When the drivers returned after unloading the charcoal, Xiao Yunying prepared hot water for them to wash their hands and eat.

One of the drivers was a first-timer and waved his hands in a panic, saying, "No need to trouble you, young lady, I'll just eat by myself when I get home."

Although it was his first time meeting this young lady, the fact that Ling Qi had come to pick her up in person was enough to show that her relationship with his young master was extraordinary. How could he dare to wash his hands with the water she fetched or eat the food she cooked?

Xiao Yunying handed them disposable face towels to wipe their hands clean: "It's so cold, and you came to bring me charcoal so early in the morning. You must not have eaten. Eat something hot to warm yourself up. Don't worry, I won't tell Yuancheng."

Ling Qi wiped her hands clean, skillfully crumpled the washcloth into a ball, and threw it into the trash can next to her: "Don't be afraid, Young Master knows and won't say anything. Besides, Miss Xiao's cooking is very delicious. It would be your loss if you didn't eat it."

The other drivers echoed Ling Qi's words while thanking Xiao Yunying.

In the living room, the children had already finished eating and cleared the table. Hearing the sounds coming from the yard, Luo Chen and Luo Yang brought out the pancakes and dishes that were being heated in the pot in the kitchen.

Xiao Yunying led them into the kitchen and saw that the rice and bowls were already set on the table. She praised, "Not bad, you have a good eye for things."

Luo Chen said calmly, "I'm going to help Ali make goat milk; he can't lift the kettle."

"Go ahead, but don't burn yourself."

He calmly went to the kitchen, but inside he had a feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

During his time living with his new stepmother, he and his second brother resolved their inner conflicts, completely letting go of the past. It was as if they had completely forgotten their former noble status and truly integrated into the lives of ordinary people.

Even now, when a table is set up for the drivers, they don't feel embarrassed or have any other negative emotions. Their actions are as natural as when they eat with their own family.

Their thoughts didn't change overnight; perhaps they themselves didn't even realize that Xiao Yunying's every move in daily life was subtly changing their mindset.

He had asked her some time ago why Ling Qi, who was that young master Chen's personal servant, was so kind to the charcoal delivery drivers and even cooked for them.

What did she say again?

"On such a cold day, someone brought me charcoal in the dark early in the morning. What's a meal for them? It's nothing."

Besides, what's wrong with coachmen? They're all people with one nose and two eyes. Why should they be treated differently? Just because their status is lower than Ling Qi's, even lower than ordinary commoners, does that mean they can be ignored?

He didn't understand at the time that servants of slave status were inherently lowly. Unless they were servants in powerful or wealthy households, they wouldn't receive flattery or fawning from others. But even that was just for show; people would look down on them even more behind their backs.

He could tell that she wasn't trying to please or flatter him; she treated them the same way both in public and in private.

Moreover, given her relationship with that young master Chen and her current status as the second owner of Huiweilou, she has no need to curry favor with a few charcoal delivery drivers.

She seemed to see her own confusion and asked, "You don't understand?"

He shook his head and didn't say anything.

She then asked Luo Yang, "Do you understand why I'm like this?"

My second brother's answer at the time made him suddenly understand: "I dare not say I understand, but I can feel that, regardless of whether the relationship is close or whether the character is known, Mother treats everyone the same, and it is an equal treatment that is unrelated to status or position."

At that moment, Mother patted my second brother on the shoulder, her voice filled with relief as she said:

"You understand me best. I don't know how to tell you this. The education I received was completely different from yours. In my culture, people are only distinguished by closeness or distance, not by status or wealth."

Luo Yang used very accurate words: "treat everyone equally," meaning equal treatment regardless of status.

Perhaps in your eyes, they are lowly people who have signed contracts of servitude and fallen into slavery. In my eyes, they are no different from those who are rich and powerful. As long as they are all human beings, they should not be treated differently.

These words echoed in his mind for a long time.

She said that in her view, people are only distinguished by closeness or distance, not by status or wealth.

She said that as long as they are all human beings, they should not be treated differently.

Because of his past experiences, he refused to face reality for a long time. Even now that he has figured things out and is willing to live a peaceful and stable life with his new stepmother, there is still a thorn in his heart that he can't explain but can't get rid of.

That day, he finally understood: it was his inability to let go of his past self that was resisting the reality of becoming an ordinary citizen.

He realized that there is actually no difference between people. No one is born more noble than another. The so-called high and low status is just a difference in identity and position.

Putting that aside, he was no different from ordinary people.

Status and position are not only determined by ancestral blessings or inheritance from elders, but can also be earned through one's own efforts.

"Big brother, big brother!"

Luo Chen was brought back to his senses: "What's wrong?"

Luo Li held the puppy's food bowl, which was already filled with milk powder: "What are you thinking about? You've been standing there for a long time without moving. I called you many times."

"I wasn't thinking about anything. Let me get you some water."

Luo Chen picked up the iron kettle, brewed the goat milk, and poured in some of the dog food that Xiao Yunying had just taken out, according to the amount she had instructed.

The two of them cooled the milk by placing it in a bowl of cold water over it, and then carried it to the living room. The sound of the bowl hitting the ground immediately caught the attention of the two puppies, who rushed over, wagging their still-short tails, and plunged headfirst into the milk bowl.

Xiao Yunying quickly said, "Oh dear, Luo Li, keep an eye on the puppy, lest it choke on its milk."

Luo Li calmly followed Xiao Yunying's instructions, pinching the scruff of the puppy's neck and lifting it up slightly: "Don't worry, Mother, I'll be watching over you the whole time."

Xiao Yunying shook her head helplessly. It's true what they say, like father, like son. The two little puppies' greedy nature is definitely inherited from Luo Li.