“Little girl, do you play chess?”
With everyone gone, leaving only a young girl, Grandpa Zhang looked somewhat doubtful.
“Old man, whether I can or not, we’ll know once we play.”
Qiu Xi didn’t mind the old man’s tone. She gathered the chess pieces and prepared to start.
“You little girl, your temper is quite like your grandfather’s. Alright then, let’s play.”
Since that old man left, he had no one else to play with anyway. It was better to pass the time.
“Come, you go first.”
“Then, old man, I won’t be polite.”
The old man and the young girl began to play.
“Wait… let me think carefully…”
“You little girl, play slower…”
“Oh, how did I not think of that…”
…
After this game, Qiu Xi’s head was spinning. No wonder Grandpa was so eager to escape.
This old man was truly something else; his moves were fierce as a tiger, but when you looked at the board, only the king remained.
Although he wasn’t a complete novice, he was certainly an armchair strategist, very good at talking after the fact!
“Little girl, again!”
The game ended too quickly. Grandpa Zhang felt like he hadn’t even reacted, and there was only a king left on the board.
Finally, he was surrounded and unable to move.
“Quick, quick!”
Qiu Xi, urged on, had no choice but to play another game.
“Again!”
“Again!”
“One more game!”
…
In just over ten minutes, the entire chess and card room was filled with Grandpa Zhang’s shouts.
The people at the nearby tables, who hadn’t paid much attention at first, found this incessant shouting of “again, again” rather perplexing.
Old Zhang was indeed not very good, but they hadn't seen anything like this before.
So, the curious old men gathered around.
It was better not to look, but upon seeing, they were truly surprised.
They didn’t know where this little girl came from, but her play was incredibly skillful!
No wonder Old Zhang was shouting so loudly; she really had a knack for it!
“Little girl, why don’t you play a game with a few of us old folks too.”
As soon as this game ended, the surrounding grandpas quickly spoke up, drowning out Grandpa Zhang’s calls for a rematch.
Zhang Yecheng watched the crowd that had suddenly gathered, feeling quite bewildered.
He didn’t see these people being so enthusiastic usually!
Was it because he was an old, rough man?
Those who had no self-awareness of their own skill were still pondering…
“This…”
Qiu Xi had already noticed the group of grandpas who had come to watch.
But what was happening now? Qiu Xi was completely confused.
One game with each person, was she just here to "retire" for half a day?
“Wow! I say, you guys who usually keep three meters away from me, why are you so enthusiastic today!”
“So you’re poaching from me!”
“No, no, I caught this girl first!”
Seeing the hesitant girl, Zhang Yecheng, who had suddenly realized, immediately started to shout.
He had finally found someone who didn’t dislike him, and he couldn’t let her go just like that!
“Old Zhang, we understand, but you’ve played so many games, take a break.”
“Exactly!”
“And you haven’t won a single one…”
The last sentence, though not spoken loudly, was extremely impactful.
Zhang Yecheng: “…”
So what if he was bad! He had plenty of time to learn!
“No means no!”
“Then your word doesn’t count; it has to be what the little girl says!”
Seeing that Old Zhang was being stubborn, everyone’s eyes flickered to Qiu Xi.
“Little girl, what do you say?”
“…”
What should I say!
She couldn’t afford to offend any of these old men!
My grandpa! When are you coming back!
Just as Qiu Xi was distressed, Grandpa Qiu finally arrived, fashionably late.
“Yo!”
Grandpa Qiu stepped forward with a smile, “Why is it so lively all of a sudden?”
“!!!”
My dear grandpa!
You finally remembered!
“Old Qiu, is this your granddaughter?”
Seeing the girl sitting in Old Qiu’s usual spot, everyone guessed.
“Yes, my granddaughter Qiu Xi.”
“What’s going on here? I was only gone for a moment, and it’s already so lively?”
“Nothing!”
“Old Qiu, seeing as we usually have a good time together, persuade your granddaughter to play a game with a few of us, how about it?”
“Okay!”
“What’s wrong with that? Come on!”
“…”
For a moment, Qiu Xi and Grandpa Zhang were stunned.
What were this guy/her grandpa saying?!
Zhang Yecheng: Weren't we supposed to play together?
Qiu Xi: Weren't we supposed to play just a few games?
However, in the end, the arm couldn't twist the thigh. Qiu Xi had no choice but to become a free playmate on the spot.
Qiu Xi sighed: Nowadays, it’s really hard to navigate the circles of grandpas and grandmas!
After Qiu Xi finished playing with them one by one, she was completely out of options. Finally, she made an excuse to go downstairs to find Grandma and slipped away.
As for the subsequent events triggered by this short time today, she didn't think about them at all.
Instead, Grandpa Qiu and Grandma Qiu had a very lively time in the following days!
Qiu Xi didn’t stay downstairs for long before rushing back.
Honestly, the grandmas were also difficult to deal with!
Rather than that, she might as well go back and watch her mother work, which was more peaceful.
However, Mom Qiu didn’t have time to pay attention to her daughter; she was busy.
No choice, Qiu Xi was idle for a while and then decided to catch up on sleep.
She slept until almost evening, which hadn’t happened in a long time. Qiu Xi felt very content.
…
Seeing his daughter, who had just come downstairs and was still a bit groggy, Dad Qiu hurried her along.
“Get up, go wash up and clear your head, we’ll be having dinner soon.”
“Okay!”
The Qiu family’s dinner table today was a little different from usual.
Throughout the meal, the two elders kept talking about Qiu Xi’s accomplishments that afternoon.
The speakers were cheerful, and the listeners were very accommodating. In short, everyone enjoyed the meal thoroughly.
Of course… except for Qiu Xi…
She really didn’t want to become the “top trending topic” in this affluent neighborhood in this way.
It was a bit embarrassing…
…
After eating, Qiu Ge grinned and said, “Sister! You’re amazing, you cause trouble wherever you go!”
Qiu Xi rolled her eyes, “Heh!”
“You’re not capable of that yet!”
“…”
A good brother doesn't argue with his sister; he leaves!
“…”
Really!
If you can’t win the fight, you still come forward to join in. If you don’t get beaten, who will!
Having played all day, Qiu Xi decided to focus. She planned to review her manuscript before bed to ensure nothing went wrong tomorrow, which was a critical moment.
If that happened, she would be a great sinner to their group.
So, after the usual phone call ended, Qiu Xi immediately got into character, reciting the drafted manuscript against the PPT several times according to what Teacher Su had said that morning.
Finally, with the manuscript memorized and confirmed to be without any problems, she went to bed early.
Resting her mind well for the battle tomorrow!