Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Jiang Ning was surrounded by a group of classmates who bombarded him with questions.

If it hadn't been for Jiang Ning's warning, it would have been difficult for everyone to notice the depth of the water since the river had been stirred into murkiness.

Jiang Ning didn't act aloof; there was no need. He and Xue Yuantong answered other people's questions together.

Mostly, it was Jiang Ning who responded seriously, while Xue Yuantong was responsible for spouting nonsense.

On the other side, by the riverbank.

Four boys stood in a line, neatly arranged, their clothes completely soaked, looking like drowned rats.

Upon learning about the depth of the river, the onlooking students suddenly found it exceedingly bizarre.

They wanted to laugh but felt it was inappropriate, considering there were three classmates who had entered the river to attempt a rescue.

Wei Xiu Yuan cursed his luck in his heart.

Originally, he thought he could stylishly save a classmate from danger and bask in the admiration, worship, and praise from the female students afterward.

He didn't need to think about it to know how thrilling that scene would have been.

Instead, it turned out like this.

What's more, someone in front of them now held a phone horizontally, aiming the camera at them.

Wei Xiu Yuan was numb. He knew how disheveled he looked now, and if those photos really got taken and sent to Dong Jiayi, who knew what would happen.

He shouted, "Can you not take photos, please?"

That classmate hastily put away the phone, repeatedly explaining:

"I wasn't taking photos of you guys, I was capturing the river, look how murky this water is~"

The gym teacher was still standing nearby; they were taking pictures behind the teacher's back. If they continued and let the teacher discover them, a scolding was unavoidable.

Hu Jun, topless, stood upright and unashamed, asking,

"Meng Gui, how did you shrink?"

Atop Meng Gui's head, his hair, which usually stood several inches tall, now lay flat against his scalp after its encounter with the water.

What once was a dashing young man, now, deprived of his hair's enhancement, lacked his usual spirited edge, and seemed to shrink in height.

He became plain.

Meng Gui messed with his hair then swung it forcefully with great abandon. Those wet, limp strands flicked mesmerizingly, "whooshing" water droplets around, splashing several faces.

Wei Xiu Yuan closed his eyes as the water droplets hit him, wiping his face with a hand that came away drenched.

"Damn it!" Wei Xiu Yuan cursed inwardly.

Finally, the gym teacher Gu Wei spoke up:

"What just happened?"

He was dark and burly, and coupled with his stern tone, his questions had a certain intimidating force.

Gu Wei had initially panicked when he heard about the students falling into the water; he was just an ordinary gym teacher, after all!

Not long ago, on the Fourth Middle School playground, a student was injured while doing the high jump, leading to unconsciousness and a life-threatening situation.

Luckily at the time, a female student stepped forward to assist him in giving the unconscious classmate CPR, successfully saving a life. Otherwise, if a real accident had occurred, as the gym teacher, he would bear the responsibility.

Today, while out on an outing and the other teachers were in an impromptu meeting, he was nearby, watching the students. If anything had happened, the responsibility would still fall on him. Thankfully, everyone was okay.

Gu Wei wondered, why had his luck been so rotten lately?

Faced with Teacher Gu Wei's interrogation, several boys stammered, especially Cui Yu, who felt too mortified to speak.

Damn embarrassing!

Seeing this, Wang Longlong realized it was time for him to step in.

Wang Longlong called out, "Teacher, I was just a passerby, a complete bystander!"

"Just now, Cui Yu accidentally fell into the river, and several brave students immediately went in to save him, which led to the scene you saw."

"Especially our classmate Meng Gui, in his haste to save someone, his clothes fell into the river!"

Gu Wei studied them for a moment; since nobody was hurt, the issues didn't seem too serious.

So, he didn't inquire too deeply.

Cui Yu shivered; in the weather of March, being drenched was cold indeed!

At that moment, other teachers arrived, turning Cui Yu's location into the center of attention.

While chatting with others, Jiang Ning's Divine Sense noticed that the teachers took Cui Yu and the others away early.

The mishap during the outing made the dull moment more lively, as classmates could be seen everywhere describing the recent events.

The misfortune of Cui Yu and the others became the amusement for the rest.

...

At five in the afternoon.

After a long trek covering more than ten kilometers, the students were finally nearing Fourth Middle School.

Xue Yuantong separated from the group to find Shan Qingrong and said in a calm tone,

"Teacher, I'm taking Jiang Ning home for dinner."

She pointed toward a row of bungalows below the river dam.

Today was Friday. Normally school would end after two afternoon classes and they would be free for the weekend.

This outing had taken up the students' time.

Upon hearing this, the amiable Shan Qingrong said,

"You must be tired. Go home and rest well, eat up."

"If you're too tired, come find me to ask for leave for Sunday's evening self-study. Just send me a text, and I'll approve it!"

Xue Yuantong only said one sentence, but Shan Qingrong responded with several caring remarks.

"Okay, thank you, Teacher," Xue Yuantong said, as she and Jiang Ning descended from the river dam, under the envious gazes of their classmates.

Dan Kaiquan looked at Guo Kunnan in disbelief, "Are they going home just like that?"

Guo Kunnan replied, "What else?"

"Damn, this is too good," Dan Kaiquan glanced toward the distant front, still several kilometers away from Fourth Middle School.

He used to run on the playground, but walking this long also made him feel tired.

Next to Shen Qing'e, Yu Wen coquettishly said, "Class teacher, there's a bus stop on the way back to school that goes straight to my house, can I leave the group early?"

