The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 263 - 253: The Pitiful Person

Chapter 263: Chapter 253: The Pitiful Person

Early the next morning, Jiang Nanzhou went to the team, and Lu Jingqiu didn’t sleep in either. After breakfast, she went straight to the store and first looked for Xue Jianian.

It was the first time seeing the store clerk since Xue Jianian mentioned hiring one: a woman in her thirties.

She was tall and thin, with a look of hardship about her, but she was quite lively. Since she had arrived, there had been quite a few customers, all greeted by her.

Xue Jianian saw her coming and said with a smile, "Why are you here so early? If I hadn’t come in to restock today, you would’ve definitely made a wasted trip."

"I didn’t really think about it. I originally wanted to see my cousin and then tell you that we’re leaving tomorrow."

"Leaving tomorrow? Alright. My things are all ready. I’ll go buy the tickets in a bit."

"I’ll buy them. My husband is actually going to Yangcheng City on a business trip, and he said he’d buy our tickets today."

"Well, that’s fine. What time tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow afternoon’s train. How about we meet at the station at two?’

"Okay."

After talking with her, Lu Jingqiu leisurely checked the store and noticed that there were a lot of grains and oils stacked up, but not so many vegetables: "You’re leaving soon; will you be able to supply enough vegetables, chickens, and ducks?"

Xue Jianian shook her head: "Can’t supply them. For these days, we’ll just sell grains and oils."

"What about the restaurants?"

"I’ve already told them. This month, they should go to the farmers’ market for their supplies."

Lu Jingqiu, observing the steady stream of customers in the store, said, "If the store doesn’t sell vegetables for a month, after some time, we’ll surely lose a lot of customers."

"Ah, there’s nothing I can do about it. After I leave, there will be no one to procure the goods."

"You could post a notice outside to tell the customers, uh... just say that the boss has personal matters to attend to and won’t be supplying vegetables, fruits, or meats for a month. Let the customers know that you’re not stopping the sale forever, just pausing it for a month only."

"That’s a good idea. Everyone will be informed and won’t think that my store is only selling grains and oils from now on. Okay, I’ll write one later."

"The store clerk you’ve hired is pretty good, looks efficient, and speaks and behaves quite politely."

Xue Jianian laughed, "She’s my godmother’s younger female cousin. Oh, she’s had quite a tough life."

Xue Jianian, worried that her younger cousin and aunt might overhear, immediately pulled Lu Jingqiu outside to continue the conversation.

"Even though by seniority I should call her ’auntie,’ my godmother said call her whatever I want, given it’s an employee relationship. If we’re too familiar, it might be hard for us to be open with each other. But what’s the big deal with calling her auntie?

She’s been married three times, and the first one didn’t really count since it was just an engagement. But just before the wedding, her fiancé died. After a couple of years, she got engaged again, and less than a year into the marriage, the husband died.

After two of her men died, the village started saying she brings bad luck to husbands.

After her husband died, she was chased back to her parents’ home, where even her own family despised her for her bad luck. They married her off to a remote place to a man with a lame leg. He was a cripple but treated my ’auntie’ quite well and she even had a daughter with him. But the good times didn’t last long. A few years ago, a dam meant to prevent flooding collapsed, and her husband was buried during the rescue operation.

As if the incident wasn’t sad enough, someone who came back from the outside told about my auntie’s past, of her previous two husbands who had died.

People assumed the same for her last husband, and eventually, the villagers drove her out.

Her parents’ family wouldn’t let her return, and her in-laws disowned her completely, even chasing her own child out, claiming the girl would inherit the mother’s curse of bringing death to husbands."

"What kind of people are they?"

"Yeah. Do you know where my godmother found my ’auntie’ and her daughter?"

"Where?"

"In a shabby hut at the foot of the village. It was very unsafe, and local thugs would harass them occasionally. My ’auntie’ told me they dared not sleep at night."

Later, my godmother’s older sister found out about it and told my godmother. It just so happened, she knew I was looking to hire a clerk, so she sent her over. My aunt, although she’s had a tough life, did attend school for a few years. She can read a few words and handle the accounts.

She was living on the second floor. My godfather had pulled some strings and found a school for the child, who’s now in junior high."

"Living on the second floor? Wasn’t it sealed off?"

"We have to thank your cousin for that. Originally, my godfather said he would find them a place to live, but unfortunately, there was nothing suitable nearby. In the end, I approached your cousin. He agreed that she could stay there at night and just tidy up the bedding and stuff in the morning. We signed an agreement that we’d be responsible if anything went missing. Your cousin said it would be easy to have problems, but he was accommodating. He left a room and a bathroom upstairs for us, separated right away. He only asked us to pay three yuan a month, and we use the same entrance, which basically gave us half of the space."

"So that’s how it is, that’s pretty good."

"My aunt is quite happy with it. I pay her twenty yuan a month, and besides a little for the child’s school expenses, she cooks her own food and can save quite a bit."

"Yeah, good people will be rewarded. I don’t believe in that ’cursing husbands’ nonsense. But it’s true that your aunt has had an unfortunate marriage history."

Even worse than her previous life.

"Exactly, and my parents don’t believe in that stuff either."

"Professor Shi is a good man."

Xue Jianian was quite proud when someone praised her relative.

After talking for a while, Lu Jingqiu saw her second cousin in the distance. She quickly excused herself from Xue Jianian and ran over.

"Qiuqiu, you’re on break."

"Second cousin, I heard from Uncle that you moved out."

"Yeah, the yard at my place is big, which is convenient for storing goods. Living close by lets me keep an eye on things."

"Oh, I see. I thought you had a falling out with Uncle."

When Yang Mingchao heard this, he quickly exclaimed, "I wouldn’t dare upset your uncle. You might think he’s all nice and kind around you, but with me and your older cousin, well, it’s good enough if we don’t get hit."

Lu Jingqiu laughed at her second cousin’s words: "But that was when you were kids, right? It was because you were mischievous."

"It’s the same now. Qiuqiu, did you come to see me about something?"

"No, not really. I just heard from Uncle that you moved out and wanted to check in. If there is anything, well, I’m going to Yangcheng City tomorrow."

Lu Jingqiu greeted Big Brother Yang, then sat down next to the office desk where her second cousin was seated.

When Yang Mingchao wasn’t out and about, he would take care of the accounting and work from there.

Lately, with people coming in for wholesale purchases now and then, he worried that Big Brother Yang might get overwhelmed by himself, so he made it a point to come over every day.

"Going to Yangcheng City, is it about the house?"

Lu Jingqiu smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it’s about to get expropriated."

Yang Mingchao seemed even more excited than Lu Jingqiu, quickly asking, "Expropriated? The ones you bought?"

"Yeah, not just those houses, but the pond as well."

"Wow, I knew it. When I saw the activity last time, I could tell something big was happening. Qiuqiu, you’re pretty amazing, traveling so far to buy those properties and now they’re being expropriated so soon, what kind of luck is that?"

"Heh."

As for her second cousin’s inquiries, Lu Jingqiu could only smile. It wasn’t luck; it was her experience.

Decades of experience, to be precise. How could she not have a clue?