Watching Chess, Not Speaking

Another twenty years passed.

The old locust tree in Wading Village finally gave out. On a night of thunder and rain, it was split in two, and by the next day, the village carpenter had sawed it into benches and firewood.

The sign above the blacksmith shop had been replaced three times, and this final version read "Su's Iron Shop."

Su Li was seventy years old this year.

By all rights, a seventy-year-old man should have lost all his teeth, be trembling as he walked, and be sitting at the base of a wall, soaking up the sun while waiting for the end.

But Su Li was the type of person who aged differently from everyone else.

His thick, jet-black hair had turned completely white—a brilliant, luminous white like freshly fallen snow in winter, or perhaps some kind of expensive silver thread.

Though his face had developed wrinkles, his features remained strikingly sharp. His eyes, in particular, lacked even a hint of cloudiness; instead, the passage of time had imbued them with a profound depth that made people afraid to meet his gaze.

He leaned back in his reclining chair, and if one ignored the white hair, even a stranger would believe he was only forty.

This physique was practically a mockery of all the shriveled old men in the neighborhood.

"You old fossil, showing off again."

An aged, scolding voice drifted from inside the house.

Saina walked out, leaning on a cane.

At seventy, Saina was truly old. Her waist was bent like a shrimp, her face was covered in age spots, and her once-thick brown hair had thinned to a pathetic degree.

Su Li set down the copper mirror in his hand and looked at his old woman with a smile.

"I'm just keeping up appearances for your sake," Su Li said, walking over to help her sit in the nearby rattan chair. "Think about it, what other old man is this energetic at seventy? Old Wang from the end of the village passed away the day before yesterday; even he was envious of my teeth before he went."

Saina snorted, though her cloudy eyes held a hint of a smile. She reached out to touch the back of Su Li's hand. It was wrinkled, yet still warm and strong.

"Su Xiaochui... still no word?" Saina's voice suddenly dropped.

The smile on Su Li's face stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. He covered Saina's legs with a blanket, his movements slow and deliberate.

"No word," Su Li said. "No news is good news. It just means that brat is still kicking around in some forgotten corner of the world. If something had really happened to him, the Empire's pension would have been issued long ago. Those officials are greedy, but they have a certain protocol when it comes to death benefits."

In truth, Su Li didn't even believe his own words.

It had been another twenty years of a wretched war.

The Orenda Kingdom and the Baris Empire were locked in a tug-of-war along the border; one day you occupied a hill, the next day I stormed a bunker.

Human life was nothing but a number there, tossed into the battlefield without even a sound.

Su Xiaochui had been missing for fifteen years.

For the first five years, there had been occasional letters. Later, a "Missing Persons Notice" stamped with the seal of the Imperial Military Department arrived at the iron shop.

No body, no personal effects, just a cold, single line: Lost contact during the defense of Graystone Fortress.

Lost contact.

Saina had cried her eyes out during those years, and her health had collapsed right along with her spirit.

Su Li didn't cry. He tucked the notice into the bottom of a chest and continued to forge iron, eat, and sleep every day.

He always told Saina, "That kid is tough; he takes after me. I've managed to live a vibrant life, and he's the type who'll live for a thousand years as a menace."

Life had to go on.

Fortunately, they still had Su Na.

"Dad! Time to eat!"

A loud, hearty shout came from the courtyard gate.

A sturdy, middle-aged woman walked in, carrying a massive food container.

This was forty-year-old Su Na.

She was now a famous female blacksmith in the surrounding area, as well as a notorious shrew.

Her arms were thicker than the average man's thighs, and she walked with a fierce, imposing air.

Following behind her was a timid man carrying half a side of pork.

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

This marriage had shocked the entire village when it was first announced. Everyone had assumed Su Na would marry a blacksmith, but no one expected this "tyrant flower" to end up planted in Kanlun's pile of manure.

In reality, Su Li was quite satisfied with his son-in-law.

Though Kanlun looked a bit rough—his face full of brawny flesh making him look like a bandit—he had a truly good heart. He was honest, obedient, and most importantly... he could take a beating.

Su Na had a fiery temper, and when she lost her cool, she really would throw hands.

Any other man would have run away, but not Kanlun. He was thick-skinned and didn't mind a few blows; he would even chuckle as he handed his wife a towel to wipe her hands.

"Dad, this is freshly slaughtered pork. The loin meat, it's the tenderest." Kanlun placed the pork on the cutting board, rubbing his hands together and looking at his father-in-law with a fawning expression. "My dad said to tell you to come over for a few drinks tonight."

Su Li glanced at the meat; the quality was indeed excellent.

"Fine." Su Li nodded. "It just so happens that I've finished carving that board. Let's play a few rounds tonight."

Kanlun chuckled foolishly, then turned to help his mother-in-law massage her legs.

Su Na opened the food box, which was packed full of stewed dishes and steamed white buns.

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

"That traveling merchant came by again the day before yesterday, trying to lowball me for my hoes. I kicked him out with a single hammer strike." Su Na took a bite of a bun. "He didn't bother to ask around—the iron I, Su Na, forge is meant to last three generations. I won't sell it for a single copper less."

Su Li took a sip of wine, watching his daughter's vibrant face.

Although he didn't have a son by his side, life wasn't too bad.

Aside from not looking much like a woman, this daughter of his was truly impeccable in every other way.

After dinner, the sky began to darken.

