What ReZhui saw as he stepped foot upon the pond bridge was a refreshing site. The reds and yellows remained commonplace, but significant green took up a dominant spot. Flush foliage of thick-branched trees and trimmed shrubs, he smelt the damp soils and the aroma of leaves. Small streams of koi fish flowed all over the place, and throughout the park region, there were nine public gathering areas. These locations featured lots of wide stone tables and wooden chairs. Aside from the small number of youthful couples strolling past, the rest here were just the elderly, and they sure were vigorous.

Clack! Another one sounded just like before. All over, ReZhui saw Mahjong boards and their accompanying white, shiny tiles. They slammed those hard and made random screams or shouts. The smell of wine and tea grew stronger, the more they reached the center.

TianXing’s servant was dismissed outside so Eddisson was tasked with pushing his mother’s wheelchair to her destination. Although he was weaker than ReZhui, he had no problems moving.

“Mother, where are we going?”

“Hmmm, somewhere nostalgic, son. Why?”

“Well…just curious…”

“Haha, don’t sweat it, boy. We’re close.”

Behind them, ReZhui and ShiYan noticed they were approaching the highest point in this park. Surrounded by flora and looking over a large green pond, they arrived at a medium-sized gazebo of gold but old. Naturally worn down concrete and wooden frames, carvings that were no longer distinguishable and finally, the elderly gentlemen and ladies within. It was something ReZhui never expected close to a place of celebration.

Watching TianXing closely, he felt an incredible emotion swelling up within her.

She clenched her fist first, and then breathed in deeply.

She was ready.

“Grandpa Lu, Grandpa Ge, Grandpa Zhi, Grandma Qui, Elder Dian!”

“...!”

Suddenly, like a flock of birds, the elderly turned to face her. Individually, they grew wrinkled, coarse, and white or bald. Today was just another regular day for them in a life that lasted decades. It was already rare for commoners like them to survive this long and they carried on their mundane lives. But for this very Spring Festival, this might be their last surprise yet.

“No…it can’t be!”

“T-thank the heavens…”

“Please, this old man must be seeing things.”

Their eyes brightened at the sight of her presence and an overwhelming sensation filled their consciousness. Some were on the brink of tears.

“Everyone…Your age hasn't caught up with you yet.”

“...!”

She spread her arms wide, giving them a warm smile.

“This is the real me in the flesh. I’m finally home…”

“...X-xiao…XiaoTian!”

Immediately, most of them grabbed their canes and staggered towards her. In response, TianXing readied herself and launched herself out of the wheelchair, to the shock of everyone behind her. On either side, they were all limited with their disabling bodies but they persisted. TianXing feebly wobbled into their arms with each senior soon giving her a much-needed heartfelt embrace.

.

.

.

After all those emotions calmed down, the elderly carefully assisted her back into the wheelchair. Eddisson then positioned it at the head of the square marble table placed in the gazebo’s center. On the grey table top, ReZhui noticed another board game being played. Different to what he saw earlier, this one appeared to be suited for only two players, unlike previously, where he saw a maximum of four. It consisted of a black gridded pattern carved into polished hazel brown wood. Lots of tiny black and white stones were placed all over the play area at the line intersections with the black pieces currently having greater numbers present on the set. Two wooden bowls, holding the remaining stones for each colour respectively, sat at opposing corners of the table for the ease of the individual players.

Grandpa Ge and Grandpa Lu sat back in their stone stools near the table; they were the prior participants of this match. The rest took the seats beside them to observe their pieces' positions. For now, their fingers remained.

“XiaoTian, would you like to continue our conversation over a friendly spar?” Grandpa Ge gestured for his spot.

“Much obliged, Grandpa Ge.”

He shoved his chair aside and Eddisson rolled the wheelchair in. A couple of shuffles and everyone was ready. The children, insisting that they went through much worse, declined the seniors’ demands to give them their seats.

