Chapter 21: Can You Come Over and Be My Maid?

Pocketing the remaining cash, Lin Jianxia's voice still carried a hint of gritted teeth. "Have you counted it clearly? I don't owe you a single cent for last month's rent anymore!"

Seeing Jiang Yubai nod, she ground her teeth. Too lazy to even say goodbye, she turned around and huffed away.

"Dense! Idiot! Blockhead!" she fumed inwardly.

She hadn't taken two steps when Jiang Yubai's slow, leisurely drawl sounded behind her. "Hey, Lin Jianxia—"

Lin Jianxia took a deep breath, but her body was honest, turning right back around as she glared at him. "What!"

Jiang Yubai watched the bristling kitten with great interest, his tone still unhurried. "I'm just saying... although you've paid off this month's rent, what about next month?

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

Hearing this, Lin Jianxia's expression stiffened, and her voice involuntarily weakened. "I... I'll look elsewhere and see if I can do some odd jobs..."

"Odd jobs?" Jiang Yubai found it amusing. "What's the date today? Even if you find one tomorrow, will the wages be paid before the rent is due? You can't possibly... delay it again next month, can you?"

Lin Jianxia opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't say a word.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Yubai gave a light cough and switched to a deadpan, serious tone. "If you don't mind... I actually have quite a good proposal for you."

Lin Jianxia froze for a moment, instantly becoming on guard. "...What is it?"

Jiang Yubai acted as if he didn't see the blatant distrust written all over her face and continued at his leisurely pace. "I happen to be planning on moving recently. I want to find a place that's convenient for daily life, especially somewhere with lots of good food nearby."

Lin Jianxia narrowed her eyes slightly, staying silent.

"I feel like Jinxiu New Village is a pretty good choice. The transportation is convenient, and it's quite close to school. But most importantly, there's an entire food street right downstairs, so it'd be easy to go out and scavenge for meals." At this point, Jiang Yubai paused, finally revealing his true intentions. "However, living alone means cooking and cleaning and all that... Just thinking about it is a hassle. So..."

Lin Jianxia took two steps back with a heavy STOMP STOMP, grinding her teeth. "So you beat around the bush all this time, just because you want me to be your maid!!!"

She had wondered what this guy was getting at, but it turned out he was still obsessing over this!

The tips of the girl's ears burned red-hot, and she could almost feel the heat crawling up her cheeks. "Jiang Yubai! Even if you helped me get my wages back, I will absolutely never... never wear one of those frilly maid outfits! And I will definitely never, ever use that kind of voice to call you 'Master'!"

Having said her piece, Lin Jianxia stared intently at the scoundrel in front of her, trying to find even the slightest trace of shame or guilt on his face.

Unfortunately for her, Jiang Yubai didn't look the least bit ashamed. Instead, he wore an expression of sheer speechlessness. "I say, Lin Jianxia, do you watch too much weird stuff in your free time? Did I mention the word 'maid' even once?"

What was all this nonsense? He couldn't help but feel that Lin Jianxia's little head was filled with things unsuitable for children. He hadn't even said anything yet, but she had already auto-filled the whole package deal with a maid outfit and the 'Master' title.

Seeing him act so righteously confident, the puffed-up, angry expression gradually froze on Lin Jianxia's face. "N-No...?"

Jiang Yubai clicked his tongue and began counting on his fingers. "The working hours would be about the same as your usual part-time jobs. Just come over for two or three hours every day after school, help me clean up the house, and make dinner.

"However, you'd be responsible for all three meals on the weekends. I'll prepare the ingredients, and you and your sister can just eat it together as a staff meal. The salary will be the same as your outside jobs—one thousand two hundred a month.

"If you really have to give it a definition, it'd be considered..." Jiang Yubai thought for a moment. "A housekeeping auntie?"

Lin Jianxia had already understood the gist of it halfway through his explanation, her cheeks growing slightly hot. But upon hearing that final title, she couldn't resist a quiet retort. "I don't want to be an 'auntie'... It sounds so old."

