Qi Zhifang was speechless. Qi Zhijun sneered, "Give Mom ten yuan, and a ration coupon." Then, in an impatient tone, he said to his mother, "Mom, you're something else. Thirty yuan a month for four adults, two meals a day, isn't that enough?"

Tears streamed down Qi's mother's face. Qi Zhijun, growing increasingly impatient, turned away irritably, saying, "That's settled then! From now on, everyone should do their job! Let's live our lives peacefully!"

Qi Zhifang was so angry that she forgot how to speak. She herself didn't understand how she had ended up in this situation. It was truly a case of "when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down, and when the drum is broken, everyone beats it."

In what way is Qi Zhifang inferior to others? She has a university degree, she's outstanding in appearance—she's exceptional in every way. How did she end up like this? She's ostracized at work and bullied by her sister-in-law and brother at home. Just thinking about Cui makes her furious. But then she starts cursing Wei Shuqing.

Qi's mother wiped away her tears and sobbed softly, "My Fangfang, how are we going to get through this New Year? How can they be so heartless, just watching Fangfang die? How can people be so selfish, only thinking of themselves and not caring about others?"

Qi Zhifang cursed under her breath, "It's all that bitch Wei Shuqing's doing. She only cares about her own well-being, leaving us here to suffer in poverty. Her previous poor, withered, and disgusting appearance was already repulsive enough, but now that she's eating like a pig, it's even more nauseating. Pigs can grow up and be sold, but I don't know what she can do with all that fat!"

Mother Qi snorted with a gloomy expression, "It can only be said that the Qi family is unfortunate. One daughter-in-law is bad, but the other is even worse! To kill a person, you must first destroy their spirit; to ruin a person, you must first destroy their will. This one who can't have children is the real troublemaker; she'll destroy the Qi family!"

Qi's mother went on strike and refused to cook dinner. Xiao Cui didn't mind and cheerfully said, "Mom might not be hungry. How about we go get some potstickers? We haven't had them in ages." With that, he happily pulled Qi Zhijun away.

There were no ultimate winners in the Qi family's internal strife; everyone was a loser. And Cui's temporary advantage did not mean she was happy. Being poor is not the original sin; internal strife is!

Night fell quickly. Just as darkness descended, Wei's sister-in-law, eldest brother, mother, and two children packed their luggage and came with Wei Shuqing and Zhao Dahu to this place. They wanted to unpack first, since it would be more convenient for Lao Sun to drive. Because the truck bed was small, Zhao Dahu and Wei Xigun, wearing overcoats and wrapped in thick quilts, went into the truck bed. When they arrived at their destination, Zhao Dahu politely offered Lao Sun a pack of cigarettes, and the group entered the company's residential compound.

The two children were overjoyed, even though the room was dusty and extremely cold.

Zhao Dahu borrowed six honeycomb briquettes from his neighbor, lit the stove, boiled some water, chatted with Wei Xigun, and invited the children over to warm themselves by the fire. Wei Shuqing, Liu Taohua, and Wei's mother were sweeping away the ashes and tidying up the bedding on the bed.

At this moment, everyone in the house must be happy, because they have hope for the future. Although poverty makes life difficult, every step they take is a steady and positive journey towards a brighter future!

It's almost done here, and the temperature inside has risen. While the others were tidying up the house, Wei's mother cooked with her two children.

I opened two cans of meat, stewed a large cabbage, and added a pot full of vermicelli and pork belly. I put it on the stove to simmer and eat it while it was still hot. I also heated up 15 steamed buns.

When everything was almost done tidying up, the group gathered around the stove to eat. While eating, they discussed visiting their in-laws the next day to thank them for giving their daughter-in-law a job. At that time, even a temporary job was a huge favor; they could be considered second parents.

They repeatedly told them not to prepare any food, as they would just sit for a while and then return to the village, as the last bus would leave at 12 o'clock and that would be the last one.

After agreeing on their plans, the couple went home. To their surprise, Zhao Aiguo opened the door. They brushed the snow off themselves and went into the main room, where they saw Zhao's parents eating melon seeds and drinking tea. On the stove in the room, there were two lunchboxes: one with shredded pork with garlic sauce and the other with beef with green peppers, along with a half-eaten steamed bun. Wei Shuqing suddenly felt hungry. She picked up Zhao Aiguo's chopsticks, took a piece of green pepper with a slice of beef, and her eyes lit up after taking a bite. "Dad's cooking!"

Mr. Zhao nodded proudly, "That's right, are you hungry? Aiguo, get your mother another steamed bun!"

Aiguo was quite practical; he came in carrying a basket of steamed buns and two pairs of chopsticks, saying, "Dad, you eat too."

Zhao Dahu shook his head. "I've already eaten. Dad, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law are coming over tomorrow. Don't prepare any food. They're taking the 12 o'clock bus."

Zhao Aiguo asked happily, "Sister Da Ni, are Sister Er Ni coming?"

Zhao Dahu nodded, "Now that you're all here, you'll have more opportunities to meet next year."

Wei Shuqing showed off a steamed bun and ate most of the dishes.

Zhao's mother said with a smile, "Shuqing is looking more and more like one of our Zhao family members. It's good that she's a little chubby; she looks prosperous."

Wei Shuqing was about to eat another one when she pulled her hand back, remembering her mother's words, and gave an awkward smile. Zhao Aiguo, seeing Wei Shuqing had stopped eating, asked, "Mom, aren't you going to eat anymore?"

Wei Shuqing nodded and said, "I'm not eating anymore." Zhao Aiguo hummed twice, then devoured two more steamed buns and finished off all the vegetables.

Zhao's mother pointed to the tea mug and said, "Hurry up and drink the water from the hawthorn can to help with digestion, otherwise you'll get indigestion again. This child has had a weak stomach since he was little."

Wei Shuqing looked at her tall, round son and sighed. In an era filled with withered, sallow, and thin people, the Zhao family's physique was indeed unusual. Zhao Aiguo was as strong as a young calf, but his parents firmly believed that he had a weak stomach.

Wei Shuqing blinked. Her stomach wasn't good, yet she ate so much; if it were better, she'd eat so much…