Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 144 - 134: Really Only Know a Little Bit

Xue Chuchu found that Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong played chess at a rapid pace, ending a game in just three to five minutes, as quick as a flash.

Not like some old men who would hold the chess piece in their hand forever before deciding on a move, which was maddeningly slow.

They must surely have sharp minds, right?

No wonder Xue Yuantong always did so well in school since she was young.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong started another round, this one even more dangerous, advancing toward a deadly endgame.

Xue Yuantong felt this game was tough to win. She picked up a chess piece, and suddenly blinked her eyes, pointing behind Jiang Ning, she shouted:

"Jiang Ning, look, look, that yellow dog has a bone in its mouth!"

Jiang Ning turned around to look.

Seizing the opportunity, Xue Yuantong swiftly swapped Jiang Ning's chess pieces.

When Jiang Ning came back, he noticed the positions on the chessboard had changed.

Xue Yuantong slammed down a chess piece with a "pop". She stomped her foot hard on the ground and bellowed:

"Checkmate!"

After shouting this, she didn't feel quite satisfied and added another phrase:

"Checkmate to death!"

Jiang Ning's face fell, his hands drooping over the chessboard, he sighed: "I've lost."

Seeing him like this, pride filled Xue Yuantong's face as she triumphed:

"Humph humph humph, now you know how formidable I am!"

Off to the side, Xue Chuchu: ...

She had seen Jiang Ning secretly swapping the chess pieces earlier, and had even felt injustice on behalf of Xue Yuantong. Who would have thought, the two were cut from the same cloth, equally cunning.

And there went her kind-hearted effort just then.

After winning a game, Xue Yuantong felt a joyful satisfaction, looking at Jiang Ning, there was a sense of looking at a defeated general.

However, she had the grace of a victor and raised her fists to Jiang Ning:

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"Today, the two of us met our match in chess, talents clashing, like high mountains and flowing rivers meeting a connoisseur, not bad, not bad. Let's battle again another day."

Jiang Ning replied: "Alright, another day."

Then Xue Yuantong turned to Xue Chuchu and invited her: "Chuchu, I remember you can play chess, right?"

Xue Chuchu certainly could, and she wasn't bad at it either because her mother played a lot of chess. She had inherited her mother's skills and improved upon them.

But Xue Chuchu was very humble; she demurely said: "I know a little bit."

"Only a little bit? Then let's play; I'm super good at chess. I'll teach you a move or two, and you'll definitely be able to beat anyone skilled in chess," boasted Xue Yuantong, exhibiting all the airs of an expert with no inkling of modesty.

'This... are you that confident?' Xue Chuchu was momentarily at a loss for words.

She was just being modest; in fact, she was quite good at chess.

Xue Chuchu leaned against the wall by the doorway studying English. As usual, she'd keep reading, but having just watched Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning play chess, she was somewhat tempted.

Aside from her studies, Xue Chuchu had few interests, and chess was one of them. Moreover, playing chess with Xue Yuantong had to be interesting, right?

She hesitated a little.

Jiang Ning said: "If you want to play, play a round. We'll be eating soon, and besides, you can't be concentrating on your book now, can you?"

Xue Chuchu's limpid eyes turned towards Jiang Ning. While the two of them had been playing chess, she was memorizing English words but had glanced over at the board now and then. It seems Jiang Ning had noticed.

"Okay, Tongtong, let's play a round." Xue Chuchu closed her English notebook and tucked it into a pocket inside her cotton jacket.

"Just one round though."

She said it again, just in case Xue Yuantong lost and insisted on playing more games.

She took her seat on a small stool, facing Xue Yuantong over the chessboard.

Xue Chuchu sat very properly, like a well-bred young lady.

On the other hand, Xue Yuantong seemed much more casual. Perhaps seeing Chuchu's formality, Xue Yuantong tried to sit up straight and adjusted the edges of her clothes.

Her serious little face broke into a gentle smile, much like a well-mannered young lady.

Then, like a gentleman, she put her tiny hands in front of her and gestured a "please".

"Chuchu, I look forward to your guidance."

With a slightly unveiled smile, Xue Chuchu, who rarely smiled due to the constant pressure from her family, revealed soft lips that suddenly sweetened her cool expression when she smiled.

"Tongtong, I look forward to your guidance."

The game began.

Within minutes, Xue Yuantong smacked the table with a palm, causing it to shake violently. She shouted out loud:

"Checkmate!"

"Mate!"

Xue Yuantong was full of vigor, always shouting "Checkmate!" whenever she cornered her opponent.

Xue Yuantong watched as she decimated Xue Chuchu's defense, feeling extremely satisfied. To beat Jiang Ning and then a former playmate felt exhilarating.

"Ha ha ha, Chuchu, you were right, you do only know a little bit."

Xue Chuchu said nothing.

She started to doubt her own skills. She was really good, wasn't she? So why did she lose so quickly?

Xue Yuantong set up the chessboard and asked,

"Are you going to play again?"

She remembered Chuchu saying she would play just one game.

