Chapter 2

Li Jin just looked at the person who spoke first. He has no memory of the original owner, and he doesn't even know who this person is.

Li Jin asked: "What you said before, if someone helps you solve this chess move, an old hen and ten eggs as a thank you gift, will you really give?"

That man was Li Daniu, who was a good farmer in the village. He had no other bad habits, and what he liked best was to play chess with the villagers after ploughing the land.

Li Daniu is so strong that he doesn't even need the ox cart of the village head to cultivate the land. He can cultivate all the land by himself.

In this way, a lot of money can be saved every year.

Moreover, if he loses at chess, he is willing to plow the land for others.

Li Daniu is willing to bet and lose, and he does not collect money for plowing the land for those who win chess. But the other family will still be very grateful to him, and will give him a few chickens and ducks.

In addition, Li Daniu never gambled or drank fancy wine, so his family is well-off, and he will give a chicken when he told so.

Although Li Daniu usually looks down on Li Jin, he felt that Li Jin had a good eye and a low hand. He used to say that he was studying for being a talented student, but after so many years, he didn't see his name among any famous candidates.

In the end, he learned to spend a lot of money on 'Merry Yacht' and failed his family.

If it wasn't for his mother who had bought him a "ger" before she died, and married him to his son, maybe this person would have died by now in some unknown place.

But Li Jin had read books after all, Li Daniu thought, this person might really know how to solve chess!

Li Daniu patted his chest, Thump.

"What I say in Li Daniu's mouth is naturally "one spit and one nail", and I will never break my word."

Li Jin saw that the onlookers did not refute Li Daniu, which meant that this person is usually quite trustworthy.

Without saying anything, he squatted down, and directly picked up Li Daniu's 'shi' and ate the opposite side's 'pawn'. (1)

It turns out that this move has reached a deadlock, and the "pawns" on the opposite side are about to encircle Li Daniu's "Jiang".(1)

Li Jin said: "At this time, there is only one move that can be done by the opposite side, and that is to eat your gun."

With that, Li Jin picked up the opposite chess and took this step. Then, Li Daniu's eyes brightened, and Zhang Laosan's face was as black as the bottom of the pot.

Li Daniu smiled boldly: "Now that the two kings meet, my General wins!"

Li Jin said: "Chickens and eggs."

Li Daniu laughed, and led Li Jin away from the crowd and walked out.

Zhang Laosan said: "You already promised fifteen copper coins before. Please fulfill it. You still lost to me."

Li Daniu said: "Alright, alright, I'll give you the money."

He said that he took out fifteen copper coins from his waist and threw them to Zhang Laosan.

His good mood didn't change at all, and he still laughed: "Unexpectedly, although Li Jin didn't read much and you also didn't pass the exam, but your chess is really good."

Li Jin didn't say anything. He just wanted to go back and kill the old hen to cook soup for the original owner's wife.

"Bah, this man just came up with this move just by being lucky."

"Of course it is, but Li Daniu wants to give him the old hen."

"I say, is this man going to gift the old hen to the top card in the town?"

After Li Daniu left, the others were still talking there. These words are not said so softly that Li Jin can't hear them.

But he didn't say a word, the most important thing is to solve the immediate matter now.

Whatever the people in the village think, it's up to them. Anyway, Li Jin at this time is no longer the spicy chicken Li Jin before.

Speaking of the original owner Li Jin, this person is really a scumbag, and his troublemaking have been known all over this small village.

The only special thing about him was that, at the time of his birth, a passing Taoist priest knocked on their door, saying that this child will be a Wenquxing (2) star in the future, and the best name is Li Jin.

At that time, all the people in the village admired the Li family. If Li Jin became a literary scholar, then he would be a master of his sky.

There was an endless stream of people visiting the door at that time

Among a group of names like "Li Daniu" and "Laosan Zhang" in the village, the name "Li Jin" stands out from the crowd.

Later, the Li family did send him to school, but this person was not interested in learning by nature.

Instead, he learnt to compare and drink with the students in the town. Finally, he went to Piaoxiangyuan to listen to the beauties singing.

Li Jin's father also had this exact same problem. He was hollowed out by alcohol when he was young, and he did not farm the land at home.

Many people in the village feel that if Li Jin's mother is alive she would probably be tortured to dead.

Had such a husband and gave birth to such a son.

But before she died, she went to the town to buy a fertile ger to raise her unproductive son.

They thought that Li Jin would take care of him once he became his wife, but his old father's genes were really not good.