A lot of glances, in particular, aimed at Eddisson. While this was a common occurrence, the elderly held the most alienating glares in the face of their mentality, unwavering after decades of inclusivity.

The two cleared the board of all pieces. TianXing had the white, while Grandpa Lu took the black. They gave one last look of sportsmanship, before they began.

“XiaoTian, I hope your travels haven’t got you rusty.”

“I say the same for you, Grandpa. It’s been more than two decades since we last competed. I’ve matured wiser while you’re on the verge of returning childish respectively speaking.”

“Ha! You underestimate this old fellow in the one thing he’s horned for his whole life. I lived playing WeiQi.”

“Let’s see.”

And they commenced. The first piece was initiated by Grandpa Lu. A black piece placed at the very end of the grid. TianXing retaliated with a white stone at the center. It was a drastic contrast.

“...”

“...”

Individually, they knew the other’s patterns very closely, but that’s their memory from decades ago. It may not be the same now.

Twitching his finger, Grandpa Lu placed his next stone, and TianXing followed suit. Slowly, the back and forth routines grew faster and more intense. Their hands dashed across the board with blinding speeds. Every stone collided hard onto the board, followed by a loud clack. Eyes rolled from side to side as they strategically positioned their next piece.

While the other seniors were able to catch up to them, ReZhui and Eddisson lost track of their movements. For ReZhui, these were similar to thrusts of a blade. For Eddisson, the black and white outlines reminded him of basic Non-Qi Arrays.

“...” ShiYan, on the other hand, looked at them in doubt.

Amidst the clacking of stones, she questioned them.

“Guys, do you even know what this is?”

“No, ShiYan, I was just about to ask you that. Though I do know what Mahjong is back there.”

“...Eddisson?”

“Like what ReZhui said, but I did see Mother playing this with her customers during her services.”

Scrunching up her face, she sighed.

“Well, future scholars, what you are seeing in front here is called the WeiQi. It’s simply a game of encirclement.”

“Encirclement?”

“Surround your opponent’s coloured stones with yours and reclaim their loses. A skilled player will know when he needs to resign, or otherwise face pointless resistance.”

“Oh, have you done this before, ShiYan?”

“Sometimes with Father but he’s too ruthless to let me win so I never looked back.” She whined.

“I see. Then, Mrs He now…”

“Yes, I’ve never realised she was this skilled-”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“FIRST!” announced Grandma Qui in cheers, interrupting her.

It was finally time to attack.

A large clump of white stones had been fully surrounded and Grandpa Lu spent no time removing them from the board to his side. In return, he smirked, drenched in sweat.

“...” But, TianXing was left unfazed.

In the next few moves, she launched her counter, and removed several smaller groups, with her other stones forming barely noticeable borders. This pattern continued for some time with Grandpa Lu removing large portions of her stones and TianXing ambushing smaller, less maintained clusters. At first, their stone count was even, but the farther they proceeded, the casualties of the black stacked higher and higher, at a faster rate than her whites.

Grandpa Lu’s obviously unsteady at this development and his darker complexion could be seen flushing red from the pressure. TianXing, conversely, kept a stern look across the board and her makeup didn’t smear.

While Grandpa Lu froze for a moment to reassess the situation, TianXing continued her bold agenda which was unstoppable.

“Damn…”

Finally, she had separated his forces into her planned localized groups, and everyone knew this was the endgame. However, once it was Grandpa Lu’s turn next, he didn’t grab another black piece from the bowl. Fidgeting, he tapped the table in hopes for a breakthrough but sadly, nothing lit up. In the end, he stood.

“...!”

And that signaled the end of the game. TianXing had won in a span of a few minutes.

What came next was a round of applause from all of the spectators. Interlocking his hands in a gesture, he congratulated her win with a grin.

“I have much to learn despite my old age, XiaoTian. Complacency is time’s younger companion.”

“Please, Grandpa Lu, you flatter me.”

“Still haven’t changed huh?”

