Extra:...

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Note from merebear226: It’s Tiffany’s debut as a translator!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!! Give her lots of love!!! (Any mistakes are my fault lol. I should really be in bed right now but I wanted to get it out)

*********

Wu Sanxing looked at the chess game in front of him. His upper body was motionless, but he didn’t know how many times his feet had changed positions.

Wu Erbai looked at his brother across from him. When Wu Sanxing smiled at him calmly, Wu Erbai thought he looked a bit funny.

Even though his heart was full of anxiety, he still had to keep his upper body and face still, and try not to reveal any flaws. Third Brother was indeed shrewd, but based on his character, he wouldn’t be able to conceal his intense anxiety.

“Don’t think about it too much. Just move a piece.” Wu Erbai said. “If I don’t checkmate in seven turns, then you’re the winner.”

“No. It’s not glorious if I win like this. I’m not someone who can’t afford to lose. Moreover, I just might end up winning in the end.” Wu Sanxing said, “I’ve set a trap, but you haven’t found it yet.”

“How are you supposed to set up a trap with two soldiers and one minister? I think your trap is too lousy.” Wu Erbai looked at the dozen pawns he had captured. The chess pieces were made out of Shoushan stone, which Grandpa Nine (1) had given to their father as a birthday present.

It was said that they had been carved by a master in Suzhou, and the words on them were also written by a famous artist, which made them very precious. But they had developed a patina (2) because they hadn’t been used much in three years.

“Don’t smash the chessboard if you lose.” He felt a little nervous when he saw the patina. If his younger brother broke it, then things wouldn’t end well for him, either. Their father would definitely order his dogs to bite them.

Speaking of those dogs, they were all precious in his father’s eyes. It was like he didn’t even care for his biological sons. Does he think the three of us are beneath them?

Oh, no. I got distracted.

Wu Erbai took a deep breath. His brother was still sitting in front of him motionless, staring intently at the chessboard with brows furrowed so deep that they were almost tangled. It appeared he hadn’t noticed that Wu Erbai’s mind had wandered just now.

This was why he didn’t like to play chess with his younger brother. Wu Sanxing was stubborn and obstinate, and when he realized he was about to lose, he often took more than ten minutes to make a move. He would stall until it was time for dinner, and then say, “Ah, we’re running out of time. Let’s call it a draw. We’ll start a new game after we finish dinner.”

But out of the whole family, his younger brother was the only one who could play chess with him. Although his elder brother wasn’t bad at it, he liked to defend. Plus, he would immediately admit defeat once he was at a disadvantage, so Wu Erbai couldn’t find any pleasure in playing with him.

“How about we call it a draw?” Wu Erbai said, not wanting to waste any more time. He had an appointment with his elder brother to go to the shop and check inventory.

“No!” Wu Sanxing replied. “If you let me win in this situation, it means that I’m the loser.”

“Can you be quick about it then?” Wu Erbai asked. “Even a pot of water would boil by the time you make your next move.”

Wu Sanxing rolled his eyes at Wu Erbai. “What’s the rush? I’m still thinking about setting up the next trap!” With that said, he raised his hand, ready to move a piece. “You’re going to be very surprised.”

Wu Erbai looked at Wu Sanxing for a moment. He already knew all the possible moves in this game of chess and had anticipated any moves Wu Sanxing might make. He would checkmate in seven turns no matter what happened.

As a result of this, his attention wasn’t on the chessboard. Instead, he was staring mechanically at his younger brother in front of him. The moment Wu Sanxing raised his hand, he saw a hint of an expression briefly flash across his face.

Under the calmness, this expression was almost indistinguishable. Was Wu Sanxing proud, nervous, or depressed? Wu Erbai couldn’t tell, but he had still caught the slight change.

Something was wrong. He reflexively grabbed Wu Sanxing’s hand, which was about to move the chess piece.

Wu Sanxing was shocked. “What?”

Wu Erbai looked down at the chessboard and slowly looked at all the pieces. Sure enough, he found that one of the pieces had been moved.

“You don’t like it if I let you win, but you can accept it when you win by cheating?” Wu Erbai asked. “I don’t understand your logic.”

“Cheating? I didn’t cheat.” Wu Sanxing acted like he was all innocent.

“Who cheated? It’s not easy for me to think of a good move. Don’t point fingers at me.”

Wu Erbai let go of his hand, and then touched the chess piece, slowly moving it back to its previous position. “Third Brother, do you want me to reverse all the moves of this chess game for you to see, and show you how this piece got to this position?”

Wu Saxing looked Wu Erbai in the eye and cursed, “Damn, why is it so hard to lie to you? I can’t do it anymore. We’ll start a new game next time.” He shoved the board and messed up all the chess pieces. “You clean this up. I’m going to read a chess book and then go to sleep. I’ll definitely win tomorrow.”

