Chapter 0008 Strange Rules
I'm terrible at lying, especially to someone as sharp as Frank Fang, who I might need help from in the future, so I told him the truth. Frank Fang's voice shot up several octaves. "What? I only made 10,000 Baht, and you made 35,000! Kid, you hit the jackpot!" I sheepishly promised to treat him to a big dinner the next time I was in Thailand.
Frank Fang said, "Not just a big dinner, you need to find me a few beauties too!" I agreed, thinking, With your physique, you won't need a few; two at most and you're done. While I had his attention, I casually asked how much he made on the previous Phra Pidtaamulet.
Frank Fang said, "Not much on that one. I acquired it for 1,500."
"That's still good," I said. "You made 500 RMB profit."
Frank Fang corrected me: "I spent 1,500 Thai Baht." I was stunned. 1,500 Baht is only about 300 RMB. He sold it to me for 2,000 RMB. I only made 1,000 RMB, but that guy pocketed a net 1,700 RMB! No wonder he thanked me back then!
Frank Fang burst into laughter. "Anyway, you promised me a big dinner and beautiful girls. A man must be honest." I was so angry I couldn't speak.
About seven or eight days after wiring the money to Frank Fang, the goods arrived from Thailand. I opened the package in front of Brother Ming, and we were both shocked: inside the cardboard box was a small coffin, about half a foot long.
Brother Ming was furious. "Are you messing with me?" I quickly calmed him down. I asked if he remembered how Chinese people like to put small, cigarette-box-sized coffins on their desks as decorations, symbolizing promotion and wealth ($sheng\ guan\ fa\ cai$). Brother Ming conceded the point. The small coffin was painted black, with some squiggly symbols written on it in red paint. He reached out and slid open the lid. Inside was a dark, mummified-looking object with two red dots for eyes and some hair. Brother Ming felt uneasy. "Ti-Tien Chi, what exactly is this? It looks so spooky."
In fact, I was more scared than him, but I had to act like an expert. I smiled and said, "You don't understand. The red-glowing eyes are essential for winning every gamble. Just use this thing without worry."
Brother Ming asked suspiciously, "How do I use it? Do I put this small coffin on my head when I play Mahjong?"
I said, "Of course not. Let me call and ask." Brother Ming questioned, "Aren't you the expert? Do you need to ask now?"
I said seriously, "Thai amulet knowledge is profound. Who dares call themselves an expert?"
I found a call center and phoned Frank Fang. He said, "That's Arjan Neng's specialty—the Wealth-Attracting Coffin. The outside has Pāli script incantations, and inside is the Red-Eyed Prai Ngang, which specializes in attracting ill-gotten wealth. There's also a paper in the box with the Spirit-Luring Incantation, including phonetic Chinese pinyin for pronunciation. Tell the customer to put the coffin in the room at midnight, with no outsiders present, and slowly recite the Katha three times. If he chants it correctly, he should feel a response. Also, you must tell the client that from now on, he must spend all the windfall money he gets on the same day. He can buy anything, but it must be completely spent. It expires after midnight, and he can only spend it, not give it away or intentionally lose it. If he doesn't follow the rules, we are not responsible for any consequences."
I finally understood and quickly relayed the instructions to Brother Ming. Brother Ming had never dealt with such things and looked dubious. He was especially displeased when he heard he had to spend all his windfall money that very day. "How is that going to work? If I lose, I'm broke, and if I win, I have to spend it all on the same day! Won't I always be losing out? Are you trying to fool me?"
I asked, "Before this, did you usually win or lose when you gambled?"
Brother Ming said, "Of course, I lost more. Otherwise, why would I spend money on this thing?" I smiled. "Exactly. If you win more than you lose from now on, aren't you making a profit?" Brother Ming asked, "How will I know if it works later?" I said, "Only facts can prove it." Brother Ming nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Wait a minute. Even if it works, I have to spend all my winnings on the same day. I'll always be penniless. How am I supposed to handle my regular expenses?"
