"Huh? Is there so much worse? Tan Xiaotian's eyes widened in surprise when he heard this--although he didn't have a few chess books at home, but Mrs. Liu had a whole room there, and every three or five times, he would go to Mrs. Liu to borrow them, even during the holidays, he didn't leave them behind, and there must be at least thirty or fifty books to take back for his aunt to read, and the only one that was left by his aunt to let him think carefully every day was only this "Collection of Leisure Love", which shows how high his evaluation of this "Collection of Leisure Love" is. But when such a children's book is compared with the ones that were robbed, it is actually regarded as an entry-level reading by Qiu Ju, which is too exaggerated, right?

"Heh, at your current age, your chess strength is already very good, but compared with the real top masters, the difference is more than a star and a half, the depth of Go is not what you can understand now, if you have the opportunity to read those books, you will know if what your aunt said is true." Qiu Ju smiled - see those books? It's not easy to talk about, it's the secret of the Jiang family and the Tan family, and even the inner disciples of the two non-descendant disciples are not qualified to read it, let alone outsiders?

"Really, those robbers are really hateful, what is not good to rob, why do you have to rob those books?" Hearing his aunt say this, Tan Xiaotian couldn't help but clench his little fists and said hatefully.

"Oh, you kid, where did the robbers get their reason for stealing things? At that time, it was already God's eyes to be able to survive, but it was a pity that such a precious chess book fell into the hands of a group of rough and reckless people, and it had become the ashes of their firewood. Lovingly patted the child's head, Qiu Ju sighed - those chess books took out a random one and took it to the person who knew how to walk. You can easily exchange it for 1,800 taels of silver, but it's a pity. No matter how precious the chess book is, he can't read it, he only knows how to kill people and sell goods. In the eyes of the robbers who are used to licking blood from the knife edge, I'm afraid that even a pot of soju can't be compared, right?

Tilting his head and thinking about it, Tan Xiaotian suddenly asked, "Auntie, why do you have such a precious book?" ”

This question is very critical, he once heard Mrs. Liu say that similar to the extremely advanced Go works are regarded as internal secrets by various sects and factions, and will not be passed on casually, even if it is "Leisure Collection", which is regarded as an entry-level textbook by his aunt. It was also because of the Tan family's failure in the chess competition that the family was able to flow out. Since those robbed chess books are several grades higher than "Leisure Collection", they must be the highest secrets of several major families, how could something like this fall into the hands of my aunt?

Qiu Ju's expression changed a few times, "Alas, you are still too young now, there are some things that you can't tell you, and when you grow up in the future." My aunt will tell you. ”

"Ah, why, I'm not young, I'm almost six and a half years old." Tan Xiaotian protested dissatisfiedly when he heard this--children always look forward to how old they can be. Just like older people always hope that they can be a few years younger, so there is a saying of 'little adult' and 'old child'. Tan Xiaotian is no exception.

"Haha, six-and-a-half-year-old. Is it big? Seeing Tan Xiaotian trying to puff up his chest and pose as a man, Qiu Ju couldn't help but laugh. Pulling the child into his arms and scratching the other party's armpits, the child was afraid of itching, and he couldn't hold on for a moment under such an attack, but he laughed and struggled for a moment, and threw the manly manly spirit he had just pretended to be to Java.

"Hehe, it's so lively?" The door was pushed open from the outside, Lin Lao Wu walked in, his right hand hidden behind his back seemed to be holding something, and when he saw that the two aunts and nephews were frolicking in the house, he said with a smile.

"Heh, fifth brother, you're here." Letting Tan Xiaotian go, Qiu Ju shouted to Lin Lao Wu.

"Fifth Uncle!" Tan Xiaotian pounced enthusiastically and hugged Lin Lao Wu's waist.

"Hehe, every day, look, the fifth uncle has brought you something good." The right hand was taken out from behind his back, and in his hand he was holding a small boxy bag, similar in width and narrowness to the largest inkstone.

"What is it?" Anxiously snatched the small bag in his hand, Tan Xiaotian couldn't wait to open it, and it contained a wooden box, pale yellow in color, and the surface was crisscrossed with drawing lines.

