Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 581 - 247: The Old Child _1

Chapter 581: Chapter 247: The Old Child _1

Yan Fei, now done playing it cool on his motorcycle, had not gotten far before he had to stop. He had arrived at the Agricultural University, where everything was peaceful - the roar of his motorcycle was quite loud and as it was late in the night, he felt a bit embarrassed to ride through campus.

He stashed his motorcycle in some random parking spot and immediately went to look for Professor He.

As Granny He opened the door and saw Yan Fei, she was overjoyed, "Ah! The young man is here! Old Qi, Old He, Yan Fei has arrived..."

Her enthusiastic welcome made Yan Fei feel very well received.

Upon greeting Granny He, Yan Fei spotted that Professor Qi was also there, and he was playing chess with Professor He! He chuckled and said, "I’m delighted to see that Professor Qi is making a good recovery!"

Professor Qi looked well, although his body was clearly still very weak. His voice was rather weak as he replied, "I’m not all well yet, but as long as I can continue tending to my experimental fields, that’s enough. Come sit..."

Professor He, while looking at the bottles and jars that Yan Fei was carrying, chuckled, "Little Yan brought us more good things? We still haven’t finished the medicinal wine and honey you gave us last time!"

Yan Fei set down the stuff and laughed, "This is different from last time, it’s freshly brewed Lingzhi wine. Speaking of which, have the people who were treating Professor Qi left? Aren’t they always so keen on testing things? Let them test this wine to see if it contains any active substances. It’d be good to know how effective it is."

The two professors burst into laughter upon hearing this. Professor He said, "You’re always up to something good! They’ve long since left. Most people would avoid getting involved, and you’re trying to get them addicted to free manual labor!"

"What’s wrong with that? Anyway, I’ve got you two helping me hold them off! What am I afraid of? Besides, don’t they always love testing stuff? I’m just afraid they’ll get bored doing nothing." Yan Fei was not at all embarrassed about being exposed, but with the people gone, his plan obviously couldn’t be realized.

Granny He meanwhile asked Yan Fei, "What kind of tea do you like, Xiao Fei? We have black tea, green tea and jasmine tea at home. Which one do you prefer?"

Yan Fei quickly stood up and replied, "No need to trouble yourself, Grandma He, I’m not thirsty. Moreover, I don’t understand tea; any tea tastes the same as plain water to me. You should rest! By the way, I also have some tea leaves here. Can you take a look..."

As he spoke, he took out a large bag of tea from his bag, "The roasting technique isn’t great, but the tea leaves should be good. Everyone who has tried it has praised it."

Professor He grabbed the tea wrapped in white paper. Upon unwrapping it, he didn’t care that the tea wasn’t pleasing to the eye. He picked some leaves up to smell and taste and then passed them to Professor Qi, saying, "Old Qi, what do you think of these tea leaves?"

Professor Qi also pinched a small amount and similarly evaluated it. He laughed and said, "It should be good tea, but the roasting technique is slightly amateur..."

From the side, Granny He also came over with interest, "Let me make a pot for all of us to try!"

Taking advantage of the time Granny He had gone to make tea, Yan Fei watched the chessboard with interest. Looking for a conversation starter, he pointed at the chessboard and said, "You two are playing Go, right? I’ve only glimpsed it while changing TV channels, never seen the actual game play!"

"Don’t know how to play, do you?" With a mysteriously savvy expression, Professor He picked up a piece and placed it on the chessboard, saying lightly while chuckling, "Young man, don’t just focus on making money, you should also focus on self-cultivation and learn more about our traditional culture. Even though the six arts--music, archery, horsemanship, calligraphy, mathematics and ritual--aren’t much emphasized now, we ought to have some etiquette, music and literature. Although Go isn’t among them, it’s not a bad way to cultivate temperament. Want me to teach you?"

Yan Fei just nodded, oblivious to the mirth Professor Qi was containing. He replied, "Sure! I really don’t know how to play! Various videos cover calligraphy and I am learning erhu as well. I hardly know anyone who would be interested in Go!"

Professor He nodded approvingly, "Not bad, not bad at all; you’ve learned quite a lot! What else have you learned?"

Yan Fei pondered, "Does cooking and carpentry count? My family used to be blacksmiths, so I can do that too. I also know how to raise cattle, earthworms and greenhouse vegetables. Ah, I recently learned to drive a truck as well..."

The two professors burst out laughing when they heard his answer. Even Granny He, who was making tea, was convulsed with laughter. It was clear that his response greatly amused them. After a round of laughter, Professor He replied, "Not bad at all! A man of many talents indeed. But since you want to learn Go, you need an instructor. First, let’s hear you call me master..."

"Greetings, master!" Yan Fei said eagerly while standing up and bowing, "Should I pay my respects with another cup of tea and perform a ceremony?"

