Chapter 105: Plum Blossom Hermitage

“Oh? Are you Liu Yitiao?” Upon hearing this, Du Xian rose from the stone bench and gave Liu Yitiao a thorough once-over. “You must be the talented nephew who invented a new move in Xiangqi?”

“That’s me, Uncle,” Liu Yitiao replied, bowing politely. “But the new move in Xiangqi was not my original creation; it came from my late master. I merely learned it from him. You must have misunderstood.”

“Hmm,” Du Xian stroked his beard thoughtfully and nodded with satisfaction. Genuine and unpretentious—it’s rare. Then, with warmth, he stepped forward, grasped Liu Yitiao’s right hand, and laughed, “These are trivial matters. What matters is that you, my talented nephew, play a fine game. Brother Bo and old Gongsun have often spoken of you to me; they admire your skill greatly. Each time they do, it stirs my eagerness. Come, come, since we have the time today, let us have a match, uncle and nephew!”

Du Xian pulled Liu Yitiao to sit on the stone bench beneath the Plum Blossom Pavilion, pushed the chessboard to the center of the stone table, and extended his right hand in invitation. “Nephew, please begin.”

This old man was a chess enthusiast, and one approachable at that—lacking any of the airs expected of a wealthy family head. His enthusiasm was like that of a kindly neighborly uncle. He seemed easy to get along with.

Liu Yitiao smiled wryly. It was precisely because of Du Xian’s warmth that from the start, he had had no chance to decline. It seemed his plan to stay briefly at the Du residence and leave was about to be derailed.

At that moment, Du Ji came in carrying a pot of fresh tea. He approached the pavilion and poured tea for Du Xian, Du Zigu, and Liu Yitiao before standing attentively by.

Liu Yitiao took the teacup, gently placed it at the edge of the stone table, and saluted Du Xian with a slight bow. “Please, Uncle Du, you have the first move.”

“Heh heh... Knowing your extraordinary skill, nephew, I shall take the first move,” Du Xian said without reserve, smiling as he pushed a cannon forward. “Cannon fires the Thunderbolt Five!”

Liu Yitiao smiled softly, moving his horse to leap. “Horse jumps across the Four Fields!”

“Chariot advances like a lonely traveler!”

“Elephant flies to the eight directions to greet!”

...

The two of them, one old and one young, exchanged moves and words in turn, neither giving way. At first, the match was evenly matched.

Du Zigu sat to the side, sipping tea quietly, watching the battle on the board with a faint smile, silent.

Du Zigu was a master of Go, indeed so skilled that even his father, Du Xian, would not be a worthy opponent. But Xiangqi did not interest him much, neither the old games nor the new. So watching Du Xian and Liu Yitiao trade fierce attacks on the board stirred little feeling in him.

However, feeling little did not mean he failed to discern the subtleties.

Du Xian played the red pieces, launching an all-out attack, each piece striving to capture quickly. In contrast, Liu Yitiao’s white pieces had only a few actively engaging, such as the horse and cannon. The rest—chariots, elephants, advisors, soldiers—moved but did not strike decisively.

Du Zigu glanced at Liu Yitiao and recalled how, during Go games, he had secretly handicapped his father to please him. To manage this here showed some cunning. Perhaps he had underestimated Liu Yitiao before.

“Check, Uncle Du!” Feeling the clash was nearly done, Liu Yitiao pushed his horse and cannon to trap Du Xian in a corner. He then raised his teacup for a sip, watching Du Xian’s reaction with a smile.

Du Xian’s reaction was much like old Gongsun Wenda’s before—excitement far outweighing disappointment. Seeing no way out, he laughed heartily and conceded.

Placing the captured pieces on the board, Du Xian smiled at Liu Yitiao. “Old Gongsun was right indeed. Playing with you is like a dragon plunging into water—free and graceful. Though I lose, I delight in it. Ha ha, come, nephew, one more game!”

“Please, Uncle Du,” Liu Yitiao said. Seeing Du Xian’s generous nature, quite unlike the calculating Du Zigu who chilled him, Liu Yitiao decided to set aside his grain-buying affairs and focus on building rapport.

They played five more games, each time Du Xian losing but growing happier with each defeat. His hope for victory rose with every match. Watching from the side, Du Zigu found this puzzling but began to admire Liu Yitiao’s skill—few could make a person lose so cheerfully.

“Ha ha ha, what joy! I wish I’d played you sooner!” After another loss, Du Xian laughed and clapped his leg. Seeing it was nearly noon, he stood and instructed Du Ji, “Tell the kitchen to prepare plenty of wine and food for lunch. Today, I will drink deeply with my talented nephew!”

He then turned to Liu Yitiao. “Nephew, you’ve spent the whole morning playing chess with this old man and must be tired. Come, let me show you the plum grove of the Du estate.” Without waiting for refusal, he took Liu Yitiao by the hand and stepped out of the Plum Blossom Pavilion into the blooming grove. Du Zigu followed leisurely behind.

It was already February, the peak season for plum blossoms. The grove was fragrant, awash in pink.

Du Xian led Liu Yitiao deep into the grove, where another open-air stone bench awaited. He gestured for Liu Yitiao to sit. Du Zigu smiled and asked, “Nephew, what do you think of our plum grove?”

“Grand, imposing, elegant—delightful to the eyes, refreshing to the spirit. Uncle Du’s grandeur is admirable,” Liu Yitiao complimented tactfully.

“Heh heh, you flatter me, nephew,” Du Xian chuckled. “But this is not my doing. All the estate’s landscaping was designed by my father. We descendants merely enjoy his blessings. I’m glad you like it.”

At this, Du Zigu interjected, “Brother Gongsun mentioned you possess great talent. Seeing such beauty here in the grove, might you compose an impromptu poem to enhance its charm?”

“Hmm, a fitting suggestion. Nephew, why not indulge us with a verse? Let this old man broaden his horizons,” Du Xian added softly, encouraging.

Liu Yitiao glanced at Du Zigu, thinking this was the second time the sly fellow had caused trouble today. He bowed to Du Xian. “If so, I must be impolite.”

Rising, hands clasped behind his back, Liu Yitiao walked a few paces in the grove, pondering, then began to recite:

In Plum Blossom Hamlet stands the Plum Blossom Hermitage,
Beneath it dwells the Plum Blossom Immortal sage;

The Immortal tends plum trees and picks the blooms with care,
Exchanging blossoms for wine, a simple fare.

Sober, he sits before the flowers in quiet thought,
Drunk, he rests beneath blooms, in dreams caught;

Half-awake, half-drunk, day by day slips past,
Flowers fall and bloom anew, year on year cast.

Willing to die amidst flowers and wine’s embrace,
Unwilling to bow before carts and horses’ race;

Dust of chariots and hooves—the wealthy’s delight,
Wine cups and flower branches—the poor’s respite.

If wealth and poverty be measured against each other,
One lies on the ground, the other high as the sky’s cover;

If poverty be likened to carts and steeds in flight,
You must rush and toil, while I enjoy leisure’s light.

They laugh at me for madness in my ways,
I laugh at them for failing to see past the haze;

See not the tombs of the heroes of Five Ridges,
Without flowers or wine, they till the fields as wages.