Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 634 - 396: Shouldn’t Sleep Here_2

The sofa wasn’t large, and Xue Yuantong was petite, leaving a slight gap.

She cuddled under a blanket, enjoying the horror movie, with the eerie sound effects echoing through the room.

Jiang Ning’s desktop speakers were a foreign brand name, costing over ten thousand yuan a pair, boasting superior sound quality, which made the movie even more terrifying.

As a few classic horror scenes unfolded, Xue Yuantong was scared half to death, her calves shaking uncontrollably.

She sneaked a peek at Chuchu beside her, hoping to find a scared expression on her sister’s face, but instead, she saw Chuchu resting her chin on her hands, watching serenely.

Xue Yuantong was puzzled. ’Didn’t she say she was very scared?’

She suppressed her fear and continued watching, her heart pounding, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Xue Yuantong leaped up in fright. As the door opened, blinding light poured into the room, and Aunt Gu stood at the door, surprised, "Jiang Ning, you guys are watching a movie?"

"Yep, Tongtong wanted to watch it," Jiang Ning said.

Xue Yuantong said, "Jiang Ning, you keep watching, I’m going home for a drink of water."

Then she bolted after dropping that line.

Jiang Ning knew she wouldn’t come back, so he simply turned off the player.

On one side of the sofa, Xue Chuchu had fallen asleep.

Tongtong was terrified, yet she was sleeping; the difference between the two was vast.

The temperature in Jiang Ning’s room was very low, so he took the initiative to cover Xue Chuchu with the blanket, then he sat at his computer desk and put away the keyboard and mouse.

He took out a pile of messy parts from the drawer, including ropes, ceramics, jade, copper pieces, silver chunks, and tools like carving knives and scissors.

He was preparing to make a Peace Fortune keychain.

Jiang Ning brewed a cup of tea and began to carve the jade.

The afternoon was comfortable; flowers on the windowsill bloomed, filling the air with fragrance.

Xue Chuchu woke up two hours later.

She slowly opened her eyes, her vision gradually clearing, and the ample, vibrant sunlight flooded the room, spilling a gentle glow on Jiang Ning, his handsome profile touched with light.

From Xue Chuchu’s point of view, she could even see his black eyelashes, which made his bright eyes stand out.

Outside the window was peaceful, the sunlight just right, the tea sweet, and the books fragrant, surrounded by verdant life.

After a moment’s confusion, Xue Chuchu suddenly realized something and grabbed the blanket on her body.

Her pure white face turned slightly red as she apologized profusely, "Sorry, sorry, I fell asleep."

"I was so sleepy, I’m sorry."

Jiang Ning swiveled his chair 180 degrees and said, "No worries, Tongtong often sleeps here."

Xue Chuchu was not Tongtong; she had only interacted with Jiang Ning a few times and they were far from being familiar. She was now embarrassed for having fallen asleep in his house.

Feeling annoyed with herself, all she could say was, "Then I’ll be going."

As she said this, she avoided Jiang Ning’s warm gaze and hurriedly left the house, vanishing in an instant.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and decided to remind her, "Leave the blanket behind."

His voice carried far.

Xue Chuchu stopped in her tracks, realizing she was still holding the small blanket.

Embarrassed, she awkwardly turned back into the house.

...

Evening self-study.

Having returned from a three-day holiday, the students’ minds hadn’t quite adjusted yet, so the first two classes were spent without lectures, even though a teacher was present; they just sat at the lectern, letting everyone study on their own.

Until the last class, when the monitor, Huang Zhongfei, took charge.

With the end-of-term exams approaching, which would determine the class placements, Huang Zhongfei initially wanted to remind everyone, but after some thought, he gave up.

Zhang Chi, sitting at the back, was playing with his cracked-screen phone, "Brother Gang, how about some barbecue tonight? I’ll introduce you to someone."

As soon as Duan Shigang heard this, he thought Zhang Chi was really loyal; he hadn’t misjudged him.

"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there tonight." He loved making acquaintances with all sorts of heroes. "Who am I meeting? Any taboos I should be aware of?"

"It’s Yan Tianpeng from our dinner table."

Zhang Chi and Yan Tianpeng had previously fallen out over selling routers. As the saying goes, even a broken mirror can be mended, let alone a minor misunderstanding.

Ever since he learned that Yan Tianpeng had become a small-time vendor and was making a good amount of money, Zhang Chi reached out, and they made amends.

Tonight, Yan Tianpeng invited him for barbecue.

Duan Shigang thought of Yan Tianpeng’s giant stature and was pleased, "Chi Zi, not bad."

Zhang Chi said, "Tianpeng mentioned that he’ll treat us to barbecue until we’re full tonight!"

Duan Shigang was touched, "Man, we’re going to eat without restraint, won’t that be like eating two hundred yuan worth?"

Zhang Chi replied, "He has money; don’t be shy tonight."

During their exchange, the school bell rang for dismissal.

Yan Tianpeng came to class 8. Despite the heat, he slung his arm around Zhang Chi’s shoulder, "Good brother, you helped me out last time; it’s my treat tonight!"

The previous week, Yan Tianpeng had been successfully selling small goods.

