The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 306 - 296: Clear Division of Labor

Chapter 306: Chapter 296: Clear Division of Labor

Lu Jingqiu had no idea when she fell asleep, only to wake up the next morning to the sounds of Nanzhou moving about, she thought he had left for work.

She wanted to open her eyes and say something to him, but she just couldn’t open her eyes.

Little did she know, Jiang Nanzhou had gone early in the morning to Xue Jianian’s place, bought a lot of fruit, and also a chicken.

He had bought half a basket of eggs as well.

When Lu Jingqiu woke up after nine, she saw a note on her bedside: The pot is keeping the rice warm, don’t forget to eat when you get up.

The words seemed a bit rigid, but they contained such deep concern that warmed Jingqiu’s heart.

After washing up, she went to the kitchen and found chicken soup warming on the stove, and her potato shreds from the previous day in another pot, under which was a thick congee still steaming hot.

She served herself some rice in the kitchen and noticed washed apples and bananas on the dining table.

Just as she was wondering when her husband had gone out to buy these, there was a knock at the door.

She hurried to open the door and found Xue Jianian and Luo Xinyue there, both smiling at her.

"Didn’t we agree I would come to you? Please come in."

Luo Xinyue said, "We wouldn’t dare let a pregnant woman run about."

"..." Lu Jingqiu was startled, "How did you know?"

Xue Jianian laughed, "Your husband came to deliver money to me early this morning, around five o’clock, knocking on our door. If Jincheng wasn’t home, I wouldn’t have opened the door for him.

And when I did, it was your husband. He immediately asked if I had any fruit, any kind would do. He also took a chicken and half a basket of eggs.

I was puzzled, so I asked him one more question. Then your Jiang Nanzhou said you were pregnant and needed to be nourished. As he left, he also asked us to keep an eye on you these few days, to not let you do any heavy lifting, and to not let you ride the bicycle too much. Ah, so thoughtful, I was quite envious."

"No wonder there were apples and bananas at home, so he went to your place to buy them."

"Apples and bananas are a rarity here, but I just happened to have a few pounds. He wouldn’t let me charge him when he left, but he insisted on giving the money to Jincheng, making me feel quite embarrassed."

"That’s only right. Have you two eaten? He made chicken soup for me, but I really don’t want to eat anything heavy."

Luo Xinyue and Xue Jianian both shook their heads repeatedly: "We wouldn’t dare drink the love-soup your man made for you. Even if we don’t drink it, keep it."

Lu Jingqiu asked them to sit in the dining room to eat apples and bananas, and waited for her to finish her meal. As she ate, she said, "Sorry, I was so sleepy yesterday, I couldn’t manage to draw. I’ll do it in a bit, it won’t take half an hour."

Luo Xinyue said, "Pregnant women love to sleep. Where are the drawing board and pencils? I’ll start with the outline."

"They’re in my studio on the third floor, go get them."

Luo Xinyue didn’t hesitate and went straight upstairs. A moment after coming down, she said enviously, "Jingqiu, your studio is really nice, spacious, and bright. It must be cold in winter though, with so many windows."

"That’s what I’ve been thinking. I wonder if I should put a coal stove in there for winter."

Xue Jianian said, "Now that you’re pregnant, it’s best not to use a coal stove, it’s bad for your health."

"True, during winter, I’ll just go to my husband’s study on the second floor. His study is small but warm."

Luo Xinyue clicked her tongue twice: "The two of you live in such a big house, and each has a study. Ah, makes me wonder if I should make one at our place."

Xue Jianian replied, "Why not? The two of you living in one room is enough, the other room can be turned into a study. It’d be so lovely to have both of you working there.

It’s different for our family, I don’t paint, and a simple place to do some writing is enough for me. The other room has turned into a storeroom for dried goods, fruits, grains, and all sorts of things."

"You have a point, I’ll organize it at home one of these days. And maybe make a little nest for Fubao too."

As Luo Xinyue spoke, she began to sketch the floor plan based on the dimensions Jingqiu had measured yesterday.

They discussed how to add to the design while Jingqiu sipped her congee and shared her ideas with Luo Xinyue.

About an hour or so later, Lu Jingqiu finished her meal, cleaned the pot, and Luo Xinyue had completed the renovation drawing.

Xue Jianian said, "Alright, let’s do it this way. I’ll go find Uncle Cheung now to get someone to help with the plumbing and electrical work."

