The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 46 - Photo of a Stranger

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Photo of a Stranger

Chapter 46 -46: Photo of a Stranger

Lu Jingqiu looked at the egg in her hand and laughed, “Bringing your own provisions to my house? How come I never noticed how proactive you are before?”

“Would I be polite with you? It’s because of Xia Lin. This morning, my mom asked her to cook, and she ended up eating all the eggs at home. She made sunny-side-up eggs for the whole family, twenty of them. Now, there are only two left. She said my mom asked her to make something nice, and the nicest thing she could think of was sunny-side-up eggs. Those eggs were meant for my little nephew and niece and for my pregnant sister-in-law. It really infuriated my mom.

“Guess what trouble she caused at lunchtime?”

“What?” Lu Jingqiu took the dough and eggs, heading to the kitchen.

Gao Qing followed her, continuing to vent, “She made corn porridge and served it with pickles. My sister-in-law is at home, nearly two months pregnant and needing nourishment. Of course, she wasn’t happy seeing that meal. Then, Xia Lin said it was because mom thought she wasted too much in the morning and was teaching her to be thrifty and manage the household well. At our hometown, this was the norm. Tell me, does she have a grudge against my mom or what?”

It wasn’t just a grudge; Aunt Gao had been very harsh on Xia Lin in her past life, which was one of the major reasons for her eventual divorce from Gao Shu.

But Lu Jingqiu, naturally, couldn’t say that out loud. She simply suggested, “If she doesn’t want to cook, then don’t let her cook. Try to persuade Aunt Gao.”

“I really don’t understand mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. Besides, she and my mom aren’t even in that kind of relationship. I don’t need to persuade anyone; they’ve already said they’ll move out after the New Year.”

“Move out? To where?”

“To my uncle’s old house.”

“There?” That was the place Gao Shu had moved to only after graduating, and where Xia Lin had lived for just three years.

“That house has been unoccupied for over a decade. Some walls are pretty shaky. My dad doesn’t agree, but my fifth brother insists that since he’s started his own family, he shouldn’t burden my dad any longer. The rooms should be saved for my third and fourth brothers to get married.

“Jingqiu, my fifth brother never used to be like this. He always treated us like one family, but now he says he doesn’t want to worry my dad. Those words must have hurt my dad. When he went to the countryside, he must have harbored some resentment towards my mom, but it was never a reason to separate. It must be Xia Lin’s bad influence; true enough, men change once they get a wife.”

“Have they decided? Are they moving or not?”

“Xia Lin insists on moving. She says the house is closer to the school she’s applying to and she doesn’t plan to live on campus. After the New Year, she and Gao Shu will fix up the house and then move there. She is really something, behaving as if she’s already passed the exams and gotten accepted.”

“If they really move, it’ll be a slap in the face for the Lu Family. A newlywed couple moving out so soon, those unaware of the situation might think my mom is the villain, chasing away nephew Gao Shu.”

“I admit, my mom is biased, but she has treated my fifth brother well over the years. How can they do this?”

Lu Jingqiu knew that Xia Lin hadn’t been accepted into university in her previous life. In this life, not only had she passed, but she also wasn’t pregnant, so everything was uncertain, “Everyone has their own considerations. If they want to move, just agree to it. I guess your older sister-in-law and sister-in-law would be very happy to see them move out.”

“Jingqiu, how come you’ve become so insightful? You guessed it right.”

Lu Jingqiu gave her a disdainful look. Any normal person would think that way. Although she had had mental issues in her previous life, when she was well, she was still very normal. She understood these social complexities.

“Actually, my fourth brother is very upset. The fifth brother went to the countryside for fourth brother’s sake, and now that he’s back, fifth brother wants to move out. Claiming it’s because third and fourth brothers need the rooms for when they get married makes fourth brother feel even more guilty. As you know, fourth and fifth brothers were very close when they were studying. Now, it feels like there’s a barrier between them when they talk.”

“I really don’t understand the world of men. Just rant to me here, but back home, don’t say or ask about anything. In a few days, you’ll be back to work, busy as ever. Let your parents handle the family affairs.”

“That’s easy to say, but when I see Xia Lin treating my mom that way, it makes me angry.”

Lu Jingqiu didn’t reply and instead made a spicy boiled dish with chicken, glass noodles, dried vegetables, fish, cabbage, and tofu, which they took to the balcony to enjoy while listening to Gao Qing’s complaints.

“You really know how to cook a delicious meal.”

“I learned from my aunt.”

“From being a delicate lady who knew nothing, now you’re capable of everything. Qiuqiu, I’m starting to admire you.”

“Stop it, when it’s just us, you’ll always be the boss.”

“Hehe, now that’s what I like to hear.”

The sisters chatted about everything under the sun, with Gao Qing sharing the latest gossip from her colleagues at work.

The meal was so delicious that they couldn’t move. They just lied down on the bed to help settle their stomachs.

