The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 299 - 290: How about a Partnership?

Chapter 299: Chapter 290: How about a Partnership?

...

On Sunday, Lu Jingqiu was reunited with Xue Jianian after more than a month, as Xue Jianian had specially invited her and Luo Xinyue over for a meal at her place.

She also prepared a small package of dried goods for each of them.

"These are wild goods I collected along the way with Jincheng, as well as some dried seafood."

"How did the two of you get back, did you take the road?" Lu Jingqiu asked.

"By bike, actually. We didn’t take the train," Xue Jianian said with a smile. They had ridden a bicycle, visiting many places along the way, passing through numerous villages and cities. They didn’t need to stay in guesthouses; they rested in the space at night, not feeling tired at all but rather enjoying a wonderful experience.

Whenever they came across good products, they would collect them, and they would also buy some grains and fruits and vegetables along the way. On this trip, they made over five thousand dollars, which was the money left after they sold the collected wild goods.

Luo Xinyue, looking at the package of wild goods with amazement, said, "There’s even sea cucumber! You guys are capable, Niannian. I’ll accept this, thank you. If you need help with anything in the future, just let me know."

Xue Jianian smiled unabashedly and said, "Actually, there is something."

"What is it?"

"Could you ask your parents or the person in charge of their cafeteria for me? I can provide them with a long-term supply of rice, flour, grains, oil, various wild goods, fruits, and vegetables." She then looked at Lu Jingqiu, "And your agency’s cafeteria as well, could you help me inquire?"

Luo Xinyue had mentioned this before but hadn’t taken it too seriously, but now that Xue Jianian brought it up, she couldn’t just give it lip service. "Sure, I’ll visit home tomorrow. However, the cafeteria has been getting its grains from a grain station, which might be a bit difficult to change. But we can try with the fruits, vegetables, and these dried goods."

"I’m not sure about our agency’s cafeteria," Lu Jingqiu said. "I’ll ask when I have the chance. Why are you so eager to make money as soon as you’ve returned? Is Grandpa Xue in need of money?"

Shaking her head, Xue Jianian replied, "Grandpa’s doing well; the house should be built by now. When we left, the foundation had already been laid. I’ve got everything arranged; I bought the lime for the walls in advance so they wouldn’t try to save money. The floors inside are smoothed with cement, which is better and more slip-resistant than wooden flooring. I’ve also arranged for the well. I’m planning to write to Grandpa tomorrow to check on things.

The reason I’m asking for your help is that I’ve collected a lot. Since I’ve got the channels, I’m thinking of developing more customers, and you’re the ones I thought of that could help me."

"Don’t worry, if you’re a friend, we’ll definitely do our best to help," Luo Xinyue reassured her.

"Thanks in advance, then. Let me treat you to a meal today as a start," Xue Jianian said.

Lu Jingqiu laughed, "What are you planning to make? We can help you with the preparations."

"We’ll be having beef soup. On our trip, we encountered a Hui Minority District and bought a lot of beef and beef bones."

"Sounds good; it’s been a while since I had beef," Luo Xinyue remarked.

Lu Jingqiu, who scarcely saw Liushun, was surprised at how plump the little guy had grown under Xue Jianian’s care and asked curiously, "Niannian, has Liushun been in the small courtyard for the past two months? How have you been feeding him?"

Luo Xinyue also said, "Why didn’t you leave him with me? Jingqiu’s two pets are being raised at my place. By the way, I’ve adopted her Hua Guoguo, and I’ve even given it a new name."

"What’s the name?"

"Fubao."

Xue Jianian laughed from the side, "As for mine, I’ve placed it in the shop, where my little aunt helps me take care of it."

"No wonder."

"Jingqiu, you cherish Hua Guoguo so much, how could you bear to give her away?"

Lu Jingqiu said helplessly, "They insisted on not accepting my refusal, but I’m studying and need to go out occasionally, so taking care of two is really too much for me. Besides, I’ll have to ask Madam Shang to help take care of her more often in the future, so I’ve got to bribe her well in advance."

"Pfft..."

"Haha... That’s a well-placed bribe."

"Of course it is."

Everyone was busy in the kitchen, where Xue Jianian’s beef bones had long been cooking. The broth in the pot was now white and creamy, and the beef had been marinated in advance.

The taste was truly delicious, and Luo Xinyue praised it again and again, "Niannian, your cooking skills are amazing. If you opened a shop outside, it would definitely be a big hit."

Lu Jingqiu also nodded eagerly, "Yes, this chicken soup is very fragrant, and these dried goods taste good too."

Xue Jianian, looking at the two of them, suddenly had an idea, "Is the soup I made really that good?"

Both of them nodded in agreement, because there was little beef, they had also soaked some flatbreads, which were indeed delicious.

"...What do you think about opening a store?"

Xue Jianian’s suggestion made the two who were eating eagerly pause. Luo Xinyue, without much thought, nodded and said, "If you open one, I will definitely be the first to support it. It’s best to start looking for a store now, as the weather is cooling down. On these cold days, having a steaming hot bowl of beef soup with your loved one is absolutely a blissful thing."

Listening to her talk about eating beef soup and flaunting love, Lu Jingqiu couldn’t help but laugh out loud, almost spraying the beef in her bowl, "You really know how to enjoy life."

"That I do. I may not be as rich as you two, but I have a job. Although Shang Ze is also studying, our family gets a subsidy, so I do have a little money."

Xue Jianian said, "I’m currently dealing with the grain and oil business, and I don’t have the energy to open a restaurant. But what you’re saying is also a way to make money. Just take a look at those who open restaurants now. Yang Min’s little eatery might not seem like much, but he told me he could earn quite a bit in a month.

Hey, do you want to partner with me and open one?"

"...A partnership?" Lu Jingqiu immediately understood what Xue Jianian meant, "But we don’t have anything, and if we really want to open a restaurant, it would be more convenient for you since you have all sorts of ingredients."

Luo Xinyue was also stunned by the idea Xue Jianian shared; she had never thought about it. If they really opened a business, all she could contribute was money, and not much of it.

"That’s why, if we open the store, not only could I supply goods, but I could also make money on both ends. I see that both of you have some free time and some spare cash. Instead of just keeping it, why not invest some of it into a small business? Whether it will succeed or not, shouldn’t we give it a try? This is my proposal, just think about it."

Lu Jingqiu shook her head, "There’s nothing to think about, let’s just do it, right now she has plenty of money." Haha.

Seeing Lu Jingqiu make a decision without even hesitating, Luo Xinyue thought about her own dowry and asked weakly, "How much money is needed to open a store? I need to calculate if my little savings are enough."

Xue Jianian, seeing that both were interested, became very excited and said hastily, "Well... Let’s calculate it. First, there’s renting a storefront. Finding a storefront... isn’t easy nowadays. But based on Yang Min’s and the rents that Yang Mingchao and I know, it will be at least twenty to thirty thousand a month."

Luo Xinyue asked, "Twenty to thirty, can we make that back in a month?"

Lu Jingqiu replied, "Of course we can. First of all, beef is expensive, right? We don’t need to use too much. We could sell flatbreads. Having a warm bowl of beef soup with a flatbread in the morning is also pretty good. We can sell all day long. A bowl of beef soup for five mao, we should get at least a hundred customers a month, even under the worst circumstances."