The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 255 - 246: Daddy Leaves

Chapter 255: Chapter 246: Daddy Leaves

In the past few days, Jiang Nanzhou would see off Lu Jingqiu in the morning, then head to the compound to help his father-in-law pack his luggage. He also moved furniture that could be transferred to the apartment building and transported pots and pans from the kitchen there as well.

Having lived in the house for over a decade, its sudden departure stirred some emotions in Lu Xianrun.

But he also knew that people aspire to climb higher.

On the day of departure, Jingqiu had even taken time off to send her father away. Her father was picked up by a vehicle from the Military District of the Capital, taking only his clothes and some important items, and a little net bag of daily necessities—nothing else.

"Dad, please be careful on the road. Once you get there, don’t forget to send us a letter or a telegram."

Lu Xianrun nodded, "I know. You all take care here, you may argue, but no fighting. Nanzhou, you hear me?"

Jiang Nanzhou, warned by his father-in-law, didn’t dare to slack off and promptly stood at attention, repeatedly assuring him.

This nearly made the young aunt by his side chuckle, "Alright, brother-in-law, we still need you here. Even if I leave in a few days, there will still be Pinggui and Mingchao, won’t there? You just focus on settling in over there."

How could Lu Xianrun not know? The last time he was separated from his daughter, she had sneakily gone to the countryside. Now, it was him who was getting transferred.

Sigh, it might take another two or three years before father and daughter could reunite.

After Dad left, Lu Jingqiu felt somewhat unsettled. On Sundays, she would always think of returning to the compound, but these days, it was filled with non-commissioned officers moving into their allocated apartments.

The young aunt was also busy packing her belongings as she was leaving on Tuesday.

Jingqiu had planned to take time off to see her aunt off that day, but her aunt insisted against it, saying she would take Second Cousin’s car.

Jingqiu curiously glanced at Second Cousin, "Second Cousin, are you heading to Yangjiang? "

"There’s a sewing machine factory in Yangjiang. I’m going over to take a look. It just so happens that Ah Da has gotten an order recently to deliver a batch of goods in that direction."

"Ah, you’ve already got work within just a few days?"

"We’ve just found a place for the company’s yard too. We couldn’t find anything suitable inside the city, so we got an abandoned compound on the second ring road for ten yuan a month. We’d just put up the sign when an old acquaintance came and asked for a favor to transport a batch of goods."

"That’s a good omen then."

"Right, it’s like we’ve officially opened for business."

Zhou Lanqin watched the siblings excitedly chatting and shook her head helplessly. Young people nowadays seemed to have different ideas than their generation. She thought to let them make a fuss if they wanted; after all, each of them was wealthier than the elders now.

Speaking of wealth, Zhou Lanqin hurriedly took out a set of keys and handed them to Yang Mingchao, "This is for the house your father and I bought for you. We got one for your brother in Yangjiang, so we couldn’t leave you out.

Lately, Qiuqiu has been saying that house prices are going to rise, and after discussing it with your father, we decided to buy one in advance. It’s true that house prices are soaring now. A couple of years ago, you could get one for just over a thousand, but now they’re three, four thousand."

Yang Mingchao looked at the keys, "For me?"

Zhou Lanqin said impatiently, "Who else if not for you? The address is the second lane outside the ironworks residential area, the third house. It used to belong to an old colleague of mine. He retired this year, and his son bought a place far from his work, so this house was up for sale. I thought it was a good deal and bought it."

Lu Jingqiu said, "Auntie, you’re so lucky, it’s not easy to buy a house now. Nanzhou and I registered to buy a house a while back and we still haven’t heard anything."

Zhou Lanqin said, "Nowadays, houses are sold through personal connections; they don’t even get listed with the housing authority. I bought this one for four thousand and one hundred yuan."

Yang Mingchao said, "That’s expensive."

Zhou Lanqin said, "But the yard is big, and it has a full five rooms, plus two wing rooms. If you have time to check it out, I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s big enough to build two separate houses."

