Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 665 - 412: Top 1%

Exam Room No. 9.

After Yu Wen Zhu was called out for looking ridiculous, she couldn’t endure the strange looks from the other students in the same room, so she handed in her paper fifteen minutes early and left the exam room.

After the end of this exam.

Tan Meiling, dolled up with ripped jeans, a gold necklace, and a flashy little belt, sashayed out, supremely confident in her figure and appearance.

Cui Yu from Exam Room No. 11 ran down from the upstairs to play and just happened to see Tan Meiling’s "charming" figure.

Having been frequently invited to watch movies at Meng Gui’s house, Cui Yu had a higher appreciation for art. His eyes lit up as he took a good look.

He then sighed to himself, "Too skinny, too flat."

It’s not that he preferred plumpness; rather, he reckoned Tan Meiling might have been neglecting her nutrition for a long time in order to maintain her figure, and he wasn’t interested in that unhealthy kind of body.

When Tan Meiling saw Cui Yu, a look of disgust immediately crossed her face. She used to love wearing crop tops to show off her graceful figure.

Drawing the gazes of boys on the street, she enjoyed that feeling, as if she was a rare treasure sought after by countless people - they could only look, never touch.

However, one day, she was mortified when Cui Yu remarked that her belly button was too dirty.

After that, Tan Meiling never wore a crop top again.

At that moment, as Cui Yu stared at her, Tan Meiling felt goosebumps cover her skin. If it were anyone else, she would’ve scolded them out loud, and those disgusting boys would’ve carefully apologized, allowing her to chastise them as she relished in that superiority.

But with Cui Yu, she dared not say a word.

Cui Yu shifted his gaze away and left without a word.

Only when Cui Yu was far away did Tan Meiling feel relieved to lift her leg and check the ripped area of her pants:

"Thank goodness there’s no dust on my leg."

...

Midday.

During the final exam period, the school cafeteria was closed, so Xue Yuantong headed home and started cooking in the kitchen with Xue Chuchu.

Jiang Ning sat waiting for the meal.

Of course, it wasn’t without cost; after eating, he was responsible for washing the pots and dishes.

But, Xue Chuchu would inevitably argue to help out, and as long as he didn’t firmly insist on doing it himself after the meal, the washing up would fall to Xue Chuchu.

While cooking, Xue Chuchu brought some chicken wings from home; she didn’t want to take advantage of Tongtong’s hospitality, so she brought her own ingredients.

As for Jiang Ning, he brought nothing and freeloaded.

At the beginning of their shared meals, Xue Yuantong tried to make things clear with him, but it was too difficult, and even she lost track, so she let him eat as much as he wanted.

After all, their mother didn’t object, and it made for a more familial atmosphere.

Having received the chicken wings, Xue Yuantong decided to make a cola chicken wing dish. Her hands were busy washing the chicken wings, so she ordered Jiang Ning to fetch the cola from the fridge.

Jiang Ning got two bottles of iced cola, but Xue Yuantong disdainfully said that only one was needed.

Jiang Ning intended to put the other one back in the fridge.

She told him it was too much trouble, then opened the other can and shared it with Chuchu.

After drinking the cola, she was filled with energy and stir-fried three dishes in one go.

Cola chicken wings, stir-fried lettuce, and a spicy beef with chili.

Jiang Ning helped move the table to the doorway, sitting on a small stool among the rustic scenery.

Each person had a bowl of rice, a sweet mung bean soup, and the company of two beautiful girls, one lively and one cool. Jiang Ning thought life was pretty good at the moment.

At the dinner table, Xue Chuchu told Tongtong that in their row of bungalows, the neighbor with a face full of meat recently brought home a huge wolf dog and kept it in an iron cage.

Xue Yuantong asked her how big the wolf dog was.

Xue Chuchu said it was really big and warned Tongtong not to provoke it.

Xue Yuantong was scared; such a big wolf dog was frightening, and if it suddenly went mad, it could maul a person quite horribly.

In their village, someone once had a large wolf dog. In the village, it wasn’t popular to keep dogs on leashes; they were all free-roaming.

That wolf dog was extremely fierce, lunging at anyone it saw.

At first, the dog’s owner watched with amusement until the dog severely injured the village children, prompting the commune’s secretary to lead people to slaughter it.

She took Chuchu’s warning to heart, determined not to mess with the big wolf dog.

After finishing the chicken wings, Xue Chuchu carefully spat the bones onto the table. With Jiang Ning present, she couldn’t completely relax while eating, maintaining the demeanor of a lady.

She took a sip of mung bean soup and suddenly said, "Tongtong, do you remember Xue Qingluan?"

Xue Yuantong responded, "Of course."

In her neighborhood of Xue Xiaozhuang, besides her and Chuchu, there was another girl of the same age named Xue Qingluan. The three of them could have become good friends.

Unfortunately, Xue Qingluan’s family had a fierce dog, and every time she and Chuchu went to visit Qingluan, that vicious dog would burst out barking wildly.

Eventually, they stopped seeking out Xue Qingluan’s company.

"Do you still keep in touch with her?" Xue Yuantong asked, curious about the childhood friend.

Xue Chuchu calmly said, "Qingluan has gone to Yang City."

Xue Yuantong was surprised, "Wasn’t she at home before?"

"Her family couldn’t make money," Xue Chuchu said with a slightly complex tone.

Xue Qingluan’s grades weren’t as good as hers and Tongtong’s, and she wasn’t an only child either, with two younger brothers beneath her.

During that strict era, having two brothers meant Xue Qingluan’s family paid a heavy price.

This led to their family not doing well financially; at the worst, even the refrigerator, electrical appliances, and even a cow were taken away.

People in the countryside didn’t have as broad a perspective as those in the city, and many families would go out to find work together.

To help support her family, Xue Qingluan had no choice but to go find work.

Hearing this, Xue Yuantong sighed, at a loss for words.

Xue Chuchu felt the same. She knew very well how difficult it was to work away from home without any special skills – taking on the toughest and most tiring jobs, like in sewing factories, electronics factories, as waitresses, or janitors.