Chapter 1187: Even a Black Box Can Fail~
As Gan Ning brought over all her sisters, everyone was finally there.
Wu Yuan mingled awkwardly among the group; there were only so many aristocratic families under heaven, and even though the Gan Family wasn't doing well, they still had a legacy of six hundred years. Making connections was really very easy—who doesn't have some distant aunts, cousins, nephews, or uncles?
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chen Xi said nothing more and ordered someone to move in the lottery box. Unlike other lottery boxes, this one had three holes.
"This is our specially-made lottery box. The probability of drawing something good from each hole is different, so you have to choose carefully which one to draw from. Of course, you can also choose not to draw at all," Chen Xi said with a light smile. "So you can ask the person who draws first what they have drawn."
"Of course, since the ball that has been drawn out is not put back, the probability changes as well. So you must think carefully about how to draw. There truly are things in here that can ensure a life of no worries, and there are things that can make you independent," Chen Xi said, smiling like a fox.
As he spoke these words, Chen Xi also observed the expressions of those people. Some were deep thinkers, some less so, while others were already planning how to draw.
At this moment, four people raised their hands. Chen Xi sighed inwardly; indeed, intelligent people and those with learned backgrounds always have certain advantages.
"What do you four want?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.
Zhen Mi, Mi Zhen, Wang Yi, and Wu Yuan exchanged glances; finally, as an outsider, Wu Yuan spoke up, "Marquis Chen, I'm not really interested in what we might draw. I'm more interested in what you just said, and you did mention that drawing something else is also fine..."
A smile appeared on Chen Xi's face. "Go ahead, what do you want to specifically draw?"
"Actually, I'd love to say I want to draw Marquis Chen specifically," Wu Yuan said unreservedly, without a hint of embarrassment. "If we talk about a lifetime of no worries, a golden mountain is not as good as a touch-stone-to-gold finger."
Chen Xi laughed heartily, while the others could only silently give a thumbs up to Wu Yuan. One had to admit she had a point; a golden finger was certainly more useful than a golden mountain.
"But I'm not one of the prizes," Chen Xi said with a smile, "So you'd better choose something else, make sure the specified prize is something everyone can understand."
"I want that classic book you mentioned just now," Wu Yuan said smilingly. Most people present were confused, while those who realized what she meant felt a bit disappointed.
"Are you sure you want to choose that?" Chen Xi asked with a smile, suggesting that there indeed existed a possibility of 'drawing Chen Xi'.
"Rather than gambling on luck, it's better to stop early," Wu Yuan nodded, and Chen Xi also nodded, having someone bring the fundamentals of game theory to Wu Yuan. "Here's the book for you, if you don't understand it, don't blame me."
"The three of you can come to make notes anytime," Wu Yuan said to Zhen Mi and others after glancing through the classic books offered by the Chen family's maid. Zhen Mi and Mi Zhen immediately stepped forward to read together.
"Now, I'll stop talking nonsense, let's proceed straight to the drawing, lest someone else seize the moment," Chen Xi said to the crowd, "Who wants to go first?"
The crowd became slightly cold; seeing this, Jia Yun smiled and stepped forward, "I'll go first, Sister Yuan, care to join me?"
Li Youu's eldest daughter nonchalantly followed Jia Xu's daughter up, and amidst the clattering sound, they casually drew a small ball. Both of them were not particularly beautiful, but they obviously knew their literature and were very low-key.
Next, the first batch of Gan Ning's sisters, guided by Gan Ning, all stepped forward to draw. Gan Ning, at least, had the good sense to know that, if nothing else, keeping things lively at Chen Xi's had its benefits for everyone.
With this group taking the lead, and every now and then someone opening a ball to find a genuinely exciting item, the atmosphere gradually heated up, and more and more people became eager to draw.
Wang Yi and Jiangg Ying stood together watching the ladies drawing lots, then glanced at Chen Xi. She was almost certain that Chen Xi hadn't rigged anything, although Liu Shan had drawn a set of teapots which was a bit of a letdown; it indeed proved that Chen Xi hadn't done anything shady.
"Older sister, would you like to join me?" Wang Yi asked Jiangg Ying. They were both sent by Fa Zheng just to have some fun during the festival.
"Sure," Jiangg Ying, being of a softer character, followed Wang Yi after the suggestion was made.
Chen Xi looked at Jiangg Ying and Wang Yi as they approached, calmly shaking the lottery box, and quietly rotating the barrel inside the box.
Before Wang Yi and Jiangg Ying came, all the small balls in the lottery box had been rotated into place. Except for one barrel that had no change, the quality of the small balls in the other two barrels improved significantly.
However, there's a saying: 'Divine skills cannot surpass destiny itself.' Even if you try to manipulate things secretly, you can't compete against sheer bad luck. Watching Jiangg Ying put her hand into the box with unchanged ball quality, Chen Xi looked helpless, two-thirds probability, yet, well, nothing I can do about it.
Luckily Wang Yi and Jiangg Ying came together, Jiangg Ying drew from one side, Wang Yi drew from another, and then they opened them at the same time...
"A precious sword..." Jiangg Ying said after opening her ball and looking at the description inside, scratching her head; if memory served, this should be one of the most common rewards.
"Sister, what did you draw?" Jiangg Ying turned her head to look at Wang Yi's similarly opened small wooden ball.
"An item that guarantees a life free from want," Wang Yi said, frowning slightly.
"Uh, you're really lucky," Chen Xi remarked to Wang Yi, "That you could even draw this."