Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Lunch break.

Liu Chuandao walked on the main path of the campus and got a beating from Shan Qingrong.

Even his dad had never hit him like that!

But Liu Chuandao didn't dare to tell his dad, otherwise, his dad would definitely beat him like that.

Although Shan Qingrong was ruthless, he didn't inform the parents or the school, so a beating was just a beating.

"Chai Wei, you're dead meat!" Liu Chuandao rehearsed the Lightning Five-Chain Whip in his mind.

When he's mastered the whip, he will crush all his enemies!

...

Fifty meters behind.

Yang Sheng was pushing a mountain bike, with the twin sisters following her.

The twin sisters usually stayed at school, and after lunch, she planned to buy some pineapples to eat. The street outside the Fourth Middle School was bustling.

Yang Sheng silently pushed the bike forward.

At a small crossroad, a young man wearing tattered clothes was sitting on a bench, with a sign next to him:

"I am deaf and mute."

There was a white cloth on the ground with a long text written on it, generally about being abandoned, very pitiful and all that.

Although Chen Siyu was a fool, she was very kind-hearted.

Chen Siyu counted the money for buying pineapples, then, with her sister, walked to the stall.

In contrast, Yang Sheng was much colder, watching indifferently.

Last time, at a similar location, Chen Siyu was almost tricked by an old lady into giving her one hundred yuan, yet now she was still going up to show compassion.

Are they not afraid of being deceived again?

Yang Sheng originally didn't want to interfere, but felt it necessary to give the twins a lesson.

She really worried herself sick.

Yang Sheng took out a ten-yuan note, handed it to the deaf-mute young man, and then said, "There's a dog on your left."

The deaf-mute young man immediately turned his head to look to the left.

Yang Sheng took back the money and tugged at Chen Siyu, "Let's go."

After walking a few dozen meters, sister Chen Siqing asked, "How did you know?"

Yang Sheng nonchalantly said, "Because most of them are frauds."

She looked at the twin sisters and asked, "You got tricked once, why are you still willing to help others?"

Chen Siyu: "There will always be people who need help."

Yang Sheng initially wanted to say, "You can't save everyone," but after thinking about it, she gave up.

She didn't forcibly instill her worldview into Chen Siyu; everyone should have their own individuality.

...

River dam.

The afternoon sun was warm and comfortable. The bungalow faced south, with nothing in front to block it, making the lighting unbeatable.

In winter, in such weather, basking in the sun is very comfortable.

Jiang Ning set up tables and chairs at the doorway, he and Xue Yuantong each lying on one, with tea, fruits, and fries in the middle.

Xue Yuantong was wrapped in a blanket, basking in the sun, feeling warm and cozy all over.

"So happy!" Xue Yuantong exclaimed, her eyes slightly squinting.

Back in middle school, she didn't dare to sleep at the door like this; she was just a child then.

Moreover, her mother worked in a restaurant, and lunchtime was the busiest time, often only getting off work after 2 PM.

The River Dam Bungalow was comfortable to live in, but it was remote and located in the outskirts with a few households, far less secure than the urban area.

It was said that over the past few years, things were stolen from this area.

If someone had bad intentions and targeted here, with Xue Yuantong's petite figure sleeping at the door, she might be grabbed, even though that possibility was very small, Aunt Gu still didn't want it.

Occasionally, when Aunt Gu was on holiday, it was hard for Xue Yuantong to nap in the sun at the door, with the brat Dongdong from next door being very annoying.

Now, with the brat's house haunted and Jiang Ning by her side as a protector, Xue Yuantong felt especially safe.

Xue Yuantong ate the fries, feeling delighted. At that moment, Aunt Gu came out from inside and stood across from her daughter.

Xue Yuantong: "Mom, you're blocking my sun."

Aunt Gu gave her a side-eye and said, "I told you this morning, it's nice weather today, so you should air the quilts. Did you forget?"

Xue Yuantong: "I did air them."

Seeing her still being stubborn, Aunt Gu then asked, "Where did you air them?"

Xue Yuantong: "On QQ Space."

Seeing Jiang Ning nearby, Aunt Gu spared Tongtong some face, giving her daughter a glare but not scolding her on the spot.

After Mom left with the quilt, Xue Yuantong smugly said, "Hehe, am I smart or what?"

