Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 646 - 401: Night Exploration_2

In the end, Jiang Ning caught many plush toys, and that day, Jin Yuanhang tasted defeat.

He went back and bought a claw machine, tirelessly practicing his claw skills. Now, he had reached the peak of his craft, but that small sense of dissatisfaction had dissipated along with time.

Because, he and Jiang Ning were no longer in the same realm.

"Xue Chuchu is actually here," Jin Yuanhang exclaimed in surprise.

Shen Qing’e suddenly asked, "Who is Xue Chuchu?"

"She’s in our class," Mu Ying said.

Shen Qing’e wanted to ask more, but at that moment, the owner came over.

During the meal.

Dong Qingfeng and Jin Yuanhang chatted merrily, seemingly knowledgeable about everything under the sun, while Chen Qian and Tao Zhi quietly ate fish.

Dong Qingfeng helped pour water, scalded the dishes, and adjusted the positions of each dish, equally attending to every girl:

"Yanan, I know you like cilantro, here, I had the chef chop some specially for you."

"Qing E, try the osmanthus lotus root, it’s guaranteed to be soft and glutinous."

"Mu Ying, aren’t you not able to drink cold stuff? I had the boss specially make you red date and peanut soup."

"Yao Yao, is the grilled Wangyayu fish to your taste?"

He asked each person with care, his attitude warming all the girls.

Jin Yuanhang was dumbfounded, finally forming a preliminary impression of Dong Qingfeng.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong, but damn, something was off.

The topics high school students talk about are varied and strange, but there are always topics you can’t avoid, like academics.

Jin Yuanhang straightened his appearance, and regarding academics, not to boast, but as a member of the Qingbei Class at Yuzhou Second Middle School, among tens of thousands of peers in the city, he was undoubtedly in the top one hundred.

After revealing his identity from Second Middle School, Jin Yuanhang was met with several surprised looks.

Particularly from that girl called Jiang Yanan, who had skin so fair it was striking.

As good as Second Middle School was, beautiful girls couldn’t quite overshadow other schools. A fair and pretty girl like Jiang Yanan would definitely be well-liked in Second Middle School.

Dong Qingfeng, outclassed, had his troubles but couldn’t voice them.

Talking about grades, even Chen Qian, who tried hard, might have been slightly inferior to Jin Yuanhang.

But Fourth Middle School wasn’t without its strengths, Dong Qingfeng said, "We have another final exam coming up, and then we’ll have the holiday after it’s done."

Mentioning this, those from Second Middle School were envious; they were a top school, and it was already good if they could have a month off for the summer break.

Jiang Yanan anxiously said, "The results of the final exam will determine the quality of my summer break. I wonder if the math test will be difficult?"

Yu Wen said, "Fatty Gao mentioned earlier that he’s responsible for setting the exam."

Jiang Yanan said, "Then I’m done for, I probably won’t even pass."

Her expression was one of disaster.

Dong Qingfeng took a sip of Coke and comforted her, "It’s okay, if you want, I could write your name on my test."

Jiang Yanan felt warmed by his words.

Finally, Chen Qian spoke, "Is math difficult? Let my grandmother take it, she’d pass it with ease."

Jiang Yanan’s face darkened.

Jin Yuanhang found this amusing, unable to understand how someone from the so-called Land of Exile like Fourth Middle School could be so arrogant.

He retorted, "Dude, you must be joking, isn’t your grandma in her seventies or eighties?"

Chen Qian replied, "My grandma used to be a retired high school math teacher."

After the meal, Jiang Ning paid the bill, and the three of them had only spent one hundred yuan altogether.

Xue Yuantong was again doing the accounts, spending one hundred yuan but still profiting over seven hundred.

From the south entrance of Hongxing Street, heading back north, the mountain bike and the electric scooter were still parked there.

They hadn’t walked far when they encountered a pet stand, with the owner dressed in an old-fashioned way, his clothes faded from washing, rubbing his coarse hands together.

The poor little rabbits were trapped in cages, with only a tiny space to move around.

Xue Yuantong squatted in front of the cage, staring at the rabbits.

She said sorrowfully, "Chuchu, it has no freedom."

"Do you want to buy it to eat?" Xue Chuchu got straight to the point.

Xue Yuantong’s springtime sadness instantly faded by a third, as she realized Chuchu had changed; she’d lost her childlike innocence!

"I just want it to go back to its mom and dad," Xue Yuantong was a kind child.

The stand owner, dressed like an old farmer, said, "It’s for sale, old rabbit’s already been sold, to a barbecue stall."

