The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 167 - 164: Doing Business with Gao Da

Chapter 167: Chapter 164: Doing Business with Gao Da

No one was to be seen when calling for help, but by the time dinner was served, Father Lu and Uncle had both returned, except Jiang Nanzhou came a bit later.

Aunt deliberately waited until almost seven o’clock to accommodate his schedule before she took the pot off the stove.

The lamb had stewed in the pot for three to four hours and was soft and tender when taken out, and the pot was full of lamb meat.

Aunt regretted, "It’s a pity that we don’t have lamb bones and offal. If we had these two things, the lamb soup would be even tastier."

In front of her family, Jiang Nanzhou was quite the smooth talker, hurriedly praising, "Aunt’s lamb soup tastes better than that of any other state-owned restaurant."

Lu Jingqiu, hearing this, lowered her head and stifled a smile. The craftsmanship of the chef at the state-owned restaurant they had eaten at near the new house the other day was indeed better than Aunt’s.

Ha, the truth was, that chef was genuinely superior, and one mustn’t insincerely deny it; however, Aunt’s cooking skills were also quite remarkable among the various restaurants in the city.

"Aunt, does your state-owned restaurant hold a chef competition every year? When is it this year?"

"It’s every autumn when the vegetables and grains are all harvested. Last year, I took second place. They gave me two enamel cups." Zhou Lanqin couldn’t help but laugh when she mentioned the competition. She had worked in the state-owned restaurant for twenty years and had been a head chef for more than a decade. She had already achieved the highest rating long ago and now participated in the competition merely as an exemplar for the younger chefs; she didn’t compete every year.

Uncle, sipping the lamb soup, said with a smile, "Our house has the most enamel cups and small enamel washbasins for washing vegetables--all came from Aunt’s workplace. Qiuqiu, when you and Nanzhou get married, you won’t need to buy these things; we have plenty at home."

Lu Xianrun asked Jiang Nanzhou, "How’s the renovation of the house coming along?"

"It should be done in another week or two."

Although Aunt and Uncle hadn’t seen the place, they didn’t quite approve of them renovating a rented house, feeling it was a waste of money; the house wouldn’t be lived in for long, and then it would all be returned to the owner—just busy work for nothing.

Aunt had brought it up once, and seeing that her brother-in-law had no objections, they didn’t say much more.

After all, brother-in-law wasn’t short on money, and Nanzhou didn’t seem to lack resources either. If they wanted to go through the trouble, then let them—the house was to be their new home, and getting married was a once-in-a-lifetime event; it was acceptable to create a little beauty for oneself.

Father Lu said, "If you need anything for the renovation that’s hard to obtain, let us know. The people we know are surely more than what you have."

Uncle nodded in agreement, "That’s right, I’m familiar with the folks in the logistics department. The supply factories they find are among the best in the nation."

Jiang Nanzhou replied, "Uncle Lu, Aunt, Uncle, the workers I found are neighbors who introduced them to me; they are also factory workers. They help us out in their spare time, and they also have connections to supply us with what we need. We’ve got cement and white paint, and it was Aunt Liu who helped us with the electrical wires."

Lu Jingqiu nodded, "They also introduced us to someone selling tiles, and we bought some tiles as well."

Aunt exclaimed in surprise, "You’re putting up tiles in the house, too?"

"Aunt, the floor in that house is already tiled, not just cement. It’s just the kitchen area that needs a bit of tiling to protect against grease."

Lu Xianrun was quite confident in Jiang Nanzhou’s abilities. Being able to find people for renovations in such a short time, his execution was not lacking.

Jiang Nanzhou also got to know the surrounding neighbors on that day when the Shen Family came over, taking the opportunity to inquire with those next door early in the morning.

One of the uncles introduced him to two plasterers who had left the construction team. When they had nothing to do at home and someone needed home repairs or something built, they would take some food or tickets as compensation.

The least valuable thing at the beginning of the year was human labor.

...

The Gao Family, having finished their meal, Big Uncle Gao looked at his nephew whom he hadn’t seen for a long time and took him to the study to inquire about the recent situation of a few individuals.

Xia Lin watched Gao Da go upstairs, her eyes darting around before she quickly followed him.