"My mom is no match for me."

Jiang Ning: "So smart, a genius bestowed by heaven, intelligence shines like stars in the sky."

Xue Yuantong was overjoyed and fed Jiang Ning a fry.

Next door, Xue Chuchu came out to find Tongtong to play and happened to see this scene, silently withdrawing her steps.

There was no place for her.

She was the extra person.

The fries were delicious, and Xue Yuantong ate them all in her delight.

"Wait for me, I'll go get some fries from home."

She leaped up from the deck chair, carrying the tray inside to replenish the fries, only to find the large bag of fries missing.

"Oh no, my mom hid them!" Xue Yuantong thought to herself desperately.

My mom's too cunning!

She thought she had just sent her mom packing, but who knew she'd fall into a trap here!

She had just put on a little act in front of Jiang Ning, and if she returned empty-handed now, wouldn't she be ridiculed?

Thinking of that scene made it impossible for Xue Yuantong to accept.

However, if Xue Yuantong had to look for the fries, she probably wouldn't be able to find them. Her mom was too good at hiding things.

To maintain her dignity in front of Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong decided to please her mom.

She put down the tray, ran to the kitchen, and saw her mom busy steaming buns.

She put on a fawning smile: "Mom, it's too much work, let me help you!"

Aunt Gu knew her daughter wanted fries, but she continued with her work and ignored her daughter.

Xue Yuantong called out several times, but her mom still didn't respond.

Xue Yuantong thought for two seconds and started looking for things in the kitchen.

She opened cabinets, rummaged through bowls and chopsticks, lifted pot lids, and turned everything she could upside down, making the kitchen a mess.

Aunt Gu frowned and scolded: "What are you looking for?"

Xue Yuantong laughed, her little face blossoming: "Oh my god, Mom, I finally found your voice!"

Aunt Gu was amused by her antics, trying hard to maintain a serious demeanor to uphold her motherly dignity as she glared at her daughter.

Xue Yuantong: "Mom, let me help you with the work."

Aunt Gu replied: "No need, you definitely have something to ask me."

Xue Yuantong's smile faded, her little face went serious as she said: "Mom, is that really the kind of daughter I am in your eyes?"

"I'm so disappointed!" she sighed, wearing an expression like a [Mom, I'm going to leave home] look.

Aunt Gu: "Yes, you are."

Xue Yuantong gritted her teeth, if she didn't sweat in front of her mom now, she'd be bleeding over at Jiang Ning's later!

She swallowed her pride: "Mom, you work so hard every day, I really want to help share your burden."

Aunt Gu saw her daughter's earnestness and sincerity, finally turning her head to say, "Really don't need anything from me? Alright then, help me chop some chives."

'Haha, isn't it just like me!' Xue Yuantong was overjoyed, "I love chopping chives the most."

Then, she shifted her tone: "Mom, before chopping the chives, can I discuss something with you?"

Aunt Gu: "Good thing I didn't buy the chives."

...

Xue Yuantong came back looking dejected.

Jiang Ning, always sharp: "Where are the fries, why are they gone?"

Xue Yuantong made an excuse: "My mom was too tired, I suddenly thought she'd need some food, so I gave them to her."

The two of them continued soaking up the sun at the door.

A dozen minutes later, Uncle Zhang came out of the house, pushing his motorcycle.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw the brother and sister next door.

Butcher Zhang couldn't help but marvel, these two live such a carefree life!

Back in the day, when his son was in high school, he would come home and immediately dive into homework, never so carefree.

Uncle Zhang, with an itch to chat, originally wanted to say a few words, but thinking of Jiang Ning's strength, he silently refrained.

With Jiang Ning on the west and Brother Yang, who runs a rural tourism business on the east, his position as the so-called boss of the River Dam Bungalow was now under threat!

Uncle Zhang fetched a basin of water, carefully cleaning his beloved motorcycle at the door.

The weather was great today. Boss Yang, done with his chores, took advantage of the free time to take a stroll.

He first greeted Jiang Ning.

He knew that although Jiang Ning was young, he had wide connections and could get special ingredients.

Having connections with such a person was significant. So usually in the evening, he'd occasionally send some grilled skewers or other snacks to Jiang Ning's house to maintain the relationship.

