Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

November 16, 2014.

It was a Sunday.

As an employee of Evergreen Liquid, Aunt Gu rarely had a day off. She planned to make something delicious for her daughter at noon to nourish her body.

In the early morning of late autumn, the sky was dimly lit. A row of bungalows was shrouded in a light morning mist, with a gentle breeze carrying the moisture of the Huishui River, adding a hint of chill to the air.

In this tranquility, the alarm clock beside Xue Yuantong's bed went off. The pink clock shook desperately and wouldn't stop until it woke her up.

Despite living in the era of smartphones, where people are used to setting alarms on their phones, Xue Yuantong still adhered to the old tradition and continued using her little alarm clock.

Lying in bed with her eyes closed, Xue Yuantong fumbled with her small hands, found the clock, and turned it off.

In mid-November in Yuzhou, the nights are around ten degrees. People become attached to their warm beds, and getting out of them in this weather requires a certain willpower.

Xue Yuantong planned to dive back into her dreams, but scenes from last night emerged in her mind.

Last night, she had a feast at Jiang Ning's house. Then, her mom came in to tell her that tomorrow she had to wash the pillows and bedcovers at home, thus squeezing her freedom.

In front of Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong bragged about her dominance at home. Now, the time had come to show her prowess!

The reason for setting the alarm on the weekend was precisely because of this!

"Mom, I'll show you how amazing I am!" Xue Yuantong's eyes sparkled with determination!

Two minutes later.

Xue Yuantong burst through the morning mist and knocked on her mom's door, "Bang, bang, bang!"

With a few knocks, Xue Yuantong rushed into the room.

Aunt Gu, sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened and hazily saw a familiar petite figure.

The next moment, Xue Yuantong shouted, "Mom, it's not early anymore. I'll wash the pillows and bedcovers for you!"

With that, she took the pillows and stripped the covers off under her mom's puzzled expression.

Before leaving, she smiled innocently, "Mom, don't worry about me. You just keep sleeping."

...

An hour and a half later, wisps of cooking smoke drifted up from Xue Chuchu's house.

Attracted by the aroma, Xue Yuantong ran over to grab food. Just as expected, she saw Jiang Ning's figure upon entering the kitchen.

Being used to this, Xue Yuantong wasn't surprised and instead complained, "Chuchu, I'm so tired!"

Xue Chuchu found it odd. Clearly, she was in charge of breakfast while Tongtong only had to eat. What was there for her to be tired about? How daring...

Anyway, outwardly, Xue Chuchu inquired, "What happened?"

Xue Yuantong: "I got up this morning to wash the pillowcases and blankets. It's killing me!"

Xue Chuchu found it unusual and said, "But isn't Aunt Gu off today? Why did you still need to wash them?"

Now that Evergreen Liquid's work is easy, when Xue Chuchu's mother is off, Chuchu rarely does chores at home, let alone Tongtong. Aunt Gu usually handles all the housework.

Xue Yuantong complained, "It was my mom who made me do it!"

Xue Chuchu washed her hands, "Alright, let's eat."

Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning sat on one side of the dining table, with Chuchu sitting alone on the other side.

Xue Yuantong sipped on rice soup, winking and gesturing at Jiang Ning, her eyebrows knit slightly, and her eyes blinking mischievously.

She whispered to Jiang Ning boastfully, "I purposely got up early today and went to my mom's room to fetch the pillows and blankets. You should've seen my mom's face."

"Hahaha." She laughed uncontrollably.

Her mother, who usually disciplined her, was played by her today.

From across the table, Xue Chuchu heard this and thought, wasn't this defeating a thousand enemies by harming herself a thousand? What's so brag-worthy about it?

Xue Yuantong reveled in her triumph for a few minutes before a familiar figure suddenly walked in through the kitchen door.

Aunt Gu came in holding a platter, her face full of benevolence.

Xue Yuantong promptly reined in her pride, her strong sense of caution made her exceptionally wary, wondering what her mom was up to now.

Aunt Gu glanced at Jiang Ning, then at Chuchu, finally looking at Tongtong, saying, "I washed some strawberries. Help yourself."

Saying so, she found a stool and sat down next to her daughter.

Xue Chuchu quickly got up and served Aunt Gu a bowl of rice soup, "Auntie, there's a lot of food made, have some too."

She also handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Jiang Ning picked up a strawberry, which was unique. Unlike traditional red strawberries, this one was light pink, almost white, seemingly unripe.

Having just schemed against her mom in the morning, Xue Yuantong was now paranoid, suspecting her mom might harm her and scrutinized the strawberry, determining, "It's not ripe, shouldn't eat it!"

'This must be mom's way of getting back at her, offering unripe strawberries. Does she think I'm that eager to eat anything?'

'It's ridiculous!' The more Xue Yuantong thought, the more she believed her reasoning, 'Yes, it must be that.'

Xue Chuchu hadn't tasted this kind of strawberry either and was equally hesitant.

But Jiang Ning recognized it. It wasn't that the strawberry was unripe; it's called a pale snow strawberry, white with a hint of pink.

Compared to regular strawberries, its flesh is softer and juicier, with a smooth taste, and apart from being a bit pricey, it has no flaws.

Jiang Ning took a bite and started eating as usual.

Seeing Jiang Ning's normal reaction, Xue Chuchu then ventured a small bite, followed by a second and third.

Xue Yuantong figured they wouldn't deceive her, so she also took a bite.

"Auntie, you have some too," Xue Chuchu said.

Aunt Gu kept smiling. She took a strawberry, and just as she was about to put it in her mouth, her hand intentionally shook, and the strawberry fell to the ground.

Xue Yuantong looked down, seeing some visible dust on the surface of the pink-white strawberry.

In rural areas, people aren't that particular. Pick it up, wash it, and it's still edible.

Aunt Gu bent down to pick it up and playfully pushed it toward her daughter's mouth.

A surge of vigilance filled Xue Yuantong, and she immediately dodged backward, shouting while sidestepping, "Mom, you really want to get back at me!"