Chapter 33: Is There Such a Song?

“Little rascal, because of you, Daddy can’t sneak off to watch Mommy sing! Why are you so troublesome?” Yu Zhile walked out of the residential complex, cradling the baby and gently patting her bottom.

The little one stared at Yu Zhile with curious, wide eyes, her tiny hand tightly gripping his shirt, as if she had some mysterious intent.

Leaving the complex, he gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar street, then headed toward the elementary school etched in his memory.

On the way, he spotted a chess and card room. He thought to himself, this must be the place where Dad often hangs out. Turning back, sure enough, his father was trailing behind, carrying a paper bag. Perhaps out of guilt or to avoid awkwardness, he kept a distance, pretending not to notice his son and granddaughter ahead.

Yu Zhile entered the chess and card room on the first floor, taking a look around. The place was filled with elderly men and women playing cards and mahjong, their voices loud and unrestrained, the air buzzing with boisterous arguments.

He noticed there was no one playing chess on the first floor, which meant that here, people naturally grouped by their interests and temperament.

The first floor was mostly occupied by those with less refined manners, prone to temper and colorful language—the uncles and aunties of the neighborhood.

The second floor, accessible by an outside staircase, was likely reserved for chess and Go, quieter games for those with a touch more culture, where harsh words were rare.

Climbing up, he found the second floor much quieter, with many men engrossed in chess and Go. No wonder his father liked coming here after early retirement, given his passion for chess and Go, to pass the time with others.

“Where’s old Yu? We agreed on ten o’clock, and now it’s nearly half past! I bet he chickened out and won’t come!” In the corner, an elderly uncle grumbled. Yu Zhile guessed he must be talking about his father—there weren’t many with the surname Yu in the area.

He walked over and asked, “Uncle, are you talking about Yu Qing?”

The old man glanced curiously at Yu Zhile holding the child, replying, “Yes, you know him?”

Yu Zhile smiled, “I’ve known old Yu since childhood, played many games with him! He never admits defeat when he loses to me—his chess etiquette is terrible!”

He spoke the truth, though his victories weren’t by skill but by cheating with his phone.

The old uncle was astonished, “Young man, are you really that good at chess? How about a game?”

Yu Zhile joked, “I’m not that great at chess, but my best games are Gomoku and Auto Chess! I’ve hardly ever met a match!”

The old man was baffled, “I know Gomoku, but what’s Auto Chess?”

Yu Zhile explained, “Auto Chess is a multiplayer strategy game where you recruit various pieces to form different lineups and battle opponents.”

The old uncle was even more confused. He understood each word, but together they made no sense to him.

At that moment, old Yu walked in, overhearing his son’s boasting, and said dryly, “Don’t listen to him! That so-called Auto Chess is just an online game, and it’s already out of fashion!”

Yu Zhile cleared his throat, “Dad, didn’t you say you were going for a walk and returning something to old Liu? How did you end up here?”

The old uncle looked surprised at Yu Zhile holding the baby—he hadn’t expected this young man to be old Yu’s son!

And he’d just badmouthed his own father!

Curious, the old man asked, “Return something to me? Old Yu, when did you borrow anything from me?”

Old Yu replied awkwardly, “That was just an excuse to deal with him—I said I had to return something to you so I could come play chess! Otherwise, I’d never be late for our ten o’clock appointment!”

Old Liu nodded, “Makes sense, I thought you were scared to come!”

Old Yu snorted, “Even if someone’s scared, it’s you, not me!”

Old Liu studied Yu Zhile, standing with the child, and teased, “Old Yu, you may look rather plain, but your son’s quite handsome!”

Old Yu glared, “You’re the one who’s plain! If looks count, I’m nine streets ahead of you!”

Old Liu scoffed, “What good is being handsome? Yesterday you boasted about a draw, but your king still got taken by my pawn!”

Yu’s father laughed, “If my wife hadn’t called me home for dinner during the last game, I’d have beaten you soundly!”

Old Liu sneered, “You just didn’t want to lose, so you stalled until your wife called you home! Your son was right, your chess etiquette is awful!”

“Oh please! If we’re talking etiquette, you’re worse!”

Old Yu glared at his son, realizing he’d just been badmouthed. Worse yet, his son had told old Liu his chess etiquette was poor!

A man can be killed, but not insulted!

This rascal deserved a scolding!

Yu Zhile watched these two kindred spirits and decided not to stir up trouble, quickly saying, “Dad, you two play, I’ll be off. I won’t disturb you.”

Old Yu grumbled, “Go on, go on! Useless brat, saying your old man has no chess etiquette!”

“Don’t deny it—you can’t stand losing! If you’re not convinced, let’s see who wins more today!”

“Sure, just you wait—when I get serious, you’ll be wiped out every game!”

Neither would concede, their words drawing several other old men to watch.

As they set up the board, old Liu suddenly asked, “Old Yu, what does your son do? Is he holding your granddaughter or grandson?”

“Granddaughter!” Old Yu boasted, “As for what my son does, I’d tell you, but I’m afraid it’d scare you to tears!”

“Oh?” Old Liu chuckled, “Let’s hear it! If you really scare me to tears, I’ll call you Dad from now on.”

“Sorry, I don’t want a son who’s so old and ugly!” Old Yu sneered, “My wife’s a language teacher, so I can easily spot the flaw in your words!”

Seeing he couldn’t gain the upper hand, old Liu boasted, “My son works for a state-owned company, just got promoted to manager, and his annual salary is nearly a million!”

Old Yu scoffed, “You brag about a million a year? My son and daughter-in-law can easily earn several million a month—am I proud? Did I boast?”

“Old Yu, you really are the best at bragging!” Old Liu laughed, “Enough nonsense, let’s play chess—I won’t humiliate you, or you might go home and take it out on your son!”

Old Yu laughed indifferently, quoting a famous saying, “Others laugh at me for being mad, I laugh at them for not seeing through.”

Old Liu thought old Yu really might be mad, probably provoked by him!

Ah, if only I hadn’t shown off; who knows if old Yu will go home and be hard on his son?

Never mind, I’ll let him win a few games today so he doesn’t bear a grudge against me!

…

Meanwhile.

The first half of the finals of "I Am a Singer" had begun recording.

Qin Haiyu was the first to take the stage, and the big screen showed her song title.

"Sakura Grass"

Seeing the name, both audience and judges were puzzled.

One judge asked, “Whose song is this? Does such a song exist?”

The other judges shook their heads.

“No recollection—must be an obscure song.”

“What’s ‘Sakura Grass’? Must be a typo by the production team. She probably meant ‘Sakura Tree’.”

“Most likely. But ‘Sakura Tree’ is an old song and not particularly pleasing; it doesn’t seem very suitable for a competition.”

…

Then, the accompaniment began, and two lines of lyrics appeared on the stage screen.

“The evening breeze stirs the bamboo grove…”

“The moonlight stretches the shadow…”

Listening to the lyrics, the unfamiliar, gentle melody, and Qin Haiyu’s sweet and enchanting voice, the judge who had said the production team made a typo suddenly felt embarrassed.

This was definitely not “Sakura Tree”!

Definitely not a production error!

Could it be…

Could it be another song composed by Qin Haiyu’s husband?