酷米客公交

That day, after finishing their meal and taking their medicine, the three of them sat down to play chess at the stone table in the yard.

Shen Junqing watched as Bai Chen and Grandpa An played against each other.

“I made a mistake with this move, I need to redo it,” Grandpa An said.

Bai Chen replied, “…Okay.”

“White, how can you make this move? No, you can’t move here!” Grandpa An exclaimed.

Bai Chen responded, “…Okay, I’ll change my move.”

“You’re a novice, I’ve been playing chess for decades, it must be your mistake. Don’t believe me? Let Shen Xiaoye come over and judge,” Grandpa An insisted.

Bai Chen reluctantly admitted, “…It was my mistake.”

Shen Junqing remained silent.

He only observed the game.

Silence during a chess game is a mark of a true gentleman!

Bai Chen felt overwhelmed by the game. He felt like the pieces in his hand were like hot potatoes. He could only go along with what Grandpa An said: “I’ll do as you say.”

Then, he glanced at Shen Junqing, hoping he would switch places with him! He couldn’t bear to continue playing with Grandpa An. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack.

Shen Junqing pretended not to see Bai Chen’s pleading eyes and turned away.

Seriously.

He had just managed to escape from Grandpa An’s clutches!

He was going to stick to the principle of not abandoning his friend in times of need!

Seeing that Shen Junqing had no intention of swapping with him and was just watching on the sidelines, Bai Chen couldn’t help but consider pretending to feel unwell and escaping from playing chess with Grandpa An.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Grandpa An, holding a chess piece, looked puzzled. “Hmm, who could it be at this hour?”

Bai Chen quickly put down his chess pieces and moved his wheelchair back a bit. “Could it be Hua Lao or Yan Yan returning?”

Shen Junqing sighed thoughtfully. “I wonder what they’ve been busy with. It’s been four or five days, and there’s been no sign of them.”

“Hua Lao and Sun Lao used to come back every day, but now they’ve suddenly disappeared without a word. It’s worrying,” he continued.

“Yan Yan used to disappear for several days at a time before, but now even Hua Lao and Sun Lao are missing. They must be busy with something important,” Grandpa An added.

“Let’s see if it’s them returning…”

That’s what they all hoped for.

With three people, two of whom were wheelchair-bound patients, only Grandpa An could go to open the door.

Shen Junqing and Bai Chen thought it might be Nan Yan, so when Grandpa An went to open the door, they also wheeled themselves over.

The door opened, but the person standing outside was not who they hoped to see.

“Who are you people?”