Reborn Troops

Zhou Wanwan sat behind the counter of the jewelry store, holding a golden ingot in her hand, her eyes a little vague.

Business in the store has been slow recently, and she knows that it would be difficult to attract young people with just these old-fashioned jewellery.

She wondered if she should come up with some new ideas to boost the store's popularity again.

"It's New Year's Eve, so there has to be some festive atmosphere," she said to herself, her fingers gently stroking the edge of the ingot.

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea: using gold ingots to make bracelets, which would be both appropriate and meaningful, and might attract many customers.

But just the ingots seemed to be missing something. Zhou Wanwan frowned.

I thought to myself: "If I can add some other elements to the ingot, will the effect be better?"

Her eyes fell on an old book on the counter, with slightly yellowed pages and a coiled snake painted on the cover.

“Snake?” She was stunned for a moment, then laughed, “Yes, the Year of the Snake is coming soon, and the snake element will definitely be popular!”

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was a good idea, and she had already started to think about how to incorporate the snake element into the ingot.

Just then, the wind chimes at the door of the store rang. Zhou Wanwan looked up and saw that it was her best friend Qianqian.

Qianqian walked in with a smile, wearing a loose sweater and holding a bag of snacks in her hand.

"Wanwan, how is the business in your store?" Qianqian asked as she put the snacks on the counter and picked up a gold ingot to play with.

"It's okay, but it's a bit quiet lately." Zhou Wanwan sighed and told Qianqian what she had just thought.

After listening to this, Qianqian's eyes lit up: "Snake element? That's a good idea! But how do you combine snakes and ingots?"

Zhou Wanwan shook her head: "I've been thinking about this question too. How can the snake form blend naturally with the ingot without looking abrupt?"

Qianqian touched his chin, thought for a while, and suddenly laughed:

"How about we go ask a designer? I know a friend who specializes in jewelry design. Maybe he can help."

When Zhou Wanwan heard this, she immediately felt relieved: "That's great! Shall we go now?"

Qianqian nodded: "Okay, I don't have anything to do today anyway."

The two of them packed up, closed the shop, and went straight to the studio of the designer that Qianqian mentioned.

The studio is located in a small alley, with an inconspicuous sign hanging on the door that reads "Moyan Design".

When I opened the door, a faint scent of sandalwood hit me in the face. The studio was filled with various jewelry samples and several hand-painted designs hung on the wall.

A young man wearing glasses is sitting at the table, holding a pencil in his hand, drawing something attentively.

"Mo Yan, I'm here!" Qianqian greeted with a smile.

Mo Yan raised his head and saw Qianqian, a smile appeared on his face: "Hey, Qianqian, how come you have time to come here today?"

"I brought a friend with me and would like to ask you for a favor." Qianqian pointed at Zhou Wanwan behind her.

Mo Yan stood up and walked in front of the two people. His eyes lingered on Zhou Wanwan for a moment: "Who is this?"

"My best friend, she runs a jewelry store." Qianqian introduced.

"Hello, Mo Yan." Zhou Wanwan stretched out her hand and shook hands with Mo Yan.

"Hello, Wanwan." Mo Yan smiled, "Qianqian said you guys have something to talk to me about?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded and told Mo Yan her thoughts in detail. After listening, Mo Yan frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

"The combination of snakes and ingots is indeed a bit difficult." Mo Yan pondered, "But it's not impossible."

"Do you have a solution?" Zhou Wanwan looked at him expectantly.

Mo Yan smiled and said, "I'll give it a try, but it will take some time."

"That's great!" Zhou Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief, "Is there anything we can do?"

"You can go back first. I will contact you after I have designed it." Mo Yan said.

Qianqian nodded: "Okay, then we'll go first, you can think about it slowly."

The two left the studio and walked in the alley. Zhou Wanwan's mood was obviously much better.

"Qianqian, it's all thanks to you this time." Zhou Wanwan said with a smile.

"Don't be polite, we are best friends." Qianqian waved her hand, "But you have to treat me to a meal."

"No problem, what do you want to eat?" Zhou Wanwan agreed readily.

"Hotpot!" Qianqian said immediately, "I haven't eaten hotpot for a long time. Today is a good time to satisfy my craving."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked into a hot pot restaurant.

The steaming hot pot exuded an enticing aroma. The two found a seat in a corner, ordered a bunch of dishes, and began to feast.

Zhou Wanwan and Qianqian were eating enthusiastically when suddenly, a familiar cough was heard at the door of the hot pot restaurant.

Zhou Wanwan looked up and her face suddenly changed. The chopsticks in her hand almost fell on the table.

"Master?" She stood up in surprise, her eyes wide open.

Standing at the door was a thin middle-aged man wearing a gray gown, holding a bamboo stick in his hand, with a faint smile on his face. It was Master Zhongshan.