From Dropout to Housemaid-The Upper Crust's Favorite - Chapter 62 - A Trip to the Supermarket Together

Su Linyuan drove his car, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. When he arrived home, Jiang Xianyu was on the third-floor terrace, airing out the bedding. She had already washed, dried, and sanitized the bed linens and other items.

The sound of the car engine made her look up, and she was momentarily surprised to see the familiar vehicle. Su Linyuan lowered the car window, waved towards the third floor, and then parked the car in the garage.

Jiang Xianyu quickly checked the date on her phone. She couldn’t have gotten the time wrong, could she? The phone displayed the date clearly: the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, Su Linyuan came up with his suitcase, standing at the terrace door, looking at Jiang Xianyu. He felt that after the New Year, she seemed much more refreshed.

“Happy New Year, Jiang Xianyu.”

Jiang Xianyu replied with a smile, “Happy New Year, Mr. Su.”

Su Linyuan glanced at her and muttered, “On Lunar New Year’s Eve, you called me by my name directly.”

Jiang Xianyu responded, “I was on vacation then.”

Su Linyuan felt a bit frustrated, “You really are… dedicated to your job.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Su. I’ll keep working hard.”

Su Linyuan felt a bit choked up. However, this little verbal sparring didn’t dampen the joy in his heart.

He tried to change the subject, “Aren’t you supposed to start work on the sixth? Why are you here today?”

“I caught a ride with my sister yesterday. Since I had nothing to do today, I thought I’d come and tidy up here, so I can start work officially tomorrow.”

Su Linyuan chuckled, “Should I pay you overtime then?”

“If you insist.” Jiang Xianyu wasn’t feeling guilty at all; she was genuinely working.

It was just his bad luck to come back today and catch her in the act.

Seeing the suitcase Su Linyuan had casually placed on the floor, Jiang Xianyu asked, “Do you need to unpack?”

“Sure.” With that, Su Linyuan turned and picked up the suitcase, heading to his room.

Jiang Xianyu followed him.

The master bedroom already had fresh sheets on the bed.

Su Linyuan didn’t put the suitcase on the bed but placed it on the floor. When he opened it, Jiang Xianyu witnessed a spectacle.

Su Linyuan’s suitcase had exploded.

The contents burst out like a warehouse overflowing, breaking free from their confines.

Su Linyuan’s expression froze for a moment.

Then he nonchalantly began to tidy up.

Jiang Xianyu, seeing his haphazard approach, stepped in to help.

She took out the clean clothes that wouldn’t wrinkle and hung them in the wardrobe, while the clothes already wrinkled by Su Linyuan’s rough handling were set aside to be ironed later.

When she spotted a dark item at the bottom, Su Linyuan swiftly snatched it up and quickly stashed it in the drawer meant for underwear.

Jiang Xianyu pretended not to notice.

Su Linyuan bent down and tilted his head, trying to gauge her expression, but all he could see was the crown of her head.

His gaze fell on her pale, jade-like earlobes, noticing they showed no sign of embarrassment.

He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or annoyed.

After everything was unpacked, Jiang Xianyu began ironing Su Linyuan’s clothes.

Su Linyuan occasionally lent a hand, surprisingly competent at it.

Jiang Xianyu had expected him to be all thumbs again.

While ironing clothes, Jiang Xianyu asked, “Are you having lunch at home?”

Su Linyuan nodded, “Yeah.”

Jiang Xianyu was surprised, “Aren’t you supposed to start work on the seventh?”

Meeting her gaze, Su Linyuan touched his earlobe somewhat sheepishly, “It was boring at the Old Residence, so I came back.”

Jiang Xianyu thought about the situation at Peach Blossom Source and didn’t find it boring at all. But since her employer said so, she didn’t question further, only remarked, “During the holiday, there’s no food left here. I’ll go to the supermarket later to buy some.”

“Perfect, I’ll go with you and see if there’s anything I want to eat.”

Jiang Xianyu was about to refuse, but his last sentence stopped her.

They drove to the supermarket, and Su Linyuan skillfully brought over a shopping cart.

Being here with Su Linyuan reminded Jiang Xianyu of the incident with Wang Wei.

Su Linyuan’s gaze also drifted towards the women’s products section, clearly recalling the situation as well.

Pushing the cart, Su Linyuan led Jiang Xianyu away from that area, and only then did they both relax.

Walking beside Su Linyuan, Jiang Xianyu heard him ask, “Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Jiang Xianyu replied, “I’m starting work tomorrow.”

Su Linyuan hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, “I noticed you had… menstrual cramps before.”

Jiang Xianyu’s gaze shot over, and Su Linyuan blushed, “I mean, I know a great traditional Chinese medicine doctor who’s said to be excellent at treating this. How about I take you to see them tomorrow?”

Jiang Xianyu couldn’t quite describe her feelings at that moment. She said, “Just give me the address, and I’ll go by myself.”

She couldn’t possibly trouble her employer to take her to see a doctor.

Su Linyuan insisted, “Consider today a shift change, and I’ll give you a day off tomorrow. That doctor requires an appointment, and without me, you won’t get to see them.”

Jiang Xianyu hesitated, feeling it was quite strange.

Seeing her reluctance, Su Linyuan played his trump card, “Work injury.”

Jiang Xianyu was amused by his unexpected move, “Alright, I’ll go.”

They bought some meat, vegetables, and fruits. Just as they were about to check out, a voice called out from the side.

“Manager Jiang! Is that you, Manager Jiang?”

Jiang Xianyu turned around and indeed saw familiar faces.

It was a middle-aged couple, dressed simply, with expressions of delight.

The couple, the man named Qian Dayong and the woman He Liping, were in the housekeeping business.

She had met them during her university days when she worked part-time in housekeeping.

Later, when she joined Huayuan Venture Capital, they met again by chance. At that time, they were struggling to get clients, and she gave them some advice.

The couple then organized a small team and started taking jobs in Hai City, eventually earning enough to start a small company.

It was a small company indeed, with a registered capital of a few hundred thousand, a few people they recruited for housekeeping, and a small accountant, forming a company.

Jiang Xianyu looked at them and asked, “Qian-Ge, He-Jie¹, what brings you here?”

Qian Dayong and He Liping smiled, glancing at Su Linyuan beside Jiang Xianyu, “Manager Jiang, could we trouble you for a few minutes?”

Seeing Jiang Xianyu didn’t refuse, Su Linyuan pushed the cart aside, “You chat, I’ll go check over there.”

Once Su Linyuan walked away, He Liping spoke, “Manager Jiang, to be honest, our business is struggling. We saw you and wondered if you could give us some advice, point us in the right direction.”

Qian Dayong nodded in agreement, “Yes, there are many big housekeeping companies in Hai City now, and people tend to trust them. It’s getting harder for small operations like ours to get jobs.”

“Last time, your advice helped us start the company. This time, we really need your help. We can pay you a consultancy fee,” He Liping added.

Jiang Xianyu, however, didn’t agree, “Sorry, I’ve left the company, and I can’t take on consulting work for other companies.”

Footnote:

1. Jie(姐):In Chinese culture, using “xx姐” (pronounced as “xx jie”) to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “jie” means “older sister” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “sis” or “big sister” in English.