Zhou Shaojin immеdiаtely fеll silent.
Chеng Сhi sроkе sоmewhat hеlplessly, "Mother, this is а dеad-еnd gamе. Yоu rеаlly shоuldn’t dwеll оn it аnу longеr. It’s getting late—timе fоr dinner. Вesides, the Sеcond Мiss of the Zhоu fаmilу shоuld bе hеаding back nоw."
"I rеalizеd lоng аgo thаt this was а dеad-end gаmе," Old Мadam Guo rеplied, wiping swеаt frоm her fоrehead whilе hеr еyеs rеmаinеd fiхеd on thе сhessbоard. "I’m studуing how yоu manаgеd tо leаd mе intо this situаtion... Your chеss skills have grown even mоre refined..." Аs she spоke, thе еlderlу lady sank back into deep thought.
Cheng Chi swept the pieces off the board.
Old Madam Guo looked displeased.
Cheng Chi said, "You’re getting on in years—you really shouldn’t overthink things. Perhaps it’s best if you stop playing chess from now on."
Old Madam Guo chuckled, "Since I had you move into Cold Green Mountain House, I can’t just watch you idle away your days, can I? Chess is your only hobby—if I don’t keep you company, who will?"
Cheng Chi glanced at Zhou Shaojin.
Suddenly, everything became clear to Zhou Shaojin.
So when Cheng Chi had asked if she knew how to play chess, he had been hoping she could keep him company and free Old Madam Guo from the task!
But she truly didn’t know the first thing about it!
Zhou Shaojin was filled with regret and frustration.
If only she had known earlier—she should have learned to play Go from Madam Shen.
She promptly volunteered, "Uncle Chi, could you teach me how to play chess? These days, aside from copying scriptures, I don’t have much else to do anyway."
In truth, she had just finished painting the Guanyin portrait she intended to give her sister and was about to begin selecting threads for embroidery.
But the portrait could be embroidered whenever she found spare time, whereas an opportunity to get closer to Cheng Chi might vanish in an instant.
Old Madam Guo clapped her hands delightedly and said with a smile, "That’s perfect—Shao Jin can come every afternoon to copy scriptures for half an hour and then play two rounds of Go. That way, work and leisure won’t interfere with each other!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a bright smile.
But Cheng Chi misunderstood—people nowadays tended to be modest. Many master Go players, when asked about their skills, would describe themselves as "barely scratching the surface" or even "not very knowledgeable."
Perhaps Zhou Shaojin was one of them?
He smiled and said, "Mother, now you can rest easy! If I get bored, I’ll just teach our niece from the Zhou family how to play chess. You don’t need to worry about me anymore—go attend to your own affairs!"
Old Madam Guo nodded with a contented, beaming smile.
Cheng Chi then said to Zhou Shaojin, "In that case, come a bit earlier tomorrow. We’ll play a round of chess before you start copying scriptures."
In his view, exerting mental effort in chess and then enjoying the process of copying characters—that was the true balance of work and leisure.
Zhou Shaojin happily agreed.
That evening, she went to see Madam Shen.
When Madam Shen heard she wanted to learn Go, she was somewhat surprised but did not refuse. Instead, she smiled and said, "Since you’re interested, come again tomorrow evening."
But she needed to use it tomorrow afternoon—how could she wait until tomorrow evening?
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I’ve heard that before the previous dynasty, Go boards had 17 lines, but now they have 19. Could you explain why it changed to 19 lines?"
Madam Shen fell silent for a moment.
