I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

The old man was holding a polished mahogany "cart" in his hand, which he abruptly stopped in mid-air.

He raised his eyelids and glared fiercely at Jiang Chen.

"Get out of here, you brat! My carefully planned steps were all ruined by your yelling!"

Jiang Baichuan stroked his goatee and pointed at the chessboard with a cheerful smile.

"Brother Chen, if your great-grandfather's carriage dares to fall down, this old general will be in danger."

Jiang Chen, wearing an old man's white vest that had turned yellow from washing, and his floral shorts swaying in the wind, approached the stone table in his plastic flip-flops.

He bounced the little An Yan in his arms up a bit, then stood to the side with an air of authority.

"Great-Grandpa, move the knight! If you move the knight over there, he'll be dead!" Jiang Chen held up a palm-leaf fan and gestured wildly in the air above the chessboard.

"Look how smooth this strategy is! Once the chain of horses is in place, Uncle Baichuan's two cannons will become scrap metal!" Jiang Chen offered his advice in a carefree manner.

The old man snorted heavily and slammed the "car" on the table.

"A true gentleman observes a game of chess in silence! You know nothing!"

The old man turned his head and began to scold him in a bad mood.

"You incompetent chess player, how dare you come here and offer your opinions!"

Jiang Chen pursed his lips.

"You old man, you still don't believe in bad luck! If your horse doesn't jump this step, your old general will be checkmated within three steps!"

Jiang Baichuan burst out laughing.

"Chen-ge'er has a sharp eye; I think the old master is in trouble today."

The old man's stubborn temper flared up immediately.

He grabbed the "horse" and slammed it into another square on the chessboard.

"This old man refuses to believe in superstition! I'm going to take this step!"

Three minutes later.

Jiang Baichuan's deadly "double cannon" attack utterly annihilated the old man.

The old man looked at the hopeless game of chess and was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

Jiang Chen was so happy that he slapped his thigh.

"Look what I told you! I told you to jump over the horse, but you wouldn't listen!" Jiang Chen said with a gloating expression.

His loud voice caused the villagers watching the commotion to burst into laughter.

Jiang Mancang squatted on the stone bench and tapped the ash from his pipe with the sole of his shoe.

"Grandpa, Chen-ge'er's move is what you call 'the bystander sees most of the game'."

The old man, unconvinced, waved his hand and scattered all the chess pieces.

"Baichuan, get out of the way! Let this kid sit down and play a game with me!" The old man pointed his cane at the stone bench opposite him.

Jiang Baichuan quickly stood up and offered his seat.

"Brother Chen, you must go easy on him, the old master is in a bad mood today."

Jiang Chen had no idea what politeness meant.

He held Xiao An Yan in his arms and plopped down on the stone bench.

"Great-Grandpa, you'd better sit tight, or you'll lose and be embarrassed!" Jiang Chen casually placed Xiao An Yan on his lap.

The old man quickly arranged the chess pieces with both hands.

"Enough with the nonsense! Today, this old man is going to teach you a lesson about how powerful you are as CEO!"

The battle has officially begun.

Jiang Chen started with a powerful shot.

The old man immediately jumped on his horse to meet the challenge.

The two were locked in a fierce battle on the chessboard, the sound of their pieces striking the board ringing out.

Liu Cuifen, dressed in a bright red dress, sat on a tree stump nearby, shelling edamame in a basin, watching the commotion.

"Brother Chen, if you fall off your car, you're practically pushing the God of Wealth away!" Liu Cuifen chimed in with her hoarse voice.

The old man glared at Liu Cuifen.

"What do women know about the rules of chess? Go shell your beans!"

Liu Cuifen wasn't annoyed by the scolding; she just smiled and continued watching.

Jiang Youfu, sporting a large bald head, strolled over carrying an enamel mug as big as a washbasin.

His red apron was still stained with oil from the pig he had just slaughtered.

Jiang Youfu leaned against the stone table and sipped his hot tea.

"Oh dear, Brother Chen made a terrible move! He's practically delivered the cart to the old man's doorstep!" Jiang Youfu shouted loudly.

Jiang Chen looked down and realized something was wrong.

While busy playing with little An Yan who was blowing bubbles on her legs, I accidentally pushed the most crucial mahogany "cart" under the old man's horse's legs.

The old man's eyes lit up, and he picked up the "horse" and stepped on it.

The movements were incredibly fast.

"Eat your big cart!" The old man smugly squeezed Jiang Chen's "cart" into his hand.

Jiang Chen panicked.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute!"

He reached out his large hand and pressed down on the back of the old man's hand.

"I must have misread it! Let's try again!"

Jiang Chen forcefully tried to pry the chess pieces out of the old man's hand.

The old man's veins were bulging on the back of his hand, and he refused to let go no matter what.

"What are you doing!" The old man grabbed his cane with his other hand and slammed it heavily on the bluestone slab.

Clang!

"Once a move is made, it cannot be taken back! You brat, the village chief, how dare you take back your move!" the old man yelled.

Jiang Chen, without batting an eye, forcefully pried open the old man's fingers.

"My leg just went numb! I bumped into the table! That doesn't count! Great-Grandpa, please give me back my car!"

The old man pulled his hand back into his robe.