"Hehe, here." Pointing to a small bump on the bottom of the box, Lin Lao Wu reminded with a smile.

Tan Xiaotian pressed the small button according to his words, and there was a soft snap, and a gap bounced open at one end of the box, and he gently pulled it with his fingers, but it turned out to be a small door, the small door opened, and through the light coming in from the window, it could be seen that there were still two small wooden boxes inside, and the wooden boxes were extremely exquisitely made, almost fitting the inner wall of the wooden box, and there was no waste of space inside.

Tan Xiaotian looked at Lin Lao Wu suspiciously, wanting to know what other secrets were here.

"Hehe, take it out and you'll know." Lin Lao Wu smiled and encouraged.

Tan Xiaotian then came to the bed, put the mouth of the box close to the bed, and gently patted it at the bottom of the box, and the two small wooden boxes fell on the bed one after another, put down the wooden box, picked up one of the wooden boxes, and started with a lot of weight, obviously there was something in it. When I turned it over and looked at it, I found that one side had a groove carved into it, and when I pulled it with my fingernail, the wooden box was pulled open, revealing the contents inside.

"Ah, it's a chess piece?!" Tan Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise - the box contained discs the size of fingernails, the surface was painted black, the thickness was about the same as copper coins, and it was cold to the touch, as if it was made of metal.

"Hehe, of course." Lin Lao Wu smiled quite proudly, picked up another wooden box and opened it, and it was full of chess pieces, but the color was white.

Tan Xiaotian still saw such a small chess piece, and played with it excitedly in his hand - although the feel is not as good as that of Teacher Yuan, it is much better than his own wooden chess set, the only pity is that the chess pieces are smaller, but then again, these chess pieces are made of iron, if the size is the same as ordinary chess pieces, how heavy is the weight?

"Hehe, there's more." The child likes it, Lin Lao Wu is even more proud, pick up the wooden box on the side, break it on the left, pull it on the right, and a box that was originally square is spread out, and the corners of the box are equipped with grooves. There was a soft click, and it was put together again into a chessboard. Originally, the stripes on the box surface that were used for decoration happened to become the lines on the chessboard, and the design can be described as ingenious.

"Huh. How did you get it, Uncle Five, teach me quickly! Lin Laowu's magical movements in front of him made Tan Xiaotian stunned, and he didn't come back to his senses until the chessboard was formed, and after looking at it again and again for a long time, he couldn't figure out how he did it, he took Lin Laowu's hand and begged excitedly.

"Hehe, look how I do it." Disassemble the board and reassemble it. This time, Lin Lao Wu's movements were relatively slow, and the key part was deliberately stopped, and the next one was done after the child saw it clearly.

"Hey, the chess pieces will be sucked when you put them on?" A chess piece is placed on the board, and the piece is firmly sucked on it, no matter how the board moves. The chess pieces were firmly glued to the top and did not move, and pinched the chess pieces with his fingers again, and he could feel that there was a force that refused to let the chess pieces go, Tan Xiaotian sighed. Exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, there is a mystery in this chessboard, don't look at it thin. In fact, there is a mezzanine in the middle, and in the mezzanine there is a small magnet embedded in each place corresponding to the intersection of the surface of the chessboard. The chess pieces are made of iron, so if you put them on, they will be sucked in. So. Whether it's a car or a boat, you can play chess, don't be afraid of the car shaking and the boat shaking, how about it, do you still like the gift of the fifth uncle? Lin Lao Wu explained with a smile.

"I like it, thank you, Uncle Five!" The so-called work wants to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools, get such a small and exquisite chess set, it will be much more convenient to play chess in the future, Tan Xiaotian can't put it down, and shouted happily to Lin Lao Wu.

