The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 81 - 79: Making Friends with Luo Xinyue

Chapter 81: Chapter 79: Making Friends with Luo Xinyue

In the afternoon, Lu Jingqiu went to her aunt’s place because her older cousin was getting married. These days, her aunt had occasionally taken leave to prepare wedding supplies for him at home.

The next day, Lu Jingqiu headed to the farmers’ market bright and early to queue for fruits, purchasing a few melons, a watermelon, and a large bag of peaches.

She also got a small bunch of chives, but the real surprise was finding several chive roots beneath the stall.

Lu Jingqiu quickly picked them up. These things were hard to come by now, and she took the seven or eight chive roots back to plant in the vegetable patch in the yard.

"Ah, what a find! Although not many, if they grow, they’d be enough for a meal of stir-fried chives and eggs."

Today’s unexpected bounty made her happier, which just goes to show that it really does pay to shop early.

After one in the afternoon, Lu Jingqiu cleaned the fruits she had bought, cut the melons and watermelon into pieces and packed them into fruit boxes, placed a few peaches into her pocket, put on her hat, and rode her bike to meet up with Luo Xinyue.

Their city’s electronics factory was quite large and the annual output was quite good as well, making it a coveted place to work.

Since it was Sunday today and the factory was closed, and the weather was hot, there weren’t many people at the gate, so Lu Jingqiu didn’t have to wait long before Luo Xinyue arrived on her bike.

Upon seeing her, Luo Xinyue complained right away, "Why do we have to go to the countryside on such a hot day?"

Lu Jingqiu sighed inwardly, wondering why she had impulsively asked her to go painting outdoors; she would have been better off taking a few photos to paint from. "If you don’t want to go, it’s not too late to back out."

"I’ll go, since I’m already here." She spoke casually. She had rarely been to the countryside growing up and was curious about painting outdoors, wanting to give it a try.

Lu Jingqiu turned her bike and said, "Let’s go."

A fifteen-minute ride east from the electronics factory brought them to an area with a much more open view, with many fields on both sides.

Guided by her memory from her previous life, Lu Jingqiu led Luo Xinyue down a winding country lane. Deeper in, beyond the wheat fields, there were many houses hidden in the distant bamboo and fields.

However, they reached a small grove in the fields, which had some shade and, in front of it, a small pond.

"Nice spot, isn’t it? Especially in the summer, with all the colors and plants, it’s perfect for painting," Lu Jingqiu said, self-assuredly placing the small stool she had brought onto a flat spot.

Luo Xinyue walked around the area and found it quite pleasing, but frowned upon seeing the small stool. "You even brought a stool. I didn’t bring anything. Why didn’t you remind me?"

Lu Jingqiu paused and then slapped her forehead, remorsefully saying, "Sorry, I forgot. How about..."

"How about you give it to me."

Luo Xinyue said this as she snatched up Lu Jingqiu’s stool for herself and contentedly found a place nearby to sit down.

"Hey, is that how you behave?"

"What’s wrong with that? When I’m with my friends, they prepare these things for me."

"I’m not them." Lu Jingqiu was originally considering letting her have the stool, but upon hearing her take it for granted and without gratitude, she strode over and took the stool back.

Luo Xinyue stumbled a bit from her roughness. "Hey, Lu Jingqiu, you wouldn’t be like this in front of your boyfriend, would you? Such shrew-like behavior, he has no complaints?"

Lu Jingqiu snorted at her, "No complaints, if he did, I’d just kick him out."

"You..."

Luo Xinyue gave up on fighting for the chair and took out a piece of cloth from her bike to sit on.

Lu Jingqiu took out her sketchbook, planning to draw the pond.

Luo Xinyue wasn’t sure what to draw, seeing that she was going to paint the whole scene, she decided to focus on a wild grass beside her.

"Lu Jingqiu, if you dislike me so much, why did you invite me to paint with you?"

Lu Jingqiu didn’t stand on ceremony and said, "The only ones I know who can draw are you and Yang Bo. It’s still very dangerous for one person to go to the countryside, but it’s better if two people go together. Tell me, should I have asked Yang Bo, or should I have asked you?"

Luo Xinyue was very dissatisfied with this response and snorted lightly, ignoring her.

The reason why Lu Jingqiu braved the hot weather to sketch outside was because she had seen an advertisement for field submissions in the People’s Liberation Army newspaper.

She had no inspiration and could only try her luck here.

Luo Xinyue’s grass drawing was relatively simple. After she had finished hers, Luo Xinyue had only typed half of her draft.

Bored, she initiated a conversation, "Lu Jingqiu, let’s not fight anymore in the future. How about we become friends?"

Lu Jingqiu paused, "It’s always you who starts the arguments. I’m fine with being friends, but please change the way you speak to me. I won’t be your little follower."

"I’ve never asked anyone to be my little follower. You think I like their flattery? I also want a best friend with whom I can share everything, someone to share joy with, someone to offer guidance when I’m sad, and someone to reproach and correct me when I make mistakes. Unfortunately, they don’t treat me that way."

Lu Jingqiu suddenly stopped writing, thinking back on her school days. She remembered how, after some classmates learned about her family’s situation, their kindness wasn’t genuinely for her but for what they could get from her.

That’s why, for so many years, whether at school or in the courtyard, she had only Gao Qing as her best friend.

Because they were similar.

She could understand Luo Xinyue’s environment, it was just unfortunate she didn’t have a friend like Gao Qing.

Lu Jingqiu looked at her for a long time without speaking, then after a moment, she reached out her hand.

Luo Xinyue was startled, taking some time to understand her gesture.

Lu Jingqiu said, "Aren’t we going to be friends? Now, let’s get to know each other again. My name is Lu Jingqiu, I’m twenty-one, and I’m very happy to become your friend."

Luo Xinyue’s face, excited, suddenly broke into many smiles, "Nice to meet you, Lu Jingqiu. My name is Luo Xinyue, and I’m twenty-two years old."

After they released hands, Luo Xinyue couldn’t wait to say, "So, we can talk about anything from now on?"

Lu Jingqiu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, we can. I’m not the kind of person who gossips. Even if you have any secrets to tell me, I won’t spread them around. You can be sure of that."

"Actually, I don’t really have any secrets. I just want a best friend I can talk to honestly, someone to eat with, to shop with, to talk about anything."

Lu Jingqiu nodded, noting that they had been there for half an hour and had sincerely got to know each other all over again. She stood up and took out the fruit she had prepared.

"Let’s eat together. Let’s take a break."

"You’ve prepared so well. I didn’t think of that."

"I’ve sketched outside before, so I have some experience. On such a hot day, and being out in the countryside, it’s necessary to bring some food and water. Have a peach. I queued up early this morning at the farmer’s market to buy them."

"Thank you."

This was the first time Lu Jingqiu had heard Luo Xinyue speak to her so politely. In fact, upon getting closer to Luo Xinyue, you’d find she’s actually quite a nice person.

"Do you want to come out to sketch regularly in the future? I’ve been submitting work to the newspaper recently. You could try it too."

"Submit to the newspaper? Can I... really do that?"

"Of course, you can. Your drawing has improved recently."

Luo Xinyue said somewhat shyly, "I actually took your advice and had my mom find a teacher for me to learn from. But I can’t adopt your style."

"Your style is also good. We are doing children’s illustration, which requires that cartoonish, simple, flat look. I also use a flat style, only mine is more delicate, more soothing."

Luo Xinyue nodded, "I’ll try it when I go back."