Sister, can I be a maid too?

Jiang Yubai wasn't about to play along with her sentimental act. He rolled his eyes and said, "You talk about such lofty ideals, so why did you still accept that five hundred in the end?"

"That's my reward for my hard work! I might as well take it!"

Lin Jianxia glared at him, then, as if remembering something, pulled three hundred-yuan bills from her bag and handed them to him.

Here, take it.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yubai didn't answer, but just raised an eyebrow.

"It's about the cost of food," Lin Jianxia grumbled. "The lunch alone was already quite lavish. Those dishes... would have been enough for my sister and me to eat for a long time."

Jiang Yubai didn't refuse and readily accepted the three hundred yuan.

Seeing that he accepted it, Lin Jianxia's lips curled up slightly, and she put her hands behind her back, her steps becoming lighter:

"Let me tell you, this 500 yuan fee is really what I deserve."

"Every day after school I had to rush to the bookstore. That little warehouse was stuffy and hot, without even a fan, and I had to read one book after another..."

Perhaps it had been too long since she had chatted so easily with someone, because once the girl started talking, she couldn't stop, rambling on about her daily life.

Jiang Yubai didn't interrupt, but just stood by and gave a few perfunctory replies.

Finally, Lin Jianxia finished speaking, and the two fell silent.

Beneath the dense sycamore trees, only the soft rustling of shoes crunching over fallen leaves could be heard.

As Lin Jianxia walked, she couldn't help but steal glances at him out of the corner of her eye, her heart inexplicably beating faster and faster.

The matter was clearly resolved... why is this guy still following me?

I'm going home, does he intend to come along? Surely he's not... just trying to freeload another meal?

Although... it doesn't seem like it's impossible...

"Um..." Lin Jianxia finally mustered up her courage to speak, but her gaze drifted to the shadows of the trees by the roadside, "Jiang Yubai, I'm going home, why... why are you still following me?"

"what?"

Jiang Yubai looked at her as if she were nothing special.

"I'm waiting for your rent. You've been nagging me for so long, are you just trying to get me sleepy so you can skip paying the rent?"

Lin Jianxia stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

Slowly, the girl's cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed, finally turning into a sound of embarrassment and annoyance:

"Jiang! Yu! Bai!!!"

Chapter 21 How about you come and be my maid?

After carefully putting away the remaining cash, Lin Jianxia's voice still carried a hint of gritted teeth:

"Have you counted it all? I don't owe you a single penny of last month's rent!"

Seeing Jiang Yubai nod, she gritted her teeth, too lazy to even say "goodbye," and turned to leave angrily.

Straight man! Idiot! Blockhead!

He had only taken two steps when Jiang Yubai's leisurely voice came from behind him again:

"Hey, Lin Jianxia—"

Lin Jianxia took a deep breath, but her body still betrayed her, turning back to glare at him:

"what!"

Jiang Yubai watched the cat with great interest, his tone still slow and leisurely:

"Hey... even though you've paid off this month's rent, what about next month?"

"I did manage to get your wages back this time, but now you've lost your job, haven't you? What are you going to do about next month's rent?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia's expression stiffened, and her voice involuntarily became weak:

"I...I'll look for other places and see if I can find some odd jobs..."

"Doing odd jobs?" Jiang Yubai chuckled. "What day is it already? Even if you find one tomorrow, will you be able to get paid before the rent is due?"

"We can't... postpone it again next month, can we?"

Lin Jianxia opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Yubai coughed lightly and adopted a serious tone: "If you don't mind... I have a pretty good suggestion."

Lin Jianxia was stunned for a moment, then instantly became alert:

".....What?"

Jiang Yubai pretended not to see the obvious distrust on her face and continued slowly:

"I'm planning to move soon, and I'd like to find a place where it's convenient to live, especially where there are lots of good restaurants."

Lin Jianxia narrowed her eyes slightly and did not reply.

"I think Jinxiu New Village is pretty good. It's conveniently located, close to the school, and most importantly, there's a whole food street downstairs, so it's easy to find something to eat."

At this point, Jiang Yubai paused, finally revealing his true intentions:

"However, I live alone, and cooking and cleaning are such a hassle, so..."

