Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation
Chapter 776 - 464 His Shadow_2

Chapter 776: Chapter 464 His Shadow_2

As she finished speaking, Jiang Ning picked up the cabinet with one hand and carried it into the room.

Xue Chuchu offered a smile to Zhang Ruyun.

Xue Yuantong followed right afterward, scampering into the yard.

Lately, with Hua Fengmei’s salary, she had set aside a part to pay off debts, and the remaining money was used to purchase some new furniture for the home.

Their future was the river dam, likely their home for a lifetime, so naturally, a lot of care was invested.

The wooden cabinet was very new, seeming like it hadn’t been made long ago. Xue Chuchu fetched a basin of water and carefully wiped it down, planning to place the cabinet in her bedroom later on.

"I’ll air it out for a few days before moving it," she decided inwardly.

Xue Yuantong circled the cabinet, and after a while, she let out a small sigh, "We used to have a cabinet very similar to this."

Xue Chuchu’s cool face twitched slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

But Xue Yuantong quickly covered her mouth.

Back then, Xue Yuantong was very young, only a few years old, and she adored a beverage called ’Wahaha.’

A pack of Wahaha contained four bottles, and she could easily down all of them in one go.

For her family, however, this was no small burden.

Her mother was stunned by this and decided not to indulge her, so she hid the Wahaha in the cabinet.

Every morning, her mother would reliably fetch a bottle of Wahaha from the locked cabinet, as regular as a hen laying eggs.

The young Xue Yuantong was quite oblivious, once believing that the wooden cabinet at home would produce a bottle of Wahaha every day.

She looked forward to it daily until one day, Xue Yuantong ran out of patience and borrowed a saw from Chuchu’s house.

That day, there was quite a commotion at Xue Yuantong’s house.

...

July 20th, nothing happened.

July 21st was the day before they were set to depart on their trip.

The last time they were about to leave on a trip, Xue Yuantong was quite flustered, feeling lost about the outside world and would often seek Jiang Ning for conversation, looking for a sense of security.

However, this time, she had grown a lot and merely treated it as a leisurely trip, not worried in the least.

In the early morning, as Xue Chuchu’s school term started today, she still got up early to cook breakfast for Tongtong and Jiang Ning.

Breakfast was a noodle soup with green vegetables, tofu, and eggs. Xue Chuchu cooked six eggs in total, two for each person.

Additionally, she stir-fried shredded green beans in sauces as a savory side dish.

After ladling out the noodles, Xue Chuchu was ready to add a few drops of sesame oil to enhance the fragrance.

But the sesame oil bottle was nearly empty, and for Jiang Ning, noodles without sesame oil lacked soul.

He tapped his bowl with chopsticks and commanded, "Tongtong, go get the oil bottle from the house."

Xue Yuantong immediately glared at him, wondering why he didn’t go and seemed intent on taking advantage of her!

She decidedly disagreed; it was time for some rebellion!

The weaker you are, the more rampant others become!

"Go quickly, and I’ll take you to the city for ice cream this afternoon," Jiang Ning enticed her.

"Okay!" Xue Yuantong was thrilled, buzzing like a little whirlwind.

As soon as she left, the atmosphere in the kitchen instantly turned cold.

Xue Chuchu responded with a polite smile; her rapport with Jiang Ning was one of mutual respect.

Jiang Ning also chuckled, picking up his chopsticks and flicking the two fried eggs from Tongtong’s bowl into his own.

Xue Chuchu: "..."

She was at a loss for words.

Suddenly, Jiang Ning parted with one of the eggs, dragging her into complicity.

Xue Chuchu tried to decline, but Jiang Ning said, "Didn’t you forget last time Tongtong sneakily ate your egg?"

Xue Chuchu seriously replied, "It’s fine for me."

She picked two eggs from her bowl and replenished Tongtong’s share.

Jiang Ning: "..."

After all that, he had ended up eating Chuchu’s eggs.

...

a.m.

Out of nowhere, a bizarre wind blew through the class group chat. Guo Kunnan complained about his dark skin, and Huang Yuzhu, seeking to comfort him, claimed he was even darker.

Cui Yu then said he was as skinny as a monkey, while Dan Xiao mentioned he was being called ’uncle’ by someone.

Guo Kunnan wouldn’t stand for this and dragged Dan Kaiquan into the fray to support his own claim of ugliness.

Everyone actually started competing to see who was the ugliest, chatting away merrily.

