Milk Pig, a blogger who writes for Southern Weekly, recently wrote about a shocking telephone conversation she had with a purported friend of her father:
A call comes in. The display reads “number blocked.”
Other end: Yuan Lei?
Me: Yes.
Other end: I play cards with your father. He’s been in a car accident, and has just been sent to the Huaxi Medical emergency room.
Me: Oh?
Other end: The doctors are horrible. They won’t put him in surgery until they’ve gotten the money. I bought an IP card to call you. I don’t have enough money on me. Send some to XXXXXXXX, quick.
Me: What about my mother?
Other end: I couldn’t tell your mother. Don’t want to alarm her. It wouldn’t matter, anyway. Where’s she going to get the money? Saving his life is the important thing.
Me: How do I know you’re not a scammer?
Other end: You’re Yuan Lei, and your father is Yuan XX, right?
Me: Right.
Other end: So that’s settled. Hurry up, delay any longer and your father’s not going to make it.
Me: You really play cards with my father?
Other end: Of course.
Me: It’s just that I never imagined…
Other end: He probably didn’t want you to know.
Me: I mean, I only burnt a mahjong set for him at Qingming. I never imagined he’d find other players so quickly.
Thoughts afterward:
1. It’s like I was holding AK suited and made a flush on the river, when the other guy was holding two pair, and went all-in.
But for him to know my father’s name made for a pretty big two pair.
2. They say that if you go off to petition, when you’re standing there in line you’ll meet all kinds of people, who speak the language of your hometown, call you by your name, tell you what you’re here petitioning about, clap you on the shoulder, and take you to one side to solve things for you. If you show the least bit of surprise, they’ll pull you from the ranks and beat you until you’re 99% crazy. The scientific name for these people is “petition interceptor.”
- Milk Pig’s blog (Chinese): It’s just that I never imagined…
- Underword Mahjong image via WXTCY