now regulars, and besides bringing new people to play “The Stories of Huai Tree Village,” there was also a group that was very into playing Werewolf, especially Wang Bokao and Liu Tuhu, who were the most enthusiastic.

One day, just after Wang Bokao left, Wang Taifu, accompanied by three of his colleagues, went to the Western Floor Script Store, just in time for an evening session.

Having heard that playing scripts took quite a long time, he instructed a servant to inform everyone not to wait for him for dinner.

The Wang family was surprised when they heard the news, but they were even more delighted. They laughed heartily, as usually when Wang Taifu was around, they could only eat vegetables grown in their yard. Although they were delicious, they hadn’t had any meat for a long time.

Each yard raised chickens, ducks, and geese, but Wang Taifu wouldn’t allow them to be slaughtered, so they could only eat one or two eggs to make do. Now that Wang Taifu was gone, the eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Wu—who was Wang Bokao’s mother—immediately took off a silver bracelet and handed it to the maid, asking her to quickly exchange it for meat.

“Pearl, Pearl, come quickly! Take this bracelet and go exchange it for silver tickets, we’ll hide them away,” Madam Wu said.

“First, buy some meat! We haven’t had meat in a month!” Madam Wu said, her eyes watery, looking pitiful.

Wang Bokao, sitting nearby, unfolded his fan and stopped Pearl, saying, “Oh no, you don’t need to sell anything. With a son here, how could I let you sell your jewelry?”

Madam Wu was touched, saying, “What a good son, always thinking of me,” though she still craved the meat.

A mother and son were connected by heart, and Wang Bokao understood her expression all too well.

He generously took out a pouch from his pocket, spilling out a pile of silver coins and copper coins, making a loud clattering noise on the table. Immediately, everyone in the Wang family turned to look.

Wang Taifu, his father, tugged at his beard in disbelief. “Son, where… where did you get all this…?”

Before he could finish, Madam Wu pinched him hard, “What nonsense are you talking about? Our son would never steal!” But she too was curious. After all, Wang Taifu had taken all their silver, and even the monthly allowance hadn’t been given out. How had Wang Bokao come with this money? Though it wasn’t a lot, it was still more than the rewards they used to give their maids.

“Hmph, I know you all look down on me, think I’m good for nothing, but this money, I earned it!” Wang Bokao raised his head proudly. “I earned it with my intelligence!”

After a while of enjoying everyone’s astonished (and dumbfounded) expressions, Wang Bokao, satisfied, took out a piece of silver, reluctantly giving it to Pearl. “Sister Pearl, go buy some cooked dishes. Otherwise, with all the back and forth, we might end up cooking ourselves, and Grandpa might find out.”

Everyone snapped out of it. They had all thought they would have to be frugal since they had no money, but now they realized they couldn’t afford to waste any time. What if Wang Taifu came back while they were eating?

They all looked at Wang Bokao with growing suspicion, recalling his earlier statement. Could it be true that he earned this money using his talents?

Wang Bokao understood the unspoken question in their eyes. Coincidentally, he also wanted to show off.

He waved his hand. “Second bro, let’s play some Werewolf.”

“We opened a new store at the southwest corner of the imperial city, called Western Floor Script Store. The owner is my friend, a creative person who’s launched a lot of fun games.”

“Like that Nine-Linked Rings game that Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu played the other day—honestly, it’s nowhere near as good as this Werewolf game.”

Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu were his younger cousins, the youngest children of the Wang family, who were spoiled and much more obedient than Wang Bokao. Hearing this, they immediately felt wronged on behalf of their beloved Nine-Linked Rings game.

“Enough talk. Let me show you how it’s done. This game is for everyone—young or old, it’s super fun!”

After hearing Wang Bokao’s enthusiastic promotion, hearing how he’d “dominated” the game earlier at the Western Floor Script Store, and seeing the coins he’d earned from playing the game spread across the table, even those who weren’t too interested in games started to look forward to it.

After all, they still hadn’t returned with the ingredients for dinner, so it was just as well to pass the time with a game.

And so, everyone in the Wang family, young and old, joined Wang Bokao’s game session. There were limited cards, and only up to 13 people could play. The younger ones and those who didn’t enjoy the arguing sat off to the side, while the rest of the family gathered around the table, ready to play.

Wang Bokao believed that he could bully outsiders but had no need to bully his own family. So, he took on the role of the host and led everyone in starting the game.

At first, the participants were a bit shy, but as the game went on, they lost their inhibitions. They started slapping the table or pinching each other’s arms. If Wang Bokao hadn’t worked hard to maintain some order, the family might have fallen apart by the end of the day!

Wang Taifu and the others were all highly intelligent members of the court, so a simple script game didn’t challenge them. However, they were still amazed by the novel way the game was played, the immersive process of gathering clues and acting, and the role-playing aspect, which they found quite fascinating.

One of the people who came along was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. During the game, he was so excited that his eyes were practically shining, declaring that he would reach a mutually beneficial agreement with Su Li. The Ministry would provide cases, and Su Li would adapt them into scripts, inviting small officials, young talents, and the common people of the city to come and experience it.

He even signed a contract on the spot, sealed it, and immediately knocked on the door of the Ministry of Finance that same night to get it officially registered.

Su Li smiled to herself, thinking that now her small Western Floor Script Store had real backing—after all, it was supported by the Ministry of Justice!

As for Wang Taifu, after the game ended, he took a walk back home. The sky was still light, and he planned to give his younger relatives a few words of advice and mention the Western Floor Script Store, encouraging them all to go experience it. However, his good mood vanished the moment he entered the dining hall.

“Hey! Xiao Wu, how could you treat your elders like this? Do you think I would lie to you? I’m a sage! I told you, Wang Lao Er is a good man! You have to trust me!”

“Heh, I don’t believe you. The fourth brother just said he was a sage too. You two fight it out, and I’ll listen to whoever wins!”

“Damn it, listen to me! I’m a healer! I saved Lao San last night—he’s a good person!”

“Heh, I don’t believe it. He might be a werewolf who killed himself to gain trust.”

“Exactly! Just the other day, Lao San said he was a hunter and needed the healer to save him. Isn’t that just fooling everyone?”

“Right! The hunter’s job is to sacrifice themselves. If he’s not willing to die, then why does he want to survive? Pfft!”

Wang Bokao was exhausted, listening to them argue while he remained wide awake. It was a mix of pain and pleasure. Why couldn’t they speak one at a time? Every time he tried to maintain order, they’d argue with him. Ugh!

Meanwhile, Wang Taifu hid in a shadowy corner by the door, watching the noisy group at the table, listening to them play two rounds, and gradually understanding the rules of Werewolf.

It was still that Western Floor Script Store’s game, and it was indeed quite interesting.

Back in the day, the Wang family was full of talent and knowledge, but their straightforwardness and bluntness often created unnecessary enemies.

He had always been troubled by the lack of emotional intelligence among his descendants and their disinterest in scheming and plotting. While he was proud that they were upright people (aside from a few lazy flaws), he worried about how they would fare in the political arena. Wouldn’t they get eaten alive?

However, this Werewolf game gave him a glimmer of hope.

If they played this game regularly, they would gradually become accustomed to a life full of cunning and deception, and might even develop the ability to recognize real schemes when they encountered them.

Not bad, not bad at all.

With this thought in mind, he instructed a servant to stay and watch over them. When it was time, he could send them off to feed the pigs and go to bed, without disturbing them any further.

The love of an elder is always far-sighted.

He silently praised himself in his heart and then set off on his way into the long night, knowing that there would still be some obstacles ahead, but he would be the first to navigate them for his family.