[Soul of Chess] What if

"Ah Xing, I can only count on you to make money from now on."

When they returned to their room to rest that day, Akiko suddenly said this apologetically.

Xingyang didn't say anything immediately, but quietly looked at Akiko, waiting for her next words.

Akiko exhaled deeply, then looked straight at herself: "Because, I decided to take a break for a while."

When she said this, her expression became extremely serious, as if she had made some kind of determination.

Hearing Akiko swearing the news of her resignation, Xing Yang couldn't help but fell silent.After a short pause, he opened his mouth slowly: "...it must be because of Ah Liang."

It is not unreasonable to have such an idea.After all, A Liang, who had just entered elementary school a few days ago, proposed not to go to the Go classroom after breakfast.

Sure enough, after hearing what he said, Ming Zi's expression changed slightly.

The matter of resignation was a decision Mingzi finally made after careful consideration for a long time.

The reason is just as Xing Yang said, because of A Liang.

To be precise, it was because she wanted to do a good job of being a mother.

Mingzi always knew that Ah Liang was a smart and sensible child.

Because of his well-behaved, Mingzi saves a lot of trouble in taking care of him, so he can spend more time and energy on Go.

When Ah Liang was less than three weeks old, Ming Zi carried him to the chess academy to participate in the competition.

Of course, in order to avoid affecting the game, Ah Liang cannot enter the game room.Therefore, Ming Zi usually puts A Liang in the trusteeship of the hotel near the chess academy first, then goes to the chess academy to compete by himself, and after the game is over, he picks him up and goes home together.

Every time Ah Liang stayed there obediently, quietly waiting for him to pick him up, there was never a situation where he cried and kept Ming Zi from leaving, which affected the game.

Although the child could be sent to a nursery school after eight weeks of birth, Akiko did not do this because she wanted to take care of the child herself.

So, except during the competition, Ah Liang was always by their side.

When she was one or two years old, when she and Xingyang were studying chess records, Ah Liang played Go pieces on the sidelines. Sometimes he would imitate their movements and place the pieces on the board decently.

Seeing his actions, Akiko had the idea of ​​training Ah Liang to be a professional chess player.

Of course, she knew very well what a harsh world it was.

However, seeing that Ah Liang seems to have a talent for Go, Ming Zi still hopes that he can also enter the world of professional chess players.

This kind of talent-hungry mentality may be influenced by his father. :)

As for when is the right time to start learning Go, to be honest, Mingzi herself is not very clear.

She only remembers that she seemed to have been exposed to Go very early when she was young, and she started playing against her father when she was about four years old.As for Xingyang, he didn't start learning Go until he was almost nine years old, but his current grades are quite good.

The time of people familiar with me to learn Go is different, and the development of their talents is also different: some people have been going smoothly; Jiang Lang's talents are exhausted; some are unknown at the beginning, and later become famous in one fell swoop, which feels like a late bloomer; some people have never achieved much, and now they are struggling on the verge of persistence and giving up...

Therefore, although he had the idea of ​​cultivating Ah Liang, it has never been implemented.

"Let's try it for now."

After learning about his distress, Xingyang said this: "If Ah Liang can understand, it's okay to start now. It doesn't matter if you don't end up playing chess, after all, life is not just Go."

So, when Ah Liang was two years old, Xing Yang began to teach him how to play chess.

When learning chess, sitting in front of the chessboard for several hours every day is a very normal thing, but it is quite painful for a child who is only two years old.

However, A Liang persisted.

It seems that since then, Ah Liang has shown his character of persistence and reluctance to admit defeat.In the course of the subsequent game, this character is more obvious.

Of course, his talents were gradually revealed.

When playing chess with Xingyang, Ah Liang needs to reduce the number of handicaps day by day. By the time he was three years old, Xingyang only needed to hand him nine pieces.

In order to have more time to learn Go, Ming Zi did not send Ah Liang to a three-year kindergarten.On weekdays, A Liang studied with Xing Yang, and when the seminar was held, A Liang would also participate, and sometimes he would play chess with Xing Yang's disciples.

As for the arrangement of his parents, Ah Liang has always accepted it obediently.

Perhaps because of his enthusiasm for Go, A Liang was able to study the Go books very seriously without Ming Zi and the others being on the sidelines to supervise him.

However, the youngest among the disciples was also seven years older than Ah Liang.In other words, A Liang in childhood had no chance to get along with peers at all.

Until one day, when they were free from playing chess, they didn't know who started it, and everyone talked about the Go classroom.

One day, after everyone left, A Liang came to Ming Zi's side.

"Mom, what does the Go classroom look like?" A Liang asked curiously with wide eyes open.

Seeing Ah Liang's rare childishness, Ming Zi couldn't help laughing.She thought for a while before explaining in a gentle tone: "The Go classroom is actually a place dedicated to learning Go, just like Dad's seminar. However, there are more students there, and the age difference is not too big. "

"Will there be a child as old as me?" A Liang asked.

"Of course." Ming Zi looked at A Liang with a smile, "Does A Liang want to go?"

Akiko was actually just asking casually.

