Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.359-360

Chapter 359 – Another Side of Jiang Junmo

Watching him leave, Lu Xia was somewhat surprised, “Is it that simple?”

“Huh? What else do you expect?” Jiang Junmo glanced at the prepared pigments.

“Don’t they need to assess your skills?” Lu Xia was a bit puzzled. The hiring process seemed too straightforward.

Jiang Junmo chuckled, “No need. I was recommended by a teacher, and the teacher’s reputation in the industry is solid. If he recommended me, it means I’m capable. If I do poorly, it reflects poorly on the teacher.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Xia felt a pang of anxiety, “I see. Well, you better paint well then, don’t embarrass your teacher.”

Jiang Junmo laughed, “Don’t worry!”

With that, he took out the pigments and started preparing.

Lu Xia looked on, unable to determine the material, “Will you be comfortable since you’ve never painted on porcelain before?”

“I should be fine. It’s not too different.”

As Jiang Junmo spoke, he prepared the pigments and began painting on a plate-shaped piece of porcelain.

Soon, a vibrant and colorful painting of flowers and birds appeared.

Lu Xia was amazed but refrained from speaking, not wanting to disturb him.

It wasn’t until he finished painting the plate that she exclaimed, “You’re really amazing! The painting looks fantastic!”

Jiang Junmo smiled and shook his head, “Compared to the craftsmen with decades of experience, I’m far from their level. To the untrained eye, my work might be passable.”

“But that’s still good!”

After a while, Lu Xia hesitated to interrupt Jiang Junmo any further. When he took out another vase-shaped piece of porcelain to start painting, she remained silent.

She silently watched his movements, observing how he used the brush to create graceful shapes with meticulous concentration. It was his first time, yet he painted as if he had done it countless times before.

One painting after another quickly took form under his brush strokes…

Lu Xia was captivated.

She suddenly realized that while she had always thought Jiang Junmo was outstanding, most of his excellence had been displayed in daily life. He took care of the family and the children, was attentive and steady—it seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do.

But today, she discovered another side of Jiang Junmo, one that was deeply focused on his work and equally alluring.

She couldn’t help but wonder if her and the family had held him back all this time.

However, she quickly shook her head. Given his attitude, he probably embraced it willingly.

It was wonderful. This day made her feel like she had uncovered another facet of Jiang Junmo.

…

Lu Xia accompanied Jiang Junmo for just one day and saw that he had found his stride. Afterward, she didn’t go with him anymore.

The following Sunday, after Jiang Junmo left for work, Lu Xia had a rare day off. With nothing much to do, she wanted to spend some time with Kang Kang, so she planned to take him to the park.

Unexpectedly, the little guy furrowed his brows upon hearing her suggestion. “Mom, are you planning to take me to Dongcheng Park to see the woods, or to Beihai Park to row a boat?”

Lu Xia was surprised, “How do you know so much?”

Kang Kang sighed, “Grandpa has taken me to those places before. But if you want to go, Mom, I can accompany you.”

Lu Xia was taken aback by his response. “Does Kang Kang have any other places you’d like to go?”

Kang Kang shook his head and then glanced at her sneakily, “Grandpa wants to take me fishing today.”

Lu Xia: … Well, she was delaying him.

So she waved her hand, “Alright, go fishing then. You don’t have to keep me company.”

“Really? If Mom wants to go to the park, I can skip fishing!”

Lu Xia looked at her son’s sincere and reluctant expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thanks, Kang Kang, but it’s okay. Mom wants to go shopping today.”

Kang Kang finally let out a relieved sigh upon hearing that. “Okay, next time I’ll go with Mom.”

With that, he happily went to find his little fishing rod and excitedly joined his grandfather to go fishing.

*

Chapter 360 – Lu Qiu

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Watching his rapidly disappearing figure, Lu Xia began to doubt whether the person who had just said he would accompany her was really him.

However, she quickly shook her head. Never mind, he’s so young yet managed to control his preferences. Saying those words already displayed more maturity compared to other children. What more could she ask for?

Afterward, she tidied up and rode her bicycle out.

Yes, she had just said she was going shopping, and she meant it.

She genuinely intended to do so.

As the weather grew warmer, she needed to prepare lighter clothing. Moreover, Kang Kang had grown rapidly recently and was quite mischievous. His clothes tended to get torn easily after a short while, so it was time to prepare new ones.

Thus, Lu Xia decided to visit a department store.

Perhaps due to the holidays, the department store was quite crowded. Lu Xia browsed through each floor and checked out the options, only to find that there weren’t enough clothes for children.

In this era, clothes were mostly homemade, especially children’s clothes, which were simply downsized versions of adult clothing. Consequently, she ended up buying fabric, planning to study the sewing machine and see if she could make the clothes herself.

After the purchase, she strolled around a bit more and felt that there was nothing else she needed. She decided to head back.

Just as she turned around, she heard a voice.

“…Second Sister?”

Lu Xia hadn’t initially realized someone was calling her, but when she didn’t respond, the voice called out again. She turned around and caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure.

Although they hadn’t seen each other for a few years, she could still recognize the image of her sister from the past within the grown-up face.

“Lu Qiu?”

“Second Sister, it really is you!” Lu Qiu ran over, surprised.

“I wasn’t quite sure just now, but I didn’t expect it to really be you, Second Sister. You’ve changed so much! When did you come back? Why haven’t you returned home?”

Although Lu Xia recognized Lu Qiu, she wasn’t particularly excited. Listening to her rapid barrage of questions, Lu Xia simply nodded and replied, “I came back before the New Year.”

Lu Qiu paused for a moment after hearing Lu Xia’s cold tone. However, she continued as if she hadn’t noticed and said, “It’s been years since I’ve seen Second Sister. I was quite worried about you. Seeing that you’re doing well now puts my mind at ease.”

Lu Xia wanted to laugh upon hearing this. If she was so concerned, why hadn’t she contacted her over these years? It seemed like her words were just empty niceties.

After Lu Qiu finished speaking and noticed that Lu Xia didn’t respond, she continued, “Second Sister, let’s find a place to sit and chat. It’s been too long since we last saw each other; we’ve grown distant.”

However, Lu Xia immediately declined, “No need, I have something to do later.”

But Lu Qiu was quite persistent. “Second Sister, don’t you want to hear about how our family has been doing these years? Can’t we talk as sisters? Don’t worry, I won’t pry into your matters if you don’t want to share. I just want someone to talk to, kind of like the reward for the letters I secretly wrote to you back then.”

After hearing her words, Lu Xia considered it for a moment before finally not refusing. Although she was not the one who asked her to write those letters, Lu Qiu did tell her everything that happened at home after she left.

Even though she wasn’t particularly interested, it was somewhat satisfying to know the outcome of the Lu family after all.

Honestly, she had never fully understood this younger sister of hers.

The eldest sister, Lu Chun, and the youngest brother, Lu Dong, had both been spoiled by the family.

As for the original host, she was the type who worked silently but craved her parents’ attention.

However, Lu Qiu seemed to be quite cunning from a young age. She used Lu Dong to gain their parents’ attention and reap benefits. When the family was ignoring Lu Xia, she turned a blind eye to her as well. Yet, in the end, she had written letters to Lu Xia, informing her about the family’s miserable situation when Lu Xia went to the countryside.

So, this person was quite contradictory.

Lu Xia’s decision not to reject her this time was also a way to see what Lu Qiu was up to.

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