The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 368 - 357: Don’t Leave

It’s been two or three years since I left the Educated Youth Spot, and everyone’s circumstances have become quite different now. The hardest times should have been these few years, I guess.

...

Not long after dinner, Shen Mu followed Shang Ze out. The two of them were up to something, all secretive.

Lu Jingqiu was home alone, amusing Hua Hua, and cleaning the second floor.

Changing the bed sheets.

Around four o’clock, she went out to find Luo Xinyue, and they went to Niannian’s house together.

Xue Jianian had been out running around all morning and didn’t come back until after one o’clock in the afternoon. She had a bit of lunch and went straight to sleep, only waking up now.

After the two of them came in, Xue Jianian sat at the long table outside and spaced out for a while.

Lu Jingqiu said, "Niannian, have you been too tired lately? You need to take care of yourself more."

"I’ve been taking care of quite a few people already. Mainly, these past two days I’ve been organizing the vegetable garden. I have to watch over them, tell them how to do it."

"When will it be done?"

"We’ll start planting vegetables as soon as it gets a bit warmer. Also, I’ve prepared a batch of fruit tree saplings outside; I’ll plant them after February 2nd."

All of these fruit tree saplings from Xue Jianian’s space were her own produce. Because of these saplings, she hadn’t harvested any grains for a month.

She had been growing fruit tree saplings in her space instead.

Now there were many fruit tree saplings in the space, enough to plant at the farm.

"Oh, I also prepared orange tree saplings for you, as well as mango, banana, grapefruit, and apple trees."

Lu Jingqiu said, "That’s a lot. There’s no way we can plant all those in our yard, can we?"

"Your yard is so big, planting a row along the fence will be enough. My yard can’t fit that many. I’ll just plant an orange tree and a mango tree."

Lu Jingqiu thought for a moment and said, "I’ll skip the apple tree then. Just mango, banana, grapefruit. I’m also planning to plant an osmanthus tree in the front courtyard."

"Osmanthus trees are fragrant, but fruit trees are more beneficial."

Luo Xinyue, whose mind was filled with thoughts of food, wrinkled her brow. Xue Jianian chuckled, stretched lazily and said, "Don’t worry, I have all these trees ready for you. Alright, tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll cook for the two big babies."

"No need to be so early; nibbling on some seeds and eating some fruit will do. I just want to eat what comes from your house, whether it’s vegetable leaves or water, it’s all better than what I have."

Xue Jianian shrugged her shoulders and said, "Why not switch houses?" As the conversation turned to houses, Xue Jianian said, "Oh right, I wanted to tell you, I’m buying a house."

Luo Xinyue frowned and said, "Buying a house? Ah, where at, is it far? If you buy a house, does that mean you won’t be living here anymore?"

Lu Jingqiu also said anxiously, "Niannian, I won’t charge you rent anymore, please don’t move away."

Xue Jianian looked at their anxious expressions and quickly reassured them, "Don’t worry, I’m not moving away."

Luo Xinyue said, "You’re not moving away? Then where is the house you bought? You found a house without saying a word?"

"The one I bought is nearby too, in the First Community. Those people often come to my store to buy vegetables and chat with my little aunt, and when I heard they wanted to sell their house, I went to have a look. I even took my parents to see it, it was quite nice, the price was acceptable, they also thought it was suitable."

Lu Jingqiu asked, "How much?"

"Four thousand."

Luo Xinyue said, "Hmm, it’s more expensive than a couple of years ago."

Lu Jingqiu thought so too.

"Their yard is big, about the same size as Jingqiu’s place. It’s a house with four rooms."

"In the First Community, it’s one more street away from us, so it’s a bit of a distance."

"So, I’m not planning to move, I intend to rent it out. I’m quite happy living here. I’m close to you guys, you don’t want to let me go, and I don’t want to let you go either."

Lu Jingqiu and Luo Xinyue laughed when they heard this.

Lu Jingqiu said, "Niannian, you don’t need to pay me rent anymore, I won’t take it."

Xue Jianian chuckled, "I haven’t paid you rent for a year, you’re such a wasteful spender; all the rent has ended up in your stomach."

Lu Jingqiu laughed, "If it’s in my stomach, then it’s mine."

Luo Xinyue said, "Jingqiu, how much are your monthly living expenses? It feels like it’s more than my family’s."

"Around two or three thousand. We never skimp on vegetables and fruits, and occasionally we have chicken or duck meat."

Luo Xinyue gave Lu Jingqiu a thumbs up, "My family spends about the same, but we have fewer people."

"We don’t have many people either. Yiyi usually eats at school, so the only time we all eat together is breakfast, and we try to have a generous breakfast."

"Breakfast, can you manage that?"

Lu Jingqiu nodded, "I get up around six in the morning to make porridge, and then Shen Mu gets up and stirs up a couple of dishes."

Holding a piece of beef, Xue Jianian entered the kitchen and upon hearing her, said, "Your brother-in-law is pretty good."

Lu Jingqiu said, "You have no idea. During the New Year at home, the pressure the elders put on him was real—if he didn’t take good care of me, he’d get a beating when we got back."

"Your in-laws treat you quite well."

"Aren’t yours the same."

"You two stop showing off your in-laws in front of me."

"Niannian, are the Wei Family folks still causing trouble?"

"Not anymore, they don’t dare. After the last ruckus at the brigade, they got scared. Now they’ve gone back to farming."

"Oh, that’s good then."

Luo Xinyue got up and went to the kitchen, asking, "What are we eating today? I brought some peanuts over."

"We’re having fried beef today."

Lu Jingqiu frowned, "This... Niannian, it’s too expensive, let’s eat something else."

"Right, how many peanuts would it take to be worth a pound of beef."

Xue Jianian laughed, "What, afraid you’ll eat me out of house and home? Don’t worry, we run a beef shop, we won’t run out of beef. Eat up, today I’ll let you two have your fill."

"Ah... then I won’t hold back," Luo Xinyue said as she rubbed her belly and smiled bashfully.

After Xue Jianian sliced the beef, she moved the coal stove outside, and they all fried and ate outdoors.

Xue Jianian, seeing how much they enjoyed the beef, said with a laugh, "If you two like beef so much, come to our beef soup shop when you have time for a bowl."

Lu Jingqiu shook her head, "It’s too far, I don’t want to travel. By the way, how’s the business lately?"

"Business is slow right now, mainly because everyone’s broke right after the New Year. They have to save up for a while."

Luo Xinyue said, "That makes sense. A bowl of our beef soup costs as much as a day’s or half a day’s wages."

"Exactly, oh, Jingqiu, I’m planning to find a tailor to make some maternity clothes; I can’t fit into my pants anymore."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. The market doesn’t have clothes for pregnant women."

"That’s right, and it’s still a bit chilly these days, too cold to wear a dress in the morning."

Lu Jingqiu said, "I know a few maternity styles. I’ll sketch them out in the next couple of days and have a tailor make us a couple of sets."

"That would be great."

Xue Jianian wasn’t pregnant, so she couldn’t relate to their problems, but the idea of maternity wear piqued her curiosity.

She wasn’t planning on having children in the next couple of years, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ever. It was worth learning from their experience.