The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 373 - 362: Wei Jincheng Retreats

When Shen Mu returned home in the evening and heard that his second brother had come back these past few days, he displayed disbelief. But after getting Yiyi’s confirmation, he blinked and asked, "Sister-in-law, did Second Brother fly back?"

"Yeah, I even got to visit the plane."

Shen Mu’s face showed frustration; he also wanted to see a plane up close. He’d grown up without ever encountering one. What a pity.

The next day, Lu Jingqiu went to school, where Luo Xinyue asked her if it was her Jiang Nanzhou who had returned home.

"Yes. Did you hear it from Niannian?"

"Yeah, I went to buy fruits at her place last night, and she mentioned it. You’ve been pregnant for over five months, and Jiang Nanzhou hasn’t come back many times. He really should come back and check on things."

"Yeah, he accompanied me to get a prenatal checkup. If there’s a chance, he’ll come back, and it’s just that we’re far apart."

"I went for a prenatal checkup yesterday too. The doctor said the baby is too big and told me to control my diet."

"The baby is too big? You need to be careful, eat less bone soup, and eat more vegetables and fruits from now on."

"I know, I’m scared too, Jingqiu. What should I do?"

"Why worry? Just keep a calm state of mind. Walk around after meals. Starting today, don’t go straight to the dorm after lunch; take a walk outside. And after dinner at home, have your husband, Shang Ze, accompany you for a walk."

"Will that work? I’ve gained weight at this checkup."

"How else would the child grow if you don’t put on weight? Don’t stress. Plus, while you’re taking care of your health, you have to win this art competition, at least get into the top five. Otherwise, passing the subjects this semester will be in jeopardy."

"Ah, top five? I’m not confident."

"You still have to try your best. Your due date is in June, right? By then, we won’t even have summer break yet."

"Yes, early June. By the time we’re having exams, I’ll still be in my confinement period." freewebnoveℓ.com

"And you, when is your due date?"

"Mine is more precarious, late June or early July, right during those days when we have exams. I don’t know if I can make it through."

"If you can take the exams, then do so. If not, we’ll figure something out. The school will have some solution."

"Yeah."

In the days that followed, after handing in her picture book assignment, Lu Jingqiu got started on paintings for the competition.

Lu Jingqiu’s painting featured an autumnal scene in a forest with mountains, a lake, farmland, and houses, and by the water’s edge, a water buffalo.

Mists wove through the scene, hinting at a season of harvest.

Lu Jingqiu worked on her painting for half a month and was very satisfied with it.

Luo Xinyue’s painting depicted autumn on a farm. Although she hadn’t been to a farm, she had visited Niannian’s and based her painting entirely on the layout of Niannian’s farm, capturing the essence of autumn.

By the time both of them submitted their work, it was mid-March, with the judging set to take place in early April.

With half a month left, Lu Jingqiu didn’t forget to look for a house, but she hadn’t found anything suitable, and the neighbor hadn’t given any leads either.

One day, Niannian told them that Wei Jincheng had been discharged from the military.

To celebrate, he would come over to her house that evening.

Lu Jingqiu said helplessly, "What’s there to celebrate about being discharged?"

Wei Jincheng, standing beside her, declared, "Being discharged means I’m about to strike it rich."

Lu Jingqiu rolled her eyes and said to Xue Jianian, "Your man is really full of himself."

Xue Jianian chuckled, "Haha, that’s just how he is."

Xinyue, with her protruding belly said, "Anyway, as long as there’s good food, I’m happy. Niannian’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had the chance to come over and mooch a meal from your place."

Xue Jianian replied, "It’s the hassle of running the farm; there’s so much to do. The workers lack experience, so I have to go there and supervise every week."

"There should be a lot of vegetables now."

"Yes, we have quite a few vegetables ready for harvest. I have someone go and pick them up every day."

Luo Xinyue asked, "So many vegetables every day, can you sell them all?"

Xue Jianian laughed, "Of course, the new crops get snapped up the moment they arrive. The key is cleanliness. After we harvest at the farm, we wash everything with water. Our main selling point is cleanliness and freshness."

Of course, Xue Jianian had used some tricks, so the vegetables would stay fresh a bit longer.

Several women were discussing farm matters, while Wei Jincheng, Shang Ze, and Shen Mu talked about his post-discharge plans.

Wei Jincheng mentioned wanting to take over a garment factory.

This statement surprised Shang Ze and Shen Mu, as taking over a shop was something businessmen from decades earlier did, especially given that most businesses were state-owned now.

Wei Jincheng smiled, "Even state-owned businesses can fail."

"Yes, look at the diverse personal enterprises out there now, in every sector, especially clothing." He indicated the next-door neighbor and continued, "Don’t look down on her small workshop—she secures most of the city’s clothing orders each season. Imagine, those two garment factories in the city suddenly losing half their buyers; wouldn’t they start losing money? And with their staff numbers, some leaders don’t know how to innovate; their business attitudes are like they’re owed money, so who would want to place orders with them?"

Shang Ze made a sound of realization, "They are losing money?"

"It’s definitely tough for them at the moment. Well, I’ll look around first. If no one sells, I can rent a place and build my own factory," Wei Jincheng said.

Shen Mu said, "Building one yourself, that must be a lot of money, right?"

"Yes, so, I’ll need help from you brothers. When the time comes to build the factory, those who trust me, we can totally collaborate," Wei Jincheng said.

Lu Jingqiu had no idea what Wei Jincheng and Shen Mu were discussing, as she was busy talking to Xinyue about children’s clothing.

Lu Jingqiu had made a few pieces, but without experience, she wasn’t sure if they would work out.

Luo Xinyue said, "I haven’t really managed anything; my mother and mother-in-law prepared it all. They’re too busy and also went to old tailors."

"Old tailors, huh? Are they any good? I’d like to make a few sets too."

"Sure, I’ll take you there some time," Luo Xinyue offered.

Xue Jianian remarked, "Kids also need clothes? Isn’t a bellyband enough?"

Luo Xinyue shook her head, "My mom says that infants are quite fragile and we must ensure they stay warm."

"Oh." Lu Jingqiu was unaware of this issue, as in her previous life when she helped Gao Shu with the kids, they were both already quite grown.

"By the way, there’s been no noise from next door recently. Don’t you find that odd?" she changed the subject.

Luo Xinyi looked at Xue Jianian’s gossipy manner and chuckled, "Why worry about them?"

"But they used to argue a lot before. Now it’s so quiet."

Lu Jingqiu said, "Their relationship is so good, who knows how sweet they’re being together."

Xue Jianian hummed in response, secretly hoping they would argue every day.

However, they were all wrong. Lately, Xia Lin had been troubled over family matters.

Over the New Year, her mother kept bringing up the topic of children in front of her, pressing her to hurry up and have one.

Xia Lin was somewhat impatient and had told her mother about the child issue, leading her mother to feel that the Gao Family was looking down on them and that her daughter was being wronged after getting married.

Without blaming Gao Shu, she just ranted about it to him.

As a result, taking advantage of the elder’s absence, Second Brother Xia and the third brother took Gao Shu up to the hill and gave him a beating.

Nobody spoke of it upon return, not even Xia Li knew. Later, a family divide erupted at their home.

When they got back to West City, Gao Shu’s arm stayed incapacitated, and he rushed to the hospital for an examination. That’s when he found out his tendons were damaged, and Xia Lin only then learned her brothers had beaten him.