The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 336 - 326: Settling Down

...

On the fifth day after Jiang Nanzhou left, he sent her a telegram, accompanied by a phone number.

Lu Jingqiu calculated the time and made the call. After hanging up the phone, she waited twenty minutes before she heard the familiar and pleasant voice, "Qiuqiu, is that you?"

"It’s me. Husband, have you settled in over there?"

"I just got settled. I’ll meet with dad and grandpa this Sunday. How about you? It’s already cold here; make sure you keep warm."

"Yeah, I’m dressed very warmly. This morning I took Shang Ze’s car and sat in the side canopy, away from the wind. Shen Mu said he will stay at our place this week, and he’ll take me to and from school every day. I think it’s too much trouble, and I want to stay at school."

"Let Ah Mu pick you up; he has a motorcycle and he doesn’t mind the trouble. The school has too many people, I don’t feel at ease with all the jostling and bumping. Also, if you get hungry in the middle of the night, there’s no way to prepare a late snack."

"Okay, then. When can I contact you in the future?"

"Every Friday afternoon after school, wait for me at the school phone booth."

"Alright."

"Qiuqiu, I miss you."

"You’ve only been gone a few days and you miss me already? This is just the beginning."

"Yes, it’s just the beginning, silly girl. Leaving you alone over there, I really don’t feel at ease."

"This is the place where I was born and raised, it’s not unfamiliar. There’s nothing to worry about; I’m more familiar with West City than you. Husband, don’t overthink things. You’ve just arrived in a new environment; make sure you mingle well and get along with your classmates."

"Yeah, I know."

The two of them couldn’t talk too long in the school phone booth, as there were classmates waiting behind them. After exchanging a few more words, they hung up.

She went back home with Xinyue.

While she was cooking at home, Shen Mu came over with his clothes and personal items.

"Sister-in-law Jingqiu, which room should I stay in?"

"How about this one on the first floor?"

"...Or perhaps, I could stay in the little house outside."

"The little house outside is full of miscellaneous items; it’s not fit for living."

"It can be cleaned up for living."

Lu Jingqiu laughed, "This is your own home, why live like we’re back in the countryside? We have good rooms in the house; why stay in a storeroom? I cleaned up for you last night and changed the bedsheets. Go get settled. I’ve made pork slivers with rice noodles; it will be ready soon."

Shen Mu had no choice but to take his things to the room on the first floor.

That evening, the uncle and sister-in-law each had a bowl of rice noodles.

After dinner, it was still Shen Mu who washed the dishes.

Having someone at home did indeed make the nights feel a lot more secure.

However, the next day it started to rain, and the temperature dropped further. Lu Jingqiu took out the thick quilts and even got a thick quilt for Shen Mu.

At noon, Shen Mu said he would cook and told her not to worry about it, so Lu Jingqiu went straight upstairs to paint.

The rain continued the whole day and only gradually stopped around seven or eight o’clock at night, when they had gone to bed.

After the rainfall, Lu Jingqiu felt that her quilt no longer warmed her up.

She thought about getting a couple of IV bottles from the hospital the next day, for a check-up, to fill with hot water to warm the bed at night.

This time, during the check-up, Shen Mu accompanied her and the doctor said that the baby was developing well and instructed her to eat more nutritious food.

Lu Jingqiu felt that if she ate any more, she would be over-nourished.

Before leaving, however, she didn’t forget to ask the nurse for a few empty IV bottles.

In the past, her mother would always prepare a few empty IV bottles ahead of time to warm the bed in the winter.

By the time they got home, it was already past eleven o’clock.

Shen Mu wanted to stew ribs for her, but Lu Jingqiu didn’t want to eat meat: "Let’s just have some rice or noodles, I don’t want meat."

Shen Mu thought for a moment and agreed, "Okay, let’s steam rice." He found the rice cooker to be very good, convenient.

Once the rice was on, it didn’t need further attention. He was good at cooking, and there were plenty of vegetables in the garden—the potatoes would last the whole winter.

With Shen Mu around, she was free of cooking duties; there was no need for her to lift a finger, and the washing machine took care of the laundry.

After a leisurely meal and laundry, the afternoon quietly passed by.

When she got up, it was already past five o’clock.

Just as she was pondering over tonight’s dinner, leaning on the second-floor window, Xue Jianian ran over.

Lu Jingqiu, from the second floor, saw her through the gate and hurried down to open the door.

"Why have you come over at this hour? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, it’s about Yiyi."

"Yiyi? What’s wrong with her?"

Xiao Hua said she was bullied at school. She didn’t come to the store yesterday, and we were a bit worried, so today Xiao Hua went to her house to ask about the situation. She said there were two girls in her dorm who often bully her. Last week, late at night, they locked her out of the dorm for a long time; she caught a cold from the freezing weather."

