Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1575 - 862: The Grown-Ups’ Table (Part 2)

Jiang Ning: "Do you really want it?"

Xue Yuantong hastily responded: "I actually don’t really want it, I’m just curious, you know my curiosity..."

Jiang Ning: "Alright then, you can open it yourself."

Once given the permission, Xue Yuantong swiftly ripped apart the black plastic bag, discovering it completely empty within.

She stood there in shock.

Jiang Ning chuckled: "Not curious anymore, huh?"

Overcome with rage and shame, Xue Yuantong squeezed his arm firmly and stormed off in frustration.

...

Upset, Tongtong departed from Jiang Ning’s home, fleeing like she was running away from home, yet she remembered to snatch a bunch of pistachios on her way out.

Jiang Ning also took some pistachios and wandered outdoors to enjoy the sunshine.

Over at Tongtong’s residence to the west, Tongtong and Chuchu were busy fixing up lunch, so Jiang Ning decided against interrupting them.

On the eastern side, Mr. Qian was preparing for his midday meal. He had arranged a gathering today, calling over three or five longtime companions, all retired educators.

He placed a dining setup right at the entrance, engaging in talks about current events with his buddies, sharing old memories, and having a fantastic time!

Mr. Qian grabbed his chopsticks, gestured toward a dish of vibrant red braised pork on the spread, and declared: "Come on, everyone, give it a taste!"

His elderly pals wasted no time, stretching out their chopsticks to snag a portion each.

The gray-haired elder who had scolded Xue Yuantong earlier that morning instantly commended: "Excellent, excellent! It’s so soft and juicy, the rich scent of the pork fills the air! Wonderful!"

Pride swelled in Mr. Qian right away!

The worry of putting on this meal disappeared in an instant.

As the group devoured the braised pork and conversed, soon enough, the entire dish vanished.

Still craving more, the gray-haired elder observed: "Old Qian, after all these years, you haven’t shaken off that tightfisted nature of yours, sigh! At this stage in life, shouldn’t we just savor a nice feast?"

"Exactly, Old Qian, you skimped on the hospitality!"

"Whenever you visited mine, I always provided plenty!"

Confronted by the complaints from his longtime friends, Mr. Qian felt quite awkward in the end. He carried the empty plate indoors, and upon returning, it now held an additional chunk of dark soy-stained meat.

Spotting this, the gray-haired elder grinned.

Well aware of Mr. Qian’s temperament, he chuckled and noted: "Old Qian, why only a single chunk of meat?"

Mr. Qian, already irked by his own frugality, hadn’t savored much himself, and now presenting this to visitors, but these seniors were still nitpicking!

Mr. Qian shot back without delay: "How many chunks would satisfy you?"

"Five or six at minimum, don’t you think?"

Upon hearing that, Mr. Qian seized a spoon along with chopsticks, hastily splitting the chunk into five or six bits.

The whole group fell quiet in astonishment.

They all berated Mr. Qian for his excessive cheapness and guessed that folks nearby must disapprove of him too.

To demonstrate his popularity, Mr. Qian spotted Dongdong nearby at the entrance, cracking bricks using only his hands, earnestly honing his abilities.

Mr. Qian shouted: "Dongdong, over here, I’m treating you to a bit of meat today!"

Attracted by the mention of meat, Dongdong dashed straight to the table.

"As the saying goes, ’children tell it like it is,’ kids make the truest judges of people!" Mr. Qian proclaimed.

With those words, he clamped a tiny morsel of meat with his chopsticks and handed it to Dongdong: "Dongdong, tell me, what kind of guy am I?"

Dongdong gobbled it down immediately, offered no reply, and kept requesting seconds.

Mr. Qian, at a loss, fetched another piece. Dongdong polished it off and still extended his hand for more.

Mr. Qian felt a sharp pang, mocking dryly: "Dongdong, when hanging around Jiang Ning, do you simply grab cash without putting in effort?"

This senior’s remark struck deep. If it hit anyone else on a sensitive issue, their expression would darken, and they’d struggle to respond.

Take Yin Yang Butcher Zhang, the swine slayer, who could never rise above his station.

Yin Yang Bi Yue’s dad got captured, and soon Bi Yue would catch a certain noise. What noise? The clamor of an execution.

Yin Yang Xiao Gu claims Tongtong gathers cash quicker than most; why so quick? She’s petite.

Yet, who exactly is Dongdong?

His delicate feelings were wounded by Mr. Qian’s statement, igniting a fierce anger in him!

Right in view of the crowd, Dongdong pulled out a tiny landmine, ignited its fuse using a lighter, and hurled it onto the meal table.

Chaos erupted on the spot!

