NOVPUB
Chapter 455: Chapter 312 Past Relatives
Jiang Ning had just made his presence known in the class group chat when he received a message from Shen Qing’e.
"Uncle’s relatives?" Upon reading this, Jiang Ning’s mind flashed with many faces.
Uncle Jiang Qitian came from the countryside and eventually settled in the urban area of Yuzhou City. His house was a large bungalow of over 180 square meters. At this time in 2014, with the income from his restaurant, even if he wanted to move to the provincial capital, An City, it would have been an easy feat.
There’s a saying, "Nobody cares about the poor in the bustling market, the rich in the mountains have distant kin." Some relatives visiting the city would often stop by to say hello or join the uncle for a meal.
Jiang Ning carefully recalled the memories of the relatives who used to visit his uncle’s house in his past life and soon denied them all.
The butterfly effect caused by his presence had already destroyed many paths from his previous life.
Jiang Ning had planned to use his Divine Sense to check on his uncle’s situation.
Unfortunately, the distance was too great, and his Divine Sense could only reach a few hundred meters, not nearly enough...
He would need the Cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Stage to monitor that far, so Jiang Ning had to give up. Anyway, it no longer mattered who it was.
Jiang Ning replied, "Okay, I got it."
Upon receiving the response, Shen Qing’e sat at the windowsill, staring blankly at the message.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, it shouldn’t be this way. In the past when she and Jiang Ning chatted on QQ, he always found various ways to talk more with her.
Back then, Shen Qing’e enjoyed it a lot. She would often drag her feet with each reply since Jiang Ning would almost always respond instantly, no matter when she sent a message.
Now, however, every one of his messages seemed like a conclusion.
If Shen Qing’e wanted to chat, she would have to initiate the conversation.
Shen Qing’e reaching out to Jiang Ning now was a bit impulsive.
In the group chat, she saw the picture Jiang Ning posted of peeling shrimp, with two hands visible in the picture. She easily judged that those were a girl’s hands.
Adding to that was the previous message Geng Lu sent, Shen Qing’e’s outstanding ability to draw conclusions immediately made her think of numerous possible scenarios.
For instance, Jiang Ning might be dating someone now.
In the past, even though Jiang Ning was very close to Xue Yuantong, Shen Qing’e never went down that line of thought because, simply put, Xue Yuantong was too young.
Geng Lu was different; her very appearance brought a sense of crisis to Shen Qing’e.
In school, Geng Lu and Jiang Ning’s interactions were often casually witnessed by Shen Qing’e.
At that time, she wasn’t worried.
Although she and Jiang Ning were apart, as long as he wasn’t with anyone else, she’d just feel a bit sad.
But if Jiang Ning was with someone else, Shen Qing’e didn’t know how much more upset she would be.
She sat in front of the window, with half-drawn curtains letting in sunlight.
She faced her phone screen in a daze, tempted to ask about the situation, but her ingrained pride wouldn’t allow her to lower her guard.
As she hesitated, "bang bang," there came a knock at the door.
The next second, the door opened, and Shen Qing’e saw her older sister, Shen Jia.
"My mom bought some blueberries; come and try them."
Shen Qing’e came back to her senses, "Oh, I’ll come now."
...
At the river dam, in the bungalow.
Despite there being ten pounds of crayfish, with Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu’s joint attack and Geng Lu’s assistance, not a single shrimp was wasted, all the tender white flesh was picked clean.
The dismantled crayfish turned into a pile of red fragments on the dining table, resembling the remnants of firecrackers after they’ve been set off.
Jiang Ning picked up a bottle of Sprite and started pouring it for Xue Yuantong.
Perhaps he had poured too fast, Xue Yuantong complained, "Stop, it’s going to overflow."
Xue Chuchu reached out with a napkin to help wipe it up.
Seeing the bubbles about to spill over the rim, Jiang Ning said, "Don’t bother."
He gathered his Mana, and the foam retreated back into the glass.
Xue Chuchu sighed with relief; she disliked wasting. If the drink had spilled, she would have felt distressed, but thankfully Jiang Ning’s hand was steady.
Xue Yuantong downed the Sprite in one go and put the glass down with a thud.
She sat on her stool leaning against the door, basking in the breeze, lazily sucking on her fingers.
Outside, the fields remained tranquil.
Xue Yuantong wasn’t bored; her personality naturally favored quiet. If she had to choose between staying at home and school, she’d definitely pick home.
Xue Chuchu loved the quiet even more, savoring the brief, beautiful moments, her gaze as serene as water:
"Fields, countryside, good food, a couple of close friends."
Isn’t that the life she had always dreamed of?
Xue Yuantong had enjoyed herself to her heart’s content, while Xue Chuchu still had energy to spare, and there was one last piece of the melon Jiang Ning had brought left, which she had long coveted.
However, Xue Chuchu was too embarrassed to take it.
If she ate it, wouldn’t that mean she was being greedy?
She might be looked down upon by Jiang Ning.
Geng Lu also ate her fill, leaving only Xue Chuchu.
Others might not have noticed, but how fearsome was Jiang Ning’s Divine Sense? He could easily trace the trajectory of a bullet, let alone Xue Chuchu’s subtle thoughts.
He picked up the last piece of Spiritual melon, pretending he was about to eat it.
The sparkle in Xue Chuchu’s eyes dimmed, thinking she shouldn’t have been hoping for it.
She picked up crispy flat beans with her chopsticks, nibbling them to soothe her craving.
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Ning inwardly chuckled.
He lifted the melon but didn’t eat it, pushing it towards Xue Chuchu instead, saying,
"Here, you eat it."
The joy came so suddenly that Xue Chuchu still kept her cool, offering it to Tongtong, "For you."
Xue Yuantong waved her hand, indicating she didn’t want it, having eaten half a melon already.
Xue Chuchu then offered it to Geng Lu. Geng Lu wanted it, but she was too full, and moreover, she was very restrained in front of Jiang Ning, so she declined.
Finally, Xue Chuchu got the last piece of melon.
She felt a leap in her heart but continued to eat the melon in an unhurried manner.
After finishing the melon, they gathered around to chat leisurely until about half an hour later, when Jiang Ning stood up to clear the table. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Xue Chuchu and Geng Lu wanted to help, but Jiang Ning wouldn’t let them.
