The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 141 - 139: Fish Tail Street Market

Chapter 141: Chapter 139: Fish Tail Street Market

The first thing Lu Jingqiu did when she got home was to check on Hua Hua and her four little cubs.

The little ones looked different every day, their eyes clearly wider open than when she had left.

Lu Jingqiu hurriedly cooked some noodles and rice for Hua Hua, and even cracked a goose egg into it.

She didn’t cook the egg, simply whisked both the white and yolk directly onto the rice.

Hua Hua clung to her affectionately for a while before it started eating.

Lu Jingqiu cleaned their litter box and fetched some fresh sand from the yard.

They definitely couldn’t go outside for less than a month.

Seeing it was already 6:10 pm, Lu Jingqiu quickly went to the cafeteria with her meal box.

Today the cafeteria served stir-fried potatoes, soy-salted vegetables, and steamed sponge cake.

Lu Jingqiu took a piece of sponge cake, a portion of stir-fried potatoes, and a bit of the soy-salted vegetables.

There were far fewer soldiers in the cafeteria, and she didn’t see her father or Jiang Nanzhou, so they probably weren’t in the camp.

After dinner, as the sky gradually darkened, Lu Jingqiu went upstairs to start drafting and composing.

Around seven, her aunt made her some soy-braised ribs, and Lu Jingqiu savored them, "Auntie’s cooking is truly remarkable; every dish is superb and delicious."

"Yesterday, there was also braised fish, but what a shame you didn’t come back. Your cousin missed out as well. I’m preparing nice things every day, and you two aren’t here to enjoy them."

"Save them for you and uncle to eat, don’t worry about us."

"We can’t eat much. I heard refrigerators are cheap in Yangcheng City. This time your cousin is driving there, so I asked him to check."

"When is cousin coming back?"

"Who knows? Oh, I made a mistake the day before yesterday. I took that cotton and had it carded: an eight-pound one, a five-pound one, and one three-pounder for summer use. I haven’t made the mattress yet; we’re short on cotton. I asked someone to help find more, but there’s no news yet."

"Should we start purchasing other things?"

"Auntie, there are still several months to go; no rush. Sometimes when I’m free, I can buy things myself."

"Alright then, but you should order the wardrobe and furniture in advance, too. Have you asked Nanzhou about the house, which one have they assigned to you?"

"We can only get it after our marriage certificate is issued. Nanzhou wants to buy a flat in the city center to make it convenient for my schooling. He’s been busy lately and hasn’t had time to look for houses."

"What to buy outside, now housing is in shortage, and there aren’t many good houses available. I say you both should live in the complex, it’s safe, and that would put our mind at ease.

Just like now, Nanzhou is hardly ever home, and we’d worry with you alone out there."

Lu Jingqiu felt that made sense, "I’ll discuss it with Nanzhou when he gets back."

How could they not take the apartment allocated by the unit? They could gradually look for a place outside.

Thinking of the cotton, Lu Jingqiu thought she could ask Xue Jianian; she had more connections in this area.

So, the next morning, she went to find her, only to come back empty-handed, and ended up having to go to Fish Tail Alley to look for her.

After such a long time without a visit, Lu Jingqiu discovered that the place had turned into a market, selling all kinds of things.

Clothes, shoes, fabrics, and all sorts of food. In fact, it was the same sellers as before, but now their businesses were fully out in the open, no longer needing to hide, and no one came to manage them daily.

Lu Jingqiu found Xue Jianian at her usual spot, no longer hiding her wares in bamboo baskets but instead displaying them openly: rice, various kinds of beans, and even poultry like chickens, ducks, and geese.

"Comrade Xue."

"Comrade Lu, are you here to buy something?"

"I came especially to find you."

"Looking for me? Is it about herbs? They’re not ready yet."

"No, I was wondering if you have any cotton here."

"I do, how much do you need?"

"About ten or so pounds."

Xue Jianian had planted some cotton in her space, and with winter approaching, she knew the demand for cotton would definitely be high. She had grown some and currently had three to four hundred jins. Next month, she could expect a yield of another three to four hundred jins.

After Lu Jingqiu finished speaking, Xue Jianian stood up and said, "You keep an eye on my stand for me, I’ll go get it for you."

When she had finished speaking, she ran off quickly.