“Hmmm, so, anyone else?”

And Grandpa Zhi volunteered.

“XiaoTian, I’m still ranked below DiYun, so please go easy on me.”

“Certainly, Grandpa Zhi, I honestly detest speed matches but that old man loves his adrenaline.”

“Hey!” Grandpa Lu growled as he sipped his cold tea.

They soon commenced.

“...”

In the ongoing silence besides the clacking of stones, a surprising individual questioned her something.

“D-dearly XiaoTian…is that charming boy with the yellow hair your son?”

Stopping the match momentarily, she turned to Elder Dian, the oldest of the bunch at the ripe age of eighty-seven.

“Yes, yes he is. He’s the only child in the family.”

“Did he eat something poisonous? Or, was he struck by Heaven’s calling? Is your husband with you to help with things?”

“...Nothing like that, Elder Dian. I just fell in love with a man with yellow hair and icy blue eyes…and he never made it.”

“...raise him well regardless, XiaoTian.” Although this was something new for the Elder, she still considered him a male with a role in society.

“Don’t worry, Elder Dian, I promise to do so from now on.”

“...” The trio understood what she meant.

While…

“XiaoTian, how lucky of you to get a boy on your first pregnancy. ZiYi had to try four times before she gave birth to a baby boy.” Grandpa Ge tried to brighten the mood.

“Please don’t be harsh on your great-granddaughter, her son is huge. It’s a good sign I tell you.” Grandma Qui commented.

But their conversation soon digressed. Meanwhile, TianXing resumed, before Grandpa Lu interrupted.

“TianXing?”

“Yes?”

“While I-No, everyone here was fully aware of what happened in the past and knew about YaoMing’s court trial, we never came to your aid and so did many of your father’s dwindling allies.”

“So?’

“On behalf of everyone here,” The seniors stopped bickering and paid full attention, “I want to apologize for everything. We too were scared of going up against them and potentially affecting our families. Please, accept this late and sudden plea of ours!”

Silence only came, and for a while, TianXing’s face darkened in memory of her beloved brother’s beatings. To this day, his screams were vivid; never to fade away. Despite that, she soon regained an exasperated look.

“Perhaps, it’s for the better, Grandpa Lu.”

“What…”

“For the past month, rekindling relationships with everyone I used to know fondly off, I think these exchanges of apologizing and forgiving are driving me unnecessarily insane. It’s honestly tedious and pointless.”

“...”

“That bastard noble family and their clique that got us in the first place were executed till their last blood relative; and I got to meet my destined soulmate, even if it was a brief few years of happiness.”

“XiaoTian…”

“I wouldn’t bother telling you about all the suffering I had gone through nor would I pressure you all into feeling guilty about it even from under your graves. It is what it is, everyone.”

“...”

“All I have now is Eddisson, my underserved son, ShiYan, a treasured niece, and ReZhui, my last benefactor; and I plan to impart all I had learnt over the last three decades into their flourishing minds. At the very least, they would have a higher chance to not end up like me or Elder Brother.”

“...”

“First. Grandpa Zhi, remove your stones.”

“A-ah, right…”

Just like that, the seniors felt a burden lifted off their shoulders and they proceeded to take turns battling against TianXing. The tense atmosphere soon dissipated once the cries of the elderly sounded in defeat. TianXing single-handedly destroyed all of them with little difficulty, while ShiYan watched on, embarrassed when recalling what she thought of her. Eddisson kept his mind spinning, analysing the matches in great detail. The patterns and faults. He felt confident that he would at least last long against them. Meanwhile, ReZhui, feeling grim that she still considered him so, only leaned against a column in the background.

That’s when the elder approached and sat beside him.

“...”

“Have you already eaten, child?” She asked gently. Her eyes hidden underneath layers of fat.

“Yes, Elder Dian, I had a great time trying out all these foods.”

“...Your name’s ReZhui, isn’t it?”

