Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 317 - 251: The Gift of Jade and a Surprise

Jiang Ning returned to the bungalow and instructed Xue Yuantong,

"Get ready for the picnic on the river dam later. Prepare the tools, oil, seasonings, and everything else—all packed up."

Xue Yuantong replied, "Yeah, like I need reminding. You’d better keep the promise you made last night, or I won’t let you off the hook tonight!"

She had purposefully skipped a meal this morning, all in anticipation of the food Jiang Ning promised last night that was supposedly better than mutton.

Jiang Ning returned to his rented room, cast a Magic Formation, concealed his figure, and then he powered the Spirit Boat towards Hu Qi Mountain.

’Rabbit is best when freshly slaughtered.’

As Xue Yuantong was packing things up, Xue Chuchu busied herself alongside her, silently helping but with her thoughts on the recent events.

She worried that there might have been trouble at her rented place because she didn’t step in to break up the fight, potentially making herself a target of resentment and even revenge.

The more Xue Chuchu considered it, the more anxious she became. Perhaps due to a lack of security in her early years, she tended to overthink, and now a slideshow of horrifying images flickered through her mind.

"Chuchu, you’ve brought cola, so nice!" Xue Yuantong hefted the iron pot with effort.

Xue Chuchu was momentarily pulled back to reality. She looked at Tongtong’s beaming smile and pushed her dark thoughts aside as she nodded,

"Yep, let’s drink it together."

"Awesome, awesome," Xue Yuantong was over the moon.

Yet, deep inside, Chuchu sighed.

Halfway through the packing, Xue Yuantong suddenly went back inside. She rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a white Jade Pendant tied with a red cord.

She grabbed the Jade Pendant and brought it up to Chuchu, showing it off:

"Chuchu, look at this Jade Pendant carved by Jiang Ning, beautiful, isn’t it?"

Xue Chuchu’s gaze shifted to the Jade Pendant—a white one slightly larger than a coin, with a small cloud carved into the bottom right corner.

"Yeah, it’s quite pretty," Xue Chuchu complimented. Not only was it exquisite and beautiful, but since it was hand-carved by Jiang Ning, it held more sentimental value than one bought from a store.

It was just a pity, Xue Chuchu thought, other than the small silver bracelet on her wrist from birth, she’d never worn any other jewelry.

These thoughts made her envious of Tongtong, yet she also sincerely hoped Tongtong would always remain this happy.

Hearing her, Xue Yuantong took Chuchu’s hand.

’Such cold hands,’ Xue Yuantong thought, surprised by how icy and soft Chuchu’s hands were.

She forcefully slapped the Jade Pendant into Chuchu’s palm:

"Here, it’s yours."

"Huh? No, no, I can’t take it!" Xue Chuchu hastily refused.

The Jade Pendant looked very fine and must be expensive. She already felt bad about freeloading at Tongtong’s house; how could she accept such a valuable gift?

Absolutely not.

Seeing Chuchu’s reaction, Xue Yuantong paused, seemingly realizing something, and genuinely said:

"Chuchu, Jiang Ning gave me the Jade Pendant and told me to give it to the person I’m closest to. I gave my mom the jade bracelet, and now I have this pendant."

"You are my best friend; of course, it goes to you." Xue Yuantong’s expression was particularly serious.

"I have one myself, see." She tugged the cord around her neck and lifted a Jade Pendant from her chest.

Xue Chuchu looked at this pendant, a pale blue one, which was even more delicately crafted than the white one.

"Jiang Ning said his Jade Pendant could bring good luck and happiness. He knows fortune-telling, so what he says must make sense," urged Xue Yuantong.

"So, hurry and take it. Your hands are so cold; let the Jade Pendant warm them up."

Xue Chuchu struggled internally. She looked at Tongtong again, only to meet her insistent eyes.

"Okay, thank you, Tongtong." She eventually accepted the White Jade Pendant.

"That’s more like it~" Xue Yuantong was even happier.

Xue Chuchu put on the Jade Pendant, and the smooth stone slid down her neckline, warming the area over her heart.

However, she suddenly remembered what Tongtong said—that it was a pendant carved by Jiang Ning’s own hands.

She couldn’t help feeling a twinge of shyness.

Then, putting her thoughts aside, she asked,

"Tongtong, you and Jiang Ning..."

Xue Chuchu really wanted to know the nature of Tongtong and Jiang Ning’s relationship. Tongtong always talked about Jiang Ning, and that day he had even hugged her while hanging the laundry.

In Xue Chuchu’s eyes, such an embrace was an extremely intimate gesture, usually reserved for couples.

Yet Tongtong and Jiang Ning weren’t dating, despite Jiang Ning giving her so many gifts and living with her.

"What’s up?" Xue Yuantong noticed her trailing off, stopping mid-sentence.

Seeing Tongtong’s naive expression, Xue Chuchu suddenly had a thought—could it be possible that Tongtong, in her innocence, didn’t realize that this was flirting?

