The Retired Life of the Nine - Time Go Champion
Since Ke Jie – oh no, he should now be called Old Ke – announced "I'm not competing anymore," his life has undergone tremendous changes. From a Go genius under the spotlight to an ordinary old man haggling in the farmers market, it took Old Ke a long time to adjust to this gap.
"Life is about being down-to-earth," Old Ke said to himself in the mirror. He set a goal for himself: learn to bargain within a week.
On the first day, Old Ke came to the farmers market and went straight to the vegetable stall.
"Boss, how much are these cabbages?" Old Ke tried to look approachable.
"Two yuan and fifty cents a pound," the boss said without looking up.
"Can it be cheaper?" Old Ke mustered his courage and began his first bargaining attempt.
The boss looked up, glanced at Old Ke, and smiled: "You're the first person to ask me 'Can it be cheaper?' Everyone else just asks 'How much?'"
Old Ke was stunned. Was there some skill to bargaining?
"How about this, seeing as you're so sincere, two yuan and forty cents a pound," the boss said.
Old Ke immediately felt like he had won. He proudly bought the cabbage, thinking: bargaining is nothing more than this.
On the second day, Old Ke came to the fruit stall.
"Boss, how much are these apples?"
"Five yuan a pound."
Old Ke took a deep breath, ready to use his bargaining skills.
"Can it be... four yuan and fifty cents?"
The boss smiled: "Young man, your bargaining is too direct, isn't it? How about this, guess how many pounds of apples I sold today, and if you guess right, it's four yuan and fifty cents a pound."
Old Ke was dumbfounded. How would he know how many pounds of apples the boss sold? He wasn't good at calculations.
"Can't guess, right? Then it's five yuan," the boss said triumphantly.
Old Ke reluctantly bought the apples, thinking: it seems bargaining isn't that easy.
On the third day, Old Ke decided to change his strategy. Instead of bargaining directly, he started chatting with the boss.
"Boss, these oranges are so fresh, where did you get them from?"
"Hainan."
"Hainan oranges are good, I've been to Hainan before, the scenery there is very beautiful..."
Old Ke talked non-stop, and the boss listened with interest.
"Boss, seeing as we're getting along so well, can these oranges be cheaper?" Old Ke finally said his purpose.
The boss smiled: "Young man, I've seen your tricks too many times. But seeing as you're so talkative, I'll give you a discount of fifty cents."
Old Ke excitedly bought the oranges, thinking: it seems chatting is also a bargaining skill.
However, in the following days, Old Ke's bargaining journey was not smooth. He encountered all kinds of bosses, some who wouldn't budge, some who were eloquent, and some who simply ignored him.
Old Ke began to doubt his life. Was he really not suited for this ordinary life? Was he destined to only live in the world of Go?
One day, Old Ke was walking in the park when he saw some old men playing Chinese chess. He suddenly had an idea and went over to watch.
"This move won't work, you should move like this..." Old Ke couldn't help but point out.
The old man playing chess glanced at him and said dismissively: "What do you know? This is called 'sacrificing the chariot to protect the general.'"
Old Ke smiled: "Sacrificing the chariot to protect the general? You're 'losing the pawn to protect the chariot,' right?"
The old man was unconvinced and insisted on playing a game with Old Ke.
As a result, Old Ke quickly defeated the old man completely.
"Who... who are you?" the old man asked in horror.
"Me? I'm just a retired Go enthusiast," Old Ke said modestly.
The old man was even more shocked. He knew that someone who could play Chinese chess so well must be even better at Go.
From then on, Old Ke became a Chinese chess master in the park. Every day, many people came to him to play chess and ask him for advice on chess skills.
Old Ke also enjoyed it. He discovered that even if he left the world of Go, he could still find his value.
One day, while Old Ke was playing chess with an old man, he suddenly received a call.
"Old Ke, I have good news for you, the International Go Association has invited you to participate in an exhibition match." A familiar voice came from the phone.
Old Ke was stunned. He had already announced "I'm not competing anymore," so why were they looking for him again?
"I'm not going," Old Ke said without hesitation.
"Don't rush to refuse, the prize money for this exhibition match is very high, and there are also many beautiful female Go players participating..."
"I said I'm not going!" Old Ke hung up the phone.
He turned around and continued playing chess with the old man.
"Checkmate!" Old Ke said with a smile.
The old man shook his head helplessly: "Your chess skills are too good, I surrender."
Old Ke laughed. He felt that playing Chinese chess was more interesting than playing Go. Because in the world of Chinese chess, he could play freely, without having to consider too many rules and strategies.
As the sun set, Old Ke said goodbye to the old man and walked home. He suddenly felt that life was actually very simple, as long as you found your joy, you could live a wonderful life.
As for Go, let it stay in his memory. After all, he was already a retired Go enthusiast.