I held a wicker basket in my hands, standing before the vegetable patch behind Hidden Falls Temple. On the left lay neatly arranged rows of vegetables, while on the right were fruit trees—orderly and well-tended. It was clear that Master Frank Yuan worked diligently here; not a weed in sight.
Rachel Lan was crouched in the field, picking vegetables for our afternoon meal. She had already filled one basket.
"That should be enough, Rachel."
Rachel Lan stopped, turned her head, and asked me a question.
"Qingyuan, what do you think about living like this from now on?"
I let out a small sound of surprise, glanced around, then nodded.
By the time we returned, the sky was already growing dim. Lord Shenyan had come back and was seated at a tree stump, playing Go with Master Frank Yuan. My cousin watched silently from the side.
"Go on, Qingyuan. I'll take care of things here."
Before I could reply, Rachel Lan took the basket full of fruits and vegetables from my hand and headed toward the kitchen. I walked straight toward Master Frank Yuan.
"I lost."
As soon as I approached, I saw Lord Shenyan admit defeat. The board was nearly covered with black and white stones, and Howard Zhang looked at Lord Shenyan in confusion.
"There are still plenty of moves left. Why give up now? Look, if you play this way, you could resolve the crisis."
I never understood how to play Go, but I was surprised that Howard Zhang could. Even Lord Shenyan and Master Frank Yuan looked at him with newfound respect.
"Care for a game, Chongsheng?"
Howard Zhang nodded and began gathering the pieces with Master Frank Yuan. Soon, a new game began, while Lord Shenyan and I watched quietly from the side.
In just a few minutes, Howard Zhang lost. Master Frank Yuan chuckled, and Howard scratched his head awkwardly.
"Chongsheng, though you're a beginner, your moves are open and relaxed. If you keep practicing, even I won't be a match for you."
"Ha, I was just bored at Universal Temple, watching my senior brothers play Go, so I picked up a little. Want to play another round?"
Master Frank Yuan glanced at Lord Shenyan, who now sat opposite Howard Zhang and began gathering the pieces.
The match began. Master Frank Yuan came to my side, patted my shoulder, and spoke.
"Benefactor Zhang, you don't play Go, do you? But what do you think of their strategies?"
I watched quietly for a while, then spoke.
"It seems the black stones want to devour the white stones quickly—very aggressive. The white side, though, seems distracted, almost careless."
Master Frank Yuan smiled and nodded. This match was unexpected to me—Lord Shenyan kept attacking, trying to completely overwhelm Howard Zhang, but Howard's casual approach turned the game into a stalemate.
The board was filled with interwoven black and white stones. Howard Zhang started moving toward the edges, but Lord Shenyan quickly followed. Howard's moves seemed random, while Lord Shenyan's were calculated, each one preparing for the next.
In the end, Howard Zhang still lost. Master Frank Yuan looked at him with delight.
"People are often confused by simple things, only realizing the truth when they finally understand. Simplicity and complexity are separated by a thin line—sometimes, the more complex something is, the simpler it becomes, and what seems simple can be as intricate as the stars in the universe."
The second game began. This time, I noticed Howard Zhang's strategy had changed, while Lord Shenyan slowed his pace, focusing on surrounding Howard's stones.
Howard Zhang lost the second game too, but Lord Shenyan’s victory wasn’t easy. Though I didn’t know how to play, watching them was fascinating, and Master Frank Yuan seemed just as interested.
Suddenly, as Howard Zhang placed a stone, Lord Shenyan frowned.