Watch the Game in Silence

It had been another twenty years.

The old locust tree in Wading Village had finally given out. During a thunderstorm one night, lightning split it in two, and the village carpenter sawed it up the next day to make benches and firewood.

The sign above the blacksmith shop had changed three times. This time, the characters on it read "Su's Iron Shop."

Su Li was seventy now.

By rights, a seventy-year-old man should have lost all his teeth, trembled when he walked, and spent his days sitting in the sun by the wall, waiting to die.

But Su Li was the sort of man who even grew old in a way all his own.

His thick head of jet-black hair had turned completely white, bright as freshly fallen snow on a winter's day—or like some kind of costly silver thread.

His face was lined, but his features were still strikingly well-defined. His eyes, especially, were not the least bit cloudy. If anything, the years had given them a depth that made people hesitate to meet his gaze.

When he leaned back in his deck chair, anyone who didn't look at his white hair would believe he was forty.

That face was practically an insult to all the other wrinkled old men around him.

"You old coot, admiring yourself again."

An elderly voice came from inside the house.

Saina emerged, leaning on her cane.

At seventy, Saina was truly old. Her back was bent like a shrimp's, age spots covered her face, and the thick brown hair she'd once had was now pitifully thin.

Su Li set down the bronze mirror in his hand and smiled at his old wife.

"I'm making you look good." Su Li went over and helped her settle into the wicker chair beside him. "Think about it. Whose husband is still this spry at seventy? Old Wang from the end of the village passed away the day before yesterday. Before he went, he was still envying my teeth."

Saina snorted, though there was a smile in her cloudy eyes. She reached out and touched the back of Su Li's hand. It was wrinkled too, but still warm and strong.

"Any word from Xiao Chui?" Saina's voice suddenly grew faint.

The smile froze on Su Li's face for a moment, then returned. He draped a blanket over Saina's legs, taking his time with every movement.

"No word," Su Li said. "No word is good news.

"It means that kid's still kicking around in some far-flung corner.

"If something had really happened, the empire's pension would've arrived by now.

"Those officials may be greedy, but they're fairly proper when it comes to money for the dead."

Truthfully, Su Li didn't believe a word of it himself.

The war had dragged on for another twenty years.

The Orenda Kingdom and the Baris Empire had been locked in a tug-of-war along the border. Today one side took a hill, tomorrow the other stormed a fortress.

Human lives were just numbers there, thrown into the battlefield without even making a sound.

Su Xiaochui had been missing for fifteen years.

For the first five, they had still received the occasional letter. Then the "Missing in Action Notice," stamped with the seal of the Imperial Military Headquarters, arrived at the iron shop.

No body, no belongings—just one cold line: Missing during the defense of Graystone Fortress.

Missing.

Saina had cried until her eyesight was ruined in those years. Her health had given out then, too.

Su Li hadn't cried. He'd tucked the notice at the bottom of a chest and carried on with his days—working at the forge, eating, and sleeping.

He always told Saina, "That kid's tough, just like me. I've managed to thrive, and he's the sort of menace who'll live to be a hundred."

Life had to go on.

Fortunately, they still had Su Na.

"Dad! Dinner's ready!"

A booming shout came from the courtyard gate.

A robust, middle-aged woman walked in, carrying an enormous food box.

This was forty-year-old Su Na.

She was now a renowned female blacksmith for miles around—and a notorious shrew.

Her arms were thicker than most men's thighs, and she strode with a fierce, purposeful gait.

Following behind her was a timid man carrying half a pig.

This was Kanlun, the son of Old Kanlun, the village butcher.

Their marriage had stunned the entire village. Everyone had thought Su Na would marry a hammer, but no one expected that in the end this flower of a woman would be planted in Kanlun's pile of cow dung.

Actually, Su Li was quite pleased with his son-in-law.

Kanlun might have been a bit ugly, with a face full of flesh that made him look like a bandit, but he had a truly good heart. He was honest, obedient, and... tough enough to take a beating.

Su Na had a fiery temper, and when she lost it, she wasn't afraid to throw a punch.

Another man would have run off by now. Kanlun didn't. He was thick-skinned and could take a few hits without minding. He'd even grin and hand his wife a towel to wipe her hands.

"Dad, this was just butchered. The loin's the most tender." Kanlun set the pork on the chopping board, rubbing his hands as he gave his father-in-law an ingratiating smile. "My dad said you should come over tonight and have a couple of drinks with him."

Su Li glanced at the meat. It did look good.

"Sure." Su Li nodded. "As it happens, I've finished carving my chessboard. I'll play a couple of games with him tonight."

Kanlun chuckled foolishly, then turned to massage his mother-in-law's legs.

Su Na opened the food box. It was packed with stew and steamed buns made from white flour.

As she served her parents, she chattered on about the shop.

"That peddler came by again the day before yesterday, trying to lowball me on my hoes. I chased him off with one swing of my hammer." Su Na took a bite of her bun. "He should've asked around first. The iron I forge can last three generations. I won't sell it for a copper less."

Su Li took a sip of wine and looked at his daughter's lively face.

Even with his son away, life wasn't so bad.

Other than not looking much like a woman, his daughter was perfect in every way.

After dinner, dusk settled in.

Su Li strolled toward the end of the village with his hands clasped behind his back.

