Time is Slow / Meet You in My Prime : Chapter 4 : Sailing

Green willows were swaying on both sides of the river, and a big boat was sailing on the Chunhua River, heading south.

On the deck, Chi Can and the man in blue were sitting opposite each other, playing chess, while the man in green leaned against the railing of the boat, staring blankly at the surging river that was left behind.

He didn't know how long the boat had sailed before a boy in blue clothes came out of the cabin, holding a tray with four cups of tea on it.

The boy placed two cups of tea next to the two people playing chess, then took another cup of tea and walked to the railing, handing it to the man in green.

The man in green took the teacup, sipped it, and then said with a smile, "Third Miss Li is still the best. Unlike those two, who play chess endlessly and often make me hungry keeping them company."

It turned out that the boy dressed in blue was Qiao Zhao in disguise.

She begged with soft words, or it could be interpreted as pestering, and finally persuaded Chi Can to agree to take her with him, on the condition that she dressed as a boy to make it easier for them to travel together.

At this time, the ship had been sailing for two days. "Brother Yang, how long will it take us to arrive at Jiafeng?"

After two days of traveling together, Qiao Zhao already knew that the man in blue was called Zhu Wu and the man in green was called Yang Er.

The three of them were obviously unwilling to tell her their true identities, but she didn't care. "We will probably arrive after noon. But we won't go into the city. We will just change horses and go to a farm to visit the owner," Yang Er said.

Qiao Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

Three years ago, Chi Can went to her grandfather's secluded farm and asked her grandfather to teach him painting skills.

Her grandfather declined. However, Chi Can refused to give up and stayed for three days. Her grandfather had no choice but to give him a painting from his early years as a gift to send him off.

She had met Chi Can at that time.

Of course, the two of them had only met twice.

Chi Can and the other two were going to visit the owner of a farm near Jiafeng.

Could it be that...

Thinking of this, Qiao Zhao's breathing became a little rapid.

Could it be that Chi Can was going to her house?

Is there really such a coincidence in this world, or is it destined that she opened her eyes and became Li Zhao?

Qiao Zhao lowered her head and stared at her hands. The little girl's hands were soft and slender, like spring onions, which were different from her own beautiful hands with thin calluses on the fingertips.

Until now, despite having the memories of the little girl Li Zhao, she still could not think of herself as another person.

But staring at these hands at this moment, Qiao Zhao felt a little confused.

How can she stay in her own home as Li Zhao?

Qiao Zhao turned back and sat down, holding the teacup and thinking silently.

She was in a trance when she suddenly heard three people arguing. "Shi Xi, Zi Zhe, how long are you going to stay here? Don't you want to eat?"

When Qiao Zhao looked up, she discovered that the cook on the boat had already brought the food over. The aroma went straight into her nose, making her stomach growl.

Zhu Wu (called Zi Zhe) held the black piece in his hand with a helpless look on his face: "It's not that I don't want to end it; Shi Xi has been thinking about it for a quarter of an hour and still hasn't made a move."

Yang Er glanced at the chessboard and shook his head, saying, "Shi Xi, this is already a dead end for you. Just admit defeat and stop wasting everyone's time."

Chi Can (called Shi Xi) held a crystal white piece between his slender fingers and said with an unhappy look on his face: "How can I admit defeat? I have never lost a game of chess!"

Yang Er sneered and exposed him in front of Qiao Zhao without any hesitation: "Of course you have never lost. The time it takes you to place a piece is enough for others to play a whole game of chess. In the end, they are so impatient that they don't want to play with you anymore."

Chi Can snorted coldly: "What do you know? I am thinking carefully!"

Yang Er turned his head away angrily.

What do you mean by 'thinking carefully'? This is clearly shameless!

Today the chef cooked braised fish in an iron pot. The aroma was so tempting that Zhu Wu finally couldn't bear it anymore and raised his hand, saying, "Is it okay for me to admit defeat? Let's eat."

