My carefree life in space

Chapter 68 The Charm of Go

Lin Shushu saw Lin Keke's provocation, but she didn't respond because it wasn't convenient to do so in the live stream.

Lin Keke's fans criticized her on the StarNet, which gave her the opportunity to speak out; otherwise, she wouldn't have had a reason to 'instruct' Lin Keke.

Lin Keke kept saying she wanted to ask me for advice, so I'll grant her wish.

So Lin Shushu published another article on StarNet, titled "Victory is delightful, but defeat is also acceptable." The article caused a sensation as soon as it was published.

"Go, known as Yi in ancient China, can be considered the ancestor of many board games. Playing Go refers to playing Go, and later extended to Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and other games."

Go uses a rectangular grid board with 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines and 361 intersections. The pieces must be placed on the intersections of empty, non-forbidden points.

Go, also known as "hand talk," is played between two players, one black and one white. The black player moves first and cannot move or take back a move after it is placed. The player who occupies more area on the board wins when one of them has no more moves to place.

The rules of Go are very simple, yet it offers a vast space for placing stones, making the game incredibly diverse.

Playing Go is very helpful for developing human intelligence. It can enhance calculation ability, memory, judgment, and also improve a person's ability to control attention.

In ancient China, learned and high-ranking people enjoyed playing Go for leisure and entertainment, which not only honed their ability to consider the overall situation but also enhanced their strategic thinking.

Furthermore, Go, as a specific cultural form and an elegant form of entertainment, has had a deep connection with literature since ancient times.

In ancient China, there was a poet named Su Dongpo. While watching others play Go, he was captivated by the atmosphere of the game and wrote the lines, "No human voices are heard, only the sound of stones being placed," and "Victory is certainly joyful, defeat is also acceptable," perfectly capturing the essence of the game.

At the end of the article, Lin Shushu also uploaded a picture of an ancient painting, which she found on her social media.

The scene depicts two people dressed in ancient costumes playing chess in a pavilion, with the black and white chess pieces clearly visible on the board. Outside the pavilion is a small bridge over a flowing stream, and behind it are majestic mountains. The whole scene is tranquil and serene, full of artistic conception.

After the article was published, Lin Keke's fans, who had been making a fuss, immediately fell silent. However, for the time being, no one paid attention to them anymore, as the vast majority of netizens were captivated by the article's content.

Soon, the comment section below the article was flooded with comments.

"This game of Go looks quite interesting. Has anyone figured out its rules?"

"The article explains it very clearly; I suggest you read it a few more times."

"The blogger said that playing Go can develop intelligence. I'm still a 360-month-old baby. If I start learning Go now, will my intelligence still grow?"

“‘Hand talk’, what a unique way to say it. I can’t wait to have a ‘hand talk’ with someone.”

"Then you'll have to wait for someone to make the chessboard and pieces."

"This chessboard and pieces look very simple. Does anyone have one made at home? I'd like to order one."

"Oh my god, what am I seeing? Ahhh! These are the bullets I used to shoot with my slingshot when I was a kid! Oh my god, what a waste of good stuff!"

"Upstairs, are you serious? I don't think I've ever seen this chess piece in any museum before. You actually have it at home?"

"It's absolutely true. This is a family heirloom, but unfortunately no one recognizes it. When I was a kid, I used it as bullets when I played with slingshots. And you know what? It actually worked quite well."

Am I the only one who noticed something special about this picture?

"Upstairs, you're not alone. I noticed it too. This painting is clearly a very precious ancient painting. I didn't expect the blogger to have it."

"My God, who exactly is this blogger? I knew he was no ordinary person after his last post refuting a certain goddess. I never expected there to be something even more shocking."

"Speaking of which, did you notice that the person who was just clamoring for the blogger to explain 'chess game' was a fan of a certain goddess?"

"Hahaha, they must have thought the blogger didn't know, but they've been proven wrong! They've bitten off more than they can chew, it's hilarious!"

Soon, a new wave of trending topics appeared online.

The "anti-counterfeiting expert" explains what "playing chess" means.

Have you ever heard of Go?

Provocation backfires and gets slapped in the face

An ancient painting has been discovered; who is this "fake-busting expert"?

"Ouyang, look at the trending topics!" Ouyang Zhenliang, who had just stepped out of the Royal Academy of Ancient Culture Research Institute, heard someone call him from behind.

He turned around curiously, "Old Yan, what did you just ask me to look at?"

Yan Hongbo was Ouyang Zhenliang's colleague and friend, and also a member of the Institute of Ancient Culture.

He walked quickly to Ouyang Zhenliang and handed him his personal terminal.

Upon seeing this, Ouyang Zhenliang was immediately drawn in. Lin Keke had asked him about the meaning of "playing chess" just yesterday, and he genuinely didn't know, but he had taken note of it and was preparing to look up some information to see if he could discover anything.

Unexpectedly, someone provided an explanation—it was the same "expert on debunking" who had questioned Lin Keke before. What surprised him even more was that this person possessed such a complete ancient painting, which piqued his interest. Now, he was even more intrigued by this person and couldn't wait to meet him.

Yan Hongbai's voice came from beside him, "Ouyang, so this is Go. I've seen these black and white stones before, but I didn't know what they were used for. I'll go find them now, and we can have a 'game' together."

"Do you have a chessboard?" Ouyang Zhenliang interrupted him, pulling him back to reality.

"Oh, the article makes it sound very simple. We can start with a drawing and then make a more detailed one later. I can't wait to experience what it's like to play chess."

Ouyang Zhenliang had no choice but to accompany him to find chess pieces, putting aside the matter of getting to know people for the time being.

The article had such a huge impact that some people actually sensed a business opportunity in it.

Li Ke is the head of a small factory on the verge of bankruptcy. The factory has not received any orders for six months, and he is about to be unable to pay wages. Just when he was at a loss, he saw Lin Shushu's article.

So he sent a private message to Lin Shushu, expressing his intention to buy the blueprints. Lin Shushu had just been about to leave StarNet when she received this private message.

After a brief consideration, she agreed to Li Ke's request, but asked for no payment, only hoping that he wouldn't set the price too high.

Li Ke readily agreed and said that he would set a reasonable price after the costs were determined and then report back to her.

Lin Shushu isn't some saintly figure who gives things away for nothing.

She didn't want any payment. Firstly, it wasn't her patent, and she would feel guilty if she took payment. Secondly, it was a good thing; with the mass production of chessboards and pieces, more people would learn Go, and ancient Chinese culture could flourish in space.

The loss of a culture is a tragic thing. Even if time and space were different, Lin Shushu would not want the culture she was familiar with to be lost forever. She wanted to preserve as much as possible. This was a persistence ingrained in her bones as a Chinese person.