The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 354 - 344: Grandpa Jiang Cheerful

Lu Jingqiu and Jiang Nanzhou stayed on Dad’s side for two days and went back early the next morning.

Who knew Grandpa came back last night.

"Grandpa."

"Jingqiu, Nanzhou, you’re back; look what good fish I’ve managed to get for you."

Jiang Nanzhou said, "Grandpa, Aunt Zhang isn’t here. Have you eaten?"

"You boy, you think I can’t eat if nobody’s taking care of me? Can’t I eat at the canteen?"

Lu Jingqiu ran to the kitchen to see several crucian carps in the sink, laughing as she said, "Grandpa, these fish are the most nourishing. How many days did you go with the other grandpas?"

"We went for a week. Jingqiu, how about you? Did the baby give you any trouble?"

"I’m doing well; the doctor says Baby is very healthy. I haven’t even had any morning sickness. I eat well and sleep well. Don’t worry about me, Grandpa."

"Alright, now that you’re back, let’s have a proper New Year’s celebration here, and feel free to get whatever you and Nanzhou need."

"Ok, Grandpa, let’s have crucian carp soup today."

"Good, those fish are wild, they’ve grown for several years."

"Mm, good."

Jiang Nanzhou said with a smile, "You two talk in the living room; I’m going to take care of the fish."

Lu Jingqiu didn’t follow him but instead ran to the room to get the gifts she had prepared for Grandpa.

Grandpa Jiang was over the moon with joy; everybody in the compound knew how filial the daughter-in-law from the Shen Family was.

They said Grandpa Jiang had finally tasted sweet after all the bitterness; what bitterness—Old Jiang had only suffered those few years in his lifetime.

But having a filial junior did give him quite a bit of face in front of his old buddies.

Everyday going out to play chess, using the radio prepared by his grandson, wearing the clothes bought by his granddaughter-in-law, needless to say, he stood out quite a bit.

Now with the grandson studying in Capital City and the granddaughter-in-law left in Nanzhou, he felt uneasy too; if it was a work-related issue, he might have managed a transfer, but alas, both kids were studying, and schools aren’t places where you can just switch at will.

As a grandpa, he was anxious but couldn’t help the kids with this problem. He could only silently do other things for them.

Trying his best not to trouble the kids, he kept himself in great physical shape.

That noon, there was a warm and harmonious atmosphere among the family.

Grandpa Jiang was also quite the chatterbox, telling them about their ice fishing trip and how they stayed in a tent overnight.

Speaking of the tent, he started reminiscing about the tough days of war he had experienced.

As they chatted, it was already past one o’clock.

Grandpa Jiang was genuinely tired and was helped to his room to rest by the two of them.

Jiang Nanzhou prepared some water and put it by the bed.

They left softly, tidied up the kitchen with his wife, and then went up to rest as well.

Lu Jingqiu slept until past three.

Upon awakening, she found that Grandpa had gone to play chess, and Jiang Nanzhou was studying in the study.

At that moment, Lu Jingqiu realized how intense her husband’s studies were. "Nanzhou, I’ll prepare the New Year’s food these next few days while you focus on your studies," she said busily.

Jiang Nanzhou said, "All of this is theoretical knowledge, but what I want to learn most is practical experience."

Lu Jingqiu said, "There will be opportunities."

"Yeah. But, during this time, I belong to you, wife. Today’s already the 22nd, and tomorrow is the Little New Year. Let’s go to mom’s place."

"Sure, let’s go buy some gifts for mom now, and we should also make some dumplings for grandpa to keep at home."

Jiang Nanzhou took Lu Jingqiu by the hand and led her to the nearby farmers’ market.

Most of the meat had already been sold by then, so the two of them stockpiled more than twenty pounds of white cabbage and radishes, about half a bag of potatoes, plenty of vermicelli, as well as a good amount of green onions and garlic. freёnovelkiss.com

They bought some of every vegetable available at the market.

They also purchased a few pounds of brown sugar, pastries, and two cans of malted milk.