Lin Jianxia took two steps back, gritting her teeth:

"So after all this trouble, you're still planning to make me a maid?!"

She wondered what this guy was going to say, but it turned out he was still thinking about this!

The girl's ears were burning red, and you could almost feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Jiang Yubai! Even if you help me get my wages back, I will absolutely not... I will never wear that kind of light maid dress, and I will never, I will never call you 'master' in that kind of voice!"

After saying that, Lin Jianxia stared intently at the bad guy in front of her, trying to find even the slightest trace of shame or guilt on his face.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yu didn't show the slightest bit of shame on his face; instead, he wore a speechless expression.

"Lin Jianxia, ​​have you been watching too much weird stuff? Did I mention maids at all?"

What is all this nonsense...?

He always felt that Lin Jianxia's little head... seemed to be filled with things that were not suitable for children.

Before I could even say anything, she had already automatically filled in the gaps in the maid outfit and master-master setting.

Seeing his self-righteous attitude, Lin Jianxia's angry expression gradually froze on her face:

"No, isn't that right...?"

Jiang Yu clicked his tongue and started counting on his fingers:

"The working hours are similar to your usual part-time job. You just need to come over for two or three hours after school every day to help me clean the house and cook dinner."

"However, you'll be responsible for three meals a day on weekends. I'll prepare the ingredients, and you and your sister can eat them together as work meals. The salary will be the same as when you work outside, 1,200 a month."

"If you really want to give a definition, then it's..."

Jiang Yubai thought for a moment: "A housekeeper?"

Lin Jianxia understood most of it after hearing only half of it, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

But upon hearing the last address, she couldn't help but whisper in protest: "I don't want 'Auntie'... It sounds so old."

"Then a maid," Jiang Yubai readily agreed.

Lin Jianxia choked, opened her mouth, but this time, unusually, she did not refute.

Actually... she could sense it too.

Although Jiang Yubai always talks a lot of flirtatious nonsense, his actual actions are nothing like those of a playboy. On the contrary, he has helped her a lot, both openly and secretly.

This time is no exception.

They spoke with such seriousness, about "cleaning and cooking," but upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were probably just trying to find a stable job for her because they saw her difficult situation.

Not only does Jiang Yubai not have to work hard to find odd jobs, but he also prepares all the ingredients for lunch himself...

Cooking a meal and doing housework... what kind of reward is that?

Lin Jianxia pursed her lips, her gaze slightly shifting to the side, and her voice unconsciously softened:

"I think I should just forget about it... I'll find a job myself..."

Even if you know in your heart that as long as you nod now, you might not have to worry about next month's rent or even your future life anymore.

But she still wanted to hold onto the last shred of her fragile dignity in front of this boy.

Just like the three hundred yuan she insisted on returning to him for the vegetables.

Hearing this answer, Jiang Yubai wasn't too surprised, but looked at her with interest.

He only sighed when Lin Jianxia became somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze:

"Hey, you don't actually think... I only said all that because I felt sorry for you, do you?"

Suddenly thrust into the open, Lin Jianxia's tone became tinged with embarrassment and annoyance:

"Otherwise what? You're a rich young master, why would you leave your nice house and come to my urban village?"

Jiang Yu laughed: "A big house? You should really come and experience my place."

“I’m not here because I’m bored or want to experience life,” he paused, looking sincere. “I just want to evolve from a primitive life to a modern society.”

Lin Jianxia: "..?"

Seeing the distrust on her face, Jiang Yubai sighed dejectedly.

"To tell you the truth, I had actually been looking for a place to live before I met you..."

"Because I lived like a wild man at home!"

"It's freezing cold in winter and sweltering hot in summer. The whole house has underfloor heating and central air conditioning, and it costs four thousand a month. What's the difference between that and robbery?!"

By the end, Jiang Yubai was practically gritting his teeth.

"The WiFi was installed on the second floor, but it completely disconnected on the fourth floor. The signal couldn't even get through the wall."

"Having to cycle to school for almost forty minutes every day—whoever wants to live in this kind of house can have it!"