"Then a maid it is," Jiang Yubai easily agreed.

Lin Jianxia choked on her words. She opened her mouth, but for once, she didn't argue back.

Actually... she could sense it. Even though Jiang Yubai always spoke frivolously, his actual actions were nothing like those of a playboy. Instead, he had helped her out a lot, both openly and secretly.

Including this time.

He sounded so serious about "cleaning and cooking," but thinking about it carefully, it was obvious. He most likely saw the difficult situation she was in and was trying to find a roundabout way to arrange a stable job for her. Not only would she no longer have to run around exhaustingly looking for odd jobs, but Jiang Yubai would even prepare the ingredients for lunch himself...

Cooking a meal and doing some chores... How could that even be considered fair compensation?

Lin Jianxia pursed her lips, her gaze averting slightly to the side, and her voice unconsciously softened. "I-I think I'll pass... I'll find a job myself..."

She knew very well in her heart that if she just nodded right now, she might never have to live in such constant anxiety over next month's rent—or even her future livelihood—ever again. But she still wanted to maintain her last crumbling bit of dignity in front of this boy. Just like how she had stubbornly insisted on returning the three hundred yuan grocery money to him.

Jiang Yubai wasn't particularly surprised by this answer. He merely watched her with great interest.

It wasn't until Lin Jianxia grew somewhat uncomfortable under his stare that he finally sighed. "Hey, you don't think... that everything I just said was because I took pity on you, do you?"

Having her cautious inner thoughts suddenly dragged out into the open, Lin Jianxia's tone immediately filled with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "What else could it be? You're a rich young master! Instead of living in a nice, big house, you want to come running to an urban village like mine?"

Jiang Yubai laughed. "A big house? You really ought to go experience my place for yourself. I'm truly not so bored that I'm coming to you just to 'experience the commoner's life'." He paused, his face full of sincerity. "I just want to evolve from a primitive lifestyle to modern society, that's all."

Lin Jianxia was speechless. "...?"

Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, Jiang Yubai let out a sigh of utter despair. "Let me tell you the truth. Even before I met you, I was actually already looking for an apartment...

"Because I live like an absolute caveman at home!

"It's as cold as an icebox in the winter and as hot as a steamer in the summer. Running the whole-house underfloor heating and central air conditioning costs four thousand a month! How is that any different from outright robbery?!"

By the end of his rant, Jiang Yubai sounded like he was gritting his teeth. "The Wi-Fi router is installed on the second floor, and the connection completely drops by the time you reach the fourth floor. The signal can't even penetrate the walls!

"Every day, I have to pedal like a madman on my bicycle for almost an hour just to get to school—whoever wants to live in a house like that can go right ahead!"

His words were so fraught with grief they would make any listener weep.

Who could he blame but his parents? When it came to home renovations, they were pure Xiaobais. They only cared about making the place look as grand as possible and couldn't be bothered to tinker with things like Wi-Fi.

After all, it wasn't like they lived there!

Seeing how miserable he sounded, Lin Jianxia couldn't help but become half-convinced, half-doubtful. "Then... there are so many good places out there, why pick our area?"

"Because I'm really craving you," Jiang Yubai answered quickly.

Lin Jianxia stiffened all over. Before she could say anything, she heard the second half of his sentence.

"...craving your cooking."

Huh?

A giant question mark popped up in Lin Jianxia's head.

"Do you know what kind of torture it is for a foodie to only survive on the pig slop they make themselves or instant noodles for every single meal?

"I'm truly craving your cooking," Jiang Yubai repeated.

These words genuinely came from the bottom of his heart. Ever since he tasted those two stunning home-cooked dishes of hers, the thought of going back to face the kitchen waste he cooked up himself made him feel like it would be better to just starve to death.

"So, Miss Lin Jianxia, consider it saving my life..." Jiang Yubai pressed his palms together, his tone earnest. "...Could you please come over and be my maid?"