Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

After the awards ceremony, the champions, runners-up, and third-place winners were all interviewed. They talked about the significance of the event, such as enriching people's spiritual lives, promoting traditional culture, and nurturing patriotic sentiment among everyone.

After the interviews, Qian Wenlin finally found Qian Quan and Ding Linlang with a beaming smile on his face. He said, "I'm taking you guys out for a good meal."

Qian Quan asked, "What did the champion just say to you?"

"Whatever he said," Qian Wenlin replied casually.

"I want to challenge him to a game."

Qian Wenlin looked at his son. "Is that really necessary?"

Qian Quan insisted, "Please ask him for me."

Qian Wenlin raised an eyebrow and agreed.

He approached the man with a string of jade alongside Qian Quan and courteously said, "Mr. Fang, this is my son. He's quite skilled at Chinese chess and would like to play a game with you to learn from the experience."

Mr. Fang glanced at Qian Quan, "I just defeated your father, and now you want to play against me in Chinese chess, seeking revenge?"

Qian Quan said, "We won't take up too much of your time. Can we have a match for learning purposes?"

Mr. Fang chuckled, "Losing won't cost you much, but winning would give you great prestige. You're quite shrewd."

"Oh, if you think you're going to lose, then there's no need to play. Let's go, Dad," Qian Quan said, pulling Qian Wenlin to leave.

"Wait a moment!" Mr. Fang called them back, "I know you're trying to provoke me. I'll play against you and give you a slight advantage."

"Okay," Qian Quan agreed readily.

The two of them chose a spot and set up the chessboard.

"You can go first," Mr. Fang said with the demeanor of a grandmaster.

Qian Quan made his move, but he only moved half of his major pieces. His pawns moved daringly, advancing straight and attacking directly, going deep into enemy territory and making long-distance advances.

Mr. Fang found himself overwhelmed and was soon in a checkmate position.

In a position of advantage, Qian Quan didn't want to waste a second.

"You made a mistake," Qian Quan said calmly.

Mr. Fang's attitude changed, "Another game for all the marbles?"

Qian Quan smiled and nodded.

The two of them reset the board and started again.

Qian Quan still employed his original strategy - no entanglement in positioning, no array confrontation. He pursued risky tactics, sacrificing pieces to achieve victory and making daring moves at every step. He aimed to penetrate deeply and capture the King.

Mr. Fang struggled to keep up, and the defeat was swift and clean.

He failed twice.

At this point, the onlookers were no longer composed, all exclaiming, "Who is this young man?"

"Will you continue?" Qian Quan asked.

Sweat began to form on Mr. Fang's forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."

However, Qian Quan stood up and said, "You've lost your confidence. Even if we play another round, you'll still lose. Let's call it a day."

Mr. Fang turned red, speechless. He knew the young man was right. He had not only lost the game but also his unwavering confidence.

"There's always someone better. This young man truly is remarkable."

People around sighed. Mr. Fang suddenly looked up and saw that the young man had already left with his father and companion.

...

Qian Wenlin took Qian Quan and Ding Linlang to a traditionally decorated restaurant. It was a well-known farmhouse restaurant in this city.

"Order whatever you like, especially dishes you've always wanted to try but never had a chance to. Order them all today," Qian Wenlin said with great generosity, holding the 50,000 prize money.

With already 530,000 in his possession, Qian Quan suggested, "How about getting some beer as well?"

Qian Wenlin was initially hesitant, but considering that his son was already eighteen, he said, "Alright, you can have a can of beer. Linlang, you can have a soft drink."

Ding Linlang nodded obediently and said, "Okay."

After ordering the dishes, Qian Wenlin brought up today's chess competition, "If I played it safe, I was confident I could beat Mr. Fang. But the fast-paced chess requires quick wits and experience, and I fell short in those areas."

"That Mr. Fang is a professional Chinese chess player," Qian Quan voiced his judgment.

Qian Wenlin paused for a moment and then realized, "No wonder."

Ding Linlang asked, "Are you implying you can easily beat a professional Chinese chess player now?"

Qian Quan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he said with a serious tone, "There's something I've kept hidden for years, something I haven't told anyone. I'll tell you both today..."

Ding Linlang had always been amazed by Qian Quan's rapid improvement in Chinese chess. She thought he was about to reveal his true secret, and she listened with keen interest.

Even Qian Wenlin appeared curious.

