Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

"Hey, Nan'er, how are you? Is Xiaoxia... alright?"

When Zhou Chenyu answered Su Fengnan's call, his worry remained undiminished, and his tone was full of anxiety.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhou, it's alright. She promised to keep it a secret. Don't hold a grudge against a young girl."

Hearing Su Fengnan's light and calm tone, Zhou Chenyu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. What does she usually like to do? I'll buy some things and bring them to her next time I visit," Zhou Chenyu quickly offered as compensation.

"Don't bother with anything else, she won't need it. If you really want to give her a gift to please her, just choose a comic book she likes."

"Okay, I've got it. I'll make the arrangements for her as soon as possible."

"Don't stay up too late, get some rest early. If you need to write, try writing in the morning when your mind is clear, it'll be easier to generate inspiration. What do you say?"

"Okay, I understand. Brother Zhou, I'll hang up now."

"Okay, remember to think of me."

The girl paused slightly, her ears burning slightly, and softly replied, "...Okay."

……

That night, Su Fengnan did not go to bed early, but quietly entered her personal space.

Last time, she only casually flipped through that martial arts manual, and all the exquisite moves in the book flooded her mind. Her mind couldn't withstand the impact, her head throbbed with pain, and she fainted on the spot. Afterwards, however, she didn't feel any discomfort in her body.

On the contrary, recalling the time she saved someone, she remembered the extraordinary strength she had displayed in that critical moment. She secretly guessed that all of this might be related to the space. In addition, after drinking the spiritual spring water in the space, she personally felt the changes: her body became lighter and more flexible, and her body, which used to be often sleepy and tired, became energetic and full of vitality.

Stepping into the space again, she keenly sensed that it had subtly transformed once more, its area expanding slightly beyond its former size. Having learned from her previous mistake, she dared not rashly peruse the manual again, lest she repeat the same error.

After careful consideration, she went to a spacious area beside the spiritual spring, intending to slowly practice the moves from the manual from memory. This would not only strengthen her body but also teach her some self-defense skills for any eventuality.

The moves, long forgotten in her mind, slowly surfaced, each one clear in her heart. She stretched her limbs, her hands and feet naturally mimicking the gestures. Thanks to her vocal training, she had excellent control over her breath, breathing freely and effortlessly.

After completing a full set of boxing techniques, my clothes were soaked with a thin layer of sweat, my limbs were slightly sore and weak, but my whole body felt refreshed and relaxed, indescribably light and comfortable.

She bent down and drank a few mouthfuls of the sweet spring water to soothe her fatigue, then filled a 500ml bottle with the water. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and prepared to slip away from the space.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a soft bubbling sound.

Su Fengnan's heart skipped a beat. She immediately looked around the spring, her gaze sweeping over the flowers and plants on the bank, but found nothing. She patiently focused her attention on the depths of the clear spring water. When she saw the tiny, sparkling things in the water, she froze on the spot, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Isn't this the little snail she and Zhou Chenyu picked up before? She secretly hid it in and casually threw it into the spring water, thinking she would feed it and let it dry before stir-frying it.

I couldn't find it. Now it looks like it's grown a whole size bigger, and its shell has become warm and bright. It's completely different from its original small and inconspicuous appearance.

Su Fengnan was both surprised and amused, secretly thinking: Could it be that this little thing has developed a kind of intelligence after staying in the spiritual spring for so long? It was a lucky accident that she had unintentionally raised several small snails to be plump and healthy.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind, and a spark of interest ignited in her eyes.

The snails raised in the spiritual spring water must have exceptional meat; stir-frying them would be incredibly delicious and highly nutritious. Perfect timing to take some out; I'll invite Brother Zhou to try them tonight.

Having made up her mind, she bent down and picked up the small creatures one by one, soon gathering a large bowl full of snails. After tidying up, she slowly left the space with the bowl in her hand.

I slept without any dreams.

The next morning, Su Fengnan rushed to the vegetable market and carefully selected and prepared all kinds of seasonings.

Around noon, she prepared two flavors of fresh snails: one spicy and savory, comparable to the taste of street food stalls; the other rich and mellow in soy sauce, with a hint of sourness, mild and non-irritating, suitable for both the elderly and children.

"Sister, can we start eating now?" Su Fengxia had been waiting by the dining table for a long time, staring longingly at the snails on the porcelain plate, and couldn't help but ask.

"Wait a little longer, Brother Zhou hasn't come yet," Su Fengnan replied softly.

Upon hearing that Zhou Chenyu was coming, Su Fengxia inwardly curled her lip, filled with resentment. So what if he's good-looking? He still managed to easily steal her older sister away.

"If you're going to come, hurry up. If you're not going to come, fine. Why should we just wait around?" she muttered in complaint.

Su Fengnan immediately glared at her and instructed, "When the people arrive, speak properly and be polite."

"I know, I know," Su Fengxia replied irritably, muttering sullenly, "You only ever side with outsiders."

The two sisters were talking when a clear knock came from the door.

Su Fengnan immediately stepped forward to open the door, her eyes sparkling with a smile: "Brother Zhou, come in quickly, we've been waiting for you."

"Is Xiaoxia there?" Zhou Chenyu asked gently.

"I'm here."

"I brought her a comic book, one that she'd always wanted."

"You bought it so quickly? You're so thoughtful."

The two spoke in hushed tones as they walked to the dining table together. Su Fengxia, fuming, ignored everyone and picked up her chopsticks, intending to grab the snails from the plate.

"Xiaoxia, Brother Zhou brought you a gift, take a look," Su Fengnan gently reminded her.

Upon hearing there was a gift, Su Fengxia slowly raised her eyes, her tone indifferent: "What is it?"

Zhou Chenyu placed the comic book on the table and gently pushed it in front of her: "Take a look, is this the one you wanted?"

The moment Su Fengxia saw the cover, her eyes lit up. She quickly picked up the booklet, flipping through it repeatedly and caressing it, overjoyed: "Wow, this edition is especially hard to find! This is great, I've been waiting for it for so long, this is my favorite."

Seeing their younger sister's joyful expression, Su Fengnan and Zhou Chenyu exchanged a glance and smiled gently.

"Alright, let's eat first. We can look through it slowly after we finish eating."

"Okay." Su Fengxia obediently closed the comic book, picked up her chopsticks, and couldn't wait to start eating.

The two then sat down one after the other and started eating.

Su Fengnan picked up a piece of stir-fried snails with her chopsticks and gently placed it into Zhou Chenyu's bowl, her eyes softening: "Brother Zhou, these are small snails we picked up together a few days ago. Please try them."

Zhou Chenyu took a bite and found it to be fresh, fragrant, and tender. He couldn't help but praise, "It's delicious, even better than what you buy outside."

"I see." Zhou Chenyu suddenly remembered that he had given the bag of snails he brought back that day to Zhao Chuan to deal with, and had not inquired about the follow-up.

Since his little girl likes them, we can find some more people to pick them up another day.