I sighed. "Do you have no other income besides gambling? Don't forget you're a businessman; you have a shop!" Brother Ming came back to his senses, grinning sheepishly. He admitted his biggest hobby in life was playing Mahjong. Compared to playing, business was just a side hustle. Apart from ending the game and his son, nothing could pry him away from the Mahjong table.
That was no longer my problem. Money exchanged for goods. I was thrilled when I got home; I had never made so much money before. That evening, I treated my parents, my sister, and my brother-in-law to a big dinner at a restaurant. They asked what kind of business I was doing that was so profitable. I boasted, "My cousin in Thailand knows someone who sells Thai amulets. I've already sold two, netting 8,000 RMB profit!" They were all envious, especially my brother-in-law, whose face showed a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Around 1 AM, I was sleeping soundly when my phone suddenly rang off the hook. I groggily looked at the screen; it was Brother Ming. He said, "You're still awake, right?"
You think everyone stays up playing Mahjong until dawn like you? I thought. But out of politeness, I said, "Yeah, I'm awake."
Brother Ming said, "Tien Chi, I just recited that Katha. I was afraid it wouldn't work, so I recited it five times in one go. I suddenly felt cold all over, kept getting the shivers. What does that mean?" I reassured him, saying it was fine, that it meant it was working. Brother Ming said, "I feel uneasy. Does this thing have any side effects? Is there really a ghost inside?"
I laughed. "What's there to be afraid of at this point? Don't worry. As long as you follow the rules, any spirit inside can only help you, not harm you."
Over the next few days, I kept thinking about Brother Ming's transaction, feeling uncertain. After all, I knew so little about Thai amulets, especially Negative-energy Amulets. What if it really didn't work and he came back demanding a refund? About five or six days later, Brother Ming called. I felt nervous, afraid that if I answered, he'd demand his money back.
I pressed the answer button, and Brother Ming's excited voice came through. "It's so effective! This thing is amazing!"
I quickly asked what happened. He said he had been playing Mahjong with friends for five nights straight, and his luck was fantastic. He specialized in big hands, winning big against the others. He averaged at least a few thousand RMB a day. Remembering the rule I told him, he and his friends went to a KTV to spend the money after the games ended. Later, he figured this wasn't cost-effective, so he claimed he was suffering from neurasthenia and had to go to bed early, changing the games to daytime only.
So, Brother Ming played Mahjong and won money during the day. After the game, he went shopping at malls or supermarkets, buying gold and silver jewelry, phones, computers, clothes, shoes, food, and general merchandise, trying to buy as many useful things as possible to spend all his winnings that day, down to the last penny. A restaurant doesn't fear a big eater, and luckily, stores have plenty of things. Forget a few thousand or even tens of thousands; even if he came with a gold bar, he could spend it all. For the first time in his life, Brother Ming experienced the urgency of having to spend all his money every single day.
Still worried that it wasn't the amulet's effect, I asked, "Have you ever had luck like this before?"
Brother Ming insisted, "Of course not! You don't know, for five days I won several thousand every day, always getting big hands! Those guys suspected I was cheating, rigging the Mahjong machine. On the fourth day, we moved the game to someone else's house and used their automatic Mahjong machine. The result? They lost even more badly! I won over 10,000 RMB in two days! Hahahaha!"
Seeing how happy Brother Ming was, the stone in my heart finally dropped. A few days later, my cousin called me, asking when I would return to Thailand so he could book my flight. My cousin had lived in Thailand for over ten years with no close relatives around, and he wanted me to spend more time with him. I was happy to go. My driver's license had just arrived, so I asked my cousin to arrange a work visa again, and I flew back to Thailand, returning to my cousin's house in Rayong. My cousin had specially renovated a bedroom on the second floor for me, seeming to want me to live there long-term.
I stayed at my cousin's house for two days, then took a bus to Pattaya to find Frank Fang. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, but the sex industry is legal, and Pattaya is Thailand's most famous sex capital, far exceeding Dongguan's reputation. Nightclubs, massage parlors, and bars were everywhere on the streets. Starting around 7 PM, you could see Thai girls soliciting customers everywhere. Many foreign men who come to Pattaya simply rent a Thai girl to be their full-time companion, lasting anywhere from a few days to a few months.