Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Certainly, the main reason was that carrying cement didn't make any money.

Zhang Chi resented the young boss of the cement factory, who could drive a BMW at such a young age. He cursed him.

But Zhang Chi wanted to become that kind of person.

He knew that even if he carried cement all his life, he could never become that kind of person.

Zhang Chi was never one to stick with traditions. When Dan Kaiquan and Yu Wen shared their epiphanies about climbing Taishan in the group chat, Zhang Chi swiftly grasped the business opportunity.

Instant noodles for fifteen yuan a bucket!

If he could sell instant noodles at the top of Taishan, wouldn't he make a fortune?

Once he decided to do it, he bought a ticket to Taishan that very night. He purchased 50 buckets of instant noodles at less than two yuan per bucket.

Ideally, selling a bucket for fifteen yuan would yield a profit of over thirteen yuan—50 buckets meant a profit of six to seven hundred yuan!

It was basically making money for nothing. And about the entrance ticket to Taishan?

Did Zhang Chi look like someone who buys tickets? He simply sneaked onto Taishan Mountain.

Then, as an ordinary human being, he hauled 50 buckets of instant noodles up the mountain in a woven sack.

It was only when he reached the top that Zhang Chi realized he needed boiling water for the instant noodles!

He had no boiling water!

The water on Taishan was more expensive than regular sports drinks!

Then Zhang Chi remembered Yan Tianpeng. He contacted Yan Tianpeng to buy him a ticket to Taishan and bring several large thermoses of boiling water up the mountain. Tianpeng lived up to the expectations.

He brought four thermoses, two of which broke on the way up. Zhang Chi struggled to sell a few buckets of noodles. After careful consideration, dividing the profits between them, they didn't earn as much as carrying cement, and it was even more exhausting!

Zhang Chi privately messaged Dan Kaiquan and learned about the glorious incident of Jiang Ning eating hotpot on the mountain that day.

That day, Zhang Chi bowed his head and stared at the buns brought from the bottom of the mountain, feeling utterly dejected.

But spiritual light often appeared during moments of despair.

He suddenly thought of a new product—a self-heating hotpot.

So, the two of them partnered up. Yan Tianpeng took the initiative, contacted the suppliers, and purchased 50 boxes of self-heating hotpot at fifteen yuan each.

After great effort and hardship, they hauled the self-heating hotpots to Taishan and began to sell. Initially, they priced it at fifty yuan, but no one bought it. Later, they reduced the price to forty, to thirty, until twenty-five yuan, before finally some tourists were willing to try it.

After two days of effort, they sold all 50 boxes of self-heating hotpot, with a total profit of five hundred yuan, split evenly—two hundred fifty yuan each.

After calculating it all, it still didn't beat carrying cement.

And when it came to dividing the spoils, Yan Tianpeng didn't ask for more, which made Zhang Chi suspicious.

He checked Tianpeng's phone while the latter was asleep and discovered that the supplier's cost for the self-heating hotpot was only ten yuan!

Zhang Chi was furious, and a fierce argument erupted with Yan Tianpeng. They almost came to blows at the peak of Taishan.

Afterward, Zhang Chi thought about the past few days—eating poorly, sleeping uncomfortably, feeling utterly disillusioned—he bought a ticket back to Yuzhou alone.

As it turned out, he couldn't get a seat with a hard backrest, only a standing ticket.

After five hours standing, Zhang Chi finally arrived in Yuzhou, holding his woven sack at the platform.

Nearby, young men and women dressed in Adidas and Nike sports clothes eyed him strangely.

Zhang Chi thought about the hardships he had suffered in recent days. Not only did he not make any money, but he had also actually lost money.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, utterly depressed. He pulled out his ticket, tearing it to shreds.

After venting his frustration, Zhang Chi headed for the exit, but because his ticket was torn up, he couldn't pass through the ticket check and was stopped by a staff member.

He either had to pay two yuan for a new ticket or retrieve the previous one.

Grinding his teeth, Zhang Chi pulled out the pieces of his ticket and managed to piece it back together.

...

After piecing together his ticket, Zhang Chi exited the station under the scorching sun.

It was blistering hot, and instead of rushing back to school, he lifted his woven sack and headed to a nearby KFC to cool off in the air conditioning and rest for a while.

After all, the dormitory at school didn't have air conditioning, and going back would just be torturing himself.

Maybe it was an illusion, but Zhang Chi felt that the business at this Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't seem as good as before.

In a corner, he saw a few kids sitting.

Strangely, the unruly kids were eating quietly, without any signs of roughhousing.

Zhang Chi remembered that in the past, the presence of kids often meant chasing, fighting, and loud noises in restaurants when he went out to eat.

Zhang Chi felt disappointed. He had been dejected for several days and had wanted to take his frustrations out on some naughty kids.

It seemed there was no chance now.

He found a seat, took out a bucket of instant noodles from his woven sack, and walked to the counter to ask the staff to pour him some boiling water.

The staff member coming to meet him made Zhang Chi shocked beyond belief:

"Pang, Pang Jiao?"

