“Ah! I saw that news a while ago about a new transmigrator who traveled forty years and went by a pseudonym. It turns out it’s you!” The old folks exclaimed in amazement and then curiously gathered around. It’s quite surprising to see a young person who actually belongs to their generation. 

Fortunately, this community used to be housing assigned to retired professors from Haida University, and the newly built small buildings mainly house intellectuals. Few of them are fond of gossiping. Those who know Jiang Zhonglin and interact with him are mostly people who were notable in their own fields and prefer focusing on their work rather than meddling in others’ affairs. Therefore, they are very friendly towards this ‘old-young couple.’

Among them, Mr. Nie and his wife, whom Yu Yao had met before, were particularly warm. Yu Yao had to join Jiang Zhonglin for meals at their home twice.

Once the neighbors learned about the situation, life was much calmer than Yu Yao expected. Nobody came to watch her; people only spoke with her when she went out to buy groceries or essentials, or when picking up packages. Familiar old folks would chat with her.

Some would even reminisce about the old days. This felt strange to Yu Yao because, for her, the world forty years ago was only just over a month old. For these old folks, however, it was a time to ‘look back.’ So, during conversations, Yu Yao often felt a sense of disorientation.

There are also younger residents in the community, including Jiang Zhonglin’s students. However, when his students greeted him and saw Yu Yao nearby, they were too shy to ask who she was. After exchanging greetings, they would quickly leave. Thus, Yu Yao hasn’t yet gained recognition among Jiang Zhonglin’s student circle, which is a bit regrettable.

Yu Yao is someone who can’t stay home for long. Unlike Jiang Zhonglin, who can calmly stay at home for days working on academic research, Yu Yao needs to get out and stretch her legs every day, even if just to walk around a bit.

In addition to jogging and buying groceries every morning, she also takes walks in the evenings when the weather is good, with Jiang Zhonglin accompanying her.

One evening, as they walked under the streetlights, they encountered several old men playing chess under a sycamore tree. When they saw Jiang Zhonglin, they eagerly invited him to join a game.

“Old Jiang, come help me out! This guy is too good and has beaten me badly. Come and take him down a notch!”

“Ah, you always call for reinforcements when you lose!”

“There’s no shame in asking for help. Old Jiang, come and sit with me!”

Jiang Zhonglin, being acquainted with them, sat down to play. Yu Yao stood by and watched. An old lady next to her whispered, “Your Old Jiang is really good at chess. Unlike my old man, who is terrible at it and never admits defeat. Everyone else is afraid of him.”

The old man who had given Jiang Zhonglin a seat laughed, “You can’t say that. We play chess to improve ourselves, and winning or losing isn’t important.”

The old lady retorted, “If it’s not important, why do you need someone else to help you win a game?”

Yu Yao had only encountered chess during extracurricular activities in elementary school and had learned a bit, knowing only the ‘Double Cannon Checkmate.’ Even with her limited understanding, she could tell that Jiang Zhonglin played chess very well. Within a short time, he had captured several of his opponent’s key pieces, and the onlookers occasionally clapped or expressed their admiration, or sympathized with the other old man.