Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1579 - 864: Jianghu Scammer (Part 2)

Xue Chuchu grabbed a duck wing too. Having learned about cooking lately, she realized the wings had been fried initially before getting stewed.

'Could he have prepared this dish himself?' Xue Chuchu pondered.

She bit into the duck wing, savoring the crunchy, aromatic skin and the soft meat that nearly melted away, making it utterly delectable.

'Delicious, isn't it?' Jiang Ning inquired.

'Mm-hmm, super tasty.' Tongtong mumbled through a mouthful.

Jiang Ning snatched a duck wing as well, and right after he devoured it, Xiao Ben, pursued from the neighboring spot, bolted by the entrance.

With a casual flick, Jiang Ning threw a bone outward, which Xiao Ben snapped up in his jaws and scampered away munching on it.

Butcher Zhang's fury boiled over; despite his fatigue, he forced himself to keep going.

Xiao Ben looped around once more, and when he zipped past Jiang Ning's doorway again, another bone flew from Jiang Ning's hand.

Xiao Ben eagerly seized the bone and kept dashing wildly.

Following four or five rounds, Uncle Zhang was utterly drained.

Rather than fleeing, Xiao Ben spun back, prodding Uncle Zhang to continue the pursuit.

Uncle Zhang nearly coughed up blood in frustration.

'Is Xiao Ben walking Uncle Zhang instead?' Tongtong mused.

In addition to duck wings and feet, the stew featured clams and snails, all freshly harvested by Jiang Ning from Qingyu Lake.

His mastery with Spiritual Power proved highly refined, ensuring the clams and snails were free of grit, while the snails were prepped so impeccably that only the tender meat remained within.

Grabbing a snail steeped in the fiery soup, a single slurp unleashed an explosive mix of fresh zest and heat.

'Way too yummy!' Tongtong slurped her glistening fingers.

Noticing her delight, Jiang Ning chuckled inwardly: 'Haha, you're truly relishing it now.'

Tongtong opened her mouth wide, feigning innocence: 'I've been joyful from the beginning. Why didn't you answer my texts when you got back home?'

Jiang Ning replied, 'I feared that my absence would bring you peace in the quiet.'

'Who claimed that? Not me! You're just admitting your real thoughts!' Tongtong shot back.

'That's going too far, isn't it? Bothered by my presence? Next time I head out, we'll see who you chat with!' She complained yet kept devouring her food, thus boosting her munching speed.

Jiang Ning selected two snails and offered them to her.

Unsure of his intent, Tongtong nibbled at them with her tiny lips and swiftly emptied them.

Jiang Ning leaned across, gathered her discarded snails from the surface, and neatly stored them aside.

Xue Chuchu looked on in confusion.

Jiang Ning nearly burst into a smile: 'I've heard that holding a conch to your ear lets you listen to ocean waves. After you depart someday, I'll employ these two empty snails you slurped as earpieces, like you're murmuring right beside me.'

In a mix of embarrassment and irritation, Xue Yuantong exclaimed: 'You rascal, Jiang Ning!'

Xue Chuchu, who had lifted a snail with her chopsticks, quietly placed it back down.

'How can he act this way...'

…

The Xue Family delivered their verdict, and owing to Jiang Ning's cheeky antics during the meal, he found himself shunned by Tongtong and Chuchu starting immediately.

Left idle, Jiang Ning retreated to his cozy space, sprawling sadly on the couch under the soothing sunlight, nibbling on creamy strawberries and crunchy pistachios.

A WeChat video call notification appeared abruptly.

Jiang Ning tapped to accept, and the display showed the matching features of Chen Siyu and Chen Siqing. Chen Siyu glowed with enthusiasm: 'Jiang Ning, my sister and I plan to run a stall this afternoon!'

Chen Siqing chimed: 'Running a stall!'

The sight of the two silly girls made Jiang Ning chuckle, prompting him to ask, 'What goods are you offering?'

Chen Siyu explained, 'We're vending homemade milk tea that Tongtong showed us how to make!'

Chen Siqing acted adorable: 'Milk tea!'

'Such a duo...' Jiang Ning mused, still grinning at their antics.

Chen Siyu went on, 'Using fresh tea leaves blended with fresh milk and brand-new tapioca pearls!'

Chen Siqing repeated: 'Tapioca pearls!'

Catching Jiang Ning's look, Chen Siyu giggled: 'Jiang Ning, that promo recording we did is basically our chat right now. It's bound to draw in buyers!'

Chen Siqing piped up once more: 'Buyers!'

Chen Siyu quickly covered her sister's mouth to halt the echoes.

After listening, Jiang Ning paused briefly before commenting, 'Alright, the mini announcer has a fresh twist.'

