Su Lin took a sip of her peach juice and nodded quietly. Gao Han was expecting her to ask questions, or cry, or do something. So he could only continue and try to simplify his language, "Your parents are now not here, but they could come back later- we don't know when. In the meantime, you have to move out of your apartment since its rented and you can't stay there alone. Because I am not your family or relative, I cannot formally take guardianship of you without their consent. You have two options, you can stay at my place temporarily. Then, I can visit your grandparents to see if they are willing to let me look after you. If they disagree, we can think about this again. Or I can arrange for you to go to an orphanage. They will contact your parents when they find them. Of course, you can still come to me for anything you need."
Gao Han stopped speaking, wondering if what he said was too complicated for a 5-year old. But was there a way to say these things simply? On the other hand, little Su was contemplating the term "orphanage". She didn't know what the word meant. Of course, she would like to stay with instructor Gao, but she had already brought him enough trouble. She didn't want him to get disgusted with her, and leave too. If Gao Han could hear her thoughts, he would definitely tell her to stop overthinking. Unfortunately, he didn't know what she was thinking.
"I want to go...to the orphanage," little Su said after a pause, even though she had no clue what that place was. "But I still want to learn chess from you. If I win in chess and become famous, mom will surely come back. Oh, but I don't have any money. Can't pay the fees." She was dejected, finally remembering how her mother had to pay the instructor money for her lessons.
Instructor Gao coughed, surprised at the girl's thought process. He wasn't sure if she was naive or meticulous. "Of course you can still learn from me. I will pick you up in the morning, and deliver you back after the lessons. Don't worry about money; your mother paid advance fees for six months. Once you become a strong player, you can also teach others to earn money," he clarified.
"Thank you, instructor Gao," little Su didn't forget her manners.
After getting out of the eatery, Gao Han drove little Su to his apartment. In stark contrast to the spacious rooms of the chess academy, his apartment was a 440 square feet studio. It only had space for a queen bed, a couple of couches, a few bar stools, a bookcase and a closet. Just with this meager assortment of furniture, the room looked cluttered. Definitely not a place where you could take long-term care of a child. He did not have anything to entertain children either.
After getting Su Lin a glass of warm milk, Gao Han asked, "What do you want to do now? You can take rest and sleep if you want. Or I can teach you some more things in chess."
"Chess," little Su answered concisely.
Accordingly, Gao Han took out a chess board and began to explain to her the mysteries of chess opening theories. "Most dedicated players memorize more than a dozen opening moves, along with their variations. They learn these moves from the previous games played by Grandmasters and choose the specifics according to their style of play. Memorizing the moves can help to save time during a tournament. Today, I will teach you the "exchange variation" of Ruy Lopez. This opening is named after a 16th century bishop from Spain, Ruy López de Segura. It is very popular with players." One adult and one child were soon immersed in their own world.
(Link showing Ruy Lopez exchange variation: https://bit.ly/2Iw7om1)