Luo Xinyue said, "I’ll go find the Carpenter Uncle nearby to order the tables."

Lu Jingqiu looked at the two as they arranged everything clearly and shrugged, "What about me?"

Luo Xinyue said, "You, you need to stay home and nurture the baby now. We dare not let you run around, in case anything happens, it would be difficult to explain to your husband, Jiang Nanzhou."

Lu Jingqiu laughed helplessly, "I’m pregnant, not ill. I just need to avoid riding bikes recently. The Carpenter Uncle’s place is close by. Xinyue, I’ll go with you."

Luo Xinyue glanced at Xue Jianian, who thought for a moment and said, "That’s fine. Uncle Cheung’s place isn’t far either, but I need to see if he’s free. If he is, I’ll schedule a time with him. If not, I’ll take him directly to the house to check it out. We don’t need much electricity, just an outlet at the entrance and another in the back kitchen, plus we have to build two big stoves. For the sink... Jingqiu, let’s do it like your family’s, built with bricks and then cemented over, topped with tiles."

Lu Jingqiu said, "Can you finish by noon and come to my place for lunch?"

Xue Jianian checked his watch and said, "It depends. If I’m late, just save some food for me. I brought marinated beef and beef bones today. Have a try at making it. I also brought chili oil. You’ll need to add some glass noodles and tofu skin to it. If you run out of tofu skin and glass noodles, you’ll have to buy some at the farmer’s market."

After saying that, they split up.

It took Luo Xinyue and Lu Jingqiu less than ten minutes to walk to the Carpenter Uncle’s house.

The Carpenter Uncle’s business had been good recently, so busy that he even hired an apprentice.

Seeing the two of them come in, he knew business had arrived.

He promptly greeted them, "You two comrades are here again, what are you planning to make this time?"

Luo Xinyue took out the chair design they had just drawn and said, "Uncle, we’d like to order a dozen or so sets of tables and chairs like these."

"A dozen or so sets?" The Carpenter Uncle took the drawings and looked at them. "Long tables and chairs, huh? Are these for opening a restaurant?"

Lu Jingqiu smiled and said, "Uncle, asking like that, it seems some business owners must have come to you for orders before."

The Carpenter Uncle laughed twice and said, "Indeed, there were two families, both using them for restaurants."

Luo Xinyue said hastily, "Uncle, our tables aren’t paired with benches but with chairs. We need a total of sixteen tables and seventy chairs. Could you give us a quote for a set?"

The Carpenter Uncle didn’t hesitate, "Two yuan for a sturdy table and one yuan per chair."

Lu Jingqiu said, "Uncle, we’re regular customers, and we’re ordering in bulk this time. Plus, we’re not just ordering chairs but also a counter for the front and a wooden long platform table, which we also need to order from you. Could you give us a discount?"

As Lu Jingqiu spoke, Luo Xinyue quickly showed their drawings to the uncle, including the window area in the back kitchen with a narrow platform three meters long.

The front counter was uniquely designed with an enclosure and a long table.

The Carpenter Uncle estimated the cost and said, "I’ve never seen a counter like this before. I can make it, but it might be a bit of trouble; it would cost fifty yuan. The narrow tall bar table, fifteen yuan. I can’t cut down on the tables and chairs. I’m a fair man, you know that. For that counter, I can do forty-eight at most, and I can throw in two extra chairs."

Luo Xinyue roughly calculated that it came out to exactly two hundred yuan; they didn’t even have a chance to round down. The uncle claimed to be fair, but it seemed he had the amount figured out in his head.

Lu Jingqiu considered the pricing and felt it was about right. She didn’t haggle much but asked him to throw in an extra long bench and four stools.

The Carpenter Uncle was reluctant; a long bench would cost at least five yuan, and while he could give two stools, giving four at once was too much.

Lu Jingqiu and Luo Xinyue spent over half an hour at the uncle’s house bargaining with him. Since all of Jingqiu’s family furniture was made by him and she had referred several customers to him.

Luo Xinyue’s dowry box was also made by him, so he eventually agreed.

The two paid him a fifty yuan deposit and asked for the items as soon as possible. They hope to open for business in a week.

They weren’t sure if it was going to be on time.

The uncle said it would take at least two weeks; he had another job in hand, and the reception desk was labor-intensive, requiring at least three to four days.