Pang Jiao, wearing the Kentucky Fried Chicken uniform, looked formidable. After recognizing Zhang Chi, she also paused in surprise.

The reason Pang Jiao started working at Kentucky Fried Chicken was because she had previously liberated her mother's independent thinking, and ever since then, there had been no one to cook at home.

Pang Jiao, in order to make a living, came to work as a store manager at her uncle's Kendeide store.

In school, Pang Jiao and Zhang Chi often clashed, but after not seeing each other for two months over the summer break, they were still classmates after all. Pang Jiao even let out a couple of laughs, startling the little boy who was picking up his meal into trembling.

Zhang Chi, feeling uneasy, emphasized, "Hot water, hot water!"

He was worried that Pang Jiao would hold a grudge against him and use cold water instead.

He waited at the counter for a while, until Pang Jiao brought over the instant noodles. Zhang Chi touched it and sure enough, it was hot water.

Not only that, Pang Jiao gave him a drumstick.

Zhang Chi was stunned, utterly confused. Had Pang Jiao been possessed by someone else?

However, out of good intentions as a classmate, Zhang Chi accepted it.

As he ate his instant noodles and bit into the drumstick, life felt incredibly wonderful.

Outside, a young mother was leading her little girl to the counter to order. The girl called out, "Auntie, Auntie, I want the original flavor chicken, the original flavor chicken!"

Pang Jiao's expression remained unchanged as she corrected, "Little girl, don't call me auntie."

She, Pang Jiao, was still a maiden in her prime; how could she be addressed like that?

The little girl, seeing that the auntie was getting angry, tentatively called out, "Un...uncle, I want the original flavor chicken?"

Pang Jiao's pride was wounded, and she could no longer bear it. She slammed the table with a "bang," her eyes bulging like a bull's, her nostrils flared, and snorted in anger.

Frightened, the little girl wailed, "Mommy, Mommy! Ah! Demon King, Demon King!"

...

Yuzhou City, noon.

Zhou family's private restaurant, a large private room with two tables laid out for a group of fifteen to sixteen-year-olds.

The atmosphere was lively and extremely friendly.

A flashy young man looked towards a simple and honest boy in the corner and teased,

"Dan Xiao, for such an important occasion, it's not proper for you to wear your school uniform, is it?"

The rest of the crowd at the table laughed, saying, "Yeah, Dan Xiao, today is Sister Xu's birthday!"

Dan Xiao just smiled innocently and said nothing.

Seeing that Dan Xiao offered no resistance, the flashy young man felt that teasing him was less fun. He took out a brand-new phone and tossed it onto the table.

Immediately someone gasped, "Nice one, a fingerprint-unlocked 5S, you're rolling in it!"

The flashy young man disdainfully said, "The 5S is outdated. The 6 is coming out soon, and as soon as it does, I'm placing my order."

"And then I'll give another one to my girlfriend."

These words attracted a lot of attention.

Showing off, the flashy young man added, "I must say, the iPhone is indeed user-friendly. I recommend that if you have the money, buy an iPhone; it lasts for many more years."

"Especially you, Dan Xiao, what era are you living in, still using a button phone?"

Dan Xiao did not reply.

Someone said, "The key issue is not having the money!"

The flashy young man boasted, "If it wasn't Sister Xu's birthday today, I would have picked up the tab. Here's the deal: next time our middle school classmates gather, you guys can choose any place."

Dan Xiao chuckled and said, "Really? Next time I want to go to White Cloud Hotel."

White Cloud Hotel is the most high-end hotel in Yuzhou, and a meal there was quite expensive.

Immediately, a student piped up, "Let's forget about White Cloud Hotel; it's too expensive."

The flashy young man glanced at Dan Xiao and continued, "Let's go to White Cloud Hotel."

Dan Xiao sincerely advised, "A meal at White Cloud Hotel costs quite a bit..."

The flashy young man interrupted, "My family owns that hotel."

After saying this, he pretended to clean his ears, "What were you about to say?"

Dan Xiao replied, "Never mind."

After the meal, the flashy young man grandly declared, "Although today is Sister Xu's birthday, thinking about it, she took care of me quite a bit in junior high, often letting me copy her homework, so today, I'll pick up the tab!"

Before Sister Xu could speak up, the flashy young man said, "This amount of money isn't much for me."

The mood suddenly reached its peak. The flashy young man walked to the front to pay the bill, and muttered to himself perplexed,

"Eh, where's my wallet?"

"Damn, I've lost my wallet!"

In the hush that followed, Dan Xiao walked past him, pulled out a thick stack of bills, threw them at the front desk, and walked away without turning back,

"Whatever money is left over, you guys handle it."

And like that, he left everyone a proud and solitary silhouette.

The classmates were incredibly shocked, as if they were seeing him for the first time!

On his way home alone, Dan Xiao pulled out a genuine leather wallet, which was now completely empty.

Come to think of it, that classmate was indeed quite wealthy; just the brand of the wallet alone was worth several hundred yuan.