Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1595: 872: Return (Part 2)
Previously on Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation...
Zhang Chi froze in surprise. Crap, are folks still reserving seats like that on buses?
His expression turned grim as he planted himself in front of the vacant spot, drew in a steady breath, and roared at the top of his lungs, “Get lost!!!”
The booming voice reverberated through the bus, turning Zhang Chi into the center of attention aboard. Once he yelled, he turned to the old fellow and remarked, “Alright, the seat’s free now.”
With that, Zhang Chi plopped down onto the open seat.
The old man’s hands shook slightly, and he stayed utterly quiet.
Having lived to such an advanced age, he could easily distinguish the reasonable from the unhinged. A hunch told him that if he acted up, this youth standing before him would actually strike without hesitation.
Despite being elderly, he wasn’t about to tangle with this youngster. Chances were the kid was barely out of his teens.
The senior shifted uneasily in his spot, then hopped off at the very next stop, while Zhang Chi warmly beckoned, “Brother Nan, grab a seat and relax!”
…
By eight o’clock that evening, along the riverbank, darkness blanketed the night like thick ink.
Tonight, Tongtong skipped her Fairy Wand and sparklers; instead, she hunkered down in Jiang Ning’s cozy space, positioned before the PC but showing no interest in working it, opting to fiddle endlessly with her mobile.
Chuchu, meanwhile, lounged on the couch, absorbed in a collection of top-notch essays, behaving every bit the refined young lady.
Tongtong fired off a text to Jiang Ning, pressing him sternly, “Weren’t you supposed to arrive from the bullet train at 7:40 this evening? It’s nearing 8, so where are you—why aren’t you back yet?”
“Jiang Ning, are you choosing not to return home?”
“Who’s been showing you how to spend nights away!”
After bombarding him with those queries, Tongtong still felt peeved, so she aggressively bit into a segment of red heart grapefruit she’d prepped for Jiang Ning, munching it with force.
“If you’re skipping out, then stay gone!” she declared, then gulped down some grape juice she’d mixed up for him.
Jiang Ning: “Huh, didn’t you request I head back tonight and pick up some barbecue en route?”
Silence hung heavy in the empty room.
Xue Yuantong found herself at a loss for words.
After mulling it over briefly, she shot back, “When did you start listening to me so readily?”
Jiang Ning: “Should I skip the barbecue then?”
“Absolutely not.”
Xue Yuantong chose to drop the nagging for the moment; she pulled up the gaming crew she’d just assembled, featuring members like: “Useless Twins, Gatekeeper Yuxia, Glutton Chuchu, Reckless Weiwei, and Genius Jungler Little Fishman Tongtong.”
Scanning the recent exchanges, she saw Chen Siyu tagging Bai Yuxia in the chat: “Xiaxia, up for some gaming? When can we duo?”
Bai Yuxia: “I’m planning to shower beforehand.”
Roughly thirty minutes on, Chen Siyu tagged Bai Yuxia once more: “Shower wrapped up?”
Bai Yuxia: “Yeah, just now.”
Chen Siyu: “You back at your place?”
Bai Yuxia went quiet, then responded: “Not there yet—I’m washing up out by the curb, as if you didn’t know.”
Chen Siyu: “Come on, Xiaxia! (crying face)”
Bai Yuxia ultimately passed on gaming with Chen Siyu, but that was fine—Chen Siyu could always rope in Tongtong.
Tongtong had just skimmed the logs when Chen Siyu’s video call popped up right on cue. Answering it revealed the duo’s matching sisterly visages, their usual setup.
“Tongtong, fancy a round? I’m itching for a game.” Chen Siyu bubbled with enthusiasm.
Tongtong was generally a kind-hearted kid, yet the twins pushed her limits. Whenever they teamed with her, they stuck to battling bots in easy mode…”
Tongtong wasn’t keen on joining, especially since Jiang Ning would soon return bearing barbecue, and gaming would spoil her appetite for it.
Still, Chen Siyu seemed so thrilled that Tongtong couldn’t flat-out say no.
In a flash of inspiration, Tongtong opted to fake a connection glitch and announced, “My net’s acting up a tad, lagging…”
Then she locked up, staying perfectly still.
Chen Siyu: “Tongtong?”
“Tongtong, what’s going on?”
Tongtong endured for thirty seconds before muttering, “Screen’s glitched out.”
She resumed her act right after.