"Heh, fifth brother, such a delicate chess set has made you pay a lot of attention, right?" Qiu Ju has been smiling beside her to watch a big and a small two people making a fuss, and she has also seen the chess sets with magnets hidden in the mezzanine to facilitate the game when traveling and playing, but the design of the chessboard like Lin Lao Wu to make a box that can be folded and put the chess pieces in it is unprecedented, although Lin Lao Wu is a skilled carpenter, playing with wood is as easy as a child playing with mud, but it must have taken a lot of energy to complete such a work, she dares to say, if this chess set is taken to the capital to sell, It is estimated that someone will buy a hundred taels of silver, it stands to reason that she should not let Tan Xiaotian accept such a valuable gift, but firstly, the child really likes it, secondly, this thing is indeed useful for Tan Xiaotian's future studies, and thirdly, this is also Lin Laowu's intention, if she doesn't let it, it will inevitably be too hypocritical.

"Hehe, yes, but it's worth it. I'm a poor carpenter, I don't have any other skills except to do carpentry work, and when I grow up to be a productive person, I have nothing to help, if this chess set can play a role in the growth of Tiantian, I will be at ease. Lin Lao Wu said with a smile - after learning that Tan Xiao was going to Yangzhou to learn chess after the new year, he thought about what gift he could give, from the design idea to the hands-on production, it took a full month, during which there were a bunch of failed semi-finished products, after several modifications, and finally satisfied with such a piece, in addition, in order to make chess pieces and magnets embedded in the chessboard mezzanine, he didn't know how many meals he invited at the blacksmith Liu in Zhennan, thinking about it, the flesh hurts.

"What kind of words is this, since our aunt and nephew settled in Meilong Town, how much have you helped us, we can't thank you enough, how can you say that you didn't help." Qiu Ju raised her face, so she said unhappily.

"Hehe, okay, okay, can't I say it? By the way, every day, you will leave for Yangzhou after tomorrow, will you miss your fifth uncle at that time? With a sincere smile, Lin Lao Wu would not refute Qiu Ju's reprimand, he turned to Tan Xiaotian, who was still fiddling with the new chess set, and asked with a smile.

"Yes." Tan Xiaotian replied immediately without thinking about it.

"Do you want your aunt?" Lin Lao Wu then asked again.

"Of course." Tan Xiaotian replied without hesitation.

"Hehe, do you think about it one by one or one by one?" Lin Lao Wu smiled slyly and then asked.

"Uh, what's the difference?" Tan Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, thinking about it, why is it still divided into one or another?

"Hey, what nonsense are you! Be careful to teach bad children! Qiu Ju next to her blushed and pinched Lin Lao Wu's waist and eyes, so painful that Lin Lao Wu inhaled cold air, but he was full of joy.

In the early morning, the sky dawned, the roosters crowed, and the sun slowly rose from the horizon, sprinkling red light on the earth. Smoke wafts over the town, and early risers have already started to light a fire to cook. Cleaning the courtyard.

"Every day, it's time to get up." Came in from outside with a steaming bowl of millet porridge. Seeing that the child was still curled up in the quilt and falling asleep, Qiu Ju showed a loving smile on her face, put the dishes and chopsticks on the table, came to the side of the bed, gently pushed Tan Xiaotian's shoulder, and called softly.

After two or three strokes, the child opened his sleepy eyes, and immediately closed them again, twisted his body a few times, and made a dissatisfied voice, "No, sleep a little longer." Just for a moment. ”

"Huh. That's not good, you have to get up early today, and the Liu family's carriage will come to pick you up later, so you can't let the family wait. Qiu Ju smiled and continued to persuade softly.

"Auntie, can you not go?" Hearing Qiu Ju say this, Tan Xiaotian sobered up a little, opened his eyes and thought about it, and then asked.