Moreover, as twins, their joint stall would undoubtedly pull in crowds.

Having earned the nod from the skilled Jiang Ning, the sisters buzzed with thrill and ended the call full of assurance.

Soon after, they shared their intentions in the group chat, letting everyone know about their milk tea stall. If classmates spotted them, no shock needed—just drop by. They promised top-notch taste.

Earning cash on their own strikes as quite innovative for high schoolers; most in Class 8 still rely solely on family funds.

Bai Yuxia: 'Given your smarts, you're hawking milk tea?'

Chen Siyu brushed her off.

She vowed to land a solid hit on Bai Yuxia after they profited!

Security guard Zhang Chi caught wind and opined: 'Why opt for fresh-brewed milk tea? Low margins, and you'll require a mini cart plus a gas canister.'

Chen Siyu responded: 'I'll borrow my aunt's compact cart; she's got a portable power source.'

Zhang Chi wagged his head: 'Still not ideal; expenses will spiral.'

Lu Qiqi: 'Zhang Chi, all talk from you. Got better suggestions?'

Yu Wen: 'Certain folks just yap, and when it's go-time, they lose everything.'

Irked, Zhang Chi spilled his scheme: 'Taobao's full of 'seven-day no-questions returns' these days. Pick any item to sell, order it, haul to the stall, and if it flops, send back within seven days, no hassle!'

Wang Longlong: 'Brilliant move.'

…

Chen Siyu along with her sister headed out to man their stall, and prior to going, she seriously assured Jiang Ning that upon striking it rich, he'd enjoy unlimited milk tea.

Jiang Ning: 'Should I strike gold, remember me.'

During the afternoon, Jiang Ning lounged in the sunshine, sampled strawberries, and persuaded Tongtong and Chuchu to join his LOL game as a team.

Bored, he meandered to the gate, where Uncle Zhang had quit dog-chasing duties, handing them to his boy Zhang Ruyun to nab Xiao Ben.

Fueled by a hearty duck bone, Xiao Ben sped like a bolt, leaving Zhang Ruyun unable to snag him.

Jiang Ning sauntered to the rural tourism zone's entry and spotted Dongdong honing his brick-smashing skills near a stack of crimson bricks.

Dongdong had faced intimidation from Jiang Ning earlier that day, followed by a thrashing from Butcher Zhang, fueling his resolve to never again be the pushover others targeted.

'Gotta get tougher, gotta toughen up! Ha! Hey!' He strained while shattering bricks.

Observing this, Jiang Ning approached: 'What's the use in drilling this?'

With ease, he delivered a strike, 'Bang!'

Tremendous power surged forth, cleaving the initial brick, the next one, the third... more than twenty bricks all fractured cleanly.

Jiang Ning pulled back his palm and ambled back home relaxed.

Dongdong remained rooted, staring blankly.

En route home, Jiang Ning got an email from Shao Shuangshuang, noting the high-speed rail ticket to the adjacent city for that evening was secured, paired with a humorous sticker.

That sticker hinted to him that Shao Shuangshuang had orchestrated yet another 'chance meeting' for him.

In a former life, the old Jiang Ning might have felt a spark upon encountering an attractive lady during travel, yet nowadays he's quite resistant. Just days back, he skipped linking up with his former classmate Gao Yinghui.

As he prepared to set his phone aside, an unforeseen video call from Chen Siyu rang through.

The moment the video launched, Chen Siyu appeared distressed: 'I'm on the verge of tears, Jiang Ning, we've been duped!'

Her sister Chen Siqing habitually tacked on: 'Duped, oh!'

Jiang Ning facepalmed: 'Weren't you both at the stall vending? How'd the scam happen?'

Chen Siyu: 'We clearly moved plenty of milk tea, but our cash dwindled!'

Jiang Ning: '?'

'Walk me through selling the milk tea again.'

Chen Siyu and her sister strained to recall and narrated: 'We just erected the stall when children approached for milk tea. Priced at 5 yuan per cup, we sold one right away...'

She proceeded: 'Trade boomed. A fellow in a cap arrived for milk tea. I recall it sharply; he handed over a full 100 yuan note.'

Jiang Ning: 'Fake bill?'

Chen Siyu: 'Genuine cash, totally legit!'

'So how'd the funds drop?'

Chen Siyu: 'He purchased two cups of milk tea for 10 yuan total, and we handed back 90 yuan change.'

'Minutes passed, he returned with 10 yuan, claiming he now had small bills, requesting the 100 yuan back. It seemed logical, so I returned the 100 yuan.'

Chen Siqing: 'Returned it~'

Jiang Ning: 'Brilliant.'