"Actually... I'm a genius," Qian Quan said, nodding to himself.

Ding Linlang replied with a mock scowl, "Get out of here!"

Qian Wenlin chuckled, saying, "If you had such an early academic breakthrough, you could've gotten into Peking University or Tsinghua this year."

Ding Linlang agreed with a smile, "Mr. Qian is right."

Qian Quan didn't care about their words and continued unabashedly, "No worries, I'll hire some graduates from Tsinghua University and Peking University to work for me in the future. Oh, and a few from Fudan University as well."

"Pfft!" Ding Linlang rolled her eyes.

Qian Wenlin shook his head with a smile.

After a delightful lunch, the three of them headed to the zoo.

This city's zoo was one of the top three zoos in this province, boasting giant pandas and wolves.

After entering the zoo, they strolled around, observing peacocks, spotted deer, Asian elephants, giraffes, cockatoos, hedgehogs, tigers, lions, crocodiles, and more...

At four in the afternoon, they coincidentally caught a sea lion performance.

It was a seemingly clumsy yet incredibly agile performer.

Ball juggling, flips, handstands, water leaps... all flawlessly executed.

"Every time I watch animal performances, aside from being amazed by their intelligence, I can't help but create a feeling of sympathy, as if they lose their essence and freedom after being tamed," Ding Linlang said with a hint of self-deprecation.

"I sometimes share a similar sentiment. But then I think it's just their job after all. Who knows, they might be observing humans and laughing at us," Qian Quan remarked.

Qian Wenlin smiled, "Humans, too, have been domesticated step by step into what we are now-well-dressed, working nine to five."

Qian Quan and Ding Linlang nodded thoughtfully.

"As we look back, it's about climate, natural environment, crops, the so-called moving with the water and grass, then industrialization started, and real monsters like factories emerged, giving rise to the working class..."

Qian Quan had a thought and said, "So, rather than saying humans domesticated wheat, it's more accurate to say that wheat domesticated humans."

"Yes, similarly, did humans domesticate sea lions, or did sea lions domesticate humans?"

"It's getting a bit philosophical, but thinking this way makes watching animal performances much more acceptable."

After the sea lion show, the three of them planned to see the reptiles. However, Qian Quan hesitated.

Qian Wenlin laughed and said to Ding Linlang, "He's scared of snakes, just like his mom."

Ding Linlang suggested, "Then let's go see something else."

The trio continued to explore until 6 p.m. and then left the zoo.

Outside the entrance of the zoo, they saw a group of seniors practicing Tai Chi.

"Seeing this, I'm reminded of your mom learning Qigong when she was young," Qian Wenlin said with a smile.

Qian Quan chuckled.

His mom had mentioned this incident to him as well. She told him that when she was young, a young man who taught Qigong had come to the village. He was quite handsome, and many girls in the village became interested in Qigong because of him.

Ding Linlang also knew this story and asked Qian Wenlin with a smile, "So, Mr. Qian, did you learn Qigong when you were young?"

Qian Wenlin shook his head and said firmly, "I learned Wing Chun and specialized in dealing with those who taught Qigong."

Ding Linlang and Qian Quan burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Ding Linlang then asked, "So, at what level did you reach in Wing Chun?"

"I didn't even finish learning the basic 'Little Idea' move," Qian Wenlin chuckled. "There's no choice. Martial arts training requires hard work and substantial material conditions to support it. The poor study literature, and the wealthy study martial arts. My family wasn't well-off back then, so I focused on studying and preparing for college."

Ding Linlang nodded in understanding.

"I actually had a great aptitude for martial arts," Qian Wenlin added.

"You can continue practicing now to make up for that regret."

"I'm older now and can't practice as easily," Qian Wenlin disagreed.

Qian Quan disagreed and continued, "I remember you told us before as long as we have the will, it's never too late to start, and you also mentioned that people's average lifespan is longer now than in ancient times, getting married later than in ancient times, so while in ancient times they said 'at thirty, one stands firm', now it's at forty, one stands firm.'"

"Oh, and you told me something on the day my college entrance exam scores came out. You said in this world, some people are born with extraordinary talents, while others bloom later in life..."

"Wait a minute!" Qian Wenlin quickly interrupted, "Are you sure all these famous sayings are things I said?"

"Yes," Qian Quan and Ding Linlang said in unison.

As they continued chatting, the bus arrived.