“Stop. Just tell me. Why are you upset if I let you win? Why do you think it’s fine if you win by cheating?” Wu Erbai looked at the disorganized chess pieces, feeling a little angry. This kid has become so spoiled since everyone outside treats him like a master. No wonder Dad wants me to discipline him.

Wu Erbai quickly put the chess pieces back to their original positions. “You can’t possibly mess up the chess pieces. Even if we play mahjong and you somehow mess up the tiles, I can still put them back to their original positions.”

Wu Sanxing stared at his elder brother. He obviously wasn’t expecting him to not let it go and continued staring at him for a long time, unsure of what to do.

He was a ferocious fighter, but he couldn’t possibly beat Wu Eribai to death if they ended up fighting. It wasn’t to say that his elder brother’s fighting skills were better than him, it was just that their dad would kill him if his brother was injured.

Not to mention how cunning his elder brother was. Although you might reconcile with him after you offended him, he would definitely find ways to plot against you during the holidays.

Should he act cowardly? It wasn’t that he didn’t know how, but he had been acting quite arrogant outside recently, so he didn’t think he could do it.

He stared at Wu Erbai, who stared right back at him.

Wu Sanxing’s fierceness was famous in this generation. They said that Old Dog Wu had three sons: the eldest was a dog, the second was a fox, and the third was a mad dog. A mad dog was irrational, and even some of the older generation were wary around this prodigal son who didn’t abide by any rules.

But there was no fear in Wu Erbai’s eyes when he looked at him. His elder brother looked at him the same way he did when he was a bare-naked baby.

They stared at each other for a long time before Wu Sanxing finally compromised and sat down. He then started to put away the chess pieces. “Fine. I admit defeat. I’m a disgrace because I cheated. I’ll invite you to dinner some other day.”

“I just want to hear your thought process.” Wu Erbai said, “Why can’t you accept it when I let you win? And why is it okay if you win by cheating?”

Wu Sanxing glanced at him, took the pieces Wu Erbai had previously captured, and then started placing them neatly one by one and in a certain order. He knew that Wu Erbai was the kind of person who had to organize everything.

“Because I’m the one deciding to cheat. Whether I cheat, act shamelessly, or smash the chessboard, I’m willing to do it all so I don’t lose. I’m the one doing these things; I don’t need to rely on other people. It’s enough for me.” Wu Sanxing said. “You know Dad has always disliked me. Ever since I was young, he hasn’t approved of anything I’ve done. Our family is now in a mess. You and our eldest brother don’t want to have anything to do with the family business, so it’s up to me if I want to make a name for myself.”

Wu Erbai drank his tea that had already gone a little cold and said, “Dad doesn’t want us to be involved in the family business. It’s rare that you can do something you like without having to inherit your father’s business. Why don’t you understand?”

“There are a lot of things Dad has no say in when it comes to whether we should be involved or not.” Wu Sanxing said. As he was putting the last chess piece back into its original position, he found that he wasn’t angry anymore. Sure enough, you could never be mad at your family for long.

“Well, are you satisfied? Don’t you still need to take inventory with our eldest brother? Pick a date, and I’ll invite you to dinner. In a few months, you’ll leave home to study abroad, and our eldest brother will also have to work somewhere else. We may not see each other for several years, and I’ll be the only person who is unemployed in the family. The house is going to feel so empty. I want to invite you both to dinner several times before you leave.” Wu Sanxing picked up the chessboard and walked toward his bedroom.

Wu Erbai looked at him and suddenly felt that his younger brother was different from what he had previously thought. He always thought Wu Sanxing was an arbitrary man whose behaviors were driven by emotions. Now, however, it seemed that his uncontrollable behaviors came from a fairly controllable heart.

Their eldest brother was controllable both inside and out, his own self-restraint meant that he was controllable on the inside, and his younger brother completely hid the controllability of his inner logic.

Even though their eldest brother could be seen through at a glance, he couldn’t (though they could generally predict what was going through his mind). As for the third brother, how he acted and what he thought were two different things.

He was afraid that his younger brother was going to have the most difficult life out of the three of them, and his heart ached for him.

He drank his tea in one sip, and said to Wu Sanxing’s back, “Third Brother.”

Wu Sanxing turned around. “What’s the matter?”

“If you have an idea that you want to realize by any means necessary, you have to learn to rely on others sometimes, especially your own people. If you think it’s best to rely on yourself, then you’d better remember, there are always some people you can seek help from.”

“Understood.” Wu Sanxing lit a cigarette, smiled, and then turned his back.

<Table of Contents><The Wu Family Snippets>

*******

TN Notes:

(1) I think that Grandpa Xie here referred to Xie Jiuye’s father.

(2) A gloss or sheen on a surface resulting from age or polishing.

*********

Translated by: Tiffany X

Edited by: merebear226

Like this:Like Loading...

Related