Seeing Qi Zhifang angrily pulling him towards the house, he laughed, broke free from her grasp, and said, "What's wrong? Why do you want to go back? Didn't you think you were right? As long as you speak up here, I absolutely won't stop you. You can do whatever you want. Go to that labor camp inmate's place right now and work with him. I'll even put together a band for you. It'll be a grand spectacle of gongs and drums, songs that shake the forest, and a procession to send you off. I'll wave my little handkerchief all the way to see you off!"

Hearing the commotion, Qi Zhijun saw the mother and son locked in a stalemate in the courtyard and immediately felt a headache coming on. He said in a low voice, "Dongdong, stop making a scene and go back inside. There was nothing wrong to begin with, and now you're causing trouble."

Wang Dong snorted, "Uncle, you should be glad that I'm standing here."

Qi Zhijun glared at Qi Zhifang, furious at her lack of self-respect, and shouted, "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Go back now!"

Qi Zhifang went back into the house crying. Wang Dong then rubbed his face, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that were about to spill from the corners of his eyes.

Qi Zhijun patted Wang Dong on the back, and the two went to Wang Dong's side room. Wang Dong sat on the edge of the bed, bent over, and covered his face with his hands. Qi Zhijun sighed when he saw him like this, "Alright, Dongdong, don't be like this, everything will be alright."

Wang Dong shook his head, his voice trembling with tears. "It's hopeless, Uncle. It's really hopeless. My great-uncle brought us back and rented a house for us for ten years. He left us 200 yuan and some ration coupons, which was all my grandparents' savings. They were sent to the countryside, and with their health, they probably wouldn't come back. Before they left, they repeatedly told me to keep these safe, to keep them to save their lives! These might be the last things the Wang family left me. Actually, with these and my salary, we could have made it through, but I didn't listen to him."

She couldn't continue, and started sobbing. After a while, she said, "I regret it. I shouldn't have disobeyed my uncle. I only have 35 yuan left of the money he left us, and the tickets are all gone."

Wang Fang and my mother are truly cut from the same cloth. Whenever she runs out of money or coupons, she asks me for them. If I don't give them to her, she goes to my mother. My mother and grandmother cried in front of me time and time again, forcing me to hand over the money and coupons.

They're like starving people, never satisfied! They eat without knowing when they're full, so greedy! I could tolerate that, but they even treat men like this, searching relentlessly. I really can't stand them anymore. They can't just let our family be the only ones causing this trouble!

Qi Zhijun opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He watched as the little boy who had always fought over food and drink grew up and now had to face a family that competed for money and possessions. A weariness seeped into his very bones.

Wang Dong looked up at Qi Zhijun, his eyes red and his voice thick with emotion, "Uncle, do you know? My mom used to sweep the streets at the factory, but then for some reason she went crazy and started causing trouble for Aunt Wei. Aunt Wei beat her up and made her sweep the toilets in six different factory areas."

Looking at Qi Zhijun's blank face, he mocked, "To disgust my mom, she even made her clean the men's restroom. Because she didn't clean it properly and people complained, she was lucky to get 15 yuan a month. I'm not saying this to blame Aunt Wei, but because my mom clearly had a high starting point, but she ruined herself like this, even worse than Aunt Wei. I don't know where she gets her confidence and pride from!"

Qi Zhijun was speechless, while Qi Zhifang sat blankly by the window, gazing up at the starry sky, lamenting that this was the essence of her unrequited love—she could feel it, but couldn't touch it. Yan Da and Shi Liang were all just passersby, Lao Liang was but a gust of wind, and Zhifang, like a tiger, embraced the Milky Way! Yes, that's how it is; those who love each other must be together, and those who can't be together are simply not meant to be.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hu, who was supposed to be with her to gaze at the stars, was currently mining coal in a coal mine in Heilongjiang Province.

Gone is the spirited man he once was. Xiao Hu is now thin and frail, his hair standing on end. He just got off work and is sitting in front of the shack, shivering as he eats a frozen, hard flatbread while the snow falls. He is thinking about the frail, helpless little white flower.

In order to get those few things for Qi Zhifang, he traded all the coal, cotton-padded clothes, pens, cotton-padded shoes, and rations he was issued with others for other things.

He was coughing as he ate; he didn't know how many more days he could live like this...

In stark contrast, Old Zhao's family was having dinner. They had a hot, hearty stew from the canteen, which was quite plentiful today: three large pork bones, pork belly, pickled cabbage, frozen tofu, celery and potato shreds, and radish and vermicelli. Basically, everything was cooked together in one small bowl. In front of Zhao Aiguo was a plate of stir-fried scrambled eggs with chives, a plate of stir-fried pickled vegetables with chili threads, and a can of meat.

While eating, Zhao's father said, "Shuqing's sister-in-law did a pretty good job at work today. If she keeps working hard, we'll see if she can get a permanent position in a couple of years!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Shuqing's face lit up with a smile, "Oh, thank you, Dad!"

Mr. Zhao said with a smile, "This is nothing, let's eat!"

Zhao Dahu watched as Zhao Aiguo silently finished a bowl of food in a short while. Zhao's mother quickly added another bowl, saying, "Eat slowly, you'll get indigestion if you eat too fast. Don't learn from your father. Your mouth and stomach should each do their own thing!"

Zhao Aiguo looked up and asked, "Grandma, what does that mean?"

Zhao's mother glared at Zhao Aiguo. "You ate too fast! Your mouth and stomach couldn't even process it. If you could talk, you'd be grumbling and complaining all night, still not understanding what you ate!"

Zhao Dahu said helplessly, "Mom, what era are you talking about! I don't have that kind of table manners!"

Zhao's mother snorted, "Didn't you eat like this when you were little?"

Mr. Zhao frowned. "Just listen to me, why are you talking so much nonsense! Your mother isn't senile, she wouldn't be wrong."

Wei Shuqing lowered her head and smiled. This kind of situation happens several times a day. Zhao Aiguo is good because his grandparents take good care of him. If he is not good, Zhao Dahu will suffer. Over the years, Zhao Aiguo has become the family's darling.

Zhao Dahu nodded, "Okay, okay, it's all my fault." Looking at his own son whom he had raised, he was still filled with pride.

Thinking of this, I noticed that my son's face seemed thinner, so I quickly picked up another bone to put in his bowl.

Zhao Aiguo quickly took the food away, shaking his head and saying, "I've already eaten one; I can't eat it all by myself!"

Father Zhao chuckled, "You silly grandson, eat up! You're the only one in the family who's growing. If you don't eat enough, you won't get enough nutrition and won't grow tall. There's meat here, and we're all eating it! This kid has never been one to eat alone since he was little. He always thinks of us when there's something to eat. Oh my, your grandparents will be so lucky when they get old!"

He then took Zhao Aiguo's bowl and, upon receiving it, Zhao Aiguo immediately began to devour it.

Wei Shuqing's eye twitched. She thought to herself, "With this much nutrition, they're worried about not getting enough? They drink malted milk powder like water every day, and formula for over twenty days a month. If you see Mr. and Mrs. Zhao looking down or disappointed, it's because they're out of formula. They'll find ways to get it from somewhere, just in case their child doesn't get enough to eat and it affects their growth!"

This kid is almost as tall as Wei Shuqing, with skin as white and tender as egg white. He's eye-catching and good-looking wherever he goes. I don't know how the Zhao family can be so worried about him.