Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 724 - 438 Raise the Cup

Having arrived in Tai City, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Stepping out of the train carriage, many people stood on the platform with their cellphones raised, taking photos of the distant mountains. Today the fog was thick, casting a hazy veil over the landscape.

Jiang Ning had previously messaged the class monitor privately to ask about their accommodation, and on the way, contacted Shao Shuangshuang to make last-minute changes to the hotel, which was now only a mere hundred or so meters from where Huang Zhongfei and the others were staying.

"Jiang Ning, have you noticed how the sunlight is really baking us?"

"A bit, yeah."

Xue Yuantong walked and stopped, relieved when passing shaded spots, feeling the temperature drop instantly. She noticed the climate in Tai City seemed different from Yuzhou.

The sun in Yuzhou was much milder.

Following the crowd out of the station, the group gathered together. Huang Zhongfei looked up at the sun, "The place we’re staying at is four kilometers away. The taxi will probably cost just over ten yuan. It’s more cost-effective for us since there are many of us."

He had specifically sought everyone’s opinion.

No one had any objections.

Huang Zhongfei went on to hail cabs for the group, sending off a few people at a time, and finally took the same taxi with Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong.

...

Hotels near Lu Province Science and Technology University.

It was Xue Yuantong’s first time staying in a hotel. The lobby was magnificent, with floors made of marble, fresh flowers and green plants by the walls, and crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings.

"Good afternoon, sir..." The receptionist greeted with a warm smile and an enthusiastic tone.

Jiang Ning presented his ID card, "Two rooms."

"Okay," the receptionist processed the check-in.

Soon, two room cards were handed over, along with four breakfast vouchers, "Good afternoon, breakfast is provided in the restaurant before 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Jiang Ning tucked away the room cards and led an intimidated Xue Yuantong aside.

Xue Yuantong asked in a hushed voice, "Isn’t booking two rooms very expensive?"

Jiang Ning replied, "For two rooms, it’s a little over 600 yuan for one night."

In Taian of 2014, and not during a holiday, this price could get you a pretty decent hotel.

Xue Yuantong inhaled sharply!

Her lively eyes widened, incredulous, 600 yuan! That could buy so many snacks!

Jiang Ning said, "Don’t forget your mom won a prize of 30,000 yuan, and we still have 50 days left of summer vacation. Even if we stayed in hotels every day, we wouldn’t run out."

"It’s void if it expires."

With that said, Xue Yuantong felt a lot more at ease in her heart.

She then eyed the breakfast vouchers, something she had never seen before, and confidently stated, "Four breakfast vouchers should be okay; we can finish them."

Jiang Ning clarified, "We can’t finish them; it’s a buffet breakfast voucher, for a buffet."

Xue Yuantong suddenly felt heartache, "What do we do, it’s a waste!"

Jiang Ning reassured her, "No worries, Yang Sheng lives nearby; we’ll just give them to her."

Taking the elevator to the 9th floor, before even entering their rooms, Jiang Ning deployed his "Divine Sense" to scan and clean the rooms, ensuring the living environment was spotless.

He first went to room 907 to swipe the card for Xue Yuantong.

Upon entering, she wasn’t interested in anything but the small wicker baskets on the table, filled with oranges, green dates, peaches, and several other kinds of fruit.

There were also potato chips, sunflower seeds, cookies, dried fish snacks, and Wangwang snow cakes, all familiar brands.

Xue Yuantong hesitantly asked, "Do we have to pay for these?"

Only after speaking did she realize she had shown her naivety.

Jiang Ning reassured her, "They’re free; help yourself."

He opened the refrigerator, revealing bottled water, cola, a few small boxes of yogurt, and ice pops in the freezer compartment.

Xue Yuantong’s eyes glowed—if they were free, her personality dictated she would spare none!

Jiang Ning’s "Divine Sense" inspected the other rooms, noting the same amenities, suggesting that this was a standard offering from this hotel.

After familiarizing herself with the hotel, Xue Yuantong found the room spacious and tidy, with all the necessary facilities, including a bathtub!

She switched to slippers, connected her phone to the wifi, turned on the TV, sat by a floor-to-ceiling window, snacked and sipped beverages, looking down at the city of Tai from her high vantage point.

Jiang Ning didn’t return to his own room yet, instead watching TV with Xue Yuantong.

It was like how they interacted at home, except the hotel TV was larger and the view more expansive, with mountains in the distance.

Xue Yuantong was thrilled by everything, the comfortable experience making her happy with the trip, and even warming up to Tai City.

She didn’t forget to send photos to her mother and Chuchu.

...

As the night lights came on, neon signs flickered.

At the hotel entrance, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong arrived side by side.

Huang Zhongfei and his group had just arrived, and Guo Kunnan excitedly proposed, "Let’s go for barbecue!"

"Try the Lu Province barbecue!" said Dan Kaiquan, also eager.

After sitting in hard seats on the train for five hours, they had not rested upon their return, having been invited by Dong Qingfeng to Jiang Yanan’s place to hang out.

Huang Zhongfei’s relative’s place was nicely decorated, with a 55-inch imported brand TV in the living room. The youngsters huddled together watching variety shows and chatting away, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Huang Zhongfei had initially planned on buying some snacks, but was declined by Dan Kaiquan and the others, who specifically waited until now to go out for barbecue.

Three taxis started up, the one with Jiang Ning carrying Yang Sheng and Tang Fu.

Jiang Ning was in the passenger seat, while petite Xue Yuantong settled close to the right side, handing two breakfast vouchers over to Yang Sheng:

"Jiang Ning and I won’t be able to use all of them, so come to the hotel for breakfast tomorrow morning."

Before Yang Sheng could respond, Tang Fu questioned, "Why do you have two extra vouchers? Aren’t you guys staying together?"

Jiang Ning simply stated, "Two rooms."

Yang Sheng chided, "Tang Fu, are you dumb?"

After all, they were high school students, and although Yang Sheng was always straightforward and blunt, she understood matters of relationships between men and women.

In her eyes, it made sense to have two rooms, even though Xue Yuantong was very young.

Yang Sheng accepted the vouchers, "Thanks, I’ll treat you to snacks tomorrow night."

The hotel buffet offered a variety of foods, some even featuring local delicacies. The hotel Jiang Ning was staying at looked rather imposing, so the breakfast was likely to be good.