Xue Yuantong looked in the direction he pointed and saw a glowing sign at the barbecue stand that said, "Grilled Whole Rabbit, half for 30, whole for 50."

The old farmer suggested, "Little girl, give me ten yuan, and I’ll take the rabbit to the grill so it can reunite with its family."

Xue Yuantong left that cruel place.

On the way back, she spotted a candy stand by the road and asked Chuchu to distract Jiang Ning.

The female stall owner warned, "The candy you’re holding is for teasing people; it’s extremely sour on the outside, so sour that you’ll want to spit it out, but once it melts a bit, it’s very sweet on the inside."

Xue Yuantong acknowledged she understood. Such candy had been popular in her middle school, with classmates tricking each other into eating it.

Tonight, she was fortunate to encounter it, unveiling forgotten memories.

`This one’s for you!’

Xue Yuantong spent two yuan and bought a handful of candy. She deliberately separated the sour candies from the non-sour ones.

On the way home.

Xue Yuantong sat in the back seat, clutching the candy and feeling quite smug; she would violently torment Jiang Ning tonight, payback for him bossing her around all day.

A tiger not showing its might is taken for a sick cat!

She poked Jiang Ning’s back and said earnestly, "Jiang Ning, you behaved very well today. Chuchu and I are very satisfied."

"Here’s some candy for you."

As she spoke, she pulled a piece of candy from her right pocket and handed it to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning held the candy while riding his bike with one hand, hesitating to eat it.

Xue Yuantong felt slightly guilty. ’He couldn’t have noticed, could he?’

But then she remembered Chuchu had been keeping a lookout when she bought the candies. Chuchu was the most reliable.

So, she couldn’t have been exposed; there was absolutely no need to worry.

"Why aren’t you eating your candy?" she asked, her innocence shining brightly.

Jiang Ning sneered internally. He had long since figured out Xue Yuantong’s scheme.

"You eat it first," he said.

Feeling questioned and very unhappy, Xue Yuantong snapped, "Ungrateful. Fine, I will!"

She retrieved a non-sour piece of candy from her left pocket, tore off the wrapper without looking, and swiftly popped it into her mouth.

As soon as the candy entered her mouth, Xue Yuantong relished the sweet taste, but the next second, an overwhelming sourness attacked from all directions, making her shudder.

She hurriedly spat it out, but the sour taste lingered, leaving her so uncomfortable she couldn’t speak.

And at that moment, Jiang Ning placed another piece of sweet candy into her mouth, startling her just as she was about to yell.

A wave of sweetness dissolved in her mouth, diluting the previous sourness.

...

Late at night.

Xue Yuantong slipped out of Jiang Ning’s room and returned to her own amidst the night’s shadows.

Her mother had said not to stay up late, that she must leave Jiang Ning’s by midnight. Xue Yuantong always strictly complied.

She brought Jiang Ning’s iPad home and lay on her soft bed playing; her room was particularly cool, no mat needed.

Aunt Gu opened the door and, seeing her daughter’s state, advised, "Stop playing and go to sleep. You’ll only grow taller if you sleep more."

Xue Yuantong pouted; her mother thought she was too short.

Jiang Ning certainly didn’t mind her height. Besides, with Jiang Ning being tall enough for both of them, why did she need to be that tall?

"I’m sleeping, I’m sleeping," Xue Yuantong put the iPad away.

She grabbed the blanket, rolled over, and hid herself inside it.

Aunt Gu closed the door, satisfied.

Xue Yuantong perked up her ears, listening for any noise. Half a minute later, a hand reached out from under the blanket and snatched the iPad away.

She hid under the covers, engrossed in her game.

At one o’clock in the morning, Xue Yuantong played with increased joy, her spirit so high she couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Aunt Gu noticed the glow from the blanket, chiding her daughter, "Weren’t you asleep? Why are you still on your phone? Always deceiving me, you’ve gotten quite crafty, haven’t you?"

Xue Yuantong never expected her mother to launch a midnight surprise attack!

In her panic, Xue Yuantong’s mind went blank.

But her intelligence was extraordinary, and she came up with a brilliant excuse:

"Mom, it was only because you opened the door so loudly that you woke me up. I thought it was morning, so I took the tablet to check the time."

After saying this, Xue Yuantong almost believed herself. She was too clever; she was a supreme genius!

Aunt Gu retorted, "All nonsense. Jiang Ning said you sleep so soundly, even firecrackers couldn’t wake you!"