Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 720 - 436: Departure!

Peaches costing seven or eight yuan per jin, truly delicious, bursting with juices, crisply snapping with each bite – sour yet sweet, Xue Yuantong effortlessly devoured 8 of them!

She was very polite and even returned the plastic bag the peaches came in.

Uncle Zhang was furious, lips pressed tightly, his jaw slightly lifted, his jowls tautly stretched – he never imagined that little Xue Yuantong could eat so much!

"Damn it!"

With a flick of his wrist, Uncle Zhang stormed off.

Behind him came Xue Yuantong’s voice, "Jiang Ning, Uncle Zhang won’t be angry now, right?"

Jiang Ning, "Don’t worry, your Uncle Zhang is broad-minded, he wouldn’t get angry over a few peaches."

Hearing this, Uncle Zhang almost couldn’t catch his breath.

Xue Yuantong put the peach peels into the plastic bag, tying it tightly.

Black Back Wolf Dog, seeing this, stretched its head out, grabbed the bag in its mouth, ready to take it home, allowing it to return to its rightful place.

Xue Yuantong thought this act was too insulting and quickly snatched back the bag.

When Uncle Zhang returned home, Xiao Zhang, seeing that his hands were empty, asked in surprise, "Dad, where are the peaches you bought?"

Losing face was not an option for Uncle Zhang, who made up an excuse, "Ah, don’t mention it, the peaches were bad, I threw them all out."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhang immediately panicked, "Why throw them? Let’s go find the vendor!"

Uncle Zhang was indifferent, "Why bother, I’m in a good mood today, might as well spread some wealth!"

...

After lunch, Xue Chuchu took the initiative to wash the dishes.

Jiang Ning sat like a lord on a small stool; life was indeed good now, with Tongtong making meals and Chuchu washing the dishes, he didn’t have to lift a finger.

Xue Chuchu usually took a nap at 1:20, spending the time beforehand studying in the shady spot by the door.

With Xue Yuantong beside her, playing games with the sound on, Xue Chuchu could still concentrate.

Her focus was strong; otherwise, she couldn’t have made it from a rural middle school to the Qingbei Class at Yuzhou Second Middle School.

Meanwhile, after lunch, the neighbor, Xiao Zhang, slipped on flip-flops and went out for a stroll.

It was his first day back, and the food at home was so good, he was rather overstuffed.

Xiao Zhang initially intended to enjoy the river dam scenery, after all, spending a year in the provincial capital of An City for college, he believed his horizons had expanded significantly.

At this moment, his mindset carried a hint of scrutiny, and he couldn’t help comparing Yuzhou to An City.

Hands clasped behind his back, he displayed an air of casual ease, his heart filled with innumerable thoughts:

"Yuzhou, I, Zhang Ruyun, have returned today!"

After all, it was the place of his birth and upbringing, and even though he has seen a bigger world, the old soil still held a vast place in his heart.

For a moment, Zhang Ruyun swelled with pride, imagining the day he became someone of significance, ensuring this river dam too would be proud of him.

He would build roads here, construct tall buildings, supermarkets, amusement parks, allowing the impoverished to no longer fear darkness and filth, leading them onwards to a happy life.

Brightly dressed, a dashing young man – who wouldn’t recognize Zhang Ruyun!

At that thought, Zhang Ruyun’s spirits soared, such was his ambition!

Lost in his fantasies, he slowly surveyed his surroundings, and then he saw Xue Chuchu studying in the distance.

Zhang Ruyun was struck as if by lightning.

What kind of girl was she?

Wearing merely a simple summer school uniform, yet she was so strikingly pristine, her face smooth and youthful, yet an aura of cool, clear calm radiated from within.

Even in the scorching heat of summer, she made Zhang Ruyun feel a sense of coolness!

Zhang Ruyun couldn’t suppress a feeling of regret, as if lamenting, "If only I had been born later!"

Xue Chuchu withdrew her gaze, finding it odd that the young man stood idly under the sun – wasn’t he hot?

Zhang Ruyun hurried home to look in the mirror, ensuring his appearance was perfect for the day.

He approached his parents, and inquiring indirectly, "We’ve got new neighbors in this row?"

Watching TV, Uncle Zhang replied, "Aunt Pan sold her house, around this time, that family’s daughter should be back."

Zhang Ruyun pressed on, "Why did Aunt Pan leave? She used to share charred leaves with us."

"They’ve settled down out of town," said Mrs. Zhang.

Zhang Ruyun saw through the excuses, "What’s the story with the new neighbors?"

Uncle Zhang hadn’t thought much about it and said, "Pretty impressive, they work at Evergreen Liquid."

To Zhang Ruyun’s astonishment, he was well aware of Evergreen Liquid’s influence from his discussions with classmates in An City – he didn’t expect that the small river dam had a staffer from there.

But Zhang Ruyun wasn’t particularly impressed; he was studying civil engineering, which only got better with age.

His future prospects were limitless!

Even the largest company was insignificant in the eyes of college students.

Through the casual conversation, Zhang Ruyun obtained information about Xue Chuchu.

He found an excuse to end the chat, and with two or three steps, he was at Xue Yuantong’s door.

He had a slight recollection of Xue Yuantong, just a little kid, who would occasionally greet him.

Zhang Ruyun summoned his sunniest smile, starting off, "Hey, Xue Yuantong, have you had your meal?"

Xue Yuantong, "I already ate."

"So, you started high school last year; you must be heading into your second year now, right?"

Xue Yuantong, "What you said makes sense."

Zhang Ruyun sensed that the atmosphere was off; as a university student who was part of the student council, mixed with department heads for sponsorships, watched debate competitions, and visited the elderly, he was a pillar of the new generation.

He took control of the conversation by joking, "Today I went home, and my dad bought some peaches. You know what happened? They all went bad, and my dad threw them out."

Xue Yuantong fell silent for a few seconds, puzzled, "But that’s not right; didn’t I eat all the peaches?"

...

Zhang Ruyun left, and Xue Chuchu went to school.

Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning returned to their room to watch a movie.