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

There were still people inside the photo studio! The door was pounded on loudly, but it wouldn't open. Su Fengnan was anxious to rush over, but the fire was too intense, and she couldn't get close at all. After a while, the pounding on the door completely stopped.

Just as she was becoming extremely anxious, the shrill sound of the alarm clock jolted her awake.

She reached out and turned off the alarm clock. The details of her dream had been shattered by the noise, leaving only the image of a raging fire. She wanted to go back to sleep and continue the dream, but then she suddenly sat up—oh right, she still needed to go to the market to buy groceries!

After getting up, dressing, and washing up, she found her small basket on the balcony and went outside. It was still dark, but sanitation workers were already sweeping up trash on the streets.

Walking in the cool morning breeze, Su Fengnan pondered the dream. In the dream, a fire killed people, and some people in the photo studio also failed to escape... Could this be some kind of omen or warning? She couldn't figure it out, and a sense of unease crept into her heart. She secretly resolved to take some time to copy the scriptures again to clear her mind of distractions.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chenyu also fell into a nightmare that night.

This time, he saw the woman's face clearly and heard the name of the mastermind who ordered her to be killed.

In his dream, the little boy hid behind a dark garbage heap and clearly heard a man in black making a phone call. The man in black respectfully addressed the person on the other end of the line as "Brother Kuan".

"They're going to silence them like this? Won't that cause some problems?"

"Yes, I'll do as Brother Kuan says."

After hanging up the phone, the man in black coldly ordered, "Make your move."

Then, several men in black beat the woman to death. The little boy could see clearly through the crack—the woman lying in a pool of blood was his mother.

Zhou Chenyu jolted awake from a state of extreme terror and palpitations. He rushed into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face until he calmed down and his heartbeat gradually returned to normal. Looking at himself in the mirror, he slowly closed his eyes and silently reflected on his thoughts.

He walked out of the restroom, took out his phone, and dialed a number. The phone was answered after two rings.

"Hey, find someone in the underworld called 'Brother Kuan.' If you can't find him domestically, try to find him overseas." His voice was deep and cold. "You have three days. Send the results directly to my email."

He hung up the phone and glanced at the time—five in the morning. He rummaged through his closet for a tracksuit, changed into it, and ran all the way to the lakeside at the foot of the martyrs' cemetery.

He stood by the lake for a long time, until the mist dissipated, the morning light bathed the lake's surface, and a gentle breeze rippled across it. At that moment, he seemed to finally understand something, turned around, and walked home with firm and steady steps.

…………

At seven o'clock in the morning, the first rays of dawn were just beginning to break. Su Fengnan pushed open the door of her house, carrying a basket full of things on her back.

She first placed a clay pot on the kitchen counter to cook millet porridge before starting to sort through her spoils in her basket. She picked out some chicken, duck, fish, and meat. This season is when mountain delicacies are in season, and she met an old man at the market selling matsutake mushrooms and other mushrooms in a bamboo basket, so she bought half a basket of matsutake mushrooms. Adding various seasonal vegetables, she figured it would be enough to last five days. What surprised her most was that she bought a lot of cherry tomatoes, perfect for making a jar of sour soup. She washed the cherry tomatoes and set them aside to drain, ready to be jarred and fermented when she returned in the afternoon.

She had already planned the afternoon's meal—spicy chicken with pickled fish. She cleaned the chicken, fish, and mushrooms she bought and set them aside, while the remaining ingredients were portioned and placed in the refrigerator. By the time she finished preparing, the millet porridge in the kitchen had thickened into a rich, oily consistency. A bowl of sweet millet porridge, paired with crisp dried radish and half a runny salted duck egg, made for a simple and refreshing breakfast.

After breakfast, Su Fengnan changed into clean clothes, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and headed to Ning Xiaojun's house.

They had agreed to meet at ten o'clock. At this moment, Yang Chao, Ye Hua, and Qiu Wen, Ning Xiaojun's classmate, were already sitting in the lounge on the second floor of the Ning family home. Ning's mother had specially prepared two large platters of snacks and fruits for the children. Ning Xiaojun looked at the three who arrived on time and joked, "Did you three agree to come together? You're so punctual. I thought Su Fengnan would arrive first."

"She's not not coming, is she?" Ye Hua asked with some concern.

"No, she's always punctual, she should be here soon," Ning Xiaojun said confidently, then added, "Help yourself to the snacks and fruit on the coffee table, don't be shy."

Although Ning Xiaojun was enthusiastic, it was the first time the three boys had come to her house, so they were inevitably a little reserved sitting on the sofa. Yang Chao couldn't help but ask, "Won't your parents mind if the three of us boys come to your house?"

"No, they know we're studying together. Besides, with Su Fengnan here, my parents are quite at ease," Ning Xiaojun explained with a smile, then pointed to the food on the table and said, "This was all prepared by my mom. Take what you want. If you can't finish it, my brother can help you." As she spoke, she grabbed a few bags of potato chips and tossed them to the three of them, "Here, replenish your energy first. Memorizing and doing exercises is very mentally taxing."

The three of them took the snacks and, without any hesitation, tore open the packaging and put them in their mouths.

Just then, footsteps sounded downstairs. Su Fengnan went downstairs, greeted Ning's mother first, and then carried two cups of milk tea upstairs. As soon as she reached the door of the lounge, she heard laughter and chatter inside and quickly greeted them, "You're here so early!"

Ning Xiaojun turned around upon hearing the voice, happily stood up to greet her: "Susu, we've been waiting for you, come and sit down."

Su Fengnan walked over and placed the milk tea on the coffee table: "Here, one cup each. After you finish drinking, we'll start studying."

"Thank you," the three boys said in unison.

Ning Xiaojun was even happier to see that Su Fengnan had brought milk tea. She picked up a cup, took a sip, and pulled Su Fengnan, saying, "Su Su, thank you for bringing the milk tea. My mom also prepared a lot of snacks and fruits, you should have some too."

"Okay, sure." Su Fengnan symbolically peeled a piece of candy and put it in her mouth, then sat down at her desk and took out her homework. "I'm starting my homework now. You guys hurry up too, don't waste time."

Seeing her decisive and efficient demeanor, everyone immediately abandoned their playful mood. Ning Xiaojun also walked to the desk and sat down: "I'm going to start too, you guys hurry up."

The three boys exchanged glances, quickly finished their milk tea, and then took out their textbooks and workbooks. The lounge instantly fell silent, save for the scratching of pens on paper. Ning Xiaojun and Su Fengnan had taken over the desks, so the three boys had to move their snacks aside and bring out small stools to sit around the large coffee table to do their homework, which was just right.

"Susu, are you doing your English exercises? If you're done, could you explain the questions to me?" Ning Xiaojun whispered.

"Okay, then you finish what you know first," Su Fengnan replied without looking up.

At the coffee table, Yang Chao and Qiu Wen were engrossed in writing, while Ye Hua was doodling in his notebook, his mind clearly not fully on his studies. But he didn't feel awkward; he simply sat quietly to the side, savoring this long-lost atmosphere of focused concentration.