Su Li walked with his hands behind his back, strolling toward the edge of the village.

Old Kanlun's family was one of the village's wealthy households.

In the butchery trade, there was always food on the table regardless of the times.

Especially over the last two years, with the war driving meat prices through the roof, the Kanlun family had been living quite comfortably.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he caught the rich aroma of braised meat.

In the center of the yard sat a small square table, topped with a jug of aged wine, two plates of peanuts, and a large platter of thinly sliced pig's head meat.

An old man with his shirt off and a body full of fat sat on a small stool, waving a tattered palm-leaf fan to swat at mosquitoes.

This was Old Kanlun.

The old man was about the same age as Su Li, but he looked much older.

His belly was so large it looked like he was carrying quintuplets, his face was slick with grease, and when he laughed, his eyes narrowed into mere slits.

"You're here?" Old Kanlun saw Su Li, tossed the fan aside, and his small eyes immediately lit up. "Did you bring the stuff?"

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

With a crisp clack, the bundle opened to reveal a set of rounded chess pieces.

Su Li had spent over half a year carving these from the finest jujube wood.

He had personally carved the characters—the Red General and Black Commander—with strokes that were vigorous and powerful, a testament to fifty years of skill.

There was no Xiangqi in this world. This was an "elderly activity" Su Li had specifically recreated to pass the time.

"So this is that... what-chess you were talking about?" Old Kanlun picked up a 'Chariot' piece and weighed it in his hand. "Pretty heavy. Could kill a man with this."

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

Old Kanlun didn't stand on ceremony; he grabbed his cannon and placed it right in the center.

"Boom!"

"Check!" Old Kanlun roared, full of bravado.

Su Li rolled his eyes.

"Check on the first move? Do you even know how to play?" Su Li jumped his horse forward. "Watch out for the horse's leg, you know? Look closely before you move."

The two old men, with a combined age of one hundred and forty, began their battle in the courtyard.

At first, they were quite civil, merely trading a few barbs.

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

"None of your business! I feel like it! Take that, I'm eating your horse!"

As the game progressed, the commotion grew louder.

"Hey, hey, hey! A man of his word doesn't take back a move! You clearly had your cannon there a second ago, why are you moving it back?" Su Li pinned down Old Kanlun's fat hand.

"My hand slipped! Can't a hand slip?" Old Kanlun's face turned red and his neck thickened. "Besides, I was just testing you, understand? In the Art of War, that's called a feint!"

"Feint your grandfather." Su Li snatched the piece back and slammed it onto the board. "If you take back another move, I'm taking this plate of meat with me."

Hearing that the meat might be taken away, Old Kanlun immediately behaved.

"Alright, alright, you're the boss, you win." Old Kanlun grumbled, picking up his cup and downing a drink. "I don't know how your brain works; this thing is so full of twists and turns, it's harder than slaughtering a pig."

Su Li smiled and said nothing.

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

This small space was a battlefield, too.

It was just that the things dying here were mere blocks of wood; there was no need for blood to flow, nor for those white-paper-black-ink notices to be sent out.

The two played five or six rounds, each winning and losing in turn.

Of course, most of the time Su Li won; occasionally losing a game was just to keep the old man happy so he wouldn't quit playing.

The night grew deep.

The moon climbed above the treetops, casting a pale, ghastly light over the courtyard.

Old Kanlun had drunk a bit too much, and his tongue began to tie itself in knots.

"Su Li..." Old Kanlun let out a drunken hiccup, his greasy face flushed with a ruddy glow. "You say... time really flies, doesn't it? In the blink of an eye, both of us have one foot in the grave."

"Mm." Su Li pinched a chess piece, staring at the "Pawn" carved upon it.

This pawn could only advance, never retreat. Once it crossed the river, it was as good as dead.

"That brat of mine, though he's a bit dim, is truly sincere when it comes to Nana." Old Kanlun rambled on. "I just hope... hope they can give me a big, healthy grandson soon. When that time comes... hic... I'll pass down this butchery trade to him."

At this, Old Kanlun suddenly stopped.

His small eyes, squeezed into mere slits by his flesh, snuck a glance at Su Li.

"Don't take it too hard." Old Kanlun reached out with a greasy hand and patted Su Li on the shoulder. "That boy Su Xiaochui... good people have their own destiny. Maybe one day... one day he'll just ride back on a big horse."

Su Li's hand paused for a moment.

In truth, the entire village knew that Su Xiaochui was never coming back. It had been fifteen years; even a trip to the southernmost tip of the continent would have been a round trip by now.

But no one dared to say it to Su Li's face.

It was a cruel, unspoken agreement.

"I know." Su Li set the chess piece down and raised his cup to clink it against Old Kanlun's. "I'm not taking it hard. Why would I? I have wine to drink, meat to eat, a good daughter, and a lousy chess player like you to keep me company. I'm content."

Though he spoke of contentment, the wine tasted bitter as it slid down his throat.

"Another game!" Su Li swept the pieces into a mess, his voice a little too loud, a little too deliberate. "Let's make a big bet on this one. If you lose, you bring me a set of pig intestines tomorrow. If you win, I'll forge you a bone-cleaving knife."

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of you!" Old Kanlun's spirit was ignited as well. "Tonight, I'll make sure you never see the light of day!"

"Clack!"

The sound of the chess piece hitting the board traveled far into the silent night.