Seeing that Qi's mother had made a small plate of cabbage and tofu and a basket of cornbread, he couldn't help but frown. Qi's mother looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Qi Zhifang pouted and said, "Mom, can we have bean sprouts next time? I'm so tired of boiled cabbage every day!" She went to wash her hands and came back to cook. She couldn't help but regret that if she had gone out with Lao Liang, would she have been able to have a better meal?

With a listless expression, Qi Zhifang picked up her chopsticks and ate a few cabbage leaves. Her mother sighed, then took out a small bowl of stir-fried cabbage hearts with tofu and gave it to Qi Zhifang, saying, "Eat up! You're really born delicate; everything you eat has to be fine." Then, glancing at the time, she whispered, "Eat quickly, before Xiao Cui sees you when he gets back!"

Qi Zhifang smiled and said, "Mom still loves me the most!" The small bowl looked a bit oily, so she quickly ate it. After finishing, she pushed the bowl away, wiped her mouth, and said, "My goodness! I'm exhausted from organizing files in the archives all day. I'm going to lie down!"

Qi's mother swallowed the cornbread and said, "There's warm water by the bedside, drink it."

"Okay, I understand." I said and went back to my room to lie down. A little while later, Xiao Cui came back. She went back to her room first to put her bag away. As soon as she came in, Qi's mother glanced at her and said, "Xiao Cui is back. Come and eat!"

Xiao Cui smiled and said, "Okay!" After sitting down, he picked up a cornbread and started eating. "Where's Fangzi? I haven't seen her."

Qi's mother said, "She came back early, saying she was tired from work, so she ate her meal first and then went back to lie down and rest."

Xiao Cui nodded, and seeing Qi's mother eating slowly with her head down, he understood that she didn't want to say much. Xiao Cui also quickly finished his meal, cleaned up the dishes, and went back to his room.

Meanwhile, Qi Zhifang lay on the bed like a pancake, her heart itching like grass leaves scratching an itch, the more she scratched, the itchier it got, and the more it itched, the more she scratched, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

In the days that followed, she made a point of dressing up beautifully, hoping that if Lao Liang came to see her again, he would see her looking her best. But after that day, she never saw Lao Liang again. It seemed that he didn't take her seriously at all, and left after flirting with her.

This made her reflect on herself, wondering if her words and actions that day had hurt his pride. While she was feeling unsettled, she decided to pick herself up where she had fallen and went to the cafeteria with her lunchbox.

After queuing for a while, just as she finished getting her food and found a place to sit down, she saw Lao Liang, Li Yuemei, and her three girlfriends come in chatting and laughing. Because she was sitting in a corner and not very noticeable, Lao Liang didn't know whether he really didn't see her or was deliberately ignoring her as he passed by. The five of them got their food and found a place to eat, not far from her.

"Section Chief Liang, I have a pound of sugar coupons left. Do you want to exchange them?"

Qi Zhifang was taken aback when she heard this. Why exchange for sugar coupons?

Then Yuemei shoved the woman who had been speaking and said, "Are you trying to die?! No way! No way!"

Old Liang said to Yuemei like he was spoiling a child, "Don't be shy! What's there to be embarrassed about?" Turning to the others, he said, "Let's trade! You guys figure out how many sugar coupons you have, and I'll trade them all for meat!"

"Section Chief Liang is so generous, I'll switch too!"

Yuemei lowered her head and ate her food in embarrassment, saying, "Look at you, what are you saying!"

Old Liang said, "What's there to be afraid of? They're all your sisters. We can't let them suffer. Don't worry! We'll treat you to a few extra pieces of candy when we have it!"

"You think you can just fob us off with a few pieces of candy?"

Old Liang shook his head, "That won't do! When we go to the second canteen, we'll treat Chef Zhao to a meal!"

"Wow! Really? I've always heard the food at the second cafeteria is good! I'll definitely have to have a good meal there!"

Old Liang glared at him and said, "I'll be unhappy if you don't eat enough!"

Qi Zhifang couldn't hear anything else he was saying. Was Lao Liang going to marry Yue Mei this month? What did he mean by what he said to her? Did he look down on her because he knew about her past? Thinking of this, she almost burst into tears, so angry that she cried.

She packed up her lunchbox and went straight back to the office. She sat there blankly for a long time, until the end of the workday, before absentmindedly walking out. She had only walked a short distance from the factory when she heard, "Qi Zhifang!"

She turned around and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably! Then she turned to walk forward, but Lao Liang stepped forward and blocked her way. He looked at Qi Zhifang with a face full of pity and eyes full of melancholy. After a while, he slowly said, "You also have feelings for me, right?"

Qi Zhifang lowered her head and cried out. Old Liang, with an "I knew it" expression, sighed and said, "We are all cowards, not brave enough!"

Qi Zhifang stared at him, her lips pressed tightly together. Old Liang sighed and said, "Let's go! Let's find a place to eat first!"

Qi Zhifang turned her head and said, "I'm not going! My reputation is already bad enough, and if I get so close to a man who's about to get married, who knows what rumors will spread! You stay away from me too!" She turned to leave, but Lao Liang suddenly hugged her tightly. Just as Qi Zhifang's mind went blank for a moment, and her heart nearly jumped out of her throat, Lao Liang shouted, "Can't you ride a bike? Are you blind?!"

Qi Zhifang broke free from her unrealistic thoughts. Old Liang said forcefully, "Come on, I'll take you to eat. We won't go to anything fancy, just the potsticker shop up ahead, and we'll order two cold dishes."

Qi Zhifang was half-heartedly led to the potsticker shop. Old Liang found a corner seat in the lobby, wiped the chair for Qi Zhifang, and said, "You sit down first, I'll go order something!"

Qi Zhifang sat down, and soon Lao Liang brought over a plate of peanuts, chopped celery, and diced carrots cooked and mixed together as a cold dish, along with a plate of cold pig's ears. He placed them on the table, took some chopsticks, wiped them with a tissue from his bag, and handed them to Qi Zhifang, saying, "Try it. Their cold dishes are pretty good. When the potstickers come out later, you'll be amazed once you taste them. I usually don't tell people about this place, but you're the first one I've invited here!"

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