Chapter 619 - 284: The Grateful Uncle

While waiting for Liu Li and the middle-aged man who was supposed to visit him, Li Younan found himself a little bored.

The countryside is like this; aside from fishing, there doesn’t seem to be much else to do.

And if he went fishing, that would leave Jing Chaoyi unattended. Even though she could watch from the side and would probably feign interest, Li Younan knew very well that there were very few girls who were truly interested in fishing.

Hunting is an instinct hardwired into men’s genes, so men are naturally filled with enthusiasm for catching prey, while women are not.

Besides, showing off while fishing in front of Jing Chaoyi was actually pointless, as she didn’t understand the value of it.

Thinking of this, Li Younan couldn’t help but think of Liu Yu. To be honest, fishing with Liu Yu was actually quite fun.

If not fishing, then let’s play some chess.

The old men in the village didn’t have much in terms of entertainment. They set up a chessboard at the village entrance, and there were always people playing every day. Grandpa often went to the village entrance to play chess as well.

So, Li Younan set up the chessboard and played a game against grandpa.

To make his grandpa happy, Li Younan intentionally held back a little, leaving two or three gaps, allowing Grandpa to stumble through and win the game.

After the game ended, Li Younan gave a thumbs up: "Grandpa, your chess skills are really impressive."

Grandpa wiped the sweat from his forehead. Just now, he was at his wit’s end with his grandson, but in a moment of desperation, he managed to seize a couple of opportunities to successfully make a move that his grandson had overlooked, reversing the outcome.

This kind of evenly matched game was exhilarating, and Grandpa enjoyed it thoroughly, chuckling, "Don’t be fooled by my age; playing chess is like ginger, the older, the spicier."

And all the while, Jing Chaoyi was watching from the side.

It’s worth mentioning that during her university days, Jing Chaoyi was passionate about a wide range of interests, such as the skateboarding club and the chess club; naturally, she was no stranger to chess.

Seeing Li Younan and Grandpa finishing a game, she was eager to try, scooting next to Li Younan and nudging him aside with her hip: "Senior, senior, let me play a couple of games with Grandpa."

Grandpa was amused instantly: "Little girl, you know how to play chess too?"

"Hehe, Grandpa, you have to go easy on me."

"How about I let you have a rook?"

"Just let me make the first move."

"Hah, little girl, you’ve got quite the mouth."

About ten minutes later, Grandpa frowned and couldn’t help but scratch his head, while Jing Chaoyi had a smug look on her face.

Li Younan watching from the side found it amusing. Although Jing Chaoyi appeared lively and playful—unlike a student from a prestigious university—when you truly overlooked that, she’d showcase her elite university student attributes in many seemingly unserious areas.

After all, just like Li Younan, Jing Chaoyi was also an outstanding student from Jiaotong University. Being able to get into such a top university in the country, there’s really no such thing as a lack of competence.

Besides intelligence, students who enter such elite schools have extremely strong summarization and analytical abilities.

No matter what they’re doing, they can easily find a methodology that works for them.

Take chess for instance; at first, Jing Chaoyi just had a playful attitude toward it, but once she truly immersed herself, she explored a self-deemed effective learning method, memorized many chess strategies, and watched many classic games.

Though she was far from professional chess players, she was more than capable of bullying the elderly at the village entrance.

The old men play based on experience, to put it bluntly, they see two steps ahead compared to average people, and seeing three steps is already considered exceptional.

But those who have systematically studied chess and memorized strategies can foresee over a dozen moves ahead... How could the others possibly beat them?

After winning a game, Jing Chaoyi turned to Li Younan: "Senior, I never knew you could play chess. When we were in college, I invited you to our chess club, but you never came. Come on, let’s play a game."

Faced with Jing Chaoyi’s invitation, Li Younan didn’t have the same patience as he did with Grandpa.

After all, humoring Grandpa, making him happy, made Li Younan feel content as a grandson.

But in this matter, humoring Jing Chaoyi would just let her ride all over him — absolutely unacceptable.

If Li Younan truly played seriously, Jing Chaoyi’s level was far from being a challenge, which would just be boring.

Just then, Li Younan’s phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Liu Li.

He calculated the time; indeed it was about time they reached the village entrance. Picking up the phone, Liu Li said, "We’ve arrived at the village entrance. Do you want to come and get us?"

Li Younan nodded: "Wait a moment."

Jing Chaoyi lifted her head: "Have they arrived?"

Li Younan responded affirmatively: "You all rest for a bit in the yard; I’ll be right back."

After that, Li Younan drove his small car, took a few minutes to reach the village entrance.

A vehicle was parked there, and upon seeing Li Younan’s car, the other car’s window rolled down quickly. Liu Li poked her head out and waved.

Li Younan immediately understood, turned his car around, and led them inside.

A few minutes later, the car returned to Grandpa’s courtyard.

At this time, Jing Chaoyi was still playing chess with Grandpa. This time, Grandpa lost even faster, struggling before the middle game was over.

Li Younan got out of the car, couldn’t help but lean toward the board to check the game, and sighed slightly: "Grandpa is truly a lousy chess player."