"Of course not. Isn't it all said already? Qiu Ju shook her head, her tone was still very gentle, but her attitude was very resolute - it was not easy to persuade a six-year-old child to leave his relatives and go to a different place to learn chess, not that Tan Xiaotian did not want to learn more advanced chess skills. Instead, he was reluctant to leave his relatives, and in the past half a year, he has become accustomed to life in a small town. There are his relatives and friends here, and there is a serious appearance. Yuan Lang, a teacher who is actually very soft-hearted, likes to brag about Kanshan. Uncle Tian, who loves money like his life, has great strength and can raise his own hands to play acrobatics, and there is Brother Qingyou who picks up a book and falls asleep, and when he hears that there is something delicious, he doesn't even want his life, and once he goes to Yangzhou, I don't know when I will be able to come back to see these people. In order to convince the children, Qiu Ju can be said to have tried her best to speak, both soft and hard, knowing with reason, moving with affection, I don't know how many promises she made, and finally persuaded Tan Xiaotian to agree, and now when the matter is approaching, how can she do it, how can she explain it to the Liu family, Yuan Lang and Sun Dong and others?

"Then, will you go with that aunt? There is also the fifth uncle, he also said that he is willing to go together. Tan Xiaotian thought for a moment, and then begged Qiu Juyang.

"Uh, this kid, hasn't you woken up yet, how can you talk nonsense, get up quickly, otherwise my aunt can do it." Qiu Ju's face was slightly red, and then her face was cold, and her two hands were raised and stretched into the child's bed, it was not yet a child, the weather was still very cold, she had just come in from outside, her hands were very cold, this one got into the quilt and touched the child's delicate skin, and suddenly drove away Tan Xiaotian's only remaining sleepiness, and his body shrunk into a ball, begging for mercy and laughing, and the aunt and nephew were fighting together.

After a while, Tan Xiaotian got up and dressed, the clothes were newly made, and the shoes were also new - the so-called poor family is rich, and it is appropriate to be frugal at home, but when you go out and dress indecently, you will be laughed at, of course, the most important thing is that the fifty taels of silver won by Tan Xiaotian in the Go competition a few years ago greatly improved the living situation of the two aunts and nephews, you must know that in this remote rural town, fifty taels of silver is almost equal to the income of ordinary people for two years.

After washing, Tan Xiaotian sat at the table to eat, today's breakfast is baked cakes and millet porridge, plus finely cut shredded pickles, and a few drops of sesame oil are added to the shredded pickles, which smells very attractive, and is about to start, the door of the house is knocked, without two clicks, without waiting for the people in the house to respond, Tian Qingyou broke in from the outside, and held a few clamped donkey meat in his hands, "Every day, give, eat this." He was not polite, he sat opposite Tan Xiaotian and handed the donkey meat in his hand to the other party.

"Donkey meat burned! Let's eat together. There are a few children who don't like meat, and Tan Xiaotian said happily after taking the baked cakes.

Qiu Ju also put a bowl of porridge in front of Tian Qingyou, "Hehe, Qingyou, it's rare that you can get up so early." She asked with a smile - fat people are sleepy, and now there is no need to study and study during the winter vacation, usually Tian Qingyou always sleeps until three o'clock in the morning, and will only get up when the sky is bright, and he can get up so early today, undoubtedly knowing that Tan Xiaotian will leave Meilong Town later, so he will come to see him off if he doesn't sleep lazy.

"Hmm. Every day, are you really going to Yangzhou? It's a pity, it's a pity that my chess game is too bad, otherwise I would have begged my father to let me go with you. The little fat man said to Tan Xiaotian with some envy - if you want to talk about financial resources, Tian Dayi can't afford him to go to Yangzhou to learn chess, but no matter how rich a person is, he won't like to use money to play, Tian Qingyou's intelligence is at the bottom of dozens of children who learn chess in Meilong Town, and this competition was wiped out in the first round. Tian Dayi will not throw money into the river even if he has some family background, so it is okay to play, it is really a craft to make money and eat in the future, and Tian Qingyou's request will never be agreed.

"It's okay, I'll teach you when I'm done learning chess." Tan Xiaotian said very righteously - this is a child, attention is easily diverted, a while ago he was reluctant to leave because his aunt couldn't go to Yangzhou together, but at this time, just because of Tian Qingyou's words, he took care of it and made a wish.

"Really? That word is a certainty, pull the hook and hang it, for a hundred years, it is not allowed to change! Tian Qingyou believed it, his eyes lit up, and he stretched out his chubby little thumb to play a game of oaths between children with Tan Xiaotian. (To be continued......)