Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 17 He... could he have cried himself to death?

"Jiang Yubai, you bastard!"

Lin Jianxia's eyes instantly reddened.

Yesterday, I was given a hard time by the bookstore owner. The meager salary she paid wasn't even enough to pay the rent.

When she got home, she barely slept all night. She finally mustered up the energy to cook a meal, but Jiang Yubai ate it all as soon as he walked in.

They didn't leave them a single bite!

And I have to say, it's so delicious!!

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She glared at Jiang Yubai, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Yubai had never seen anything like this before, and frantically tried to comfort him: "Hey, hey, don't cry."

"I know I was wrong, I should have left some for you..."

Instead of comforting her, Lin Jianxia bit her lower lip tightly, and her tears fell even more fiercely.

Jiang Yu opened his mouth, but was speechless.

This guy was clearly acting strangely, but he couldn't control his mouth and ate all of the two sisters' lunch.

But we've already eaten it, we can't just...

He thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back," before turning and walking towards the door.

Lin Jianxia was stunned by Jiang Yubai's sudden action. She even forgot to cry and stared blankly as he walked out the door without looking back, his footsteps gradually disappearing into the corridor.

He...did he cry himself to sleep?

What about the rent...? Do you still have to pay the rent?

She wanted to get up and cook lunch for herself and her sister again, but her mind was a mess and her body felt as heavy as lead.

The exhaustion from almost a sleepless night, mixed with the bewilderment after her emotions had just overwhelmed her, left her with no strength to even lift a finger.

...Let's take a short rest.

Just for a moment.

She thought this in a daze, rested her head in the crook of her arms, and slowly closed her eyes.

-----------------

In a daze, Lin Jianxia was awakened by an alluring fragrance.

She opened her eyes blankly, her gaze gradually focusing, and saw that a steaming clay pot had appeared on the small dining table in front of her.

The lid was slightly ajar, and the rich aroma of chicken soup was wafting out in wisps.

Jiang Yubai was standing by the table, carrying out the items from the takeout bag one by one: salt and pepper chicken wings, sweet and sour pork ribs, and a large bowl of milky white fish head tofu soup.

The scene was so surreal to Lin Jianxia, ​​who had just woken up, that she wondered if she was still dreaming.

"Awake?" Jiang Yubai noticed the movement, shrugged, and said, "Well, I ate your meal, so I bought you some things as compensation."

"Oh, right, we also have some dishes. See where we can put them."

Lin Jianxia was taken aback. Following his gaze, she looked down and saw three large bags of ingredients neatly stacked by the table leg.

Tomatoes, potatoes, bok choy, lean pork belly wrapped in plastic wrap, a box of fresh mushrooms, and even a bag of vacuum-packed frozen shrimp and two packets of hot pot base.

Just by looking at the opening of the bags, you can see so much. You can imagine how much was inside those three big, bulging bags. It's probably enough for the two sisters to eat for almost half a month.

"Did you buy all of these?" Lin Jianxia asked hesitantly.

"I didn't buy them..." Jiang Yubai turned her head and rolled her eyes at her. "Do you think they grew out of the ground and lined up to walk to your doorstep?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia subconsciously bit her lower lip.

She glanced at the steaming, plentiful meal on the table, then looked down at the three large bags of solid ingredients at the foot of the table, looking somewhat flustered for some reason.

Jiang Yubai set out the food, looked around, and asked curiously, "By the way, where's your sister? Why don't you call her out to eat with us?"

Lin Jianxia glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked towards the closed door on the inside.

Inside the room, Lin Tingwan was sitting quietly at her desk. When she heard the door open, her previously blank eyes focused slightly.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Jianxia's face for a moment, then she lowered her head and wrote something in her notebook.

She quickly turned the notebook around, facing Lin Jianxia.

"How is my sister?"

A rare hint of worry was revealed between the lines.

Lin Jianxia felt a warmth in her heart, but couldn't help feeling a little bittersweet.

She walked over to her sister, ruffled her hair, and tried to make her voice sound more relaxed:

"It's nothing serious, Jiang Yubai... He brought us lunch. How about we go out to eat with your sister?"

Upon hearing the name "Jiang Yubai," Lin Tingwan tilted her head, picked up her pen, and wrote again:

"Didn't my sister say we shouldn't go out?"

That was before.

Lin Jianxia sighed silently in her heart.

She had planned it all out: she would hand over the money, sever all ties, and go her separate ways, trying to avoid any further contact.