Aunt Gao coldly muttered as she watched Xia Lin do nothing after finishing her meal as if she was in charge: "She really thinks she’s a phoenix that has flown out of the mountains, but no matter how far she flies, she’s still from the mountaintop."

Xia Lin, oblivious to Aunt Gao’s words, had just entered Gao Da’s room and smiled, "Fourth Brother, I heard you have a television."

Gao Da, thinking she wanted to buy a TV, said, "Little sister-in-law, if you and Gao Shu want a television, Fourth Brother will give you one."

Xia Lin didn’t have much affection for Gao Da because, in her previous life after she returned, she had often endured Gao Da’s cold looks. She still remembered his furious scolding, and if it hadn’t been for that, she wouldn’t have reminded only Gao Yi to attend college and didn’t bother persuading Gao Da in this life.

Of course, she regretted it. If she had endured and followed Gao Shu a little longer, in less than two years, Gao Shu would have made a name for himself at his unit, and their lives would have gradually improved. Unfortunately, there’s no medicine for regret in the world — no, that’s wrong, she has been reborn, hasn’t she?

For her happiness in this life, she could choose to forgive Gao Da for his accusations in her previous life.

"No, that’s not it. I was hoping to talk with you about something, Fourth Brother. Next time you get some goods, could you include me?"

Xia Lin’s words clearly stunned Gao Shu. Before he could reply, she continued, "I help the clothing factory design clothes when I’m free, and I’ve made some money. Also, during the summer vacation, I went to Yangcheng City to get some clothes to sell. I have over two thousand yuan. But now, I don’t have time to go there. Fourth Brother, you must need a lot of capital for these televisions, so I was thinking of using this money to make some money. After you sell them, just give me a little money; any amount is fine. You know, both Gao Shu and I are studying, and we need some cash in hand to live."

"Although Big Uncle and the others are willing to help us, we’re married now, and it doesn’t feel right to endlessly take money from the family. I was thinking, since Fourth Brother has a way to earn money, it would be nice if we could get a sip of the soup too."

When Gao Da heard that this was what Xia Lin meant, he hurriedly said, "Little sister-in-law, you shouldn’t be so formal. We’re all family, how could you and Ah Shu not matter? Now Third Brother and Sixth Sister are also studying. The four of you are the hope of the family. Your living expenses have been prepared by Mom and Dad."

"I appreciate the kindness of Big Uncle and Aunt, but they have their burdens too. There are still young children at home, and hiring a nanny costs money. We as children can’t just watch our elders struggle like this."

Gao Da had always known that his parents didn’t like Xia Lin very much, and since the women often quarreled in the household, in his heart, he also felt Xia Lin was not good enough for his fifth brother. However, hearing her say these words made him think that this little sister-in-law was quite literate and thoughtful, and knew how to be grateful.

It’s just that her status as a country girl made his parents dislike her.

"Little sister-in-law, if you care this much, Mom and Dad will definitely see it one day. Since you’ve got this in mind, then I’ll include you next time."

Xia Lin was overjoyed and quickly took out the two thousand yuan she had prepared, handing it to Gao Da, "Fourth Brother, what kind of goods are you planning to get next time?"

Gao Da, looking at the stack of money, hurriedly said, "I should write a contract for little sister-in-law, or at least a receipt."

Xia Lin quickly shook her head, "No need, I trust Fourth Brother."

Gao Da felt pleased with his little sister-in-law’s trust and said, "Then I’ll accept it. Let me tell you about our business. Normally, it’s me and Yang Mingchao who deal with the goods. Whoever puts in more money gets a larger share, based on the profit. You must know Jingqiu, right? She also invested with us. She only contributes money and doesn’t get involved in buying or selling. Since you don’t have time, maybe you should do the same as Jingqiu."

"Jingqiu... she’s also invested money?" Xia Lin thought Lu Jingqiu was just helping Yang Mingchao sell stuff, but now she was surprised to learn that Jingqiu, seemingly a good girl on the surface, was secretly involved in the business — she had underestimated her.

Gao Da did not notice the change in Xia Lin’s eyes and praised Lu Jingqiu, "That little girl has more ideas than you can imagine. Some of our business strategies were proposed by her initiative."

"Fourth Brother, can you tell me about it?"

Gao Da smiled, "There’s not much to it; just that last time at..."