On the contrary, Li Jin likes the top card of Piaoxiangyuan...

Even if it is the top card in the town, that is not what Li Jin can think of.

Li Jin couldn't get the favor of the top card, so he could only waste money and drink himself to death, and his studies were completely abandoned.

Today, when his wife was giving birth, Li Jin actually ran out to get drunk.

This is simply not human.

This is something that everyone in the village knows. After all, the village is small, and everyone likes to eat at the door with a bowl after ploughing the land. Things at the head of the village will quickly spread to the end of the village.

Therefore, Li Daniu also knows the absurd things Li Jin has done.

Li Daniu grabbed a chicken and asked, "Li Jin, what are you doing with the chicken?"

Li Jin stood behind Li Daniu. Although his body was thin, his waist was straight.

Wearing coarse linen clothes on him, he looked really like a firm bamboo, quite like a scholar.

Li Daniu thought it was unlikely and he must have read him wrong.

At this time, Li Jin's voice came through clearly: "My wife is giving birth today. I will cook him chicken soup."

Li Daniu only felt that the sun really came out from the west today.

He put down the small chicken in his hand and fished a fat old hen from his hen house: "Here you go."

Li Daniu was full of joy, it is so effortless to pick up a free-range hen now.

After all, this is the hen in the village. It eats insects in the ground. With its wings stirred up, it can fly half a height.

It's not the same as the chicken that is made out of hormones in his society.

Li Daniu was purely testing Li Jin, he thought that the character of Li Jin is just that bad.

Why should he keep showing a good face to Li Jin?

However, Li Daniu did not expect that Li Jin directly pinched the chicken's neck and held the chicken's wings with the other hand, and then subdued the chicken.

This move made Li Daniu's impression of Li Jin a little better.

Originally thought this person was hollowed out by wine, just like his soft rice father. Unexpectedly, this person still has two brushes in his hands.

Li Daniu went in again and took out ten eggs, all of which were half a fist-sized, and their shells were khaki-yellow, which looked very fresh.

Now Li Jin was not too dirty. He gathered the eggs in his pocket and pinched a chicken. After thanking Li Daniu, he walked towards the house.

Li Daniu's wife was working in the town, and when she returned at night, she found that there was one less chicken at home.

It is definite to have trouble with Li Daniu.

"You only know how to play chess every day.. why don't you lose your house?"

Li Daniu can only coax his wife at this moment: "I will cultivate two acres of land for the village chief tomorrow, and our chicken will return."

His wife also knows this, that his man is a capable man.

But she just can't swallow this...

(1)Xiangqi (Chinese: 象棋; pinyin: xiàngqí; English: /ˈʃɑːŋtʃi/), also called Chinese chess, is a strategy board game for two players.

The game represents a battle between two armies, with the object of capturing the enemy's general (king). Each player controls an army of 16 pieces; the armies are usually coloured red and black.[4] Pieces are flat circular disks labeled or engraved with a Chinese character identifying the piece type, and in a colour indicating which player has ownership. The black pieces are marked with somewhat different characters from the corresponding red pieces.

Generals (or kings) are labelled 將 (trad.) / 将(simp.) jiàng ("general") on the black side and 帥 (trad.) / 帅 (simp.) sound: shuài ("marshal") on the red side. China's rulers objected to their royal titles being given to game pieces so they aren't called King like in western chess

Advisors (also known as guards or ministers, and less commonly as assistants, mandarins, or warriors) are labelled 士 shì ("scholar", "gentleman", "officer", "guardian") for Black and 仕 shì ("scholar", "official", "guardian") for Red. Rarely, sets use the character 士 for both colours. They are equivalent to the queen in western chess.

Elephants (or bishops) are labeled 象 xiàng ("elephant") for Black and 相 xiàng ("minister") for Red. They are located next to the advisors. If an elephant cannot move due to a diagonally adjacent piece, it is known as "blocking the elephant's eye" (塞象眼).

Horses (or knights) are labelled 馬 About this soundmǎ for Black and 傌 mǎ for Red

Chariots (or rooks) are labelled 車 jū for Black and 俥 jū for Red

Cannons are labelled 砲 pào ("catapult") for Black and 炮 pào ("cannon") for Red. The names are homophones, though sometimes 炮 is used for both Red and Black.

Soldiers are labelled 卒 zú ("pawn" or "private") for Black and 兵 bīng ("soldier") for Red. Each side starts with five soldiers.