Xue Chuchu didn't answer, but directly moved a chess piece forward.

...

Lunch was in the kitchen at Xue Yuantong's house.

The kitchen wasn't big; apart from the clay stove, the remaining space was somewhat cramped.

Three people sat around the square table, Aunt Gu and Hua Fengmei, one serving rice and the other dishing out the meals.

Because of the clay stove used for cooking, the kitchen was slightly warmer than outside, and Jiang Ning stirred up a little 'Mana,' raising the room's temperature a notch.

Xue Yuantong took off her coat, revealing a pink bunny sweater, having freed herself from its constraints so she could eat comfortably and unleash her full potential during the meal.

"Jiang Ning, you're closest to the door, help me put this on the bed."

Jiang Ning took the coat, which still retained some of its warmth, and carried it to the next room.

Aunt Gu brought over a big basin of food, the aroma wafting through the air.

Xue Yuantong swallowed hard, "This is fresh lamb my mom went to the market to buy this morning, braised lamb with Chinese cabbage and glass noodles, tastes especially good!"

"Eating it in the dead of winter makes the whole body warm!"

"This big pot is enough for all of us."

"There's also this stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with cured meat. The cured meat was prepared by my mom, and tastes amazing with the bamboo shoots— even more fragrant than the meat!"

As Aunt Gu served each dish, she introduced it, causing her to seem quite helpless:

"Alright, alright, you're drooling."

"Hehe."

Hua Fengmei then brought over a bowl of sweet potato congee. Xue Yuantong's house used stainless steel bowls, double-layered for insulation so that even in winter, the congee wouldn't cool down fast.

"This is the sweet potato Aunt Hua specially brought from her village, very sweet," Aunt Gu said.

Aunt Gu also passed the breadbasket; Xue Yuantong grabbed a big piece of bread, but it was so hot that it kept jumping in her hands.

With a simple pluck, Jiang Ning took the bread.

"Jiang Ning, you're snatching my bread. Can't you get your own if you're hungry?"

"I snatched it, yes."

"Give it back to me!"

"Fine, here you go." Jiang Ning intentionally delayed a few seconds, by which time the bread had cooled enough for Xue Yuantong to easily take it.

Seeing the two joking around, Aunt Gu didn't intervene but simply smiled and passed the chopsticks.

Before, when it was just her and Xue Yuantong eating together, there had always been a sense of desolation, but now, with an additional person, it felt much warmer and there was a lively atmosphere which was quite pleasant.

Whenever Jiang Ning ate at Aunt Gu's place, there were never rules like "do not speak while eating, do not speak while sleeping." Sometimes chatting together made things even more enjoyable.

They talked quite a bit over the meal, and Hua Fengmei asked, "Sister Gu, are you still working at that restaurant?"

The two hadn't touched on work much while they were cooking.

"No longer. I fell off my bike and hurt my hand, took a month's rest at home and haven't been working there," Aunt Gu said.

"You fell? Was it serious? Why didn't you tell me?" Hua Fengmei expressed her concern, as the two had a longstanding relationship, and she would have gone to see her had she known.

"It's nothing serious, healed up fast, and now it's back to normal," Aunt Gu avoided dwelling on the topic, as there was no need to worry a friend with her troubles.

Moreover, her recovery had been rapid; even the doctors at the hospital marvelled at her recuperative powers during follow-up checks.

Seeing that Sister Gu seemed truly alright and walked normally, Hua Fengmei thought it had been just a minor tumble.

Xue Chuchu ate quietly, sticking to only the dishes in front of her. Xue Yuantong couldn't stand it:

"Chuchu, you're too thin, won't you eat a bit more?"

"The reason why I'm so good at chess is precisely because I eat a lot."

"Mom, give Chuchu some meat!"

Aunt Gu had noticed too and proactively served her a few slices of lamb.

"No need, Auntie, I can't finish it," Xue Chuchu declined. In fact, she really wanted to eat the meat, as Aunt Gu's cooking tasted excellent.

But she and her mother had only brought a bag of sweet potatoes with them, and she felt uneasy about eating too much of someone else's food; doing so would make her feel like she owed them something.

Her mother had told her that Aunt Gu's family wasn't well off, and that they worked hard for a living in the city. Today, to host them, they bought lamb and made all these nice dishes, at no small expense.

"Why are you being so courteous at Auntie's house? Before, when I brought Tongtong to your place, she ate at your place every day."

"Don't be polite with Auntie," Aunt Gu said kindly.

Reluctantly, Xue Chuchu took a piece, which tasted very good.

Aunt Gu smiled.

Xue Yuantong picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and placed it on Jiang Ning's bread:

"Jiang Ning, have some meat."

Seeing this scene, Aunt Gu remarked, "It's just as well Jiang Ning didn't have rice today."

There was one meal where her daughter put some food on Jiang Ning's rice, and when the dishes ran out, she took it back from his bowl. She found her daughter's action so naive.

Luckily it was Jiang Ning. With anyone else, they might have taken offense.