The bunch of alarmed seniors lifted their feet in haste and fled every which way. As the blast rang out, a trail of smoke lingered above the table, scattering plates and utensils everywhere!

Mr. Qian remained rooted before the table, his face etched with incredulity, a quivering finger aimed at the mess, his frame shuddering uncontrollably.

Dongdong scoffed casually: "Now you see how impressive I am!"

He sauntered away with bold confidence.

Mr. Qian longed to snatch a ruler and thrash Dongdong soundly, but eyeing the boy’s sturdy, ox-like build, Mr. Qian backed off, figuring a scuffle wouldn’t reflect well.

He slumped into his seat glumly while his few companions trickled back, gazing at the wrecked table, all exchanging puzzled looks about whether dinner was still possible.

Burning with shame, Mr. Qian fumed: "Just wait till that kid’s grandmother returns, I’ll make sure they face consequences!"

In his thoughts, he’d already devised countless methods to punish Dongdong, hoping for his utter misery!

Still, vengeance afterward couldn’t salvage the spoiled gathering; Mr. Qian let out a heavy sigh, retrieving a scrap of food from the ground, his heart aching terribly.

The elderly gray-haired instructor warned: "That’s no good for eating!"

With no options left, Mr. Qian chose to repurpose the scraps, yelling: "Ba Wang!"

Uncle Zhang’s canine bounded over, sporting a silly bobble on its head.

The Black Back Wolf Dog sniffed the crimson meat, and Mr. Qian murmured with envy: "You’re fortunate!"

To everyone’s surprise, Ba Wang let out a sudden snarl, turning savage, exposing its fangs menacingly.

Propelled by its powerful rear legs, it vaulted upward abruptly, lunging directly at Mr. Qian.

Caught off guard by the ferocious hound’s assault, Mr. Qian had no chance to fight back and toppled over instantly.

Several veteran teachers gasped in surprise.

From the entrance, Zhang Ruyun bellowed: "Ba Wang!"

Yet Ba Wang ignored the call, continuing to snap its jaws at Mr. Qian with intense growls.

Zhang Ruyun dashed forward to restrain his rabid pet, fearing it might harm someone, but before he arrived, Jiang Ning called out: "Xiao Ben."

The Overlord Dog let out a whine, promptly let go of Mr. Qian, and scampered off submissively.

Zhang Ruyun, annoyed, grumbled: "Which mutt is responsible for this?"

Lacking time to chase after Xiao Ben, he rushed to Mr. Qian’s side, helping him to his feet.

Luckily, Mr. Qian escaped bites, or Xiao Ben would’ve been in serious trouble that day.

Mr. Qian’s fury boiled over, rendering him irrational—first shamed by the rascal Dongdong, now mauled by the adjacent fierce mutt!

Mr. Qian yelled repeatedly: "Where’s your father? Get this beast chained up. I generously offered it meat, and it attacks me!"

Clinging to his outrage, he sought an outlet.

Zhang Ruyun soothed him briefly, cleared the meat scraps from the floor, and inquired: "Teacher, what sort of meat was that you shared?"

Mr. Qian answered bluntly: "The red meat your father handed me yesterday!"

Zhang Ruyun paused in silence for a beat, then revealed: "The meat from my dad was dog meat."

Mr. Qian fell quiet as well.

...

Jiang Ning observed the neighborly harmony and camaraderie with satisfaction, feeling deeply pleased.

He hadn’t expected that, absent his involvement, they’d spark disputes among themselves.

Jiang Ning’s Divine Sense swept over Tongtong’s kitchen, where Chuchu handled the prep work while Tongtong tended to the flames, now and then popping a pistachio into her mouth.

Tongtong positioned herself by the stove, managing the cooking.

Sensing the moment was ripe, Jiang Ning sent a text to Chuchu: "Chuchu, are you there?"

Hearing the alert, Xue Chuchu managed to reply with one hand: "Yeah."

Jiang Ning: "Later, come to my place to get a pot, two little friends are having lunch."

Reading the message, Xue Chuchu fixated on "two little friends," pondering briefly—Tongtong qualified as one, but who was the second?

Xue Chuchu typed back: "Are there guests? Need to prepare an extra set of tableware?"

Jiang Ning responded: "No."

Xue Chuchu froze momentarily before grasping Jiang Ning’s intent.

Thus, in Jiang Ning’s view, she counted as a little friend too?

Without reason, a gentle warmth bloomed in her chest, and the previous gap seemed to fade.

She now belonged among them.

While chopping veggies, Tongtong caught Chuchu’s odd look and sulked: "You two get along so well, scheming to prepare a separate lunch table, eh?"