In any other situation, if someone wanted to learn from her without formally becoming her student, she would have sent them away long ago. But here, she was a hired tutor for the Cheng family, and her student expressed a desire to learn chess from her. She had to teach... Besides, the Cheng family had always treated her generously, and her schedule was quite flexible. If she refused, it might come across as ungrateful."Very well. Today I shall explain to you what Go is." Madam Shen said, turning to fetch the board and pieces. "According to the pre-Qin classic Shi Ben, 'Yao created Go, and Danzhu excelled at it.' This is the origin of Go... Zuo Zhuan, the twenty-fifth year of Duke Xiang, records: 'Duke Xian of Wei sent a messenger from Yiyi to speak with Ning Xi. Ning Xi agreed. Dashu Wenzi heard of this and said: ...Now Ning Zi regards his lord as less than a game of Go. How can he avoid calamity? A player who hesitates over his moves cannot defeat his opponent, much less one who sets aside his lord and settles matters arbitrarily?' This is the first formal historical record of Go... During the Wei and Jin periods, following the degrees of the celestial sphere, Go adopted 361 intersections, played on a 19-line board... Many great masters wrote treatises, the most famous being Stone Chamber Immortal Secrets, Immortal Secrets Arsenal, Records of Suiting One's Disposition, and Three Talents Illustrated Go Manual... In the present dynasty, officials such as Minister of Revenue Song Jingran, Grand Secretary Yuan Weichang, Vice Minister of War Hong Xiu, and Minister of Works Qu Yuan are all skilled Go players... Look, there are nine small dots on the board, each located at the intersection of the ninth lines, called 'stars.' The one in the very center is called 'tengen.' Each edge line of the board is called the 'first line,' the one next to it the 'second line'..."
She patiently and meticulously explained the basic rules of Go to Zhou Shaojin—what "capturing stones" meant, what a "ko" was, what "making life" entailed. Worried Shaojin might not understand, she demonstrated on the board as she explained.
Zhou Shaojin listened and felt relieved.
Much of what Madam Shen explained she had heard bits and pieces of before. Now, with this detailed, personalized instruction, she not only understood but could also extrapolate to other questions, which sparked her interest and made her feel that playing Go was actually quite an enjoyable activity.
Madam Shen taught her for nearly two hours, only stopping when it was almost time for the household gates to be locked.
Zhou Shaojin thanked Madam Shen and promised to return the following evening.
Madam Shen smiled in agreement and had her attendant maid see Shaojin out.
The next afternoon, Zhou Shaojin arrived at Cold Green Mountain House half an hour earlier than usual.
Old Madam Guo was still resting, and Cheng Chi, of course, had not yet arrived.
Spring drowsiness—even the head maid on duty, Zhenzhu, was struggling to keep her eyes open, nodding off.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
He told me to come early, yet he's nowhere to be seen...
She sulked as she drank tea in the tearoom.
It wasn't until she finished her fourth cup that Cheng Chi finally arrived, unhurried.
Zhou Shaojin hurried out of the tearoom.
Cheng Chi seemed somewhat surprised. He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, smiling. "Playing Go is just a pastime; you needn't be so tense. Sometimes I have matters to attend to and won't come every day to play."
So it's true: when one has no desires, one's character is elevated.
Since she had a request of Uncle Chi, she had to follow his lead.
Zhou Shaojin mused to herself, nodding with a smile.
Cheng Chi walked with her toward the hall.
They encountered Biyu on the way.
Cheng Chi asked Biyu, "What is the old madam doing?"
"The old madam woke briefly a while ago, had some tea, and went back to sleep," Biyu replied respectfully.
Cheng Chi thought for a moment and said to Zhou Shaojin, "Then we won't play Go today. You may go back and copy scriptures."
Why the change again?
Zhou Shaojin was puzzled.
Cheng Chi explained, "I'm afraid the old madam might feel uneasy."
In other words, he was just humoring Old Madam Guo!Zhou Shaojin hurriedly said, "Then please attend to your matters. I can learn chess with you anytime!"
This little girl is quite clever.
Cheng Chi nodded in satisfaction and instructed Biyu, "When the old madam wakes up, come and inform me."
Biyu respectfully acknowledged the order.
Zhou Shaojin went to the Buddhist hall to copy scriptures.
That day, Old Madam Guo slept through the entire afternoon, so she copied scriptures all afternoon.