Old Kanlun's family was one of the wealthiest in the village.

Butchering was a trade that always put food on the table.

Especially in the last couple of years, with the war driving meat prices sky-high, Old Kanlun's family had been living very comfortably.

As soon as Su Li stepped through the courtyard gate, he caught the rich aroma of braised meat.

A small square table stood in the middle of the courtyard. On it sat a jug of aged wine, two plates of peanuts, and a big platter of thinly sliced pig's head.

A shirtless old man with fat rolls covering his body sat on a low stool, waving a battered fan as he swatted at mosquitoes.

This was Old Kanlun.

He was about the same age as Su Li, but looked much older.

His belly was so big it looked like he was pregnant with quintuplets. His face shone with grease, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"You're here?" Old Kanlun spotted Su Li, tossed aside his fan, and his little eyes immediately lit up. "Did you bring it?"

Su Li pulled a cloth bundle from inside his shirt and tossed it onto the table.

It landed with a sharp clatter.

The bundle came open, revealing a set of round chess pieces.

Su Li had spent more than half a year turning them from the finest jujube wood.

He had carved the characters himself: a red "General" and a black "General," each written in powerful strokes that showed fifty years of skill.

This world had no Xiangqi. Su Li had recreated it as a way to pass the time.

"Is this that... whatever-it's-called game you mentioned?" Old Kanlun picked up a "Chariot" and weighed it in his hand. "Pretty heavy. Could kill someone with it."

"Xiangqi." Su Li sat down and set up the pieces on his side. "Quit talking. I've explained the rules to you eight hundred times. Go ahead, you move first."

Old Kanlun didn't hesitate. He grabbed his Cannon and planted it in the middle.

"Clack!"

"Check!" Old Kanlun bellowed, full of confidence.

Su Li rolled his eyes.

"Check on your first move? Do you even know how to play?" Su Li moved his Horse forward. "Don't block the Horse's leg. Look properly before you move."

The two old men, with a combined age of a hundred and forty, went to war in the courtyard.

At first, they were fairly civil, limiting themselves to a few insults.

"You lousy player, you don't even know how to use your Chariot. Saving it for the New Year?"

"Mind your own business! I'll do what I want! I'm taking your Horse!"

As the game went on, things got louder.

"Hey, hey! A man doesn't take back a move! You put your Cannon right there just now. Why are you taking it back?" Su Li pinned down Old Kanlun's fat hand.

"My hand slipped! What's wrong with that?" Old Kanlun's face and neck turned red. "Besides, I was testing you. Testing you, understand? In military strategy, that's called a feint!"

"Your ass, it is." Su Li snatched the piece back and slapped it down hard on the board. "If you take back another move, I'm taking the meat home."

At the threat of losing the meat, Old Kanlun immediately behaved.

"All right, all right. You're the boss." Old Kanlun grumbled, then downed a mouthful of wine. "I don't know how your brain works. All these twists and turns are harder than butchering pigs."

Su Li smiled but said nothing.

He looked at the Chu-Han Border on the board.

This little square was a battlefield too.

Only here, the dead were lumps of wood. No blood had to be shed, and no cold notice in black and white had to be sent.

They played five or six games, trading wins and losses.

Of course, Su Li won most of the time. On the rare occasions he lost, it was to humor the old fellow so he wouldn't quit playing.

Night fell.

The moon climbed above the treetops, bathing the courtyard in a pale, ghostly light.

Old Kanlun had drunk a little too much, and his tongue was starting to trip over itself.

"Su Li..." Old Kanlun burped. His greasy face was flushed. "You know... time sure flies. In the blink of an eye, we've both got one foot in the grave."

"Mm." Su Li held a chess piece and looked at the character "Pawn" carved on it.

A pawn could only advance, never retreat. Once it crossed the river, it was doomed.

"My foolish boy may be a little dim, but he's sincere about Na Na." Old Kanlun rambled on. "All I hope is... I hope the two of them hurry up and give me a chubby grandson. Then... hic... then I'll pass on my butchering skills to him."

At that, Old Kanlun suddenly fell silent.

His little eyes, squeezed to slits by his cheeks, darted secretly toward Su Li.

"Don't be too sad, either." Old Kanlun reached out with his greasy hand and patted Su Li on the shoulder. "Xiao Chui's a lucky lad. You never know—one day, he might come riding back on a big horse."

Su Li's hand paused.

Everyone in the village knew Su Xiaochui wasn't coming back. It had been fifteen years. Even if he'd gone to the southernmost end of the continent, he would have made the round trip by now.

But no one said it aloud in front of Su Li.

It was a cruel unspoken understanding.

"I know." Su Li set down his piece, raised his cup, and clinked it against Old Kanlun's. "I'm not sad. What have I got to be sad about? I've got wine to drink, meat to eat, a good daughter, and you, a lousy player, to keep me company. I'm content."

He said he was content, but the wine burned bitter as it went down.

"Another game!" Su Li swept the pieces into a jumble, his voice deliberately loud. "Let's make it interesting this time. If you lose, bring me a set of pig intestines tomorrow. If you win, I'll forge you a bone-cleaver."

"Bring it on! Who's afraid?" Old Kanlun was fired up too. "Tonight, I'll make sure you don't come back from this one!"

"Clack!"

The sound of the pieces striking the board carried far into the silent night.