“It is, Elder, and forgive me for forgetting, Happy Spring Festival!”

“Haha, likewise boy, and what a funny name your parents gave you. Re, Zhui.”

“...”

Silence.

“Benefactor-”

“...!”

“Quite the title you earned, special.”

“I’ve grown used to it…”

“Do you detest it?”

“Well, as long as Mrs He is proud of it.”

“Selfless child.”

“No way, Elder DIan, my master says otherwise.”

“That YaoMing boy?”

“Yes. I’m under his apprenticeship.”

“Then, learn well from these two siblings. United by circumstance, not by blood. It’s something I’ve only seen once. How lucky am I in this lifetime!”

“I see…”

ReZhui went along with this senior’s ramblings.

“Are your parents nearby?”

“Wha-Why ask?” That was sudden.

“Why not?” She plainly asked.

“...Sorry. Anyhow, to answer your question, my father is attending the Summit gathering across the river.”

“Oh, that meeting! Yes, yes, what wonderful memories I had from back then?!”

“Hold on, Elder Dian, were you-”

“Yes I was, boy. I was the deputy of the previous village head, and it was such a fun experience.”

“How so?”

“We looked forward to sharing our finds of new wines and hosted drinking events in that pavilion. I even threw up on my Head’s back once. Although, those times were a calmer period. The current generation, including YaoMing boy, are now facing dangers farther from one another.”

“...! Elder Dian, you mean that bastard mayor from Luo ChengShi?”

“So even you encountered that animal, didn’t you?”

“Yes…Yes, I did, and he even made my father, the Chieftain of Bai Village, bow down to his knees. He’s the worst!” ReZhui gritted his teeth.

“Chieftain? Bai village?” The elder contemplated. “So you’re his son?”

“Yes, the eldest.”

“Ha! Well then, that solves it!”

“W-what’s going on?”

Eyeing back to him, the elder gave a cheeky grin.

“ReZhui, listen closely.”

“...?”

“With this very gathering, please expect things to escalate in your future. I may be too old to see this through but as the next in line for the title of chief, it’s important for you to know this.”

“...”

“Once your father returns from that pavilion, for all of the people that reside within the Bai river basin…expect them to unit together as one.”

“W-what…”

“This would be the first in several hundred years…and not for the right reasons…”

“Elder Dian, I don’t get it-”

“AAAAAAHHHHH!!! HELP!!!”

“...!”

Suddenly, a frightening cry sounded throughout the western bank. Above all the music and their festivities, a clear, throat-wrenching scream was heard for all to hear. Everyone in the park, including ReZhui, jerked their heads towards the origin of that female voice.

It was the public performance stage.

What immediately followed was the low rumbling of crowds and their noises of panic. Men shouting, women and children cowering. A mass of people retreated to the park in an attempt to escape the ongoing chaos.

Elder Dian, still recovering from the horror, called out to TianXing.

“XiaoTian, what’s going on over there?!”

The other seniors inquired similarly.

Both ShiYan and Eddisson looked at ReZhui and vice versa, before to TianXing.

Her face darkened and her brows furrowed.

“Eddisson, everyone, stay here.”

However, before she could roll off on her own, Eddisson stopped her wheelchair.

“Boy, what’s the-!”

Glaring back at him, Eddisson returned her a determined look.

“I’m coming, Mother.”

She then faced ShiYan and ReZhui, who both tagged along with her son.

“Not you two…”

“Mrs He, I must ensure that my Ma and brothers are unharmed, otherwise, what was the point of that talk we had before if I don’t act now?”

“I-if ReZhui and Eddisson are coming, then I should too!”

This was her first, witnessing something this massive, but her spirit won’t permit that.

“Children…”

Their defiance and resolve couldn’t be shaken with mere words any longer. In the end, she sighed.

“Alright then, you all can come along, but remember to act wisely and thoughtfully and stay behind me at all times!”

They nodded affirmatively.