However, a ’competitor’ emerged in class 5, also selling similar items. Luckily, with a clever little trick and using Zhang Chi as a secret weapon, he managed to tarnish the competitor’s reputation and monopolized the business.

The cost he paid was to treat everyone to barbecue.

Yan Tianpeng headed straight to "Sister Ma’s Barbecue," having mixed in with the crowd for over a year, they were considered veterans at Fourth Middle School, and sticking with this barbecue place meant no problems, anyway.

The night of summer concealed the day’s sweltering heat, with coolness filling the air.

In front of the barbecue restaurant, seven or eight white plastic tables were set up, which, under the bright lights of the front porch, seemed fairly well-lit.

At this moment, nearly half of the plastic tables were seated with customers.

"Guys, I’m treating tonight, and I’ll make sure you’re stuffed!" Yan Tianpeng’s large palm slapped the plastic table, nearly smashing it to pieces.

Zhang Chi exclaimed with joy, "Brother Peng is so generous!"

Yan Tianpeng shouted, "Waiter, bring some drinks!"

Pei Yujing came over carrying a menu with her cold, expressionless face: "Hello, just mark what you want with a line and call me when you’re done."

She put down the menu and pencil and prepared to leave.

Pei Yujing had no smile, she wasn’t the kind of warm, personable waitress that made you feel comfortable, but the taste of the barbecue from her family’s place kept customers coming non-stop.

Despite her coolness, the young girl’s appearance was still pleasing to the eye.

When the menu came out, Zhang Chi and Yan Tianpeng hurried to look at it; the list was densely packed with offerings, and the specialty items were highlighted at the top: "Mutton skewers, beef tendon, chicken gizzard, pork kidney..."

Zhang Chi was very tempted to make a couple of marks.

Yan Tianpeng stopped him, "Do you have any best-sellers?"

Pei Yujing replied, "Mutton skewers, lamb legs, lamb ribs..."

Yan Tianpeng asked, "Can you do one hundred mutton skewers?"

Pei Yujing replied, "Yes."

Yan Tianpeng inquired, "How much for a lamb leg?"

Pei Yujing repeated the oft-said spiel, "Our lamb legs are fresh, 80 yuan each and they take a while to cook."

Yan Tianpeng remarked, "Not bad, not bad."

"Do you have grilled fish?"

"We have yellow croaker, pomfret, and squid."

Yan Tianpeng again said, "Not bad, not bad."

Seeing him asking so much, Zhang Chi thought he was going to order everything, his spirits lifted, "Brother Peng, that’s enough, that’s enough."

But then he heard Yan Tianpeng say, "Three grilled bread skewers, three grilled rice cake skewers, three dried tofu skewers, extra spicy, and a large bottle of Ice Dew purified water."

After ordering, he declared magnanimously, "Guys, tonight let’s eat and drink till we’re full!"

Pei Yujing replied, "...Okay."

After she left, Zhang Chi was damn confused, "Yan Tianpeng, what’s with you?"

Yan Tianpeng replied, "Not full? I’ll add another skewer of grilled bread for you."

Zhang Chi was annoyed, damn it, he thought Tianpeng had turned over a new leaf, but in the end, he was still the same old slacker.

But as plain as the fare was, at least they got the taste of barbecue; Zhang Chi’s greatest asset was that he wasn’t picky.

As for Duan Shigang sitting nearby, he was a bit displeased, but his years of experience taught him to eat whatever was ordered.

Several other groups came to the nearby tables one by one. A fat man, who was pretty impressive, brought two women with him, arm in arm, chuckling and asked: "Young lady, do you have anything that’s suitable for men?"

Pei Yujing kept a straight face, "Oysters, leeks, sheep penis."

Upon hearing this, the fat man roared with laughter, "What’s a sheep penis?"

Sister Ma from the barbecue stand shouted angrily, "Get the hell outta here!"

The middle-aged man wasn’t upset at all; he was a regular who liked to banter, but he didn’t dare to take it too far.

Cao Kun from Class 5 of Senior One, along with Meng Ziyun and another female classmate from Class 5, took their seats.

Cao Kun wiped the plastic table with a napkin, "Let’s eat here, I’ve been here a few times and the taste is really good."

The other female student called, "Waitress, come here please."

Pei Yujing approached.

"Aren’t you from Class 3?" Meng Ziyun was seeing her work as a waitress for the first time.

Pei Yujing didn’t know how to respond, so she didn’t, setting the menu down and turning to leave.

Then she heard the other girl, Tang Jing, murmuring, "Isn’t she arrogant?"

Cao Kun marked a few dishes, and then let the two women make their choices. Once they were done, they called Pei Yujing over again.

While waiting for the barbecue, Pei Yujing brought over a plate of five-spice peanuts and served the drinks first.

Eating peanuts, Cao Kun brought up the topic of class divisions, "Class 5 is a lost cause. Let’s think about which class to join in Senior Two."

He looked expectantly at Meng Ziyun, waiting for her response.

Tang Jing beside him teased, "Yo, is our Life Committee member planning to bolt?"

Cao Kun remained indifferent, "Since ancient times, it has often been the privileged who were able to plan their retreats."