Chi Can held him down: "Don't be like this; we always speak with strength."

Zhu Wu and Yang Er both held their foreheads with their hands.

Yang Er muttered quietly, "I really want to let those young ladies in the capital who are obsessed with you see your true face!"

'Cough cough!'

Chi Can coughed heavily and glanced at Qiao Zhao.

It was indeed inappropriate to say this in front of the little girl. Yang Er knew that he had said something wrong and smiled awkwardly.

"Please be silent while you are watching the game! Zi Zhe, let's continue playing chess. White must have a way out; I just can't think of it for the time being."

"It seems that we won't be able to eat for a while," Yang Er said to Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao pressed her stomach.

Maybe it was because the little girl Li Zhao was weak, and after being so late, her stomach was already aching slightly.

On the wall of Yancheng City in the north, she had experienced the pain of an arrow piercing her heart. Now, as long as conditions are permitted, she didn't want to suffer any more pain.

She wanted to be as nice to herself as possible in her new life.

"If the game is over, can we have dinner?"

"Of course..." Before Yang Er finished speaking, he saw Qiao Zhao pick up a white piece from the chess pot and put it on the chessboard.

He rushed to stop her but failed, thinking to himself, this is bad.

Chi Can usually had a good temper, but he had a few taboos; one of which was that he hated others disturbing him while playing chess.

Chi Can's face turned cold: "Third Miss Li, chess pieces are not for you to play with."

Zhu Wu, who had been looking at the chessboard, changed his tone: "Shi Xi, take a look..."

Chi Can ignored Zhu Wu's words, glanced at Qiao Zhao, and smiled: "Third Miss Li, you messed up my chess; what should I do?"

"Shi Xi..."

Chi Can interrupted Zhu Wu: "I know you two want to speak well of this girl, but I think she is smart enough to hire a carriage and go back to the capital alone."

Humph, disturbing him while he was playing chess, not having the awareness to repay his kindness after being rescued, and most importantly, calling him uncle!

This little girl is not cute at all!

"Shi Xi, I mean... White piece won." When Zhu Wu said this in a bitter tone, he himself felt it was very strange.

His black pieces clearly had the advantage and were sure to win, but Third Miss Li made a random move that turned the situation around and forced the black pieces into a desperate situation, leaving them with no chance of recovery.

Chi Can was startled and hurried to look at the chessboard.

Yang Er came over to take a look and looked at Qiao Zhao in disbelief.

"How did you do it?" Chi Can was stunned.

The girl pursed her lips and whispered, "I just made a random guess. Maybe I got it right by luck."

"I won't listen to what you say." Chi Can bent his fingers and tapped the chessboard.

Can a random move beat Zhu Wu after he had been thinking so hard for so long?

Moreover, he knew Zhu Wu's level, and there were not many young people in the capital who could beat Zhu Wu.

The little girl's words were almost a lie.

"Oh, that's probably because my level is a little higher."

Chi Can and Zhu Wu looked at each other and suddenly reached out their hands to mess up the chessboard, saying in unison, "Come on, let's play chess with us."

"I'm hungry," Qiao Zhao said, extremely honest and helpless.

...

After dinner...

Zhu Wu stared at the chessboard for a long time, threw the chess pieces into the chess pot, and sighed, "I am not as skilled as you; I lost."

He stood up and moved aside, allowing Chi Can to sit down instead.

The sun gradually moved westward, and Jiafeng wharf was already vaguely visible. Chi Can was still holding the chess piece, thinking hard.

The girl opposite lowered her eyes and said nothing, waiting quietly.

"She actually managed to resist the urge to hurry Shi Xi. Just looking at her energy cultivation skills, this girl is really extraordinary," Zhu Wu whispered to Yang Er, sighing that he was not as good as her.

Yang Er was very impressed by the girl who could defeat Zhu Wu and endure Chi Can. He looked at Qiao Zhao deeply, paused, and said in a strange tone, "Why do I feel like she is asleep?"