Above the String of Tai Chi

Chapter 2 - Seeing Shao Kangjie [Shao Yong]

'Cut!  You gave me some powerful masters.  All of them are superior, but do they have anything to do with me?  Look, who paid attention to me?

All of them are arrogant, looking at me from the bottom of their eyes.  I have learned nothing; yet, I have a false name.  It seems that all you want to is to cheat me...!

It's really better to let Shao Kangjie be my master.  He can also make my prediction ability in "Plum Blossoms Easy Numbers" more refined.  That would be more practical.'

I went into 'ding' state angrily.

I am flying in the 'ding' state.  It seems to be cloudy everywhere, unique to the waterside...

The moisture on the face makes people feel refreshed.  Serene.

And extremely comfortable...

'Jiangnan?  So much moisture....  Air lubrication, so comfortable...!'

I lamented....

People who have lived in the north for a long time, have been desiccated, and are most sensitive to this warm climate.

This is a waterside, with reeds on one side.  Not far in front, the riverside is exposed...

Suddenly, a small boat docked.  An old man in his fifties stepped down from it.

The old man is 1.75 meters tall.  His figure is like that of a Jiangnan person, but thinner.  He was dressed in light blue, with two short pants and a jacket, and leggings tied underneath.  His hair was bound with a blue silk handkerchief.

The old man, with square face and delicate features, is elegant and down-to-earth.  Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to my head...

'Ah...! Master Shao Kangjie, Master Shao Kangjie!' I shouted in a hurry...

After a while, I stopped.  I knew that he can't see nor hear me.  Withered, I slowly followed and flew behind him...

The old man came to a row of bungalows.  In front of the house was a vegetable field planted with Chinese cabbages, which had already been turned over.  But judging by the size of the cabbages, it seems that you have to wait for a while longer to harvest them.

In the front of the bungalow is a gate made of branches.  The old man pushed open the gate and walked on the paved path in the middle.

There are two rooms in the house.  Once inside, the first is the kitchen.  Further inside is the place for sleeping.

Suddenly, I was a little disappointed.  Shao Kangjie was regarded as a great scholar!  With his ability to predict, he could have earned a fortune for himself...!  Why is he so poor...?

Or maybe he wanted to be noble, didn't want to associate with lay people, and was willing to remain pure...?

But at least, he should have gotten a study room for himself.  No...?

Look at the kitchen.  An old woman made it all smoky.  Looks like she's cooking.  It was evening time.

Heck!  This is the same as the stove in the northeast.  On the top, there's a big iron pot, covered with a lid, steaming with vapor.

'You're home...!' The old lady, delivering firewood to the dry pit without raising her head, and said.

'Ok,' the old man responded, stood there, and looked at the old lady.

'Go in and take a rest.  Dinner will be ready soon.'

Shao Kanjie responded ok, lifted his legs, and went into the back room.

I thought about following him, but I couldn't.  What if the master is changing clothes?  Right...! No matter how soul like I am, I'm still a woman...!

I was so happy.  I thought to myself.  Master, no matter how good and smart you are, even if you exhausted yourself in divination, you would have never thought that there's a person, born after two thousand years after your time, who flew here and peeped at you...

Later, Shao Kangjie really became my hidden teacher.  I was very glad that I didn't enter the house at that time, and paid all my respect to my master.

I, in the 'ding' state, my soul returned.

Upon opening my eyes, I was happy. It seems that this mysterious and invisible...  Sometimes it's very caring, at least let me see, great philosopher, Shao Kangjie, whom I respected from the bottom of my heart.

'Thank you,' I muttered.