Chapter 101: Chapter 100 One Carrot One Hole

Miss Meng was told by Tang Shunyan that she wouldn’t be short of money, which hit a sore spot for her. Having traveled through time to this ancient world, starting as a toddler, she found herself at the age of three without the ability to earn money.

One reason was her lack of a “Golden Finger”; another was that in her previous life, she hadn’t acquired the skills to make money. Although she knew about Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, she couldn’t use these skills to earn money.

Born into a wealthy family, besides learning skills, all she did was eat, drink, and play. She had just graduated from university and hadn’t earned a dime when, mysteriously, she suddenly fell gravely ill and died, only to find herself in this world. She didn’t know if this was bad luck or good fortune, but being alive again was a blessing.

She had once wondered whether everyone who died would time travel, questioning if the so-called reincarnation was simply traveling to another world to be reborn.

Tang Shunyan was refuted by Miss Meng and thought he had misspoken. He decided not to dwell on the subject any longer.

Miss Meng felt increasingly depressed and didn’t want to stay in this room any longer. The decor of Tang Shunyan’s room lacked the beauty of her Lady’s chamber, and there wasn’t much to admire. With a turn of her head, she decided to show off her skills to Tang Shunyan.

“Tang Shunyan, do you know Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting?”

“Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting? How would I know about those? I am just learning to write; the teacher hasn’t taught me those yet.”

Tang Shunyan was embarrassed by Miss Meng’s question, and awkwardly fidgeted with his neatly tied hair.

“How about I teach you, then? I have a slight understanding of Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting. Why don’t we go to your study, and I’ll teach you how to play chess?”

Tang Shunyan thought for a moment; as a boy, such a challenge from a girl sparked his competitive spirit.

“This Young Master hasn’t played chess before, but with my wit, you’ll soon find I’m better than you.”

“Haha, we’ll see about that! Maybe you’ll just turn out to be a talentless fool.”

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The two children headed for the study. Tang Shunyan instructed the Maid, Xiu Zhi, to find him a set of Go.

“Tang Shunyan, playing Go is too old-fashioned. Do you know how to play Chinese Chess?”

Miss Meng looked at him with a beaming smile. This little boy was walking in the direction she was leading. With her guidance, would he still remember to play with those toys?

Those farmer girls wanted to compete with her, but at the near water platform, she would have the advantage. They couldn’t match her tricks.

“No, I don’t know how to play Go or Chinese Chess.” Tang Shunyan felt even more pressured by Miss Meng, and his obstinate nature made him hold his head high and then instruct Xiu Zhi to find both Chinese Chess and Go.

“Tang Shunyan, it looks like you’re not only dull in writing, but also in speaking and playing the Qin. You must be clueless about those too!”

Miss Meng’s comment irked Tang Shunyan; he really didn’t understand Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, and he wasn’t even as good at writing as Miss Meng, which made him feel ashamed.

“I don’t know any of those, but I will have my father hire a teacher for me. I won’t always be worse than you. You’ll see, and then you’ll know whether I’m dumb or smart.”

“Alright! I’ll come to supervise every few days for half a year. If you haven’t learned Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting in six months, and if you’re still not as good as me, don’t blame me for teasing you.”

The time frame Miss Meng gave was actually quite short. Could a boy around three years old master so many skills in just six months?

She herself had spent many years achieving mastery in Qin and only through persistent practice had she excelled in calligraphy, painting, and chess. If he could master these in six months, he truly would be a genius.

The young Tang Shunyan didn’t want Miss Meng to look down on him and hadn’t considered whether it was realistic to learn all this in just six months.

Miss Meng’s words were essentially a trap, and how could Tang Shunyan have thought it through completely? In his desire not to be disdained by this little girl, he nodded and agreed.

Miss Meng was setting a trap step by step, slowly luring Tang Shunyan into her trap. Would she come every three to five days, and would Tang Shunyan still show impatience toward her?

“Zhaojun, are you really skilled in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting? You’re not deceiving me, are you?”

Tang Shunyan always felt there was something odd about Zhaojun’s smile, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, so he watched her with a skeptical look.

“I will make you thoroughly convinced, Tang Shunyan. Even if it means skipping lunch today, I’ll demonstrate these talents to you.”

Tang Shunyan nodded and then asked his maid Mei Zhi to find a Qin.

“Young Master, I’ve brought the Xiangqi and Go,” said Xiu Zhi as she placed the boxes on the desk.

“Zhaojun, it’s your time to demonstrate your abilities.”

Tang Shunyan gave Zhaojun a look.

“Tang Shunyan, demonstrating with someone like you who doesn’t play chess won’t work. Do any of these maids know how to play?”

After hearing Zhaojun’s words and noticing the Young Master looking at them, Mei Zhi stepped forward and said:

“Young Master, Miss Meng, Mei Zhi knows a little. May I have the honor of playing with you?”

Xiu Zhi also spoke, “I also know a bit. If Miss Meng needs my services, may I also have the honor of playing with you?”

“Alright! To fully convince your Young Master, both of you play a game with me. It can’t be two wins out of three bowls; there are other talents to demonstrate, and I want to go have lunch soon.”

After saying that, Zhaojun first sat at the table nearby, and Tang Shunyan gestured for one of the maids to play chess with Zhaojun.

“I’ll go first,” Xiu Zhi said with a confident smile. After all, she was a maid of sixteen or seventeen, and even if Miss Meng was impressive, she was just a little kid, so it wouldn’t be bullying.

Xiu Zhi sat opposite Zhaojun.

“Let’s start with Xiangqi,” Zhaojun indicated for Xiu Zhi to open the Xiangqi box and pour out the pieces onto the table.

The two of them took sides and began the game intensely.

Tang Shunyan didn’t understand chess at all. Watching without commentary, he could only see them capturing each other’s pieces without understanding why they did so, and how they counter-attacked after being captured.

Xiu Zhi started the game spiritedly, but later frowned, her confidence beginning to wane as she felt that her opponent had set a trap, possibly due to her own complacency.

Across from her was only a three-year-old girl, yet her chess strategies were incredibly cunning. Xiu Zhi often played chess with the Lady and was trapped many times herself.

Lady Tang, before her marriage, was specially taught Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting by a teacher to become a talented woman. Naturally, the maids by her side had to practice with her.

Xiu Zhi and the maids Mei Zhi and Jufeng were three of Lady Tang’s accompanying maids; another maid married already, as Lady Tang had married her off to a merchant’s son, naturally involving her dowry shop.

Lady Tang deeply valued this son and kept two accompanying maids by his side. She also knew the ambitions of the maids who came with her and didn’t keep all at her side, leaving only Jufeng and keeping an eye on her to prevent her from seducing her husband.

As Xiu Zhi played, sweat formed on her forehead. It was already winter, and the room’s air wasn’t stuffy at all; the sweat on her forehead was cold sweat from nervousness.

With each move, she took longer and longer to decide, her hands shaking slightly as she played, disappearing into herself as the pressure mounted, feeling like she was facing a master.