Sharp-witted, Xue Chuchu changed the subject:

"Do you and Jiang Ning hang out together every day at school too?"

Once Xue Yuantong heard this, she seemed to have an endless amount to say:

"Of course, we’re super close. He used to bring lunch for me every day."

"And he would split apples for me." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"He’d break them in half—no, into quarters!"

"Isn’t that amazing?"

...

Hu Qi Mountain.

Above the forest, Jiang Ning piloted the Spirit Boat, following the traces of Spiritual Sense Imprint, searching for rabbits.

His ability to lock onto targets was much stronger than radar, and without much effort, he found rabbits in a patch of grass.

However, what surprised him was that there was not just one rabbit—there was also a rabbit den nearby.

"I didn’t expect an unexpected gain."

Nevertheless, Jiang Ning was not one to commit total annihilation; he only caught one rabbit.

This rabbit was plump and weighed about twelve or thirteen pounds, and it was different from ordinary rabbits, especially in terms of the meat quality.

In order to make it more delicious, Jiang Ning had cultivated some Spirit Grass, and previously fed it two baskets, allowing it to enjoy the pinnacle of rabbit life.

In this world, there’s no love without reason.

Now it was time for it to repay Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning activated his Spiritual Power, conjured a giant hand, and with one swoop, lifted it from the woods into the sky.

With a thought, Jiang Ning’s Divine Sense transformed into a blade of Divine Sense, swiftly extinguishing its Divine Soul—this way, on the surface, the rabbit’s body remained intact.

He marked the rabbit den below, planning to return for it later.

Then, he steered the Spirit Boat toward Hu Qi Mountain Villa.

...

Thanks to the speed of the Spirit Boat, in under a minute, Jiang Ning had returned to the river dam.

He leapt down from the Spirit Boat, made a gesture, and shrunk it to a small size, tucking it into his Storage Ring.

Jiang Ning held a large bag of fruit in his left hand and the rabbit in his right as he entered the house next door.

Xue Yuantong was tidying up some sundries when she noticed the conspicuous white mass in Jiang Ning’s hand.

She exclaimed, "What a big rabbit!"

Compared to the rabbits she used to raise, this one was clearly a size larger.

Even Xue Chuchu, standing by her side, looked over with surprise. Could Jiang Ning have bought it?

Xue Chuchu had never tasted rabbit meat. She couldn’t help but wonder:

’Is rabbit meat tasty?’

Immediately afterward, she discarded the thought—when had she become like Tongtong, so fond of food? No, no, she had to lead a simple life and not indulge her desires.

Because it’s hard to shift from extravagance to frugality.

Jiang Ning lifted the rabbit higher, "How does it sound for the side dish at lunch? Satisfied?"

Xue Yuantong walked around Jiang Ning twice, examining the rabbit.

She pretended to stroke the rabbit, and her face showed a sorrowful expression:

"Wuwu, how pitiful."

Jiang Ning glanced at her, "Don’t feel sorry for it; it’s already dead."

Jiang Ning’s blade of Divine Sense, though unable to extinguish the Divine Souls of ordinary people, could easily extinguish a rabbit’s Divine Soul.

"Ah, it’s dead?" Xue Yuantong was shocked, "Its body is still warm though!"

"Dead as can be," Jiang Ning said.

Xue Yuantong’s sadness vanished in an instant, and she grinned:

"Well, since it’s dead, we can’t waste it. Let’s eat it while it’s still warm!"

Xue Chuchu: "...I’ll help you prepare it."

She often cooked at home, dealing with chickens and fishes with ease; Xue Chuchu was more than capable.

"Alrighty!" The two girls went off to handle the rabbit.

Xue Yuantong didn’t forget to remind him, "Jiang Ning, the task of packing is yours!"

Despite having caught the rabbit, they still planned to go on a picnic.

Jiang Ning found a large box and packed all the necessary gear for the trip.

His phone suddenly vibrated a few times.

The next moment, the phone flew out of his pocket by itself.

Geng Lu had sent a message:

"Picture."

The scenery in the picture was very familiar—it was the plain by the river dam, along with the Huishui River bank captured in it.

"Jiang Ning, haha, surprised?"

"I’m having a picnic with my middle school friends, so lively, are you coming? I’ve brought two helpings of snacks!"

Jiang Ning smiled, "It’s a coincidence, I’m going to have a picnic with Xue Yuantong and the others soon."

River dam plain.

On a tidy mat, Geng Lu sat with her legs crossed.

Today, she wore a white hooded sweatshirt and somewhat loose-fitting straight-leg jeans, carefully chosen to neither stand out too much nor appear bulky.

"That’s great, you don’t mind if I mooch some food off you, right?" she messaged Jiang Ning, jokingly.

At that moment, her good friend He Qingtang called out:

"Lu Lu, come play the game."