The next day, Madam Lin, the wife of Instructor Lin, came to visit Old Madam Guo.
Afterward, Cheng Chi went to Algae Garden.
Another day passed. The eldest daughter-in-law of the second branch invited the female family members to admire peonies.
Zhou Shaojin did not go.
She stayed at home embroidering the image of Guanyin holding a vase.
Seven or eight days later, as the second period of the hot season approached, Zhou Shaojin entrusted Madam Ma Fushan to deliver the two summer robes she had made for her father's birthday to Baoding Prefecture. Only then did Cold Green Mountain House have time for chess.
Fortunately, Zhou Shaojin had already begun learning Go from Madam Shen during this time.
Cheng Chi, unsure of Zhou Shaojin's skill level, did not mention giving her a handicap and instead let her take the white stones.
Zhou Shaojin knew this was Cheng Chi's courtesy to her. She quickly said, "Uncle Chi should take the white stones! Black moves first, so I'll take the advantage."
Cheng Chi did not stand on ceremony and urged Old Madam Guo to return to her room for a nap: "...so you won't watch and start overthinking, getting so absorbed you can't pull yourself away!"
"I'm not a child," Old Madam Guo chided, but the smile in her eyes revealed she enjoyed being managed by her son.
Zhou Shaojin smiled faintly.
Biyu and Feicui helped Old Madam Guo to the inner chamber to rest.
Cheng Chi visibly relaxed much more than before, lazily placing his stone on the star point in the upper left corner.
Zhou Shaojin had just learned from Madam Shen the day before. She imitated him by occupying the star point in the upper right corner.
They took turns placing stones, playing in a conventional manner.
Zhou Shaojin felt she was playing quite well, at least managing to "surround" Cheng Chi.
But the more Cheng Chi played, the more doubts arose in his mind.
Does this Zhou Shaojin even know how to play Go?
Placing stones haphazardly here and there, he initially thought there might be some special intent. However, after seven or eight moves, he realized Zhou Shaojin was a complete beginner who likely didn't even know what opening strategy was... no, not even a beginner—still in the introductory stage.
He couldn't help but scrutinize Zhou Shaojin closely.
Perhaps because the weather was growing increasingly hot, she wore a light green waistcoat today, edged with goose-yellow woven grapevine patterns. Her jet-black hair was entirely tied up at the back, loosely coiled into a bun, revealing her smooth, full forehead and distant-mountain-like dark eyebrows. She looked fresh, clean, and pure, like a newly blooming orchid. At that moment, she was fully focused on the board, her tense little face serious and solemn, betraying a hint of nervousness.
Cheng Chi asked, "Who taught you Go?"
"Ah!" Zhou Shaojin was pondering Madam Shen's words, trying to find "living eyes." Hearing the question, she looked up blankly and only after a long pause replied, "I learned from Madam Shen, the teacher at Jing'an Studio..."
Cheng Chi broke into a sweat and asked, "How many days have you been learning?"
Zhou Shaojin calculated and said, "Nineteen days."
She feared that if she knew nothing at all, Cheng Chi would think her too foolish.
Cheng Chi understood.
Her claim of "not knowing how" truly meant "not knowing how," with no modesty involved.
Zhou Shaojin, however, remained unaware and secretly felt elated.Uncle Chi wasn't playing chess with full concentration, having missed a potential move. She pretended not to notice it, allowing Uncle Chi to make another move, so that when it was her turn to place a piece, she could capture his seven or eight stones and seize a large area of the board.
She widened her eyes, looking at Cheng Chi with a faint glimmer of anticipation.
Cheng Chi immediately grew alert, glanced at the chessboard, and casually placed a piece right where Zhou Shaojin had intended to exploit the opening.
How could this happen?
Zhou Shaojin groaned inwardly, nearly slumping over in frustration, while Cheng Chi calmly remarked, "Your turn!"
※
Sisters, we have a power outage here... I’m posting a draft in the forum first. I’m really worried about today’s update—my laptop battery is running low...
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
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