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Chapter 14
Li Xin did not know how good Li Shan was at chess. She let Li Shan play a game with Li Xia first so she could observe and determine Li Shan's chess skills.
Li Ming was good at chess. After entering Li Manor, Aunt Wang had studied diligently to please Li Ming. Under Aunt Wang's tutelage, Li Shan had also learned some. However, Li Shan herself did not really like playing chess. She preferred playing the zither. The only reason she said she wanted to come learn chess was so that Li Xia would not be alone with Li Xin.
The two half-baked players played a messy game of chess. But Li Xia was quite happy that she would not get crushed for once.
After that, Li Shan often came to Li Xin's carriage. Li Xin gave pointers to her two younger sisters as they played chess. She observed that the two had very different chess styles.
Li Xia played boldly and aggressively, attacking ferociously without any defense. If you could block her first wave of offense, you had a 70% chance of beating Li Xia. Li Shan's style was to like to surround and trap the enemy. But because she did not think things through comprehensively, her layouts were not watertight, and there were always loopholes.
"Second sister, how could you break the chess position again?" Li Shan was very dissatisfied that Li Xia always liked to break chess positions.
"I made the wrong move. I need to move it here," said Li Xia, picking up a chess piece and putting it in another position, messing up Li Shan's layout. Li Shan was so angry that she turned to Li Xin, "Eldest sister, look at second sister, she's too much. How can we play if she keeps breaking the chess position?"
"Younger sister, we agreed only three breaks per game. You've gone over the limit," said Li Xin. Her words made Li Xia put the chess piece back to its original place. Li Xia had walked right into the trap Li Shan had set up. Soon, many of her chess pieces in that area were captured. More than half of Li Xia's chess pieces were gone from the board, and she was going to lose this game.
Li Shan looked at Li Xia with satisfaction, but saw that Li Xia did not care at all. Instead, she was looking out the window.
Noticing Li Xia looking out the window, Li Xin also looked over. It was drizzling outside the carriage window.
"Younger sister, what's wrong?"
Li Xia withdrew her gaze and shook her head, "It's nothing."
"Humph, being deliberately mystifying," Li Shan snorted and placed a piece to trap Li Xia with no chance of a comeback.
But Li Xia did not even look at Li Shan. She casually resigned, "I have lost. I'm tired and want to rest for a while." She then leaned back against the carriage wall to rest.
Li Xia's attitude left Li Shan with a helpless feeling, like punching cotton. She wanted to say more, but a look from Li Xin made her swallow the words. She turned and ordered her maid Cui Liu to return to Aunt Wang's carriage.
"It's raining outside, young lady. Please wait for it to stop before going back," said Cui Liu, lifting the curtain. The wind blew rain in.
The rain blew into Li Shan's face and she scolded Cui Liu, "Close the curtain quickly!"
The storm forced the convoy to stop and take shelter at a roadside teahouse. The teahouse was simple, but they could move around, which was much more comfortable than sitting in the carriages.
After noon, the rain stopped and the convoy continued on its way. But due to the delay, they did not reach the next town as scheduled and had to camp outside a suburb.
Li Ming had Li Hui take Li Chou and Li Guang to bring the family guards and yamen runners to check the surroundings for wild beasts, and spread insect- and snake-repelling powder. The weather was quite hot and there were many mosquitoes.
Without chess to occupy her, Li Xia bounced around happily. Auntie Mei reached out to pinch Li Xia. Really, so shameless in front of everyone. Li Xia put on an ingratiating smile and carefully moved out of reach of Auntie Mei's pinching hand. Auntie Mei's pinching skills were becoming more and more adept. Auntie Mei helplessly lowered her hand, signaling with her eyes for Li Xia to pay more attention to her image.
The servants had set up simple makeshift toilets. Li Xia went there with Qiu Kui and Qiu Shui. Upon arrival, they saw Li Shan scolding the servants in dissatisfaction, "Why didn't you burn incense?" The smell is so strong, how can I go in?
"The incense was put away. It's hard to find now that it's dark. Young ladies, please bear with it for now," the attending old woman carefully explained. Given the sudden situation, they had done remarkably well.
Li Shan wanted to leave instead of going in, but her belly could not stand it any longer. She took a handkerchief from her maid and put it over her nose before going in reluctantly. When she came out, she looked at the old woman standing to the side and said resentfully, "I will definitely tell my mother you were lazy." Then she walked past Li Xia, deliberately kicking the mud on the ground.
Li Xia easily dodged to the side, causing Li Shan to lose her balance because of the kick. Fortunately her maid Cui Liu was there to steady her, otherwise she would have fallen.
Li Shan straightened up and glared at Li Xia several times, very angry that she had dodged. Her eyes conveyed why Li Xia had dodged.
"If you want to kick me, why would I not dodge?" Seeing Li Shan's puffy angry little face, Li Xia found it quite funny.
There it was again. Li Shan always felt that Li Xia saw her as an ignorant child. Li Shan wanted to say more but when she looked up and saw Li Xin approaching, she forcibly suppressed her anger and strode away quickly. She did not want to stay here one more second.
"Third young lady really gets angry all the time," Qiu Shui behind Li Xia could not help sighing.
"Just a child's temper," said Li Xia, making Li Xin behind her laugh out loud.
"You're not much older than her."
Li Xia handed the handkerchief to Li Xin, "Eldest sister, cover your nose."
Li Xin took the handkerchief and tied it over her nose and mouth like Li Xia.
When she came out, she untied the handkerchief and took big breaths of fresh air. "Thank you, younger sister, for the handkerchief. I'll wash it and return it to you later."
"Eldest sister, you're too polite. It's just a handkerchief. I'm giving it to you," said Li Xia before going inside. Compared to eating in a pile of zombies in her past life, this kind of environment was nothing.
After relieving herself, Li Xia took Qiu Kui and Qiu Shui to walk around the vicinity. Qiu Kui and Qiu Shui thought Li Xia just wanted to move around after sitting too long. But they did not know Li Xia had released her wind abilities to scan the surroundings. The wind abilities swept over the area, giving her a complete picture in her mind.
"Qiu Shui, you have good eyes. See if there's something shiny over there?"
Qiu Shui walked forward a few steps in the direction Li Xia indicated and cried out in alarm, "Young lady, is that a blade?"
Li Xia and Qiu Kui went forward a few more steps and saw it was a broken knife. Qiu Shui and Qiu Kui looked around fearfully.
"Younger sister, what's the matter?" Hearing the commotion, Li Hui came over with Li Chou and Li Guang. Seeing the knife on the ground, their expressions also changed. "Zhang Hu."
A lanky youth in a plain robe walked out from behind. He went forward to examine the broken knife carefully. "Eldest young master, this is the knife issued by the court to the county constables. And the break on this knife looks freshly cut by a sharp object."
Zhang Hu's father was Zhang the Chief Constable. Because of the human trafficker case last time, Li Hui had become acquainted with Zhang the Chief Constable. Knowing that Li Hui had a promising future, Zhang had sent his younger son to serve under Li Hui. Zhang Hu had followed his father from a young age and learned many skills. Li Hui held Zhang Hu in high regard.
Looking at the broken knife, Li Hui knew from his involvement in the human trafficker case and the procedures constables followed in investigating cases that constables were not allowed to casually discard or abandon damaged knives, but had to collect them to turn them in. Yet this one had been carelessly left here. Li Hui glanced at Li Xia, "Go back to Mother first." Li Xia did not ask further and responded obediently before leaving.