But who would have thought...

My gaze seemed to penetrate the door, reaching the steaming food on the table outside, along with several large bags of ingredients.

Lin Jianxia suppressed the complex emotions in her heart, simply bent down, and softly instructed her younger sister:

"Wanwan, we're just going out for dinner. You just eat and don't need to talk to him. If anything happens, I'll talk to him, okay?"

After all, he was always known as his younger sister. If Jiang Yubai and Wanwan started talking, and his sister said something like, "Tingwan doesn't know," then everything would be over.

Lin Tingwan nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Seeing that her younger sister had agreed, Lin Jianxia breathed a slight sigh of relief before leading her towards the door.

Even as the twin sisters stood side by side in front of him, Jiang Yubai still felt somewhat dazed.

He looked left and right, his gaze lingering on the two almost identical, delicate faces.

It's incredible.

The two were wearing the same light-colored loungewear, and their eyebrows, eyes, noses, and lips were exactly the same, but upon closer inspection, their temperaments were quite different.

One had bright, clear eyes, with a hint of stubbornness and defensiveness; the other had a calm gaze, like a lake shrouded in a thin mist, seemingly detached from everything around him.

"Have you seen enough?"

Lin Jianxia felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and asked expressionlessly.

"I haven't seen enough."

Jiang Yubai answered with arrogance and self-righteousness.

He really hadn't seen enough.

These two sisters were already exceptional beauties, pleasing to the eye on their own. Now, standing side by side, they resembled two lotus flowers growing side by side, complementing each other. The combined beauty was enough to make one's heart race.

Of course, he was simply appreciating America and had absolutely no other intentions.

Lin Jianxia clearly underestimated this guy's thick skin, and was speechless for a moment after being choked by his blunt answer.

She glared at the scoundrel with some annoyance, then simply ignored him, picked up the ingredients at her feet, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Pah! Shameless!

Jiang Yubai watched Lin Jianxia's angry retreating figure with a hint of regret. Just as he looked away, a somewhat familiar spiral notebook was handed to him.

"Hello, Jiang Yubai!"

He looked up and met another pair of clear eyes.

The girl holding the notebook had clear eyes with a hint of barely perceptible curiosity; her pupils were bright and sparkling, like black pebbles soaking in a stream.

For some reason, Jiang Yubai's heart skipped a beat without warning.

"Hello, hello..."

He subconsciously looked away, touched the back of his neck, and felt his face getting hot.

But then, he cursed himself inwardly for being spineless, composed himself, and prepared to speak: "Um, Lin..."

"Jiang! Yu! Bai!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Jianxia rushed out of the kitchen, glaring at him angrily.

"Don't harass my sister!"

"What do you mean I'm harassing you...?"

Jiang Yubai's lips twitched, and he subconsciously looked at Lin Tingwan, only to find that the girl had lowered her eyes at some point and was eating rice in small bites.

......Um?

"Lin Tingwan?"

Jiang Yubai called out tentatively, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

But Lin Tingwan continued eating quietly, without responding to his calls.

Instead, Lin Jianxia frowned and stood in front of her sister with a wary expression.

Blinking, Jiang Yubai suddenly understood something.

Wow... So, it turns out her older sister has explicitly forbidden her from talking to her?

That was just now...

Jiang Yubai felt a playful urge and feigned displeasure, saying:

"Hey, Lin Jianxia, ​​your sister and I are deskmates. We usually have a great time chatting at school. Now you can't even say a few words to her?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Tingwan, who had been silently eating with her head down, paused, slightly raised her eyes, and looked at her older sister.

Lin Jianxia stiffened upon hearing this.

She tried to remain calm, but her eyes involuntarily darted around, and her voice unconsciously became slightly stammering:

"I...I didn't...I was just afraid that you...afraid that you might say something inappropriate and scare Wanwan."

Seeing her guilty look, Jiang Yubai remained outwardly calm, but in reality, his stomach was about to hurt from laughing, and he had to exert a lot of effort to keep from breaking character.

He made a dissatisfied expression: "Fine, then I'll go back to school and talk to you when you're not around, is that alright?"

"That's more like it."

Lin Jianxia nodded reluctantly, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't dare say anything more, quickly pulled out a chair, sat down, and buried her head in her food to start eating her late lunch.

The younger sister, Lin Tingwan, continued to eat in small bites, while the older sister, Lin Jianxia, ​​initially restrained herself a little, but gradually stopped caring about her image.