Expecting to trick Chen Siyu, Tongtong was caught off guard when Chen Siyu pointed out: “Tongtong, if your connection’s lagging, how come Xue Chuchu in the back is moving fine?”
Tongtong whipped around to catch Chuchu fluttering her eyelids.
…
Her ruse busted, Tongtong reluctantly agreed to the twins’ invite and ended up as a glorified stand-in bot.
Out front of Yu Zhou Fourth Middle School, the ever-bustling Sister Ma’s Barbecue joint was slammed that night.
Clad in a simple uniform that failed to conceal her elegant curves, Pei Yujing passed over the double-foiled barbecue in a toasty insulated sack to Jiang Ning.
“What’s the damage?”
“Don’t worry about it, no… charge.” Pei Yujing stuttered a bit, averting her gaze from Jiang Ning with a flush of shyness.
They’d shared a high-speed rail trip to Linzhou on New Year’s Eve, and she’d savored the plump strawberries and tender braised duck he’d offered. Taking his cash now? Impossible.
He’d rescued her more than once before. If he wished, Pei Yujing would gladly foot his barbecue bill forever.
Jiang Ning pocketed the bills with a grin: “Got it.”
No second thoughts—he simply extended his hand, fingers brushing the bag’s loop and, by accident, her soft, heated fingertips.
Pei Yujing appeared oblivious, though her lashes quivered, a wave of delight washing over her. Finally, she’d settled a small debt.
His Divine Sense swept over Pei Yujing’s hands, spotting no gloves and the neatly arranged barbecue. He deduced she’d ditched them solely for the packaging.
‘Impressive.’ He shot a final look at Pei Yujing’s flowing ebony locks. Truth be told, hair that long spelled hassle for everyday routines, particularly in her barbecue gig; pulling all-nighters, it’d soak up every aroma.
To maintain its freshness, Pei Yujing washed it nightly without fail.
During his prior visits, Jiang Ning had overheard Sister Ma mention Jingjing’s frequent migraines and her stash of remedies at home.
Reflecting now, it likely stemmed from her routine of nightly shampoos.
Here she was, slinging barbecue, yet clinging to that lengthy mane—stubborn to a fault.
Jiang Ning showed no outward sign, merely filing the detail away mentally before departing.
Sister Ma, who’d been hectically turning skewers, watched Jingjing approach and lifted her oil-slicked face to inquire: “Done?”
Pei Yujing hummed affirmatively, snagged some fresh skewers nearby, and geared up to deliver them to patrons.
‘No payment taken…’ Sister Ma clocked it—Jingjing hadn’t spaced; she’d waived it on purpose.
Sister Ma stared into the nocturnal streetlamps, mind drifting to that earlier lad who’d swung by for barbecue often: tall, striking, approachable. Word had it his name was Jiang Ning, with stellar academics to boot.
She sighed to herself: ‘Way too good-looking, that’s trouble, pure trouble…’
Sister Ma knew the sting of a busted marriage firsthand. Hailing from Linzhou originally, life had been easy. But dazzled by allure back then, she wed a dashing man, only for wedded bliss to unravel into mess and separation across cities.
All she wanted was for her girl to sidestep her mistakes, wed a steady, decent fellow, and ignore that million-yuan dowry talk—stick to Yuzhou City’s tradition of a token 11,000.
Lost in those thoughts, Sister Ma jolted back, eyed the skewers, and swore: “Shoot, scorched!”
She snatched a batch of lamb sticks and flung them straight to the pavement, where hungry strays pounced to claim them.
A diner chuckled: “Only Sister Ma tosses out a bit of char like that!”
Sister Ma hollered: “You bet—dig in worry-free!”
The crowd chimed in, praising how her barbecue never upset their stomachs.
Thrilled by the feedback, Sister Ma called out: “Jingjing, pass out a strawberry basket to every table!”
“Sister Ma’s the best!”
The barbecue spot buzzed with cheer.
In the midst of the hubbub, Zhang Chi strode in first, hollering: “Boss, hook us up with an open table!”
Right behind came Ma Shicheng, Dan Kaiquan, Guo Kunnan, Wang Longlong, Cui Yu, and the rest.
Guo Kunnan’s gaze, sharp as a homing device, zeroed in on Pei Yujing through the haze.
A strange pang of regret hit him, and he murmured softly: “A damsel in hardship, blooms and branches lacking their glow!”
Dan Kaiquan shot him a look and puzzled: “Hardship where?”
Guo Kunnan merely shook his head and clammed up.