However, A Liang was obviously stunned for a moment after hearing his question, then he lowered his eyes a little, and said calmly, "I don't really want to go..."

Seeing this scene, Akiko only felt that the smile on the corner of her mouth became a bit bitter for some reason.

It wasn't a particularly clever cover-up, and it could even be seen through at a glance.

Ah Liang actually wanted to go.

This is the answer.

It's just that when he asked, he chose to cover up instead of directly expressing his true thoughts.

She is Ah Liang's mother, so she should be the one closest to him.

But now...

The reason for this situation may be because I have never asked Ah Liang's wishes.

Whether it's about learning how to play chess, or not going to kindergarten, even when Ah Liang was still in his infancy and needed his mother's care the most, I let him face a strange environment alone for the sake of the game...

Everything is just done according to your own ideas.

I never gave Ah Liang a chance to choose, let alone understand what he really wanted.

No wonder Ah Liang has never acted like a baby to herself, and has always acted like a little adult.

It should be because he knows very well in his heart that even acting like a baby is meaningless, he is just a recipient.

Thinking about it this way, Ming Zi suddenly realized how incompetent she was as a mother!

Mixed with the mood of making amends, Ming Zi suggested to Xing Yang that A Liang should go to the Go classroom to learn.

It is a very novel experience for Ah Liang to learn Go from the teacher in the classroom with many peers.He had never been to school after all.

So when eating, he couldn't help telling Akiko and the others what happened in the Go classroom with a little excitement.

Seeing A Liang's happy expression, Akiko was also sincerely happy for him.

However, gradually, Ah Liang seldom mentioned the Go classroom at the dinner table.

At first Ming Zi thought it was because the novelty had passed, so he didn't take it seriously.Unexpectedly, after a while, A Liang solemnly said to himself: "Mom, I don't want to go to the Go classroom. Can I?"

When he asked why, Ah Liang just replied that he could not learn much there, so there was no need to go again.

Subconsciously, Akiko was convinced that something must have happened.Seeing A Liang's reluctance to say more, Ming Zi didn't ask any more questions, but took advantage of A Liang's going to school, she came to the Go classroom in person and asked the lecturer about the situation.

Ming Zi never knew that a child's jealousy could be so strong.

When I was young, I always followed my father, and those who learned Go together were also my father's disciples.Although due to the difference in the speed of long chess, there will inevitably be a sense of competition among the disciples, but most of them are benign.So the whole dojo is like a big family, full of warmth.I am constantly sharpening my chess skills in such an environment.

After becoming a professional chess player, his promotion process was quite smooth.

Although he had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of maintaining the dojo when his father was seriously ill, he did not suffer any major grievances other than hard work.

Ming Zi never imagined that such a thing would happen when she didn't realize it—A Liang was excluded in the Go classroom.

From the lecturer's mouth, Ming Zi knew what A Liang had endured.

She seemed to see the hostility in the eyes of the other children when they looked at A Liang, she seemed to hear their extremely acrimonious words with expressions full of malice, and she seemed to feel the radiance that emanated from them when they saw A Liang. The rejection and indifference...

When relaying the story to Xingyang, the always strong Akiko couldn't help but have red eyes.

Such a cowardly expression rarely appeared on Akiko's face.

Even when she was carrying an unbearable burden, she just gritted her teeth and persisted with all her strength, never shed tears in front of others.

Looking at her reddish eye sockets, Xing Yang unexpectedly recalled that night talk more than ten years ago.

At that time, although Akiko's expression was a little tired because of exhaustion, when she talked about her ideals, her eyes seemed to be shining, full of hope and longing for the future.

Like a young eagle destined to soar above the blue sky, although there are countless real shackles on her body now, she has never given up her persistence and desire for freedom.She hibernates and flaps her wings again and again, just to rush to the long-awaited blue sky when the time comes to spread her wings and fly high.

Under such a difficult situation, Mingzi can still continue to participate in the competition because she loves Go more than anyone else!

She is like this, but now she has to give up her persistence for the sake of her child.

Presumably Akiko hesitated when making this choice.

After all, she had won consecutive victories in the Female Flowing Crane Jihad last year and the year before.It can be said that it is the rising period of her Go career. If she chooses to leave her job at this time, the impact on her chess sense and other aspects is immeasurable.

However, since Mingzi raised it so solemnly, it shows that there is no possibility of turning back.

"I understand." After pondering for a long time, he replied like this.

The author has something to say:

Because no matter what, I wanted to write such an image of a mother who was willing to give up her persistence for the sake of her children, so I continued to write this chapter willfully.

A lot of what I have explained before is actually just an explanation of the past in this chapter... The previous chapters are a bit too long-winded, I am really sorry...(╥﹏╥)

Why do you have to write about Ah Liang's mother?

Because the author found out when searching the information that the prototype of the new competition or the young lion battle "Fengchu War" is a cause that Reiko Kitani has been committed to, and it can even be said to be initiated by her.

So just...

The author is a bit willful, I am really sorry...

The stories about Akiko in these chapters have been changed to a side story according to the proposal of the favorite sev in HP.

The next chapter returns to the plot. ^_^