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

Tang Qiuyue stopped in her tracks in front of the phone booth on the street corner. She clutched the hem of her clothes, looking somewhat flustered, muttering to herself as if she were repeatedly organizing her thoughts.

"Qiuyue, what's wrong with you? Who are you calling? Why are you so nervous?" Ning Xiaojun peeked out and looked at her curiously.

Su Fengnan gently tugged at Ning Xiaojun's sleeve, winked at her, and gave her a look that said, "Don't say anything yet." Then, she turned her head and softened her voice to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, take a deep breath, just tell the truth. We'll be with you outside."

Tang Qiuyue took a deep breath and nodded as if to encourage herself. She picked up the heavy receiver and skillfully dialed her parents' number.

A slightly tired voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, who is it?"

"Mom...it's me, Qiuyue." Just from saying that, Tang Qiuyue's voice trembled.

"Qiuyue? What's wrong? Are you out of money? Mom will transfer some to you right away."

"No, Mom, I have money. Where's Dad? I need to talk to him about something..."

Su Fengnan and Ning Xiaojun couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Ning Xiaojun pulled Su Fengnan to the shade of a tree a few steps away to cool off. The two tacitly avoided prying into the private matters on the phone, instead whispering about gossip from their class.

Lu Yao and Gou Tinggui became a couple, and Lu Tao and Li Xiuying also got together. Several other classmates who had been seen at Wang Bo's birthday party also secretly started dating. At a time when everyone was busy studying hard to prepare for the college entrance examination, they were busy with romance.

These gossips were like a gentle breeze, easily blown past her ears and then gone. Su Fengnan had no connection with these people, so she listened without a second thought, without a ripple of emotion stirring within her. She always knew what she wanted, and even now that she was in a relationship, she would never neglect her studies.

Somehow, the conversation veered off onto Wang Bo. When Ning Xiaojun inadvertently mentioned Wang Bo's family situation, a faint gloom settled over Su Fengnan's heart.

Because Wang Bo's family situation is so similar to Tang Qiuyue's family situation.

Looking at Tang Qiuyue's slender figure in the phone booth through the glass door, Ning Xiaojun couldn't help but sigh softly: "Susu, why are Wang Bo's parents so busy that they can't even take care of their child? He's about to take the college entrance exam, which is the time when he needs his family's support the most..."

"Have their grades improved recently?" Su Fengnan gently interrupted Ning Xiaojun's remark.

The "they" that Su Fengnan was referring to were naturally the classmates she had tutored with at Ning Xiaojun's house before.

Ning Xiaojun nodded, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes: "Yeah, they are. Since the start of the semester, I haven't seen any of them idle. They're always holed up in the classroom doing practice problems. Ye Hua even made it into the top ten in the class at the end of last semester. I feel like he's been working really hard lately."

"Are you worried about Wang Bo?" Su Fengnan's gaze fell on the phone booth.

"A little," Ning Xiaojun lowered her eyelids. "When he talked about his parents, his eyes were full of disappointment."

"Brother Zhou said that the stock market might experience some volatility." Su Fengnan turned to look at Ning Xiaojun, her tone straightforward and firm. "Try to remind him when you have the chance. Tang Qiuyue made that call today to remind our parents to make plans as soon as possible."

"Really?" Ning Xiaojun asked in surprise.

"I don't understand the stock market, but Brother Zhou does; that's what he said." Su Fengnan's expression was serious, without a hint of joking. "It's probably pretty close to the truth. Besides, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's always good to be prepared and have a backup plan."

Ning Xiaojun lowered her head, pursed her lips thoughtfully, and nodded seriously after a moment: "Okay, I understand. I will find an opportunity to remind him."

As soon as she finished speaking, the glass door of the phone booth was gently pushed open, and Tang Qiuyue walked out.

Su Fengnan quickly stepped forward and asked repeatedly, "How did it go? What did your aunt and uncle say?"

Tang Qiuyue shook her head. Actually, she wasn't sure what her father would do either. She paused for a moment before speaking softly, "My dad said he'll see what he can do."

Hearing this answer, Su Fengnan had actually expected it. She sighed almost imperceptibly and comforted her, "Alright, we've reminded you of everything we needed to. Don't overthink it anymore. Just relax. Right now, the college entrance exam is the most important thing for you."

The three of them talked as they left the phone booth. They walked along the road for a while longer, then said goodbye at the fork in the road and went their separate ways home.

……

On the opening day of the three dessert shops, the flower baskets that Su Fengnan and Zhou Chenyu had ordered in advance were already placed in front of the shops, a riot of flowers that was quite eye-catching. With Zhang Wenhao personally overseeing the event, plus his group of friends and Sun Zile coming to show their support, Su Fengnan was naturally completely at ease.

Later, Zhang Wenhao told her that the store was incredibly popular on opening day, and they even unexpectedly received several commercial orders, making a steady profit right from the start. Su Fengnan just smiled after hearing this. Since she had entrusted Zhang Wenhao with the overall management, she was content to be a hands-off manager and would not interfere easily.

The Qingming Festival was just a few days away, and the school only gave them one day off. Su Fengnan and Su Fengxia rushed back to their hometown early in the morning to go up the mountain with their elders to pay respects to their ancestors. The mountain was covered with lush green grass and trees, and the breeze carried the scent of earth and grass. Su Fengnan picked a lot of fresh Qingming vegetables to bring back, planning to make some Qingming cakes.

Because of their heavy academic workload, their uncles knew they were short on time and didn't keep them long. Before leaving, their aunt specially gave Su Fengnan a packet of spring tea that she had personally roasted.

"I finished the tea I gave you last year, but you never came back to ask me to make more. I know you're usually busy in the county town, and the tea you buy outside is expensive. This is homemade, so it doesn't cost any money. Take it and brew it for tea." Auntie said, as she shoved the tea leaves into her hand.

Holding the fragrant tea bag, Su Fengnan felt a warmth in her heart. She nodded obediently and thanked them repeatedly with a smile.

Back in Zijiang County, Su Fengnan didn't even have time to rest. She rolled up her sleeves and began preparing the Qingming vegetables. Kneading the dough, shaping it, and filling it with fillings, the kitchen gradually filled with a sweet and glutinous aroma mixed with the fragrance of mugwort.

Just as the last basket of Qingming cakes was steaming, and steam was sizzling from the edge of the pot lid, there was a knock at the door. Su Fengxia ran over to open it and saw Zhou Chenyu standing outside carrying some things.

"Sister, it's Brother Zhou!" Su Fengxia called out crisply towards the kitchen, then stepped aside to let Zhou Chenyu into the house.

As soon as Zhou Chenyu stepped into the house, she took a deep breath and asked with a smile, "What's that smell? It smells so good! What delicious food did your sister make?"

"Sister is making Qingming cakes, Brother Zhou," Su Fengxia replied with a smile.

Just then, Su Fengnan wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen, her eyes filled with surprise and delight: "Brother Zhou, what brings you here?"