In the third month of spring, amidst the fireworks, I went down to Yangzhou.
At the end of February, the group arrived in Yangzhou and bought a medium-sized house near Slender West Lake.
Upon arriving in Yangzhou, Heyue, along with Thirteen, two maids, and a guard, went to visit the Slender West Lake.
Yangzhou has three scenic spots, the most precious of which are Slender West Lake, Daming Temple, and Ge Garden.
Of course, this Slender West Lake is not the West Lake with the Broken Bridge and Leifeng Pagoda.
West Lake is located in Hangzhou, while Slender West Lake is located in the northwest of Yangzhou, and is also known as Baozhang Lake.
Slender West Lake can be considered a miniature version of West Lake in Hangzhou. At this time, the willows along the lake have just sprouted tender buds, and the willows sway gently. The lake water is clear and green, sparkling in the sunlight. Pavilions and towers are built in the lake, making it a beautiful sight.
If one were to take a boat trip on the lake at this time, it would surely be an extremely beautiful experience.
Heyue and Shisan walked along the lakeside, where pedestrians lined both banks. There were many literati and scholars admiring the scenery on the shore or boating on the lake.
In a square pavilion, a middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in a white scholar's robe, was playing chess with a young man in a blue robe. The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled, looking quite content, while the young man was clearly nervous, cornered by the middle-aged man, and sweating profusely.
The people standing around watching the game remained silent, as quiet as chickens, their expressions clearly showing their admiration for the middle-aged man.
Heyue and Shisan also went over to watch.
Thirteen looked at the chessboard for a while, then shook his head.
He Yue could also see that the young man was no match for the middle-aged man in terms of either temperament or chess skills.
Sure enough, the young man put down his chess piece a short while later, stood up and bowed, saying, "I concede defeat and admit my inferiority."
The middle-aged man nodded and smiled: "The young man is good, but he is too concerned about gains and losses. Chess is about mindset, and winning or losing is not important. This is true of everything in the world."
Upon hearing this, Thirteen's heart stirred.
The young man was moved to tears and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
The middle-aged man turned his gaze, smiled, and asked, "Who else wants to play a game of chess with Zhang?"
No one answered. The middle-aged man sighed, shook his head, and looked lost in thought.
Thirteen stepped forward, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "I would like to ask you for your guidance, sir."
Seeing that Thirteen was tall and elegant, with a pine-like demeanor, bright eyes and a hint of righteousness, the middle-aged man nodded secretly and happily raised his hand: "Please sit down, young master."
After Thirteen sat down, the middle-aged man offered him a piece, but Thirteen was not reserved and made the first move with the black pieces.
Heyue stood behind Thirteen, wanting to see who was more powerful, Thirteen or this middle-aged man.
They fought back and forth for a quarter of an hour without a clear winner, much to the amazement of those around them, who knew that the other man had conceded defeat in less than a quarter of an hour.
Several people had tried before, but all of them were defeated by the middle-aged man, which shows that his chess skills were extremely high.
The person in front of me has managed to get this far, so he must be quite capable.
After an incense stick had burned, Thirteen smiled, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Thank you for your kind offer."
The middle-aged man's brow twitched. He looked closely, then laughed and looked at Thirteen with admiration: "The younger generation is truly formidable. In my more than ten years here, this is the first time anyone has been able to surpass me."
He showed no sign of dissatisfaction on his face; on the contrary, he was quite happy.
Thirteen remained calm and composed, bowing deeply and saying, "I thank you for your guidance, sir. I will take my leave now."
The middle-aged man had a better impression of Thirteen, but he did not try to keep him: "Please do as you please, young master. I hope we will have the opportunity to play chess again in the future."
Thirteen nodded, took Heyue's hand, and left.
After walking a distance, Heyue asked him, "It's just a game of chess, why are you thanking him so solemnly?"
Thirteen chuckled: "In the past, I was always fixated on one idea, which made me feel depressed. Now I realize that winning and losing in this world is not important. What matters is being at ease. This gentleman has been able to play chess here for decades without caring about winning or losing. He is a remarkable person."
Having said that, he looked at Heyue, his eyes filled with even greater joy: "Now that you are by my side, what more could I ask for?"
Heyue carefully observed his expression and saw that he was indeed much happier than usual, looking relaxed and at ease. She was happy for him, so she tightened her grip on his hand and smiled.
The group walked along the shore again, and in the afternoon they went to Daming Temple.
The Daming Temple was bustling with people, and a young novice monk led them inside.
Upon entering the main hall, Heyue and Shisan knelt before the Buddha, offering devout prayers to the compassionate Buddha.
He Yue prays that the next thirteen years will be free from illness and pain, that they will live a long and healthy life, and that the family will be reunited soon.
History has changed. Thirteen was not imprisoned and is in good health. As long as he remains healthy, Yue believes the future will be bright.
She never believed in gods, but now she chose to believe. Since God had given her a chance to reunite with her sister and let her meet Thirteen, He must also be willing to bless Thirteen.
Thirteen opened his eyes, looked at Heyue beside him, took her hand, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
“I’m thinking, Buddha really is merciful.” The two stood up and walked outside, sighing with joy, “It’s so rare to have a life like this now, something I never dared to dream of before. If it could always be like this, how wonderful it would be.”
Thirteen put his arm around her shoulder and whispered gently, "Of course we will always be good to each other. However, back in the capital, you were just as unrestrained. Even Fourth Brother couldn't do anything about you. You were really willful and reckless back then, and you even dared to complain to Fourth Brother about me."
My fourth brother has always doted on me the most, yet he treats you so specially, which made me feel uneasy for a while. You said you never dared to imagine such a life before, but I feel that even in the capital, you never wanted to wrong yourself.
He Yue glared at him and said, "Hmph, you've learned to undermine me now. How do you know I'm really reckless? If I were truly reckless, do you think I would have let you off so easily back then?"
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