Pang Jiao jumped in, and Cui Yu said, "Professional contestants are forbidden from entering."

Lively chatter was underway when Lu Qiqi came out cursing, "This is outrageous, I was just at McDonald’s having lunch, and there was a man smoking, smoking!"

"It just killed me. I asked the server to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen! Good Lord! How can there be such people, such men deserve to die!"

Dong Qingfeng said, "Smoking in public places is indeed not good, it shows a lack of character."

Guo Kunnan, "Yeah, I don’t like the smell of smoke either."

Perhaps it struck a chord, Wang Yanyan jumped out saying, "Some men really do deserve to die, I met one on the train who spread his legs while sitting, and I had absolutely no space."

Zhang Yifei burst out, "Last time when I was walking home at night, a drunkard followed me, doesn’t he know to keep his distance? Society is just too malicious toward women!"

What began as a critique of some men gradually escalated to encompass all, and even Dong Qingfeng could no longer support them.

Cui Yu, "Are you sure he dared to have malicious intentions toward you?"

Pang Jiao understood what Cui Yu meant, and said sarcastically, "Ladies, I can’t understand where the shining points of men are. Why are all the boys around me just a mess of slop?"

Ma Shicheng, "Where men’s shining points are, I’m not sure, but I found the shining point of a woman in you."

Wang Longlong, "Praise, returning evil with good!"

Pang Jiao angrily pounded the table, making a huge commotion, that even disturbed her mother cooking outside.

Pang Jiao’s mother bellowed, "Since the holiday started, you’ve been eating and sleeping and then eating again, didn’t you say you were going to lose weight? Why don’t you go!"

"You have the energy to smash the table, you might as well get up and help me cook. How old are you now, and you still can’t cook, who will you marry?"

Pang Jiao yelled back, "Is it a must for women to cook after getting married? Why, women give birth to children, why should they still cook?"

"This world, men should cook! I definitely won’t cook after I get married!"

Pang Jiao got more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, furiously promoting her theory.

Her mother in the kitchen was persuaded, "Jiaojiao, you’re right, why did it have to be me to cook all these years? From now on, I won’t cook."

Pang Jiao’s face fell, "If you don’t cook, what will I eat?"

...

In the afternoon, at six o’clock.

The setting sun is infinitely good, just nearing dusk.

Next door, the college student Zhang Ruyun played ping pong, and with no table in the bungalow, he could only play against the wall.

It seemed lonely, yet he enjoyed himself.

Still, whenever Zhang Ruyun looked back and saw Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong playing badminton nearby, he couldn’t help but show a bit of longing.

Jiang Ning did not hold back, making Xue Yuantong run all over the place, sweaty from exhaustion.

She bit her lip and persisted, refusing to admit defeat, until Jiang Ning had enough of tormenting her and ended the game.

Xue Yuantong slumped on a small chair, too tired even to take a shower.

The badminton racquets were laid aside casually, and Jiang Ning also pulled up a small stool, sitting at the doorway, looking towards the west.

With no skyscrapers to block the view, the sight extended far, the vast earth beneath the setting sun.

"Jiang Ning, are we really not coming home for a month?" Xue Yuantong finally began to worry.

The route she planned was thousands of miles long, a journey she had never undertaken before.

"Yes, do you miss home?"

"Not at all!"

"When we call Aunt Gu, don’t cry," Jiang Ning said.

Xue Yuantong, "Pfft."

The sun in the west was about to set, the sky was darkening, and the sun slowly sank before their eyes, the last bit of golden afterglow spreading across the land.

A layer of gold was cast upon Xue Yuantong’s sweaty face; she looked as if she was glowing.

In junior high, Xue Yuantong often sat like this at the door, waiting for her mother to get off work, day in and day out, year after year.

Yet, she always ended up waiting until sunset, never catching sight of her mother’s figure.

This moment, as she looked towards Jiang Ning’s back, his shadow stretched very long by the setting sun.

Xue Yuantong, thinking about the badminton match earlier and how he didn’t give her any breaks, felt annoyed inside.

She reached out, wanting to pinch Jiang Ning’s shadow.

In a blink, the sun was swallowed by the earth and the whole sky immediately darkened, Jiang Ning’s shadow disappeared.

Xue Yuantong grasped at nothing.

As she felt a pang of melancholy, Jiang Ning reached out to turn on the light by the door, and his shadow appeared once more.

Xue Yuantong started to smile, easily touching his shadow.