"Wow, it’s that big? Oh my, why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I had known, our transport team wouldn’t have rented a yard; we could have just used this one, which would be so much better."

Zhou Lanqin glared at him, "I bought the house for you to prepare for your marriage. If you dare use it for anything else, I’ll have your father take it back immediately. Don’t believe me? You might end up having to prepare your own marriage house. This house will be for me and your dad when we’re old."

Zhou Lanqin said something about growing old and retiring, which gave her a start. After all, her husband, Old Yang, was actually a few years older than her brother-in-law and would retire in just a couple of years.

There were retirement homes available, but with the current housing shortage, they certainly wouldn’t be as comfortable as their current yard. Considering they both still had some savings, should they buy another house for their retirement?

But the question remained: should they buy one here or in Yangjiang? She would have to discuss this thoroughly with Old Yang.

Lu Jingqiu and Yang Mingchao had no idea what Zhou Lanqin was pondering. Yang Mingchao wanted to go see the big yard, while Lu Jingqiu was considering whether to buy a house in Yangjiang for her aunt to help look after when the time came.

Lu Jingqiu was also wrestling with this dilemma at the moment.

According to her previous plan, she wanted to buy a house in Capital City, Yangcheng City, Shanghai, and Yangjiang.

But she hadn’t bought one in Shanghai yet, and compared to Yangjiang, the housing prices in Shanghai were bound to be more expensive in the future.

The houses there must be very expensive now, so she needed to save her money. First, she would buy the one in Shanghai, and after seeing how much was left, she would consider Yangjiang.

Jiang Nanzhou returned to the team on Monday, and Lu Jingqiu cycled to and from school alone, suddenly realizing that a half-hour commute wasn’t actually that far.

The main thing was returning home, where everything was convenient.

If she didn’t feel like cooking, she could simply eat at school before heading home. Once home, she could play with her two kittens and then head up to her third-floor study to draw.

Luo Xinyue’s illustrations were nearly complete, while she had only finished one recently, feeling rather lazy these days.

It seemed she needed to submit more work when she had the time.

Studying was important, but making money was also of utmost importance.

On Thursday, their plein air painting day, they set out early at a little past seven in the morning. The teacher led the group, and an entire department with several hundred students marched majestically to the outskirts.

Luo Xinyue brought a lot of stuff this time—water, snacks, a small stool to sit on, a drawing board, and paint, thinking the school would arrange a bus or something. But it turned out to be a hike, leaving her feeling a bit powerless.

Lu Jingqiu also brought quite a few things, but she didn’t find it too tiring. Back when she was a sent-down youth, she often walked from her village to the town, which was almost always on foot, and she was already used to it.

"Jingqiu, if I had known, I would have taken the day off. I was actually looking forward to it."

Lu Jingqiu, seeing her loaded down with things on both the front and back, laughed and said, "Didn’t Qingru and the others also walk there last Friday? You should have learned from their experience."

"They were only about a dozen people. We are an entire department, so many people. Who would have thought the school would make us walk?"

"Tomorrow, another department picked a place even further than ours, and they’re also walking."

"Ah, now that I think about it, we’re actually not too bad off. Where’s He Yu, though? I haven’t heard her talking about going anywhere."

"You’ve been busy with work stuff recently, so you probably weren’t paying attention. Their department is just two classes, split up, and besides, it’s in a corner of the city. This week it’s the other class; her class is going next week."

"Oh, I thought He Yu was so engrossed in designing buildings lately that she forgot about it."

"Though I’m only in the dorm at noon, I know more than you. Are you having a hard time at work lately?"

Luo Xinyue shrugged and said, "It’s okay, I guess. I’m nearing the end, but I’m just a little anxious, worried that the outcome won’t be good. You know, this is the first time I’m doing illustrations for a well-known author."

Lu Jingqiu put her arm around her shoulder, comforting her, "I think your drawings are excellent."

"Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Lu Jingqiu’s words greatly soothed Luo Xinyue’s previously uneasy heart, and suddenly she didn’t feel tired anymore.