As soon as she left, someone came up to ask about the price of chickens and ducks.

Lu Jingqiu was startled for a moment before remembering the prices Xue Jianian had sold them to her for. She said, "The chicken is one yuan and thirty cents per jin, ducks one yuan and fifty, and large geese two yuan."

The lady frowned and said, "That’s a bit too expensive, and they come with feathers too."

"Auntie, these are all live, and they are very plump. Each one weighs at least five jins."

"Can’t you make it a little cheaper?"

Lu Jingqiu shook her head. She had quoted the prices off the top of her head. What if she sold Xue Jianian’s poultry for less than it was worth?

"This duck here, I’ll take it. Weigh it for me."

Fortunately, she knew how to use the scale. In those days, whether it was weighing salt, sugar, pastries, or grains, scales were necessary, and almost everyone knew how to use these old-fashioned balances.

She knew how to use it, but she was still clumsy with the task. She weighed the duck for the lady, four jins and four liang.

"That’ll be six yuan and sixty cents in total."

Just as Lu Jingqiu was about to take the money, Xue Jianian came back. She didn’t ask any questions until after the lady had left, then she said to Lu Jingqiu, "Thank you."

"I had just told you the prices, and you didn’t say anything. I was afraid I had undersold for you."

"It wasn’t cheap, you actually got ten cents more per jin. Here are sixteen jins of cotton for you."

Lu Jingqiu looked at the cotton, which was quite clean and of good quality. "How much?"

"One yuan and eighty cents per jin, that makes twenty-eight yuan and eighty cents. You can just give me twenty-eight."

Lu Jingqiu pulled out twenty-eight yuan and eighty cents and handed it over directly, "What about the eighty cents? You’re quite generous. Making money is not easy; I won’t take advantage of you."

Xue Jianian smiled and didn’t say much, but before she left, she secretly stuffed a few oranges into the cotton bag.

It was only when Lu Jingqiu got home that she discovered the oranges and chuckled to herself. The oranges must have just come into season, they were worth more than eighty cents.

That evening, her aunt Zhou Lanqin came home and Lu Jingqiu gave her the cotton.

Seeing more than ten jins of it, Zhou Lanqin complained, "I said I would handle it; it was supposed to be your aunt’s contribution to your dowry. But you went and sneakily bought so much; where are you going to use all of it?"

"Whatever we can’t use, we’ll make cotton-padded clothes for Aunt and Uncle."

Zhou Lanqin blinked and said teasingly, "Oh, there’s no mention of Jiang Nanzhou?"

Lu Jingqiu replied, "I didn’t expect my aunt to tease people too."

"Haha, I’m just kidding. Your uncle and I already have two sets of cotton clothes, we don’t need more. With the rest, I’ll ask the tailor to make cotton trousers for Nanzhou. He doesn’t need a cotton-padded jacket; the army provides those, along with military coats."

"As you say, Auntie."

Lu Jingqiu also told Zhou Lanqin about the chickens and ducks, and Zhou Lanqin told her not to slaughter them yet, as they were still laying eggs, and it would be a pity to kill them now.

Feeding them occasionally while she tended to Hua Hua was no trouble at all.

Sometimes Xiao Shun and Xiao Yin liked to catch bugs and mice to feed to Hua Hua and the poultry, and just a few days ago, Aunt Liu had brought them some wheat bran to feed the chickens and ducks.

"I see there are quite a few chicken and duck eggs, so in the next couple of days, I’ll buy a couple of jars to pickle the eggs, and then we’ll send some to Aunt Liu."

"Okay, whatever you say, Auntie."

"On Tuesday, the wife of Company Commander Zhang from the second battalion in our compound came to see the kittens after hearing about Hua Hua’s new litter. She wants to raise one. She told me to ask you."

"Auntie, does Company Commander Zhang’s wife like cats too?"

"Seems so. She’s a teacher at our area’s primary school, teaching second grade. She often has a lot of free time. She used to have cats back in her hometown that roamed all around the village, not cared for much. Now, seeing how you manage the cat litter, she thinks she could keep one at home."

"Tell her that except for the fourth kitten Huaniu, which is not up for adoption, she can choose from the other three. But they are still too small now, I’ll give her one in a month or so."

"Alright." Zhou Lanqin knew about the fourth kitten Huaniu, all round and pretty.