Recently, Jiang Ning ran into him and casually gave him two wild mushrooms.

Yang Fei was suddenly reminded of the wild mushrooms that amazed everyone that day. He immediately took them to a client who praised them highly and was incredibly pleased.

Therefore, he never underestimated Jiang Ning, even though he was a decade older than him, he was always polite.

Seeing Butcher Zhang washing his motorcycle, Yang Fei asked: "Brother Zhang, I heard you've been slaughtering pigs for many years?"

The nearby neighbors were quite interesting, Yang Fei intended to get along with them well.

Uncle Zhang wiped his motorcycle, adopting the demeanor of an expert: "I've been slaughtering pigs since I was in my teens. Been doing it for thirty years now."

Yang Fei: "Only slaughter pigs?"

Uncle Zhang: "Pigs, cows, sheep, dogs, fish, I've slaughtered them all."

"If it can be slaughtered, I've slaughtered it," Uncle Zhang exuded a murderous air.

Yang Fei immediately realized, Brother Zhang was a ruthless person!

After answering the question, Uncle Zhang was indeed curious about Yang Fei, who had built his rural tourism business from scratch—surely, it took some real skill.

So Uncle Zhang asked: "Your place is doing quite well. Even at the meat market where I sell pork, they've heard of your place. They say the ingredients focus on freshness."

Yang Fei was pleased to discuss the matter: "Absolutely! I'm all about quality!"

He wasn't just dreaming; he planned to expand and strengthen his rural tourism business. He had already started negotiating with the River Dam Horse Farm, planning to add horseback riding to the list of activities.

Uncle Zhang said: "And you have one other thing going well. Customers say when they order a dish from you, you present the live ingredients to them before slaughtering them."

This made patrons quite happy, knowing they were eating freshly slaughtered animals.

Yang Fei just smiled and said nothing.

Xue Yuantong understood why.

Because Jiang Ning told her about a time a customer ordered an old goose. On the way, Yang Fei held the goose for the customer to see while muttering to himself:

"Let me show you who wants to eat you, blame the right person, it's got nothing to do with me!"

Xue Yuantong referred to this as a certain taboo.

Many people hold beliefs and are superstitious. Yang Fei had traits of this kind.

Yang Fei asked: "Brother Zhang, I don't know much about pig slaughtering, but in terms of dogs, aren't there taboos?"

Uncle Zhang: "I used to run a dog meat stall, so of course, I know!"

Uncle Zhang was quite fond of dogs, otherwise, he wouldn't have a Black Back Wolf Dog, even though it didn't really listen to him.

Seeing that Brother Zhang didn't care, Yang Fei carefully phrased his words, "I heard slaughtering dogs has repercussions..."

Uncle Zhang waved his hand: "No need to beat around the bush. You reap what you sow. Slaughtering dogs is a slaughter sin; there's bound to be retribution. I'm clear on this."

Yang Fei: "But back then?"

Wasn't that knowingly committing a fault?

Uncle Zhang: "No choice, it was all for a meal!"

Then he chuckled: "I have an exclusive secret technique."

Yang Fei was curious: "What kind of secret technique?"

Uncle Zhang proudly said: "Back when I sold dog meat elsewhere, even though I slaughtered dogs, I always used an eight-tael scale. For every jin I sold, I 'saved' two-tenths of the dog's weight, my virtue is boundless."

"So I'm never afraid of any taboos, instead it's all virtue!"

Yang Fei was stunned, even with his experience, his face was full of: "??"

Xue Yuantong was equally shocked.

Even Jiang Ning found it hard to maintain a straight face.

...

1 PM.

Uncle Zhang finished cleaning the bike, started up the motorcycle with a roar, and shouted:

"Jiang Ning, I'll be back in half an hour, the door will be unlocked, keep an eye for me."

"Sure."

The River Dam Bungalow still retained a rural community's neighborly relationship, helping each other watch over homes, unlike the later urban high-rises where you might not know your neighbors even after living there for years.

After Uncle Zhang left, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong continued soaking up the sun, not setting off until almost 2 PM.

In such a lazy afternoon.

A man appeared at the bungalow door, wearing a black leather jacket, with a crew cut and a square face.

He glanced around and then walked straight over.