Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 1592 - 871: New Year

Xue Chuchu walked to the door of Tongtong’s house and saw a pair of couplets with bold, flowing calligraphy on the door wall: [Piano, chess, books, paintings, poetry, wine, and flowers; firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea].

The horizontal inscription read: Growing Richer Every Day.

This was written by the cultured Mr. Qian from next door, as a gift to the Xue Family.

Initially, actually, it wasn’t this one, but a more cultured couplet. Tongtong thought it sounded unpleasant, so he commanded Mr. Qian to rewrite it.

At that time, Mr. Qian pinched his nose and wrote this down-to-earth couplet, which finally satisfied Tongtong.

Zhang Ruyun came out from his house, holding a string of firecrackers in his hand. Seeing Xue Chuchu, he greeted her warmly, "Xue Chuchu, have you eaten?"

Xue Chuchu replied, "Not yet."

After answering, she stepped into Tongtong’s house.

Zhang Ruyun felt a bit lost; he walked a few steps forward and laid the firecrackers on the ground.

Today is New Year’s Eve, and in Yuzhou, there’s a custom of setting off firecrackers before breakfast.

Zhang Ruyun retreated one or two meters, then half-squatted, extending his arm straight, holding a lighter, and clicked it.

As the flame licked up, he hastily withdrew his hand in fear.

Usually, the fuse of firecrackers burns quickly, which is why Zhang Ruyun pulled back so quickly, but he moved too fast, and the fuse didn’t catch fire.

Early morning, Mr. Qian came out from his doorway, turning back to look at his own spring couplets: [Peach and plum blossoms fill the garden, spring like a brocade; orchids around the steps, fragrant seating.]

The horizontal inscription read: Elegant and Upright.

The more Mr. Qian looked, the more satisfied he became. After all, wasn’t his life’s pursuit as a teacher to read and educate?

Mr. Qian glanced over at Zhang Ruyun, who was lighting the fireworks, "What a useless kid, hesitating with just a firecracker, ridiculous!"

He coughed "cough, cough" twice.

Zhang Ruyun immediately cast his eyes over.

Mr. Qian picked up a lighter, lit the firecracker in his hand, and casually tossed it. The firecracker flew into the air, exploding with a "bang" before hitting the ground.

Watching, Zhang Ruyun was stunned, thinking he was at the prime of his life, yet couldn’t even match an Old Deng?

After lighting the fireworks, Mr. Qian stood with his hands behind his back, reciting a poem with varied intonation: "Fireworks scare away ghosts, children gather!"

Finishing his words, he laughed heartily and turned back into the house, fully displaying the poet’s charisma.

As the firecracker noise faded, Zhang Ruyun heard movement behind him, turning to see the pure, beautiful, ice-sculpted Xue Chuchu!

Recalling Mr. Qian being stylish despite his age, and his own timid demeanor, Zhang Ruyun lamented in his heart, "Zhang Ruyun, oh Zhang Ruyun! How could you be so lacking!"

An intense frustration filled Zhang Ruyun’s chest; he resolutely picked up the firecracker on the ground, determined to emulate Mr. Qian’s style in front of Xue Chuchu and Xue Yuantong.

Originally, Zhang Ruyun only wanted to learn from Mr. Qian, light it in his hand, and throw it away elegantly.

But young people, they always have their own ideas.

Zhang Ruyun turned around and walked into his living room, waiting for Xue Chuchu and the others to pass by, before clicking the lighter.

He gave it a strong toss, but the firecracker was too long, and not all of it went out, dangling by his feet.

The next moment, the room burst with a series of "bang" sounds.

Butcher Zhang inside was startled, ran over to see the commotion, only to find it was happening in his own home.

Xue Yuantong outside also poked her head out to see the excitement.

Amidst the smoke, Zhang Ruyun’s weathered face emerged, explaining with his uniquely charming smoky voice, "Dad, listen to me, it’s the firecrackers you bought that are the problem!"

...

After the neighbor’s unfortunate lesson, Xue Yuantong was especially cautious when setting off firecrackers. Once lit, she dashed away on her short legs, escape skill maxed out.

Accompanied by the crackling of firecrackers, shards flew and fell, eventually leaving behind a ground full of red, symbolizing joy and solemnity.

Tongtong lifted her little leg, walked over to the firecracker debris, and shouted, "Chuchu, look!"

Xue Chuchu was puzzled, "Look at what?"

Tongtong stood on the ground, gently spun around, surrounded by blood-red fragments, and solemnly shouted, "I bloom in a bloodbath, like the flower of heaven and earth!"

After finishing, she solemnly asked, "Chuchu, isn’t it cool?"

Xue Chuchu pursed her lips, "It’s so cool!"

Xue Yuantong didn’t mind Chuchu’s remarks; Chuchu was still young and didn’t understand the ways of the world. No worries, she could teach her.

"Chuchu, take a couple of photos for me, and send them to Jiang Ning, with the bold words just now!" She directed remotely.

After all, showing off coolness needs to be executed through someone else’s hands to be more stylish.

Xue Chuchu obediently picked up the phone.

Nearby city.

Jiang Ning received Chuchu’s message and almost laughed his head off, commenting, "A flower blooming between heaven and earth, clearly a little potato popping out of the ground."

Xue Chuchu tried hard to hold back her laughter upon seeing it.

Xue Yuantong noticed something was wrong, quickly rushed over to check, giving Chuchu no chance to delete the message.

After seeing Jiang Ning’s reply, Xue Yuantong was so furious she sent several angry emojis.

Jiang Ning provoked, "Who told Chuchu to take such a short photo of you."

Xue Chuchu hurriedly clarified, "It’s not that I took it short!"

After speaking, she realized she misspoke, implying that Tongtong was short?

Jiang Ning satisfactorily put away his phone.

...

Jiang Ning’s provocation didn’t work; the bond between Tongtong and Chuchu was not something he could easily shatter.

After breakfast, the two little girls went to the open space at the doorway to play badminton.