On their way back, the bike’s front rack carried two bags, the rear one, and they pushed the bike home.

Since they hadn’t managed to buy meat, Jiang Nanzhou went out early the next morning to queue for it.

Lu Jingqiu also got up and cooked millet porridge and a plate of shredded potatoes.

Grandpa Jiang returned from his exercise routine, bringing a dozen baozi.

Seeing Lu Jingqiu busy in the kitchen, he said, "Jingqiu, let Nanzhou do this from now on; the kitchen floor is slippery."

"Grandpa, do you guys usually go running, or do you practice Tai Chi?"

"Heh, I can run, but some of the others can’t, so we just practice boxing in the open space. This martial arts isn’t just for show. Practice it daily and you’re energized for the entire day. As for Nanzhou, that kid better not still be in bed."

"Nanzhou went to buy meat. Today is Little New Year, we’re planning to make dumplings."

"Right, I’m going to hang out with a few buddies in a bit, buy some firecrackers. You’re visiting the Shen family today, don’t worry about me; the canteen is also serving dumplings for lunch."

"That’s not okay. The canteen’s dumplings can’t be as delicious as the ones we make at home. Grandpa, we’re making pork and cabbage filling."

"Alright, it’s good as long as you’ve decided."

An hour later, Jiang Nanzhou returned, carrying three pounds of pork belly, two pig’s trotters, and one pig’s intestine.

Grandpa Jiang’s face lit up with joy at the sight of the pig’s intestine; it was his favorite.

After the meal, Lu Jingqiu washed and chopped the cabbage, leaving the meat chopping to Jiang Nanzhou. She took care of the rest, seasoning the filling and preparing the dough.

Once done, Jiang Nanzhou went outside to clean the pig’s intestine.

After organizing everything, Lu Jingqiu sat in the living room with grandpa, watching TV and wrapping dumplings.

Grandpa Jiang could also make dumplings. Reflecting on the past year, he sighed and said, "Your Aunt Zhang hasn’t been back for several years now. Her family’s old folks are all gone. She has a brother. It was her second marriage; her first marriage was to an old soldier who fathered her son. The son was only five when the man died. Later, under the organization’s arrangement, she remarried a sergeant from her unit. But her elder relatives wouldn’t let her bring the child over, so she reluctantly gave him to the man’s family.

She also has children on this side. The kids didn’t want to accept the other child. Eight years into the marriage, the second husband died too. Everyone said she was a husband-killer, and the children despised her even more. They drove her out directly, and when she went back to her hometown, she hadn’t been there for three years. The child had been raised by the ex-husband’s family to the point of not recognizing her. They said she abandoned her child heartlessly in pursuit of her own happiness. The child hated her too."

Having no choice, she returned to the unit and worked in the canteen for a few years before being transferred to my place.

This time, she said she wanted to go back because her son was getting married. She wanted to see it."

"I guess the family is up to no good. They probably can’t hold onto the money she’s saved up over these years."

Lu Jingqiu hadn’t realized Aunt Zhang had such a history: "Grandpa, if what you say is true, Aunt Zhang is going to be heartbroken by this trip."

A woman faces too many hardships. Although she had met Aunt Zhang only once, Lu Jingqiu could tell that Aunt Zhang was not the type to neglect her child.

"Sigh, those people are just afraid the child will grow attached to his mother and they won’t be able to keep him; he might leave with her."

Lu Jingqiu sighed. She couldn’t understand the reasoning of those people. Given that he was their only child, shouldn’t they want to provide him with good opportunities for his development? His mother had married a sergeant in the city; if he lived with her, his life wouldn’t be bad. At the very least, he could get an education, or, not to say the least, joining the army might be an option.

Certainly better than staying at home.

"The family lacked education and felt that it was turbulent over here at that time, so they didn’t allow the child to be in touch with her. Now they think that Aunt Zhang must have saved a good sum of money after all these years here, and they’re eying her savings. Just don’t know if that’s actually the child’s own thoughts."

"..." It’s difficult to say.