Shan Qingrong's face stiffened, his voice rising:

"For everyone's safety, after returning to school, you can only leave after a roll call."

Yu Wen was already nearly exhausted, and these words made her so angry that her legs shook, almost causing her to lose her balance.

So what if Xue Yuantong has good grades?

What's so great about that!

Guo Kunnan took out his phone, checked the time; it was already five o'clock. By the time they walked back to school and had roll call, his luggage would still be in the dorm.

He suggested to Dan Kaiquan, "It seems we won't make it back today, I plan to go home tomorrow morning. How about we get some braised chicken together in a bit?"

After a tiring day, he planned to treat himself to some delicious braised chicken and a bottle of Coke, truly an ultimate enjoyment!

Thinking about the deliciousness of braised chicken made Dan Kaiquan's legs feel less tired.

"Let's do it together."

Guo Kunnan said, "I'll text Hu Jun and invite him too."

Dan Kaiquan asked, "That dog hasn't gone home?"

"Not yet, he was bragging to me that the school would drive them back. He said he was soaking in the public bath this afternoon and just woke up not long ago." Lately, Hu Jun had been talking with him quite a lot, and their relationship was rapidly improving.

Sometimes, Hu Jun would even treat him to snacks, which puzzled Guo Kunnan.

At this moment, his sister sent him a WeChat message: "Are you coming home today? Mom called you, but you didn't answer."

Guo Kunnan walked with the group, "I didn't see the call just now, I'll go back tomorrow morning."

...

When Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong arrived at the bungalow, Aunt Gu was waiting at the door, looking at them affectionately.

'Jiang Ning is good in every aspect, he's just a bit too tall, and it doesn't match with walking next to Tongtong,' Aunt Gu thought to herself.

Oddly, she and her husband were not short, yet their daughter was like a little radish head.

Aunt Gu said, "Hungry, right? Wash your hands and come eat."

She had received a text from Jiang Ning earlier, knowing they would return around this time, so she made dinner in advance for them.

Xue Yuantong trotted into the house.

Seeing her joyfully bouncing around, Aunt Gu asked:

"Tongtong, not tired today?"

She heard from Jiang Ning that they had walked more than ten kilometers this time, and with Tongtong's stamina, she surely must be exhausted. If Jiang Ning hadn't informed her in advance, she would have even considered riding her electric scooter to pick Tongtong up.

"Not tired at all, not even a bit," Xue Yuantong boasted energetically, feeling like she could eat several bowls of rice!

She ran to the kitchen, where the dining table was empty.

Aunt Gu lifted the pot lid, and with the release of steam, the aroma of the food wafted throughout the room.

The dishes were freshly stir-fried; she had placed them in the pot to keep them warm, worried they might cool down.

Xue Yuantong grabbed her bowl and chopsticks, counting the dishes on the dining table. The main dish for dinner was jujube rice soup, steamed buns, and her mother had stir-fried two dishes, chili pork shreds, and fish-fragrant eggplant.

Jiang Ning brought over a glass container full of cherries, glistening like black agates, their surfaces shining wetly.

These were from Shao Shuangshuang, meant for him to taste before deciding whether to plant them on Hu Qi Mountain.

"They look so delicious!" Xue Yuantong picked out a large one.

Biting into it, it was juicy and sweetly tender.

"Delicious, delicious!" she grabbed two more cherries, popping one into Jiang Ning's mouth and keeping one for herself.

As for why she didn't offer any to her mother, it was because Xue Yuantong knew that her mother would surely refuse, leaving a few at the end for her was enough.

Eating together in the kitchen, Xue Yuantong said, "Everyone from class was exhausted from the spring outing today, but I'm not tired at all, I'm awesome, aren't I?"

Jiang Ning bit into a steamed bun that Xue Yuantong had steamed with his help the other day. Her culinary skills had perfectly inherited those of Aunt Gu, equally outstanding.

First, he picked up a piece of chili pork shreds with his chopsticks, then bit into a steamed bun, which was indeed delicious.

"Really great," Jiang Ning complimented her.

He was thinking about the first batch of wheat that had been sown on Hu Qi Mountain, nourished by channeling Spiritual Energy to nurture the crops.

Once the wheat was ready for harvest and given to Xue Yuantong to steam buns with, they'd likely be even more fragrant and tasteful.

With the compliment, Xue Yuantong was elated:

"Don't you know who I am? With my physical condition, I could easily walk another twenty kilometers."

It was rare indeed; the usually mocking people were praising her. Certainly, she had earned Jiang Ning's respect with her strength.

She was happy for a moment, but then Xue Yuantong felt something was off; why should she care about Jiang Ning's words!

She was determined to strive hard, not needing others' approval.

Xue Yuantong remembered something and said, peeved:

"Why did you stop me that day?"

The afternoon before, on their way back, they encountered a flock of sheep by the river dam. She approached to check them out, but the sheep, paying no regard, charged at her head-on.

Xue Yuantong was about to step forward to let them learn what 'strong' really meant.

But, to her surprise, Jiang Ning whisked her away.

She had lost the chance to show off her skills.

As she brought up the incident, Jiang Ning took a sip of the jujube rice soup, unconcernedly responding:

"If I had really let you go up there, I feared you would've come back crying."

"Are you underestimating me?" Xue Yuantong challenged.

"Could you be underestimated any more?" Jiang Ning retorted.

Xue Yuantong bit hard into the jujube's pit.

If only it were Jiang Ning, she would have made him beg for mercy!