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Qi Qi's parents passed away when she was young. Her earliest memories were woven entirely into the warmth of her grandfather's back.\nOld Qi's left leg was useless, dragging heavily behind him with every step. The townsfolk called him "Qi the Lame." Anyone foolish enough to call him that to his face, however, found themselves thoroughly and quietly dismantled on the chessboard. He kept the two of them alive just by playing the game. It barely brought in any coin, but it was enough to keep them in warm flatbread.\nGrowing up, Qi Qi spent her days clinging to Old Qi's back, watching the board. While other children were learning their letters, she was learning the stones. Old Qi played in silence, never rushing a move. His opponents always started out fierce and blustering, but as the match wore on, a heavy quiet would fall over them until they were left staring blankly at the board. That was when Qi Qi knew her grandfather had won again.\nShe watched him play for years. One day, Old Qi set up a tricky endgame on the board, pulled her close, and told her to make a move. She casually slid a piece forward. Old Qi stared at the board for a long, quiet moment, just as a single autumn leaf drifted down onto the pieces. The very next day, he bought her a sugar figurine.\nIt was winter when Old Qi's illness finally took hold. Halfway through a match, he would have to close his eyes and gasp for breath. Thinking they had found an opening, his opponents would press the attack, only for the old man to open his eyes and checkmate them in three moves. But his rhythm was changing. His play was growing frantic.\nThat same winter, a teacher arrived in town.\nCarrying a heavy wooden book-box, she settled into the dilapidated temple at the east end of town. During the day, she taught the local children to read for free. They called her "Teacher Shen." She, too, loved the game, and every day she would come to the old tree to play against Old Qi. When she lost, she would quietly leave a few copper coins on the edge of the board. When she won, she refused to take a single copper in return.\nHalf a month slipped by. On the day Teacher Shen was meant to leave, she sat down with Old Qi for one final match.\nIt was an agonizingly slow game. Old Qi weighed every single move. Midway through, he was suddenly seized by a coughing fit so violent it doubled him over in his chair. When the spasms finally subsided, he placed his piece.\nAnd then, he lost.\nOld Qi stared at the board. He coughed for a long time before finally whispering, "I have no money to pay you."\nTeacher Shen said nothing.\nOld Qi pointed a weathered finger at Qi Qi. "Take the child. Let her carry your books. Take her with you."\nQi Qi shot to her feet. Old Qi refused to look at her. Teacher Shen looked at the little girl, then back down at the chessboard, and simply said, "Alright."\n"I'm not going anywhere," Qi Qi said.\nOld Qi finally met her eyes. "This teacher's chess is far better than your grandpa's," he said softly. "Go. Once you have learned all the chess this world has to offer... then you can come back and find me."\nAnd so, she took to the road. But the moment she reached the edge of town, she turned around and ran all the way back. When she reached the old tree, the chessboard was still sitting there, but her grandfather had gone inside. The door was shut. She stood in the cold for a long time before gently pushing the door open, just a crack. Inside, with his back to the door, she saw her grandfather's shoulders shaking in the dim light.\nShe gently pulled the door shut and whispered into the winter air, "Goodbye."