flstandardbreds Chapter 149 Snails and Slugs (2)
Chapter 149 Snails and Slugs (2)
Su Nuannuan stared at the small creatures slowly wriggling on the stone table and said softly, "Look, this little animal with a heavy shell on its body that is slowly crawling is called a snail; and this smooth, slimy thing next to it is called a slug."
Upon hearing that what she was holding was a slug, Canglan Jingyao immediately looked disgusted and pouted, "What an awful name!"
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but smile and patiently explained, "Although the name doesn't sound very pleasant, slugs and snails are actually closely related; they both originated from the same ancestor."
Cang Lan Jingcheng blinked his large, curious eyes and asked in confusion, "An ancestor? Really? Mother?"
Su Nuannuan smiled and nodded, then continued, "That's right, their common ancestor is actually a conch."
Those sea snails had always lived peacefully in the vast depths of the ocean. However, one day, some of the brave snails, unable to suppress their yearning for the unknown world, began to swim closer to the surface. When they finally reached the water's edge, they were delighted to find that the land was covered with lush, tender, and juicy grass.
Wow! There are so many delicious and juicy grasses hidden on land! If we could climb onto this magical land, wouldn't we be able to enjoy all these tender and succulent grasses to our hearts' content!
And so, a small idea took root and sprouted in the hearts of the sea snails…” At this point, Su Nuannuan deliberately paused, smiling as she looked at the two little ones and posed a question: “But, as everyone knows, sea snails originally live in water and cannot survive directly on land. So, think about it, what ingenious method did these brave sea snails come up with to successfully realize their wish to reach the land?”
“They can shrink their shells,” Azure Blue Jingcheng replied.
“They can make the shell on their backs lighter,” Canglan Jingyao replied, watching the snails crawling on the stone table.
“It can also transform…” Cang Lan Jingcheng couldn’t answer.
"It's okay, you've already answered very well! You've all been so clever in helping the conch solve its problem, you're really amazing!" Su Nuannuan praised with a face full of joy, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
The two little ones were overjoyed to hear their mother's lavish praise, their faces beaming with pride and excitement.
"You know, sea snails are actually similar to fish; they both breathe through gills. However, if they want to survive on land, gills alone are far from enough; they must have lungs."
Furthermore, although they can swim freely and comfortably in the water, the situation is quite different once they come ashore. Their bodies, which were originally light and agile underwater, are now hampered by their heavy and thick shells, making it difficult for them to move. They can even easily end up in the embarrassing situation of being upside down with their feet facing up.
Therefore, these snails are always hoping that their shells can become thinner and lighter, so that they can move more easily on land.
And so, through the long passage of time and countless evolutionary processes, the bodies of one branch of the conch family began to undergo miraculous changes.
Finally, one day, this brave branch of the conch family successfully set foot on land and gradually adapted to this new environment. This successful conch family that landed on land is the snail family we know today.
Just then, Canglan Jingyao blinked her big, bright eyes, staring intently at the slug that was still slowly crawling, and curiously raised her head to ask, "Mother, where did this slug come from?"
"After countless years, a branch of the snail family suddenly realized that with such a huge and heavy shell on their backs, they could hardly pass through narrow places. What was even more troublesome was that because some vital internal organs were encased inside these shells, even if they tried every means to make them thinner and lighter, it was all in vain, and they still had to carry this heavy burden and move forward with difficulty."
It is precisely because of this hard shell, which feels like a heavy burden, that they are unable to embark on a long journey and are trapped in the same place, repeating a monotonous and boring life day after day.
However, if they were to spend their entire lives in the same place, the monotony and boredom would be unbearable for them.
Therefore, deep down they yearn to break free from their constraints and freely explore different places. But the question is, how can they achieve this seemingly unattainable wish?
Before the words were even finished, Cang Lan Jingcheng eagerly interjected, "Mother, I know! I can help it go wherever it wants to go."
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly in agreement, but then changed the subject and asked him, "That's right, it is indeed a solution. But, Cheng'er, you can't help every snail get what it wants, can you?"
Canglan Jingcheng was speechless for a moment, lost in thought. At this moment, Canglan Jingyao suddenly pointed to the slug that was crawling quickly on the stone table and was clearly faster than a snail, and excitedly exclaimed, "Mother, the snail has lost its shell."
"That's right, snails do have some amazing ideas—they actually want to get rid of the heavy shells they've always carried!"
It's important to understand that for these tiny snails, this is not an easy decision to make.
After all, that shell is not only their home that shelters them from the wind and rain, but also a sturdy fortress that protects them from attacks by powerful enemies from the outside world, and can also help them withstand the scorching sun and the invasion of severe cold and snow.
However, even knowing the many difficulties and dangers that would ensue upon losing their shells, the brave and fearless snails ultimately and resolutely abandoned these crucial shells in order to explore a wider, unknown world.
At this moment, the clever and quick-witted Canglan Jingcheng suddenly felt puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "But, Mother, snails have many important internal organs hidden inside their shells. What will happen to those internal organs if the shell is gone?"
Upon hearing her son's question, Su Nuannuan smiled with satisfaction and softly praised him, "Cheng'er is so clever! He's already starting to think about problems!"