Gao Qing casually noticed some high school books on the bedside and said, “You’re still reading these?”

“Yeah, I’m planning to take the college entrance exams this year. Do you want to join me?”

Gao Qing shook her head, “I haven’t studied for years now, and I’m busy with work. I’m not going to trouble myself.”

“Society is progressing, and technology is advancing. Only with higher education will better jobs seek you out. You were good at school, why not give it a try, take the exams?”

Gao Qing shook her head again, “I don’t have the motivation.”

In her previous life, Gao Qing hadn’t attended university either. Since she couldn’t be persuaded, Lu Jingqiu left it at that.

Gao Qing stayed with Lu Jingqiu for almost an entire afternoon. As she was preparing to leave, her hand accidentally brushed against a few books on the edge of the bed, which fell to the floor with a slap. The photos they had taken on their travels also fell out. Gao Qing said, “Are these the photos you took when you borrowed the camera?”

“Yeah, she left behind a lot of memories,”

Gao Qing silently helped Lu Jingqiu organize the photos, not daring to say much for fear of making Jingqiu sad again.

The photo had been clipped into a book from before, but as soon as that side was fixed, another man’s photo fell out from another part of the book… Gao Qing felt like she had discovered a new world, “Eh, who is this man?”

Lu Jingqiu looked at the photo and hurriedly explained, “I took it by chance.”

“Who are you fooling? A chance shot wouldn’t be clipped apart, tsk tsk, this man is quite handsome. Tell me, do you have a new target? With our friendship, you’re still hiding from me, Lu Jingqiu. I’ve told you about my secret crush, in fairness, you can’t keep this from me. Tell me, who is this guy in the military uniform? Is he from our army?”

Lu Jingqiu knew she would react this way and sighed helplessly, explaining once again, “I don’t know him; it really was an unintentional shot along the way.”

“Your explanation is so weak, Lu Jingqiu, I hardly believe you. The look in this man’s eyes is clearly directed at you.”

Lu Jingqiu said, “I swear, I really don’t know why he was looking my way. Maybe our eyes just met because someone was holding a camera towards him and he was curious. I just thought this guy was quite handsome and took out the photo to admire a few times. If you like it, I can give it to you for your viewing pleasure.”

“No, no, I’ve got a target already. You really don’t know him?”

“I really don’t.”

“Alright, I’ll believe you this time, but this guy does look pretty handsome. He’s upright and distinguished, with a calm composure between his eyebrows. But Qiuqiu, even if he is good-looking, you can’t secretly be a fangirl.”

“Who’s being a fangirl.”

“He’s wearing a military uniform, he must be from some unit. Why don’t you ask your dad to inquire? If he really exists, you should pursue him and make him your husband.”

“Chase after a man?” Lu Jingqiu instinctively shook her head, quite averse to the idea.

She had already been chasing after men for a lifetime.

“What’s wrong with chasing a man? You chicken out just because it didn’t work out once? Happiness is in our own hands. Look at me, I’m preparing to take the initiative.”

“Have you done your research?”

“Not yet.”

“Doesn’t Wu Zhengran like you?”

“Don’t mention him. He’s a university student now; he’s out of our league.”

“Ah, Wu Zhengran got into university?”

“Results aren’t out yet, but when he was showing off, he said ‘university’.”

“You gave me a scare.” If it was really university, that would be too different from her previous life.

In her previous life, Wu Zhengran did take the college entrance exam. The idea to apply was actually suggested by his friend, but while the friend didn’t pass, Wu Zhengran, by some stroke of luck, got into a junior college in Capital City.

…

Lu Jingqiu had learned a bit about the Gao Family’s affairs from Gao Qing; on the fifth day, Gao Qing also reported to the Cultural Work Troupe.

What happened after that wasn’t very clear.

All she knew was that Gao Shu and Xia Lin were up early and back late every day, probably busy renovating the old house.

These days, Lu Jingqiu had been staying at home, either drawing or playing with the cat.

The day before returning to work, she independently completed an illustrated book she wrote and illustrated herself, called “Me and My Little Kitty.”

The content was about teaching young children’s daily habits.

On her first day back at work, things started to get busy. Their publishing house was directly under the jurisdiction of the West City News and Publishing Bureau. The director and administrative leaders were in meetings on the first day at work.

The second day, they had a meeting and were tasked to publish at least two educational aids for students by mid-year, a responsibility assigned to their division.

The editorial department was bustling with activity as they selected topics, while the three illustrators idled with nothing much to do.

Lu Jingqiu, however, was doing okay. She read the West City Daily News every day and noted down any call for illustrations, drawing whenever inspiration struck, with plans to submit her work for consideration.

Over the next ten days, the general direction of the unit had been determined.

Their division planned to publish a supplementary teaching material with three hundred stories.

Compilation was already underway.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

As Lu Jingqiu thought about the upcoming busy period, the government’s Propaganda Department called their organization, wanting to borrow some of their illustrators to work on outdoor promotional graphics.