The couple was dumbfounded, but Xia Nuannuan's eyes shone brighter.
"Xiao Qin, buying a house is no small matter. Don't you need to discuss it with your mother?" Su Xia asked with a solemn tone.
Qin Tian smiled and nodded, "Of course. I'll call my mom tonight to talk about it. Don't worry, it shouldn't be a problem, she'll agree."
"Xiao Qin, didn't you invest all the money you earned in internet cafes?" Xia Zhengping asked with a confused expression.
"Uncle Xia, I made some money in the stock market. Buying a house won't be a problem," Qin Tian replied with a smile.
"Not just a little, several million!" Xia Nuannuan interjected.
Xia Zhengping and his wife were shocked once again. They weren't people who hadn't seen money; several million was like pocket change to them. However, for a young man like Qin Tian, who had just entered university, to casually make several million in the stock market was enough to surprise them.
"Xiao Qin, you understand stocks too?" Xia Zhengping asked in astonishment.
"A little bit!" Qin Tian replied with a humble smile.
"A little bit again?" Xia Zhengping rolled his eyes, quite speechless. Alright, he had underestimated this future son-in-law's abilities time and time again.
"Xiao Qin, it's no problem for me to help you look for a house. If you decide to buy, perhaps I can lend you the money first?" Xia Zhengping said, his gaze towards Qin Tian filled with more admiration. He then added, "I don't understand stock trading very well, but I have many friends who do it. The more capital needed, the better. I happen to have a lot of idle cash, so you can pay me back when you're able."
Hearing this, Su Xia and Xia Nuannuan's faces lit up with happy smiles. Old Xia was really becoming more understanding!
"Uncle, thank you for your kindness!" Qin Tian said with a grateful smile, politely declining. "But it's not necessary. I'm just dabbling in the stock market, and earning so much now is mostly due to good luck. Taking out a portion to buy a house will make me feel more at ease."
This was, of course, an excuse. With his current stock investment experience and the foresight of a reborn individual, as long as he played it safe, making money no longer required luck. It was merely a matter of earning more when the market was good and less when it was bad. It wasn't that he was against his future father-in-law's kindness, but rather that his personality made him uncomfortable owing anyone anything, especially money and favors. Buying a house with his own money felt more grounding.
"You're right, young man. With this money, it's good to buy a house early. Alright, then I won't say anything further," Xia Zhengping nodded.
"Xiao Qin, what's your highest budget?" Su Xia suddenly asked. When their parents helped their daughter buy a house, they didn't really have a budget; they just needed to like it. However, they weren't entirely sure how much money Qin Tian could actually come up with. The phrase "several million" was too vague.
"Within five million, that should be fine!" Qin Tian replied casually with a smile.
Even though they were somewhat prepared, Xia Zhengping and his wife were once again shocked. The average housing price in Jiangcheng was only six to seven thousand per square meter. Five million was enough to buy not just a house, but a decent large villa.
Xia Nuannuan looked at her parents' reactions, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she chuckled inwardly. Her boyfriend was just that outstanding!
"That's enough, more than enough. No problem. We'll directly look at two apartments, trying to choose ones with similar layouts, the better ones," Su Xia said with a gentle smile.
"Yes, then we'll have to trouble you, uncle and auntie."
"That's good. Once you buy a house, your mother and I can come to Jiangcheng to visit for a few days occasionally, and it'll be convenient for me to drive here."
"That would be great!" Hearing this, Qin Tian felt even more that buying a house was necessary.
"Let's eat first. After eating, we'll use the computer to search for any good residential areas near their school," Xia Zhengping suggested.
...
...
After eating their fill, Su Xia and Xia Nuannuan took over the task of clearing the dishes, allowing Qin Tian and Old Xia to sit in the living room and look at residential properties. After tidying up, Su Xia and Xia Nuannuan also joined the discussion. There were many residential areas near Jiang University, and with the booming real estate market in recent years, there were naturally many new developments. After some discussion, they shortlisted a few communities with the best reputations, and Xia Zhengping and his wife planned to visit them tomorrow if they had time.
After settling this matter, they chatted for a while watching television in the living room. Qin Tian checked his phone and saw it was almost nine in the evening, time to head back to school.
"Uncle Xia, Auntie, I'll be heading back to school first. Nuannuan, why don't you stay here tonight? I'll pick you up tomorrow."
"This..."
"It's fine, you go back to school with Xiao Qin!" Su Xia said with a smile.
"But I want to spend time with you." Xia Nuannuan looked even more conflicted.
"Come on, it's only a week until the National Day holiday. You'll be around all the time then, and you'll get tired of me nagging," Su Xia said, pinching her daughter's cheek with amusement.
"How could I get tired of you nagging!" Xia Nuannuan pouted slightly.
"Nuannuan, just listen to your mother. Go back to school with Xiao Qin today!" Xia Zhengping chimed in. Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want his daughter to stay, but if she stayed, it was likely that mother and daughter would spend the night talking, and he would be alone again. His plans had been disrupted twice in the afternoon, and if it happened again tonight, it would be too unbearable.
"Hmph, you're both pushing me away, then I'll just go back to school." Xia Nuannuan feigned a pout.
Hearing Old Xia's words, Qin Tian didn't try to persuade Xia Nuannuan to stay any longer. Thus, the two of them got up to leave.
"Uncle, I'll leave the car here for now. I'll take a taxi to pick it up tomorrow."
"It's fine, I'll arrange for someone to send it to your school tomorrow."
"That works too, thanks, Uncle!"
"Go on, get back early, and be careful on the way."
"Okay!" Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
Afterward, Xia Zhengping and his wife saw the two children out.
"Mom, I'm free tomorrow, it's the weekend. If you're bored, just call me, and I'll go shopping with you," Xia Nuannuan said to her mother.
"I have to go see houses tomorrow, so I won't be bored. Alright, alright, stop worrying about me and go back!" Su Xia waved with a smile.
"Then I'm leaving."
"Uncle, Auntie, goodbye!"
"Bye-bye, Nuannuan. Send us a message when you get to school."
"Got it!"
As they said their goodbyes, the two walked into the elevator. After exiting the building, Xia Nuannuan glanced back up at the building, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"What's wrong?" Qin Tian asked, confused.
"Brother, something feels off. Why do I feel like they don't want me to stay? I thought my mom would miss me dearly!" Xia Nuannuan said with a hint of disappointment.
Qin Tian took her hand and couldn't help but tease, "How could that be? Auntie just thinks you want to go back to school. She's right, too. The National Day holiday is coming up soon, a seven-day break. You can spend more time with her then."
"Really?" Xia Nuannuan still felt something was amiss, but she couldn't quite place it. She raised her hand and hugged Qin Tian's arm, deciding to stop overthinking. "Never mind, I do want to go back to school anyway."