Under Grandpa Sun's explanation, Qin Tian finally understood what was going on and couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration.
Of course, Grandpa Xia vehemently denied any mention of his grandson-in-law being the top scorer in the college entrance examination, feigning memory loss due to old age.
Grandpa Xia was not short on money and had complete fishing gear, so he chose a spot a little further from them to sit down.
"Xiao Qin, come over and chat with Grandpa!"
The old man beckoned with a smile.
"Alright!"
Qin Tian agreed and said to Grandma Liu, "Grandma, I'm going over to sit for a while."
"Go ahead!"
Grandma Liu nodded with a kind smile.
Qin Tian then got up, moved his chair, and sat down next to Grandpa Xia, casually asking, "Grandpa, has Nuannuan woken up yet?"
"Not yet, that girl tends to sleep in when she's on vacation. She was like this when she was little," Grandpa Xia said with a smile.
"It's the same for me, I just woke up and was dragged here by Grandpa Sun to play. I didn't expect you and Grandpa Sun to know each other, what a coincidence."
"It's normal, Yucheng is this small. Many old guys like us, who have nothing else to do and enjoy fishing and playing chess all day, know each other."
"That's true!"
"Your Aunt Su mentioned that you and our Nuannuan bought a house together in Jiangcheng? With your own money?" Grandpa Xia asked curiously.
"Yes, I made some money from stock trading. I heard Uncle and Aunt say they wanted to buy a house for Xia Nuannuan, so I bought one too. Like yours, it's on the same floor, two adjacent units." Qin Tian replied with a smile.
"Good, good, good." Grandpa Xia repeatedly praised, his smile full of satisfaction, "Our Nuannuan has excellent taste. You're so young, not only good at studies but also capable. When Nuannuan's father was your age, he still relied on me for financial support when he was out making a living."
"Times have changed. I was just lucky to make a little money. Uncle Xia started from scratch and is so successful now. There's still a lot I need to learn from him!"
"Hahaha... Good kid, humility is a good habit."
"Of course, otherwise, you'd be too boastful like this old Xia, and that wouldn't be good!" Grandpa Sun chimed in unexpectedly.
He had been eavesdropping on their conversation and was quite shocked to hear the news that Qin Tian had bought a house in Jiangcheng.
"Hey... you old Sun, I'm talking to my grandson-in-law, what's it to you?" Grandpa Xia glared at him in embarrassment and anger.
"Why isn't it my business? I watched Xiao Tian grow up, he's like my own grandson, understand?"
"Bah, you old Sun, you're taking advantage of our Xiao Tian. Just watching him grow up makes him your grandson? Then how many grandchildren do I have?"
"I can't be bothered to argue with you."
"I don't want to bother with you either. Don't talk, you're interrupting my chat with my grandson-in-law."
"Okay, okay, Grandpa, Grandpa Sun, you're both my grandpas, don't quarrel!" Qin Tian said with a wry smile, trying to mediate.
The two old men snorted simultaneously and, like mischievous children, turned their heads away.
Grandma Liu sat there smiling and silent, clearly accustomed to the situation.
"Xiao Qin, don't listen to that old Sun's nonsense. He just likes to babble. I'm never boastful. Don't you think our Nuannuan has a good personality? She learned it from me," Grandpa Xia said seriously.
Qin Tian chuckled dumbly, of course, not believing a word of it. In his opinion, Nuannuan's good personality was likely due to her future mother-in-law.
"Old Xia, who is this handsome young man? Your grandson?" Just then, two elderly men with fishing gear walked by. Upon seeing Qin Tian sitting next to Grandpa Xia, one of them asked with a smile.
"You two are just arriving!" Grandpa Xia greeted them with a full smile and introduced, "This is my grandson-in-law, the one I told you about last time."
"Oh! I remember now, the top scorer in the college entrance examination!" The old man suddenly slapped his forehead, saying with a look of shock.
"He was the perfect score top scorer, it was even in the newspaper," the other old man next to him corrected with surprise.
"That's right!" Grandpa Xia nodded, beaming, and casually added, "He just came back from university with my granddaughter yesterday to celebrate the holiday. He's only been at university for a month, and he bought a house in Jiangcheng a few days ago. Xiao Qin earned the money himself through stock trading."
Grandpa Sun rolled his eyes beside them, his disdain evident.
When the two old men heard Grandpa Xia's words, they were naturally astonished again.
They exclaimed about how truly accomplished he was at such a young age and how impressive the younger generation was. Despite Qin Tian's thick skin, he was starting to feel overwhelmed.
"Old Zhang, Old Wang, stop talking here, or you'll lose your fishing spots." Grandpa Sun reminded them.
The two elderly men then realized and quickly went to find fishing spots.
Grandpa Xia gave Grandpa Sun a displeased look, clearly not having had enough.
"Never boastful?" Grandpa Sun said dismissively.
Grandpa Xia glanced at Qin Tian beside him and retorted unblushingly, "They asked me, didn't they? I just chatted a bit, how is that boastful?"
"Heh!"
"What 'heh', stop talking to me!"
Just as Qin Tian was about to mediate again, his phone rang. He quickly took out his phone and saw it was a call from Xia Nuannuan. After glancing at Grandpa Xia, he answered the call and put it on speaker.
"Hello, Nuannuan!"
"Brother, what are you doing? I thought you hadn't woken up yet, you didn't even reply to my message."
"Oh, I didn't check my phone. It's past ten now, how could I still be in bed? I'm by the river watching Grandpa and the others fish!" Qin Tian said with a smile.
"Ah? Why are you with Grandpa?" Xia Nuannuan sounded surprised.
Qin Tian explained the situation.
"So that's how it is, what a coincidence!" Xia Nuannuan said, a little surprised.
"It's not a coincidence, not at all. Nuannuan, this also shows that our family and Xiao Qin are very destined!" Grandpa Xia interjected loudly.
"Grandpa!" Xia Nuannuan's shy and playful voice came through.
"Nuannuan, are you going shopping today?" Qin Tian asked, changing the subject with a smile.
"Yes, Su Yan, Jiajia, and I have already made plans to go shopping together this afternoon. It's a shame Mu Nan and Liao Juan haven't returned from Modu, so only the three of us can go."
"You don't need me to come along?"
"I told you it's a besties' day out. If you have nothing to do, why don't you go find Zhang Peng to hang out with!"
"Alright, then you be careful. There will be a lot of people on the street today."
"Got it. I'm going to eat now, I'll hang up!"
"Okay!" After speaking, Xia Nuannuan hung up the phone.
"Xiao Qin, if you have nothing to do today, stay and play here. I'll teach you how to fish," Grandpa Xia suggested with a smile.
Qin Tian showed a apologetic smile and politely declined, "Grandpa, I probably can't today. I'm back, and I want to go find my classmates to hang out with." He certainly wasn't going to stay here all day, as he had no interest in becoming a young angler yet.
"Alright, it's about time you catch up with them!" Grandpa Xia nodded with a smile, understanding.