Chapter 116 - 22

Words : 1038 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 116: Chapter 22Reading and reading, Li Zhiyuan felt hungry, but Aunt Liu hadn’t called for meal yet, and she was still busy preparing dishes in the kitchen. Breakfast was called early because of Xue Liangliang, and lunch was delayed due to Run Sheng’s arrival. By now, everyone must be hungry. Li Zhiyuan picked some snacks from his room, placed them between himself and Alii, while mentally noting to remind Uncle Qin to buy snacks in pairs next time, so he wouldn’t have trouble choosing because Alii liked to eat the same snacks as him. Last night, when he came back riding the tractor, Grandmaster brought a case of Jianlibao for him, and Li Zhiyuan also took two bottles, opened them, and put them in front of Alii. Alii held the Jianlibao with both hands, looking down, carefully observing it. Li Zhiyuan immediately said, "Drink it. Don’t save it." Alii lowered her head even more. "If you like it, I’ll get you an unopened bottle later." Since this product has a long shelf life and is sealed, Li Zhiyuan thought that since Grandma Liu had experienced the torment of stinky duck eggs, she should be able to easily accept a pull-tab can. Alii immediately picked up the beverage, mimicked Li Zhiyuan by taking a sip, and then stuck out her tongue, licking her lips. "Is this your first time drinking it?" Alii looked at him, her expression not very expressive, but Li Zhiyuan always understood her. "If you like it, I still have a case at my place; you can drink one bottle and take another one each time. When it’s finished, I’ll ask Grandmaster to buy more." Alii drank another sip quickly, and though there were no other actions, in Li Zhiyuan’s mind it seemed to emerge: A cute little girl holding Jianlibao, her eyebrows and eyes curved, happily swinging her legs. "Shall we play chess?" At this, Alii immediately took out the small chess box that had been beside her. After setting up the chessboard, Li Zhiyuan and Alii started playing. Both usually played speed chess, but this time, by the midgame, it was evenly matched, and they fought hard until the endgame, where Li Zhiyuan just barely lost. This was the hardest victory Alii had won since they started playing chess. The girl looked up at Li Zhiyuan, not unhappy at all, but even brighter. Li Zhiyuan, having lost the game, smiled, as he whimsically applied some of the algorithms from Life Chart Calculation Theory to Go, achieving unexpected effects. The chessboard was still the same, but in Li Zhiyuan’s eyes, it had come alive, making his chess moves more flexible and varied. seaʀᴄh thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, when the second game started, Li Zhiyuan noticed that Alii’s style had changed. After he had reminded her not to let him win, she indeed no longer deliberately tried to lose to him, but she didn’t mind playing more with him. What she cared about was the process, and winning, for her, was just an inevitable result. This time, Li Zhiyuan found that Alii’s style of play had suddenly become more stable, step by step, barely giving any loopholes or chances for him, no matter how flexible his play was, in front of a mountain, it was pointless. He lost, overwhelmed by the girl’s chess skills. Indeed, whether it’s face reading or fortune telling, it’s just another perspective to see the world, and you, are still yourself. Having an extra perspective is good, equivalent to having an extra pair of eyes or ears, but if you are too obsessed with it, thinking that mastering it allows you to do whatever you want, like a small ant standing on an elephant’s head looking out, thinking it’s mighty, that’s just ridiculous. Seeing Li Zhiyuan silent, Alii reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve. Li Zhiyuan showed a warm smile, "I was just thinking about something from the book, not because I lost the game. How could I be unhappy losing to Alii?" Just as he reassured her, Aunt Liu finally called for lunch downstairs. The tables were still separated, but since Run Sheng’s arrival, Li Sanjiang finally had a companion in his solitude. Li Zhiyuan first served Alii a small plate, just picked up his chopsticks to take a few bites, when he heard a "gurgle gurgle" sound from behind, like a dry thunder in a parched field. Turning around, he saw Run Sheng, sitting in the corner, his stomach rumbling. In his rice bowl was a big incense stick made by Aunt Liu herself, already lit and burning, and he was currently sitting there, waiting for the incense to burn completely. Once past the peak of hunger, the sensation often doesn’t feel as intense, but when delicious food is again placed in front of you, the quiet hunger can return with double force. The feeling of seeing it close yet having to endure and wait timed to burn the incense, for Run Sheng, was indeed a kind of torture. Li Zhiyuan curiously asked, "Brother Runsheng, do you have to wait for the incense to burn completely before you can eat?" "Uh, yes." Run Sheng swallowed hard, then mimed a stirring action, "Needing to mix it with the ash to make it palatable." Li Zhiyuan remembered this habit; Run Sheng had told him before, but this time he wanted to ask, "Brother Runsheng, is there a big difference between eating it after it turns to ash and eating it directly?" "Ah?" Run Sheng paused, "I actually never thought about it, isn’t it normal for everyone to wait for the incense to burn completely?" "But do normal people mix their rice with incense ash?" "Well... should I try?" Run Sheng pulled the incense stick out of his rice bowl, took a bite from its unlit end, and while chewing, not only did his face not show agony, his brows even relaxed, seemingly finding it especially refreshing. Following that, he eagerly shovelled several large mouthfuls of rice, and after swallowing, looked at the incense stick in his hand with a face full of surprise, exclaiming:

Chapter 116 - 22

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