If he’s learning from someone, then he must have the right attitude. Anyway, he is energetic and a quick learner. Learning more things would also let him show off in front of his wife!

Seeing this, Professor He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand, "No need for such a formal ceremony. Come, let me explain... "

After Yan Fei sat down, Professor He started to explain, "The key to Go is to think three steps ahead with each move. The further your foresight, the more assured you’ll be. Look! No matter who places a piece first, or where it is placed, the basic rule remains unchanged. For instance, if I place a piece here, my three pieces are lined up. He must immediately blockade the position in the middle of my two sides, right? Otherwise, if I place a piece here next, anywhere nearby would combine to form a square, and then I could capture one of his pieces."

While speaking, Professor Qi was probably distracted, which amused Professor He who was in the middle of his sentence: "Hey... I’ve got this, Old Qi, you must have missed that! This move is called ’Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage!"

He then turned to Yan Fei and said, "Look, now I’ve occupied the four corners of a square. Once I’ve occupied a square, I can take one of his pieces. Now watch, I’m gonna take this one, preventing him from forming a square..."

Listening to this, Yan Fei was confused, "Didn’t you say it was Go? Why does it seem like the square occupation game that the country bumpkins and kids play?"

Just then, Granny He came over with some tea and, trying to suppress her laughter, said, "Don’t listen to this old man’s nonsense. What they are playing is not Go at all, it is the square occupation game!"

The two old men burst into laughter.

Yan Fei was incredibly frustrated amidst the laughter, almost to the point of causing internal bleeding from the frustration...

These two are so old, yet they’ve got such a professional set up with a chessboard and table. Especially when he first walked in, they sat there with such solemn demeanors, a cup of hot tea at their side, looking every bit like a pair of highly skilled Go players. Little did he know, they were using the Go board for a square occupation game!

No wonder his newly recognized master, Professor Qi, was laughing strangely and losing focus while giving him tips. Turns out he is just an old child who simply didn’t show his true colors before because they didn’t know each other well...

"They’ve been playing this game to kill time since their school days and they still play it from time to time," Grandma He said with a laugh as she poured tea for the three of them. "They used to squat by the wall, using bricks, broken tiles, and sticks. Nowadays, someone gifted them a chess set... They don’t know any Go at all! They just think it’s convenient and can act like they know what they’re doing..."

Looking at the frustrated Yan Fei, Professor He leaned back chuckling as though he’d won a battle: "Haha, don’t worry, I won’t have you call me master for nothing. There are some organized materials on my study table. Have Grandma He bring them to you, and you’ll know how much this title of ’Master’ is worth..."

Yan Fei thought that no amount of material could make up for his frustration. The real issue wasn’t about calling him master, but watching Professor He in his triumphant glory, it angered him!

Seeing Professor He chuckling and continuing to play the square occupation game with Professor Qi, Yan Fei muttered to himself, "So you’ve been at it for decades! Seems like this skill of yours is as different from your professorship as heaven is from earth..."

Once Professor He heard that, he instantly understood that Yan Fei was challenging him, and laughed, "What’s wrong? Not convinced? How about a game then?"

Yan Fei was waiting for this invitation, even though he responded modestly, "Forget it, I, being a young man, play fast, unlike your slow pace. Playing with you would be awkward, it would feel like bullying..."

Even if he knew Yan Fei was provoking him, Professor He, true to his character, immediately took the bait, "Come on, let’s do it, Old Qi, you give him your seat, let me teach this arrogant youngster a lesson! Let’s see how fast you can really play..."

With a shake of his head, Yan Fei said, "You play too slowly..."

"Enough chit chat, come and play. If I’m slower than you, I lose..." Professor He immediately made a declaration.

"Well then, I’ll try one game with you..." Yan Fei took the seat vacated by Professor Qi with a grin.

"Not just one game, let’s have a proper match, best of five..." Professor He casually suggested, then quickly corrected himself, "Best of five might not leave a deep impression on you, so let’s have a best of ten games. That should teach you what it means to respect your master..."

Grandma He came out with the materials but Professor He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, "Put it aside for now, let’s deal with it after I teach this kid a lesson!"

Grandma He, knowing him all too well, simply put the materials aside and prepared to watch the match.

"Elder first, please make your move, Professor He," said Yan Fei, beginning to flaunt some flair.

"Let’s start then!" Professor He placed the first piece without hesitation.

Yan Fei casually placed his piece beside Professor He’s and nonchalantly said, "My speed is quite fast, I can make a move in less than a second..."

Unphased by Yan Fei’s showboating, Professor He swiftly placed the next piece, "And I don’t need a second second!"

Yan Fei followed accordingly, and thus began the showdown. The two started to litter the board with their pieces, in what resembled a contest of discarding pieces rather than a game of strategy.