Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Monday, after school in the afternoon.

'Good Days Restaurant' was bustling at dinner time.

Dan Kaiquan and Guo Kunnan ordered a serving of egg and vegetable fried noodles, and extravagantly added 3 yuan worth of shredded meat. Such a lavish act drew the attention of many freshmen nearby.

Guo Kunnan felt very happy, as if he had become a wealthy person.

Dan Kaiquan's eyes wandered around, looking for the girl in the military training uniform he saw last Friday. He clearly remembered the girl's features and aura, confident he could recognize her, but unfortunately did not see her.

He felt regretful; last time he forgot to ask for contact information. This time, Dan Kaiquan vowed not to miss the chance.

After the boss finished frying the noodles, Guo Kunnan grabbed some pickled vegetables and soy beans, while Dan Kaiquan, unable to wait, hurried toward the inner courtyard. It was there that he had met the girl in the military training uniform.

Full of anticipation, Dan Kaiquan's footsteps trembled slightly, feeling that perhaps the girl might be in the courtyard.

Upon entering the inner courtyard, Dan Kaiquan swiftly scanned the area.

'She's not here.'

Dan Kaiquan's mood dropped, and he told his good buddy, "She didn't come."

Guo Kunnan said, "Don't worry, anyway we have Longlong. He can ask around for you and get the contact info in no time."

Upon hearing this, Dan Kaiquan felt invigorated. Right, with Longlong and Brother Ma around, getting a contact number should be a breeze!

With that thought, Dan Kaiquan no longer worried. On the road to love, he wasn't fighting alone; he had an entire support team.

Dan Kaiquan picked up a piece of pickled vegetable, then noticed a green pepper lying on the plate, missing a corner, looking like a bite mark.

He frowned in thought and asked, "Brother Nan, don't you think this green pepper looks familiar?"

Guo Kunnan replied, "Didn't you say last time you don't eat green peppers?"

Dan Kaiquan shook his head, "Last time I took a bite, it wasn't tasty, so I put it back on the small plate."

"Why does this green pepper look exactly like the one I bit that day?"

Guo Kunnan slapped his thigh, "This fate is incredible!"

After saying this, he had a slight feeling something was off, looked at Brother Quan, and exclaimed:

"What the heck, the green pepper you didn't finish last time, did the boss recycle it and give it back?"

...

Jiang Ning strolled through the Four Middle School campus with his packed dinner.

The sun was setting, and a strand of sunset glow coexisted with the evening sun. The small trees on both sides of the main north-south road, under the glow of the sunset, slowly elongated their shadows.

On the road, boys jostled to chase each other, while the clean faces of the girls were tinged with a soft glow.

A few meters ahead, Geng Lu walked with her friend He Qingtang, having treated Geng Lu to charcoal pot fish for dinner.

Jiang Ning lagged behind, appreciating the familiar plants and trees, while reminiscing about the fragrant and spicy flavor of the charcoal pot fish, his mind slightly unsettled.

Jiang Ning had studied at Fourth Middle School for three years, and because he didn't have much allowance, he mainly ate various fried rice and fried noodles every afternoon, having long grown tired of it.

Without money, not to mention charcoal pot fish, even yellow braised chicken was a rare treat.

He remembered clearly, back in his second year of high school, near summer vacation, one Saturday morning after class ended, Shen Qing'e and her aunt went to Nan City for a trip, and Jiang Ning, of course, wasn't included.

That noon, he had 50 yuan left in his pocket, which for him, was a 'fortune'.

Under the scorching sun, he stepped into an air-conditioned yellow braised chicken shop, the cool air hitting his face. He extravagantly ordered a portion of yellow braised chicken, chose medium spicy, and added a bottle of ice-cold cola, which cost 18.5 yuan.

At that age, he had no worries or stress. He joyfully played on his phone, ate heartily, and felt utterly satisfied.

He thought to himself, 'Yellow braised chicken is so delicious; how great would it be to eat pit-steamed chicken, grilled fish, or hot pot?'

But unfortunately, the following decade and more was filled with struggle and toil.

Jiang Ning tried various foods, including restaurants with a per capita of several hundred, but never could recapture the feeling of that noon.

Now, thanks to Geng Lu, he finally had the chance to enjoy, in his student days, the kind of big meal he once dreamed of.

Jiang Ning didn't walk quickly, and he occasionally wondered, if in his past life, the girl he liked wasn't Shen Qing'e but Geng Lu, would things have turned out differently?

He hadn't interacted much with Geng Lu in the past; the most memorable time was when they were briefly front and back desk mates.

One evening during self-study, he was browsing game information on his phone, and Geng Lu leaned in close and mischievously read the game information out loud softly, making Jiang Ning feel embarrassed and prompting him to stop her.

That was their only close encounter.

Geng Lu's grades were much lower back then, and even though she studied art, she only got into a second-tier university.

Also, she wasn't earning money by taking art commissions online, at least not that Jiang Ning had heard.

She was just an ordinary girl who had been privately discussed due to her early development.

Unwittingly, Jiang Ning not only changed his own destiny but also altered the destinies of those around him.

"Lu Lu, I'm leaving now!" He Qingtang waved her hand.

Geng Lu reminded, "My mom wants you to come to my house after night study, don't forget."

Last Sunday was the start of the school term, and He Qingtang brought dried beans and salted eggs to her house, which made Geng Lu's mom very happy.

"Alright, alright." He Qingtang went upstairs.

Geng Lu was about to enter the classroom when a male student blocked her path.

The classroom door was half-open, Liu Chuandao was leaning against the door frame, striking a pose he thought was stylish and handsome, while chatting with Shang Caiwei.

Geng Lu politely said, "Excuse me, can you let me through?"

Liu Chuandao quickly glanced at Geng Lu, taken aback by her beauty.

Other girls with big chests tended to look frumpy and chubby, but the girl in front of him dressed well, had a particularly slender waist, and unfortunately, was dressed too conservatively.

Liu Chuandao's eyes lit up, and he moved slightly aside, saying with a hint of malice, "Go ahead."