"Really?"

"Yes, you know her brother, right? Get in touch with him and let him check out the situation at the school."

"OK. I’ll give the compound a call in a bit and then go see Yiyi."

"What about your brother-in-law? Let’s have her drive, and I’ll come with you to see Yiyi."

"He went to your store to buy groceries; didn’t you see him?"

"I didn’t. I rode back."

"I’ll go make a call first."

Xue Jianian followed Lu Jingqiu for a couple of alleys until they found a phone booth, where she called her uncle’s office.

Fortunately, her uncle hadn’t left work yet: "Qiuqiu, what’s up?"

"Uncle, is Jiang Yuan at the base right now?"

"Jiang Yuan?... You mean the kid from Nanzhou who was recommended for enlistment before?"

"Yes, yes."

"Their unit seems to have gone on a training exercise; they haven’t come back yet."

"When will they be back?"

"Not sure, at least a week. Qiuqiu, what do you need him for?"

"Nothing much, his sister just misses him."

"They should have a day off when they get back from the exercises."

"OK, then, I’ll talk to his sister about it."

Lu Jingqiu hung up the phone and glanced at Xue Jianian, "She’s got no one but her brother. And now her brother’s not here... School starts again tomorrow; I’ll go and check on the situation at her school."

"Yes, that works."

Leaving the phone booth, Lu Jingqiu and Xue Jianian returned home and just so happened to bump into Shen Mu who was back from buying groceries.

Xue Jianian had Shen Mu take them to Jiang Yiyi’s house.

Lu Jingqiu really didn’t know where Jiang Yiyi’s home was. But Xue Jianian knew.

A typical three-room main house with a courtyard.

They knocked for quite a while until Jiang Yiyi came out, groggy, to open the door.

They could tell immediately that something was off. Lu Jingqiu hurried to feel her forehead, which was burning hot: "You have a fever."

Xue Jianian said, "Did you take the medicine Xiao Hua bought you?"

"Sister-in-law Niannian, Sister-in-law Jingqiu, you’re here. I took the medicine Xiao Hua bought me. I even sweated earlier, but now..." Jiang Yiyi said, touching her own head, "It seems like the medicine’s worn off."

Lu Jingqiu said, "It’s not good to have a fever come and go like this; you can’t be on your own."

Jiang Yiyi was led by them into the house.

Lu Jingqiu passed by the kitchen and saw it untouched; the kid probably hadn’t even had lunch.

Xue Jianian also noticed this and asked, "Yiyi, did you have lunch?"

Jiang Yiyi shook her head: "I had breakfast, but I didn’t have an appetite at noon."

Xue Jianian said, "That won’t do; when you’re sick, you need to replenish your strength. I’ll go and boil some water for you."

Lu Jingqiu said, "If the medicine doesn’t work, then you should go to the hospital."

Jiang Yiyi quickly shook her head: "No need, Sister-in-law Jingqiu, I’ll be fine after one more dose. I have to go to school tomorrow."

Shen Mu suggested, "Sisters, why don’t you go back first? I’ll take the kid to the hospital, and you can just make some food at home and wait."

Xue Jianian said, "Her sickness is definitely a cold from the freezing cold; it’s normal for the fever to come and go. I’ll boil some water, give her another round of medicine, and if she’s still not better, then we can go to the hospital." Seeing Lu Jingqiu and the others hesitant, she quickly added, "Jingqiu, Yiyi can’t be on her own like this; let’s have her pack up a bit and come with us."

"Right. Yiyi, pack your things, you’re coming to stay with me tonight."

While Lu Jingqiu and Jiang Yiyi were packing, Xue Jianian boiled water in the kitchen, adding some from her own supply, and made Jiang Yiyi drink a cup.

On the way back, Shen Mu had Jiang Yiyi sit in the passenger seat, while he squeezed in the back with Lu Jingqiu and Xue Jianian, carefully taking them home.

She didn’t catch any wind on the way, as Xue Jianian and Lu Jingqiu wrapped her up tight, causing her to sweat; she even seemed much more spirited.

Xue Jianian, seeing Jiang Yiyi like this, was reminded of her own childhood and felt somewhat moved.

She couldn’t stand seeing kids without mothers looking pitiful.

She didn’t even go back to her place that night, instead staying with Lu Jingqiu to settle Jiang Yiyi in.

Lu Jingqiu cleaned up the small study in the south room on the second floor of Nanzhou’s, pushed two leather sofas together, spread a blanket over them, and made it into a bedroom for Jiang Yiyi.