Xiao Youzhi stared at the chessboard. He had spent almost half an hour winning two games, but now he had already lost after only a few moves.
Meng Zhao chuckled to himself. The beauty of Gomoku (Five in a Row) lies in this: the winner can often be decided in just a dozen or so moves.
"Let's play another game," Xiao Youzhi said in a deep voice.
Meng Zhao did not refuse. He casually picked up a black piece, but this time he did not place it on the center point. Instead, he placed it randomly on an empty space. Xiao Youzhi did not rush to approach. Instead, he opened up another battlefield in the distance. Meng Zhao glanced at him and smiled inwardly. He placed three pieces in succession, drawing a lightning-fast attack on the chessboard.
By the time Xiao Youzhi realized something was wrong, it was too late to turn the tide. Meng Zhao clapped his hands and laughed, "Haha, I won again!"
Xiao Youzhi stared at the strange chess formation, then suddenly clapped his hands: "Brilliant! This five-in-a-row game seems simple, but it actually hides a profound mystery." His eyes gleamed. "However, I think I've grasped some of the tricks. Shall we play again?"
Meng Zhao was unbeatable in Go at the orphanage. She had even participated in the city's middle school competition and easily won a gold medal. Naturally, she was more than capable of playing against Xiao Youzhi, a complete novice.
After playing more than a dozen games in a row, even though Xiao Youzhi applied for the first move and adjusted his strategy, he still suffered a crushing defeat in every game.
"Brother Xiao," Meng Zhao laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "just admit defeat. You'll probably never beat me at Gomoku in your entire life!"
She was secretly pleased and would never say anything like "playing Go is elegant, while Gomoku is for kids." It was true that she didn't have the opportunity to learn Go when she was young, but if she had really started learning from a young age, it was hard to say who would win or lose now!
Xiao Youzhi was initially engrossed in studying the layout on the chessboard when Meng Zhao suddenly reached out and gently patted his dangling wrist. "What are you thinking about! Gomoku is all about speed. The goal is to leave the opponent no time to make their own moves and to expose their weaknesses in their haste."
As she spoke, she flicked her finger, and a black piece landed with a "thud" on the chessboard: "You see, this is how you put pressure on the opponent. If everyone played like you..." She mimicked Xiao Youzhi's thoughtful expression, deliberately frowning and making a deep-thinking face, "I'm afraid they wouldn't finish a game even by nightfall."
Xiao Youzhi was amused by her appearance. Gradually, he stopped caring about winning or losing on the chessboard and looked at the woman in front of him seriously. He realized that Meng Zhao was extremely enthusiastic about winning. Only winning could make her excited. Otherwise, she would be like before, looking like she was too lazy to talk to him.
There was food and drink in the private room, and the two played for a long time. In addition to Gomoku, Meng Zhao also taught Xiao Youzhi how to play Tic-Tac-Toe, Wolf Eat Sheep, etc. It wasn't until Chen Xiaowu came to call them that Meng Zhao realized that it was already dark outside.
When they came out of the private room again, Chunfeng Tower had quietly changed its appearance. The lobby on the first floor was gradually being cleared out, leaving only a few private seats by the window. Occasionally, a servant would lead a nobleman in fine clothes who got off a luxurious carriage to a private room upstairs.
Xiao Youzhi led Meng Zhao to a private room on the second floor. As they entered, Meng Zhao was prepared to see a scene of extravagance and debauchery. However, the room was surprisingly quiet. Several men and women were either chatting or admiring the view from the window. There was no sign of the decadent scene he had imagined. Meng Zhao couldn't help but chuckle to himself for having preconceived notions and thinking too much.
One of the men sitting by the window, admiring the scenery, noticed a woman following behind Xiao Youzhi. A playful glint flashed in his eyes, and he rose to greet him: "So that's why Brother Xiao was so late. It turns out you have a beautiful lady with you." He turned to Meng Zhao, scrutinizing her closely: "This young lady looks familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
"What an old-fashioned way to strike up a conversation," Meng Zhao chuckled dryly and replied, "You must be mistaken. I haven't been in the capital for long and have never met you before, sir."
Seeing that Lu Yusheng was about to speak, Xiao Youzhi immediately stepped between the two without making a sound and introduced him to Meng Zhao: "This is Lu Yusheng. He runs a tea business in Huainan. The Jinluan Diancui tea you just drank is from his business."
Meng Zhao's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Since opening the Mingxianglou, she had learned a little about the tea industry. The Lu family of Huainan was very famous in the tea business. They owned thousands of acres of fertile land and five or six tea mountains. It was said that half of Huainan's tea came from the Lu family. They also had the honor of sending tribute tea to the capital every year. They were truly unparalleled in their prestige.
She was about to start a conversation when Xiao Youzhi added, "This young master Lu is already married and has both a son and a daughter; he's living a very happy life."
The words had barely left his mouth when the room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter. Lu Yusheng clutched his stomach, almost collapsing onto Xiao Youzhi's shoulder with laughter: "Hahaha, Xiao Youzhi, aren't you being a little too paranoid? Did I say I was going to do anything?"
Meng Zhao noticed that everyone in the room was looking at her, both openly and secretly, and felt a little embarrassed. She turned to look at Xiao Youzhi, feeling suspicious. What did he mean by that? Something felt off.
However, now was not the time to think about it too much. She quickly composed herself and said with a smile, "So it's Young Master Lu. My Tea House gets a lot of its tea from your shop."
Although Lu Yusheng wouldn't care where his family's tea was sold, he had heard of the name Mingxianglou before, so he said seriously, "So it's Madam Meng. I've heard so much about you. I heard that you've only been in the capital for half a year, but your business is already booming. I bet your competitors are grinding their teeth in envy."
"Young Master Lu is too kind," Meng Zhao said modestly, waving his hand. "My business is just a small-scale operation; it can't compare to your esteemed tea, which is sold far and wide, and even the nobles in the palace praise it highly."
As they were talking, a woman walked over slowly. In fact, Meng Zhao had noticed her the moment she entered the room. There was no other reason than that her outfit was simply too dazzling. She was wearing a long brocade dress with gold peony patterns, and a scarlet silk blouse with wide sleeves. The butterfly embroidery on the blouse was lifelike and was probably woven with gold thread. The ruby inlaid on the necklace around her neck was as big as a quail egg, and the gold hairpins and jade hairpins in her hair jingled. She was obviously from a wealthy family.
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