The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 107 - 105: Unexpected Surprise

Chapter 107: Chapter 105: Unexpected Surprise

Yang Mingchao perked up when he heard there were prospects and whispered, "Does Third Brother Meng have a way?"

Third Brother Meng replied, "My father-in-law works at the cannery, and they get their fruit from a few farms. Some are also collected from the rural communes. There’s quite an assortment in the villages in the suburbs. What kind of fruit do you want? I can help you make some connections."

Yang Mingchao chuckled, "Thank you, Third Brother Meng. I’m not quite sure what fruits are in abundance here right now."

"Currently, there are longans, jackfruits, and some lychees."

As Gao Da returned, Yang Mingchao shared his idea with him, and after crunching the numbers, they realized they were somewhat short on cash. The main issue was that they didn’t know how much the seafood would cost. The fruit should be cheap, but because of its weight, it would still use up a considerable sum of money.

Lu Jingqiu listened to their quiet discussion and whispered, "I brought money."

When Yang Mingchao and Gao Da heard her, they were taken aback for a moment, then their concerns faded away as they hurriedly discussed the quantities they needed with Third Brother Meng, knowing that even the largest truck had its limits.

Meanwhile, Meng Xintian took Lu Jingqiu by the hand and said, "Jingqiu, I wanted to take you around, but Second Older Brother Yang distracted us with the grain. My parents have just gone to notify our relatives at home, so I need to wait here for them."

Lu Jingqiu replied, "No worries, we’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. Remember to come visit me in West City when you’re passing through during a vacation."

"Definitely, no problem."

"By the way, where’s a produce market or a supply and marketing co-op around here? I want to buy some fruit."

"There’s a produce market not far from the textile factory to the east, and next to it there’s a supply and marketing co-op."

No wonder, she had been walking in the wrong direction. Lu Jingqiu said, "My partner and I don’t have anything else to do, so we might as well take a look around first."

Meng Xintian, thinking her family would be coming over soon, decided not to join them.

Jiang Nanzhou loaded up the car, and the two set off toward the produce market, taking their time as if they were on a leisurely stroll.

While looking at the tallest two-story buildings around Yangjiang City, she asked, "Nanzhou, what do you think of this place?"

Jiang Nanzhou said, "It’s not a provincial city, so naturally it can’t compare to our home."

"Oh, but it’s close to the sea, and there are quite a few cargo ships."

Jiang Nanzhou did not understand why she suddenly asked and looked at her curiously.

Lu Jingqiu quickly said, "My goal for the future is to become a landlady. I want to buy a few houses and then rent them out to collect rent. Oh, and I am looking to buy a place in Capital City. Do you know anyone?"

Jiang Nanzhou found Lu Jingqiu’s idea rather innovative and after giving it some thought, found it quite reliable. "Buying houses to rent out—if you have five or six properties, you could bring in tens of yuan a month, certainly better than a formal job. Is this why you’re so eager to make money?"

Lu Jingqiu nodded, "Partly, considering the high cost of houses."

Jiang Nanzhou’s eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement, "Jingqiu, I have money."

Caught off guard by his response, Lu Jingqiu blushed and glanced sideways at him after turning a corner, "Yours is yours."

"It will all be yours in the future."

Lu Jingqiu had intended to share her dreams with him, yet in just a few sentences, he managed to charm her.

They slowly made their way to the produce market that Meng Xintian had mentioned, only to find that there weren’t many fresh vegetables left in the afternoon.

When they arrived at the fruit stand, luckily, there were still a few types of fruit available.

Though not abundant, there was enough for their needs.

"Comrade, how much is the jackfruit?"

"Eight cents per pound with fruit coupons. Without tickets, it’s ten cents per pound. If it’s peeled, it’s nine cents per pound with coupons. Without coupons, it’s fifteen cents per pound."

They didn’t have many fruit coupons, and although it was more expensive without them, it was still better than not being able to buy any at all.

"Comrade, we would like two jackfruits, unpeeled, and how much are the longan and mangoes?"

"Longan is one jiao each, two jiao if you don’t need a coupon; for mangoes, three jiao a jin without a coupon."

Jiang Nanzhou said, "Let’s get ten jin of each."

The two jackfruits were not small, each weighing over ten jin. The peeled ones were easier to handle, but didn’t keep as well.

The sales clerk saw that they were buying a lot and gave them an old bag, charging them one fen for it.

Jiang Nanzhou hoisted it directly onto his shoulder.

Lu Jingqiu, feeling fully rewarded, was very happy in her heart. No wonder making deals with goods at this time was so profitable; something that cost only a few fen locally could be sold for double in a city slightly farther away.

With the policy about to be implemented, whoever caught this wave would become a ten-thousand yuan household.

Jiang Nanzhou naturally understood this, which is why he didn’t hold any strong objections to Yang Mingchao and the others engaging in these trades.

He wasn’t a fool. Having this convenience and not going for the money and tickets when they were available would be the real folly.

Thinking about Jingqiu intending to buy a house, Jiang Nanzhou silently calculated his own savings, planning to give them to her to manage as soon as he got back.

The people the Meng family introduced to them were plentiful, with relatives, friends, and colleagues stopping by from time to time.

They stopped outside the transport team’s gate, and passersby thought they were unloading cargo, none the wiser.

In their coastal cities, there was less farmland, with fruit and seafood being the primary produce. Plenty of national seafood supplies were transported from there to various places across the country.

Because of this, their seafood was quite cheap, but grains were expensive, averaging three to four fen more than in their area, with white flour costing more than rice.

However, rice was more commonly eaten there.

Gao Da regretted not bringing some of their local products with him when he saw this situation.

Jiang Nanzhou, seeing that it would still be a while, took Lu Jingqiu aside to a newsstand and bought a few popsicles to bring back.

He handed them to Meng Xintian who was sitting in the cool shade of a tree.

"Tiantian, you have a lot of fruits here. In our place, we only have peaches, apples, and bananas."

Meng Xintian replied, "Exactly, we also have a lot of fruits and vegetables in winter, not to mention seafood. If you like, I can bring some for you when I come back during the winter and summer vacations."

Lu Jingqiu quickly waved her hands, "There’s no need to trouble yourself, my second cousin often travels here, we’re not lacking in food."

Meng Xintian was quite surprised, "I didn’t expect Second Older Brother Yang to be doing this too."

Lu Jingqiu just smiled and didn’t say anything.

Meng Xintian said, "Actually, my third cousin also talked about joining our transportation team. We run trips all over the country more frequently here, but at that time, my uncle didn’t agree and sent him to the housing authority instead."

Lu Jingqiu exclaimed, "Third Brother Meng works at the housing authority? Are there many houses for sale around here?"

Zhang Xinguo replied, "Not many, but private transactions are okay. Just the other day, my second brother bought a set in the city center with a big yard for just over a thousand yuan."

Lu Jingqiu was shocked, "How much?"

"One thousand two hundred yuan."

Lu Jingqiu felt a secret elation. She had already planned to buy a house in Yangcheng, one in Yangjiang, and one in Capital City.

If the price was like this, she could directly buy two houses.

Lu Jingqiu thought for a moment, estimating that it might take a few years for Yangjiang’s port to be established. She could start by buying one in Capital City and see how much money she had left before making further plans.