"No way! You can't just vomit up the meat you've already eaten!"

An old man and a young boy, whose combined net worth is unknown, are now arguing heatedly under this big locust tree over a single move in a game of chess.

One second he was a domineering tycoon who spent 100 million yuan on charity in front of powerful figures in the provincial capital.

At this moment, he looked exactly like a street thug.

Su Qing stood to the side, holding a sun umbrella to protect against ultraviolet rays, watching the two fight over chess pieces, rolling her eyes repeatedly.

"Honey, do you have any shame?!" Su Qing complained loudly.

"The dignified CEO of the Jiang Group is trying to cheat on his wife with an old man who's almost eighty!"

Jiang Chen persisted in his claim.

"I'm the village chief, and today's game has to be played according to my rules!" Jiang Chen retorted confidently.

"You brat! I'm still your great-grandfather! No matter how big Jiangjia Village is, it can't be bigger than the rules of our ancestors!" the old man roared back with a strong voice.

Jiang Youfu, standing to the side, was laughing uncontrollably while holding a teacup.

He almost spilled the tea from the large tea mug.

"Chen-ge'er's chess skills are the worst in the whole village!" Jiang Youfu shouted, pointing at Jiang Chen.

"Last time you played against me in front of the ancestral hall, you lost three rounds in a row and had to pay me back two big black pig trotters!"

Jiang Chen turned and glared at Jiang Youfu.

"Uncle Youfu, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute! That pig's trotter was a reward for you because I saw you working hard cutting vegetables!"

Just as Jiang Chen and the old man were at an impasse.

Xiao An Yan, sitting on Jiang Chen's lap, became restless.

The little girl stared at the old man with his big, watery eyes, her face flushed red.

The old man's goatee twitched as he spoke loudly.

An Yan thought this thing was so much fun.

She stretched out her chubby, pink little hands.

He lunged forward with a sudden lunge.

He grabbed the old man's goatee from under his chin.

He didn't hold back at all this time.

The baby's grip was surprisingly strong; once it tightened, it wouldn't let go.

The old man was arguing with Jiang Chen over the "car" when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chin.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

The old man's chess piece fell onto the table with a thud.

He quickly used both hands to protect his chin.

"My little darling! Stop pulling! Stop pulling!" The old man winced in pain.

The surrounding villagers were all startled.

Jiang Mancang quickly ran over to help pry open An Yan's small hands.

The old man, however, slapped Jiang Mancang on the back.

"Get out of the way! Be careful not to hurt my great-granddaughter!" the old man shouted.

Even though his beard was being pulled painfully, the old man's face was full of undisguised doting affection.

He bent down, trying to follow the force of Xiao An Yan's pulling.

They didn't even care about the mess on the table.

"Good girl, An Yan, let go of my hand. You can't eat Grandpa's beard." The old man's voice was unusually gentle, a stark contrast to his fierce demeanor during the argument.

Jiang Chen took the opportunity to retrieve the "chariot" from the table and put it back on the chessboard.

"Well done, daughter! That's called 'all's fair in war'!" Jiang Chen praised shamelessly.

Su Qing quickly stepped forward, carefully took An Yan's chubby little hand, and slowly freed the old man's beard.

"You're still praising her! You'll spoil this girl rotten!" Su Qing glared at Jiang Chen and scolded him.

With her beard gone, An Yan pouted and spat out a large bubble of saliva in a wronged manner.

The old man rubbed his chin, looking at An Yan with a smile.

This game is completely unplayable.

"I admit defeat today! This round is a draw!" The old man waved his hand and announced magnanimously.

Jiang Chen fanned himself with a palm leaf fan, his face full of smugness.

"Great-grandfather, you're too kind!"

The area under the big locust tree was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

There was no scheming or exchanging of interests outside, only the most genuine and playful banter among family members.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the chirping of cicadas.

In the blink of an eye.

The sun gradually sank in the west.

The originally harsh sunlight became much gentler.

The clouds on the horizon were dyed a brilliant purple-gold by the setting sun, spreading out in large swathes above the Changsheng Reservoir.

A gentle evening breeze swept across the reservoir.

It brings a refreshing mist.

The water surface rippled with tiny, sparkling waves, looking exactly like a layer of scattered gold.

The newly built green lawns surrounding the large apartments became particularly lively at this time.

After a long day of work, the adults would relax and chat in the courtyard.

The children took advantage of the cool weather and ran around happily on the lawn.

Far away.

Jiang Chen heard a noisy chattering sound.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

That was Jiang Xiaoshan, the mischievous boy who had just turned six in Jiang Shitou's family.

Jiang Xiaoshan, holding a foxtail grass in his hand, was leading a group of teenagers from the village, running wildly on the lawn.

They are chasing some big, furry creatures.

Those were purebred alpacas that Jiang Chen had recently imported from Australia at great expense.

I bought it to keep as a pet on the lawn in the village, specifically to entertain the village children.

These alpacas have long necks and walk slowly and deliberately.

Now, surrounded and chased by this group of mischievous kids, it's running around frantically on the lawn.

Jiang Xiaoshan ran in the lead, covered in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

He pointed at the largest alpaca in front of him, the one with the whitest fur, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Quick, grab that white one! It just spat on me!"