Chapter 43 (2/2)

Cheng Zheng stared at her incredulously. Is she insane?  When he observed that Yun Jin wasn’t budging, he realised that she wasn’t joking and he started to bargain “Why can’t we try other things? Say a race? … Come on, I should have some say in this right?”

“You can choose to play, or not.” Yun Jin replied without skipping a beat.

Cheng Zheng hesitated as he weighed his options mentally. “Alright, then I’ll play the black pieces.” Since he couldn’t avoid it, he might as well take every advantage and begin first.

“As you wish. Let’s begin.” Yun Jin seated herself down.

When they were together, he had refused to learn how to play even though Go was a traditional game in his alma mater. Yun Jin was surprised to discover that Cheng Zheng had improved remarkably. Cheng Zheng’s style of play was similar to his character – he was aggressive and he claimed the board section by section. Soon the board was dominated by the black pieces. In contrast, Yun Jin was steady and calm; she didn’t get fl.u.s.tered one bit. She knew that victory was not guaranteed until the game had concluded.

Black had gained 65 pieces and was leading. Cheng Zheng smirked on seeing Yun Jin knit her brows in concentration. She couldn’t have known that he had been studying the game in the past four years and that he was now quite a competent player. So even when the white pieces gained ground at 67, he did not panic. When black countered and rose to 73, Yun Jin couldn’t help but smile in admiration. With victory within grasp, Cheng Zheng tried hard to temp his feelings of complacency. This woman, see if she ever tries to bully me like this again. He looked forward to what she had to say when she lost eventually.

Yun Jin pondered over her subsequent moves carefully and the tide turned. Soon, Cheng Zheng’s pieces became vulnerable on all sides and he started to break out in cold sweat. The more he panicked, the more he couldn’t focus and his winning advantage was slowly but surely whittled down. When white was 94, Yun Jin’s position was unshakable. Cheng Zheng knew that if her 96th piece was put down, most of his black pieces would not survive. So when Yun Jin picked up her 96th piece, he grabbed her hand and pleaded “Wait, this doesn’t count. I made a wrong move earlier.”

Yun Jin smiled gently “Cheng Zheng, be a good sport like a gentleman.”

“I’m no gentleman. Let’s start over.” Since it came to this, he would rather be openly shameless.

Yun Jin couldn’t be bothered with him as she removed his grip with her free hand. The white piece landed on the board and she proclaimed “You’ve lost Cheng Zheng.”

With lightning reflexes, Cheng Zheng messed up the board and demanded “So what if I’ve lost?! You must be joking. How can my future be determined by some stupid game?!”

“Be a good loser. Like I proposed earlier, this game determines everything. You didn’t reject me and played. So, from now on, you’ll be handling all the household ch.o.r.es because I need some time to find a new job.”

Cheng Zheng couldn’t believe his ears. What … what did she say? Did he mishear?

A long while later, Yun Jin heard a strange voice reply enthusiastically “I’ll learn!”

When she rested in his embrace, Yun Jin thought back to the rest of the conversation she had with Zhang Jin Yin “… I cannot. No one can guarantee happiness. But what I can say is, if Cheng Zheng isn’t happy, I’ll hurt even more than you.”

Then, Cheng Zheng broke her reverie as he said slowly “I’ve never regretted parting with you Yun Jin because I believe no matter how far apart we are, I’ll be able to find my way back to you eventually. Su Yun Jin, I’ve finally found you.”

Cheng Zheng didn’t know how long he held her in his arms. Sometime later, they heard children laughing. He looked over and saw a few children, covered half in mud, staring straight at them as they pointed and giggled. It was indeed an uncommon sight for children of the countryside.

“Um … Yun Jin? Can we please get up now? My feet’s kind of numb.” He was still in the same seated position he took while playing chess. Yun Jin got to her feet before offering him a hand “Come, let me bring you to see someone.”

In the doorway of another of Yun Jin’s uncle’s place, Cheng Zheng saw Yun Jin’s great-grandmother once again. It had been many years since that wedding and now she was nearing a hundred although she didn’t look too different. However, her eyesight was now completely gone. She was currently seated on a stool as she felt her way around as she tried to pluck vegetables.

Cheng Zheng suddenly remembered his promise all those years back when he had pretended to be Yun Jin’s boyfriend at her mother’s wedding. He had promised granny that if they were to get married, he would relay the good news to her personally. At this memory, he clutched Yun Jin’s hand more tightly.

Yun Jin pulled gently at him such that he came to squat by her great-grandmother’s knee.

“Granny, I am Yun Jin. Cheng Zheng and I have come to see you.”

Granny halted whatever she was doing as she grinned toothlessly “Yun Jin, you’re here. Your mom was just here earlier.”

“Granny, I am Cheng Zheng. Do you still remember me? I’m the guy who fought the j.a.panese?” Cheng Zheng asked hopefully with one hand rested on her knee.

Granny racked her brains for a long while “The one who fought the j.a.panese … Oh you must be our little Yun Jin’s boyfriend.”

“That’s right.” Cheng Zheng didn’t care if granny could see him as he nodded his head vigorously.

Yun Jin chuckled inwardly before saying “Granny, Cheng Zheng and I are together once again.”

Granny resumed her plucking of vegetables as she replied “Haven’t you always been together?”

Both of them stared at her dumbfounded before they gripped each other’s hand in unison “Yes granny, you’re right.”

…

“When your great-grandfather and I were still young, we always bickered. Now fifty years later, no one argues with me anymore …”

Granny continued to ramble on as the warmth from the setting sun caused Yun Jin to feel drowsy. She rested her head on Cheng Zheng’s shoulder.

We were separated in our youth but thankfully after b.u.mbling around and losing our way, you’re still here.

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