Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

After school.

After entering the second year of high school, an extra class was added to the evening study, and school ends at 10:20.

On the river dam, Jiang Ning slowed down the speed of his electric bike, and the night wind blew through his hair.

On the back seat, Xue Yuantong sighed, "Time flies so fast, and the fried chicken cutlet smells so good!"

She thought that the extra evening study class would be hard to endure, but it turned out that the entire evening study passed happily.

Jiang Ning: "During the entire evening study, you were either sleeping or eating, it's no wonder it passed so quickly."

Xue Yuantong felt guilty and didn't argue with him.

She looked at the streetlights along the river dam and suddenly felt puzzled.

"It's so strange. When I was in junior high, the streetlights used to turn off early. Why are they still on now, at almost 10:30?"

There weren't many people by the river dam at night, so to save electricity, the streetlights often went out early.

Xue Yuantong couldn't figure out the reason and imagined, "It must be because the streetlights know I'm coming home from school at this time, so they stay on!"

Jiang Ning: "Indeed, that's very likely."

"Hehehe." Xue Yuantong thought he was great. She often said childish things, but Jiang Ning never laughed at her; instead, he agreed with her ideas.

She counted on her fingers, "Evening study in the second year is really late, finishing at 10:20. My mom must be staying up late waiting for me again."

Jiang Ning listened to her quietly.

"And when I get home and wash up, it'll be almost 11, with little time to play games." Xue Yuantong complained.

Jiang Ning: "Weren't you playing games at school during the day?"

"Humph, it's not the same." As to why it's not the same, Xue Yuantong didn't explain to Jiang Ning.

She liked coming home after evening study, taking a shower, and then running to Jiang Ning's room to play, talk, and spend those leisurely moments together.

But with an extra evening study class, the already scarce time had become even scarcer.

Xue Yuantong thought of Chuchu, who didn't have evening study, and sighed, "It would be so nice if evening study went back to the first-year format!"

"You really want to go back?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Yes, yes, I really do!" Xue Yuantong said with determination.

Jiang Ning quietly noted it and planned to send a message to Shao Shuangshuang later, asking her to criticize Principal Yu of Fourth Middle School.

...

When they got home.

Xue Yuantong took a shower but didn't brush her teeth. She put on cute, soft shorts and sneaked into Jiang Ning's room while her mother wasn't looking.

Jiang Ning was holding a black and white manga book, leaning on the sofa, reading with great interest.

Many classic mangas were ones Jiang Ning had heard of before but never had the time or energy to read.

Now, with time and no shortage of money, he could immerse himself in them, which was quite nice.

"Let me see!"

Xue Yuantong scooted closer to him.

Jiang Ning had to lower the manga book, so they could read it together, one big and one small.

On the small round table by the sofa were some snacks, clean and covered with water droplets, with large, crystal-clear cherries.

Xue Yuantong pinched one and popped it into her mouth, 90% sweet and 10% sour. The juicy flesh was super satisfying, and she knew cherries contained melatonin, which helps with sleep.

Jiang Ning tried some too, these were bought by the Evergreen Liquid Company, all meticulously chosen cherries, big, crunchy, and juicy, the quality was excellent for snacking.

Recently, he had tried many kinds of cherries and finally decided to transplant this variety to Hu Qi Mountain. With spirit soil, spiritual energy, and spiritual spring planting, along with the fertilizer he prepared, they would surely be extraordinary.

"Turn the page, turn the page, we're done." Xue Yuantong urged, bringing Jiang Ning back to focus.

Jiang Ning turned to the next page.

Xue Yuantong adjusted herself, curling up on the sofa, putting all her weight on Jiang Ning's shoulder. She felt more relaxed as her brows and eyes narrowed comfortably and lazily.

So comfortable!

A year ago, Xue Yuantong never imagined life could be this comfortable.

The small round table had not only big cherries but also some dried shrimp made by Aunt Gu.

The reason being, Tongtong always ate random snacks at night, like spicy sticks and potato chips; Aunt Gu couldn't bear to make her quit, so she proactively made healthy snacks for her daughter.

Whole prawn tails, with shells and veins removed, seasoned and baked; five catties of fresh shrimp yielded only one catty of shrimp jerky.

The texture was firm and got more flavorful with each chew, Xue Yuantong's mouth never stopped:

"I tell you, my mom is amazing. I used to love a snack called 'Beef and Lamb Mix' when I was a kid. You've had it, right?"

Jiang Ning: "Yeah, I've had it, it's pretty good."

"I could eat a lot in one go, and later my mom thought it was costly, so she made it at home for me." Xue Yuantong spoke of her mom with a face full of admiration.

Jiang Ning: "Awesome, awesome."

Xue Yuantong: "Of course. If you crave it, I'll make it for you too."

She declared, showing off her loyalty.

"Alright, alright, it's time to turn the page." She reminded again.

The night, with its bright moonlight, spread over the fields, peaceful and pure.

In the distance, the neon lights flickered in the bustling urban area of Yuzhou City, like another world.

The two nestled in a cozy little room, snacking, reading manga, enjoying this tranquility.

Next door.

The electric fan blew Xue Chuchu's loose hair as she worked hard to solve problem after problem.

Her cold face showed a hint of relaxation.

Soon, she refocused on even harder problems.

She firmly believed that one day, studying would change her destiny.

...

Xue Yuantong chewed a few more dried shrimps, her mouth dry, feeling thirsty but too lazy to move.

She glanced at the nearby Jiang Ning, pondering her chances of success if she asked him to do something.

Xue Yuantong was unsure and decided to devise a foolproof plan.

Luckily, she was quite clever. Xue Yuantong peeked outside and suddenly spoke, "Jiang Ning, it seems there's a flash outside, someone might be setting off fireworks, did you see it?"