Perhaps because she was really hungry, she moved her chopsticks very quickly, her cheeks bulging, as if she wanted to swallow the pent-up frustration in her heart with the food.

Jiang Yubai sat opposite them, resting his chin on his hand, watching the two with great interest.

Only after Lin Tingwan quietly lowered her eyes, and Lin Jianxia had almost finished eating, did he speak:

"So... what exactly is going on?"

Lin Jianxia was sipping her chicken soup when she heard this and her body stiffened slightly.

Perhaps it was because she had been too relaxed while joking and bickering with Jiang Yubai, or perhaps it was the warmth of the chicken soup that made her suddenly realize—

The relationship between the two was not simply that of classmates.

Sitting opposite me is the landlord of this building; and I am just a tenant who is behind on rent and has failed to keep my promises.

Lin Jianxia put down her chopsticks and straightened her back.

"Thank you for the meal..." Lin Jianxia pursed her lips, her voice a little hoarse, "And... the groceries you bought for us."

Jiang Yubai didn't speak, but raised an eyebrow and continued listening.

He knew that what followed was the main event.

Lin Jianxia lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting together, clearly finding it difficult to speak the words that were about to come.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "Um... I only have eight hundred yuan on me right now. Could... I have a few more days to pay the rest?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's ears turned slightly red with embarrassment.

Even with the three bags of vegetables Jiang Yubai bought, after covering the food expenses, she could only come up with a maximum of eight hundred yuan.

Hearing this, even though he was somewhat prepared, Jiang Yubai still couldn't help but speak:

"How about a few more days?"

Lin Tingwan, standing to the side, glanced at Jiang Yubai, then at her own sister, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Yes," Lin Jianxia took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly, "This time... this time I will definitely raise the money."

Jiang Yubai chuckled and said, "Hey Lin, didn't you say something similar last week?"

After a long silence, Lin Jianxia finally spoke softly, "I understand... My sister and I will be moving out today..."

"Stop, stop, stop," Jiang Yubai interrupted her helplessly, "Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say I disagreed."

Lin Jianxia paused for a few seconds upon hearing this, then her eyes lit up slightly: "You... agreed?"

"I didn't say I agreed," Jiang Yubai shrugged.

Lin Jianxia: "..."

Even in her current predicament, she couldn't help but feel an urge to punch this guy.

"So what exactly do you want?" Lin Jianxia asked through gritted teeth.

Jiang Yubai leaned back in his chair and said helplessly:

"Although I am the landlord in name, I am just collecting rent for my mother. If you delay once this month and once next month, it will be difficult to explain the accounts."

"Even though we're classmates, I can't keep breaking this rule, right? You understand that, right?"

Lin Jianxia's face first turned red, then turned pale.

She knew in her heart that Jiang Yubai, as the landlord, had already agreed to extend the lease out of consideration for their friendship, and it would be shameless for her to ask again now.

But then she heard the other person change the subject:

"So... you have to let me understand the situation first, right? So I'll have something to say if my mom asks."

Lin Jianxia blinked, her voice hesitant, "What...do you want to know?"

"Simple," Jiang Yubai snapped his fingers. "First of all, didn't you say last week you could pay in full? How come you only have eight hundred yuan left this week? It can't be... lost, can it?"

Lin Jianxia first glanced involuntarily at her younger sister beside her, bit her lower lip, and finally spoke:

"Around the end of summer vacation, I found a job as a clerk at Sisyphus Bookstore. My job was to help organize books after school every day. The agreed-upon pay was 1,200 yuan a month..."

She lowered her voice and quietly recounted what had happened.

"...So when I settled the bill yesterday, I only received six hundred. Adding the cash I had on hand, I only had eight hundred in total."

As she finished speaking, Lin Jianxia's tone unconsciously revealed a hint of suppressed anger, mixed with a touch of helpless grievance.

She paused, trying to make her tone more resolute: "I'll look for other odd jobs... I'll definitely make up for it before the end of the month."

After saying that, Lin Jianxia unconsciously bit her lower lip and looked nervously at Jiang Yubai across from her.

She knew in her heart that her and her sister's fate was now entirely in the other party's hands.

But Jiang Yubai did not immediately express his opinion after hearing this; instead, he thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"Wait a minute," a look of interest suddenly appeared on his face, "what was the name of the bookstore you worked at... what was it again?"