Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 637 - 398: Small Temple Fair

Time flew like a galloping horse; days and months passed like falling flowers and flowing water, and another week slipped away.

Saturday, June 21st, was about to start summer vacation.

The setting sun hung in the sky, casting a golden glow. It gilded the passersby and shone on the surface of the Huishui River, making it sparkle.

At the river dam, the air in the bedroom was fresh, without any of the heat from outside.

Jiang Ning leaned on the sofa, enjoying a movie; he had a lot of free time.

He held a glass in his hand, filled with orange juice that was no longer cold. Jiang Ning used a spell, and cold air from his palm froze it.

If Xue Yuantong saw that, she’d surely think about how much electricity you can save with that trick.

A cold dish of spicy beef, purchased by Aunt Gu specially for her daughter, sat next to Jiang Ning.

Xue Yuantong claimed he got nearly half of it for a snack.

According to her, it was delicious since her mom made it, but the beef was expensive, and her mom used to be too busy to cook often.

Jiang Ning gestured idly, and strands of beef rose from the plate, floating to his mouth.

This way, he didn’t need to use his hands or chopsticks; it was very easy.

The craft of Aunt Gu was as good as ever, both spicy and fragrant.

Jiang Ning took a sip of icy orange juice, blissfully watching the movie.

Suddenly, the sound of slippers shuffled outside the door; Jiang Ning knew without using Divine Sense, just from the sound, who it was.

He was all too familiar with Xue Yuantong’s footsteps.

Accompanied by a flurry of urgency, Xue Yuantong pushed open the door and blurted out her first words, "Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, I’m doomed!"

Her face was pale as death, her eyes showed sheer terror, the epitome of impending doom.

Jiang Ning calmly sipped his orange juice, "Sit."

Whom could Xue Yuantong see in such composure? She quickly grabbed him, "Quick, think of a solution for me!"

She clung to Jiang Ning’s arm, urgently pulling him along.

Jiang Ning offered no resistance and followed her to her room.

Xue Yuantong pointed to the blue mesh on the door. In Yuzhou’s summer, mosquitoes were a problem, and a mesh curtain on the door effectively kept them out.

It was the most common magnetic mesh curtain found in the market.

Jiang Ning glanced and noticed something was off with the curtain.

Xue Yuantong’s face was frantic, her eyes gleaming as she clung to Jiang Ning’s hand, panicking, "I just burned a hole in the curtain! My mom’s about to come home!"

Jiang Ning paused, puzzled, "Just this?"

Xue Yuantong gaped, "Isn’t this scary?"

Jiang Ning thought for a moment, "It is quite scary."

"My mom’s about to get off work, I need to fix this," Xue Yuantong sought a solution.

Jiang Ning didn’t speak at first. He entered the room, opened the drawer, and took out a binder clip, clamping it immediately onto the torn area of the mesh.

He inspected his handiwork, "Done."

What seemed like a catastrophe to Xue Yuantong was swiftly resolved by Jiang Ning. Her eyes glowed even brighter as she looked at him, utterly thrilled.

She instinctively wanted to praise his cleverness but felt embarrassed about how it might reflect on her own incompetence.

But she also couldn’t just not express gratitude, could she? That would be heartless toward Jiang Ning!

She secretly decided that the next time her mom cooked beef strips, she’d share a bigger portion with him, increasing from a quarter to two-fifths.

Then she’d boast to Jiang Ning that she’d given him more than a half.

After deciding on the reward, Xue Yuantong started to criticize, "This might fool my mom briefly, but it’s not a lasting solution."

Jiang Ning spoke, "There’s a small community event at Hongxing Street Office tonight. It’s said to be lively. Let’s go have fun and buy a repair patch. Just stick it on, and your mom surely won’t tear it off."

Xue Yuantong thought it was a good idea and immediately became excited, "Yes, yes, let’s go together tonight and call Chuchu too."

"She might not come, right? Isn’t she always studying?"

Xue Yuantong replied, "Chuchu will definitely come. She loved the temple fairs back when our town had them."

"Sure," Jiang Ning agreed.

The major worry off her mind, Xue Yuantong felt much lighter.

"Why did you burn the curtain?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Yang Sheng gave me a lighter, a kerosene one," she explained.

Jiang Ning remembered how cool Yang Sheng looked playing with the lighter; Xue Yuantong would watch him until he generously gave it to her.

"The lighter wouldn’t catch fire, and I kept fiddling with it. Who knew that it would suddenly light when I opened the door?" Xue Yuantong appeared innocent.

"Remember this time, don’t do it again," Jiang Ning cautioned.

"Yeah," Xue Yuantong, now terrified, promised never to do it again.

She followed Jiang Ning out of the house to her other home.

On their way, she suddenly asked, "How did you know the binder clip was in the drawer?"

She remembered that Jiang Ning seldom came to her room; it was usually her going to his.

Even she couldn’t have found the clip in a short time, so how could Jiang Ning? There must be something fishy!

Jiang Ning paused, his tone neutral, "Earlier when I used to wake you up in the morning and you wouldn’t get up, I thought to use the clip on your ear."

Xue Yuantong was shocked, all her suspicions dissipating, and she exclaimed angrily,

"Jiang Ning, you’re so bad!"

...

Construction site.

Workers covered in dust and grime gathered in the shade, waiting for the young boss to settle accounts.

Zhang Chi slapped the cement dust off his pants, stirring up dust that covered his face.

The young boss called, "Zhang Chi, come here!"

Zhang Chi immediately got up, squeezing out a smile.

The neatly dressed young boss took out two red banknotes from his black leather bag, "It’s gotten hotter recently. I’m adding fifty to your salary."

Zhang Chi and the other workers’ faces lit up with honest smiles.

Fifty yuan! Before, they would earn only 150 yuan for a day’s work.

After distributing the day’s wages, the young boss drove away from the brick factory in his newly acquired BMW 5 Series, striking a graceful arc as he started the engine.

Zhang Chi watched the BMW logo disappear, a sense of ambition burgeoning within him.