"I'm sorry you had to see this. Xiao Cheng isn't usually like this. I don't know what's wrong with him today." Fang Yun explained to Zhan Chunlan somewhat embarrassedly. This brat is so inconsiderate, making her lose face in front of outsiders.

“Aunt Fang, I think he’s doing a great job. He’s only like this in front of you.” Zhan Chunlan believes that in this era where people are generally quite strict with children, it is rare to have such a natural parent-child relationship.

“When he was in Xiangshu Brigade, no matter how hard or tiring his work was, he never complained in front of us. He just silently persisted in completing his tasks. That was because he didn’t trust us and was putting on a brave face in front of us. But you are his mother. He trusts you and is close to you, so he naturally shows his truest self in front of you.”

"Really?" Zhan Chunlan hadn't heard this perspective before. Usually, her colleagues and relatives would say she spoiled the child too much and told her to be stricter with Xiao Cheng, but only Lao Xiao silently supported her. Now, hearing someone think it was right and good, even though the person saying it was a child, didn't that just prove that it was good for the child, didn't it?

"Yes!" There's no definitive answer to how to raise a child well. But judging from the relaxed demeanor Xiao Cheng exuded towards Ms. Fang Yun, it was clear that he was being raised very well.

“I once read in a book that the family a child grows up in is called their family of origin. If a new life is a blank sheet of paper, then the family of origin is the one that paints the background on that blank sheet. It not only disciplines their behavior and habits, but also influences how they face setbacks and difficulties in the future, and how they interact with others. You can see from Xiao Cheng that you have raised him very well, and he has grown up to be a very good person!”

For Zhan Chunlan to say these words was a bit presumptuous, and she regretted it as soon as she finished speaking. For a high school student to talk so glibly in front of the person who raised her to be a high school student was simply laughable.

She frantically lowered her head, her eyes searching the ground for a hole; she wanted to crawl down!

"Pfft~" Fang Yun finally saw the real reaction that belonged to this age on her face, which also made her pull away from the rather "academic" discussion atmosphere just now.

Hearing her laughter, Zhan Chunlan couldn't help but lower her head and smile softly. Fang Yun watched her lower her head, her shoulders shaking, and laughed even louder.

"Mom!" Suddenly, Xiao Cheng's voice came from the bedroom, a mixture of disbelief and anger: "Are you all making fun of me?"

"You're a boy, don't always eavesdrop on us girls' conversations!" Ms. Fang Yun seemed to be encouraged by Zhan Chunlan's words and acted even more recklessly.

"Who told you to laugh at me! Do you think I like hearing that?" Xiao Cheng was utterly incredulous; they were actually turning the tables on him?

"Who's laughing at you? Don't flatter yourself, cover your ears!" Ms. Fang Yun didn't want to talk to him through the door and forcefully ended the conversation.

Zhan Chunlan bent down, picked up the orchid from the ground, and placed it on the coffee table. She smiled at Fang Yun and said, "I came here today mainly to thank Aunt Fang. If it weren't for you, I would still be washing dishes at home. These are orchids I brought back from my hometown. I dug them up from the mountain myself. They're not worth much, so I hope you won't mind."

"What are you saying, child!" Fang Yun raised her hand and lightly tapped her forehead a few times, somewhat annoyed by her formality. She had unilaterally treated her like a daughter, and she was still being polite. She then thought of Zhan Chunlan's upbringing and was worried that the child would feel inferior, so she said bluntly, "Auntie likes you because you are a good person. You deserve to be treated like this by me."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Chunlan's eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up in them: "Thank you, Aunt Fang!"

Looking at the poised and bright-eyed child in front of her, Fang Yun felt a sense of pride, like "my daughter has grown up." She unconsciously took on the role of "mother," not wanting her to wither away too soon, yet having no right to say much. After thinking for a moment, she decided to just tell her a story.

"I recently saw Zhang Jing again, the one who asked you to cover her shift."

"Huh? Wasn't she over eight months pregnant? How come something happened now?" Wasn't this job the one Aunt Fang "got" for me at the hospital last time? It hasn't been that long, how come she's in the hospital again?

"Sigh~ Being a girl is really tough." Fang Yun opened her mouth and closed it again, not knowing how to start. After thinking for a long time, she finally spoke:

"Almost everyone dislikes going to the countryside. Putting aside the conditions, just the thought of leaving the place where they have lived for more than ten years to live in a place full of strangers is something that everyone resists. But there is one group of people who cannot refuse: girls."

"For all girls, their wedding day is like going from a home full of their own relatives to a home they don't know at all, and they have to integrate into it, treating other people's mothers as their mothers and other people's fathers as their fathers."

"Just like when she was sent to work in a very remote place during the rural relocation program, Zhang Jing was unfortunate enough to be assigned to a family that wasn't very kind. Under such circumstances, she still chose to be tolerant."

"We're not going to be prime ministers, so why should we be expected to be magnanimous?!"

"When you choose a partner in the future, you should not only examine the man, but also his family. Good conditions are icing on the cake, but the most important thing is that the whole family has good character. That way, you won't have to work so hard!"

Fang Yun went on and on, but Zhan Chunlan didn't find it annoying at all. She wondered if her mother would still be lecturing her like this if she were still in modern times. She really missed her.

"Did I scare you?" Fang Yun hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face, but she couldn't wipe them away completely. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because Zhan Chunlan's affirmation just now made her so confident that she was discussing these things with a little girl. Wasn't that scary?

“No…no…” Zhan Chunlan shook her head to indicate that it was none of her business, but she was too emotional to speak coherently: “It’s not…your…reason, it’s…my own…overthinking.”

There was no way to tell anyone about this, and she didn't intend to tell anyone either, so she could only give vague answers.

"Okay, Aunt Fang believes you." Fang Yun hurriedly looked around, trying to change the subject!

"Hmm... these orchids smell so good!" She turned her head and saw the orchids on the coffee table. She thought they were very beautiful when Zhan Chunlan brought them up, but her attention was suddenly diverted and she didn't observe them carefully.

"Tear...this orchid...did you really just dig it up randomly?" Fang Yun hadn't seriously studied orchids, but she seemed to have seen something similar at a leader's place. Moreover, perhaps because of her "motherly filter," she thought this pot of flowers was much prettier than that one. Putting aside everything else, the fragrance was much fresher.

"I really dug it up in the mountain. I don't know what kind it is, but I just thought I'd bring it back for you. I felt you would like it."

"Yes!" She never hesitated to praise this girl, wanting to give her affirmation and strength: "I like it very much, I really like it!"

When Zhan Chunlan returned home, Zhan Chunhua had just finished cooking dinner. The family didn't want to wait for her and were about to start eating.

She glanced at the food on the table. It was white rice, a plate of stir-fried salted vegetables, a plate of steamed pork with more sweet potato than meat, and a bowl of pickled cabbage and tofu.

Zhan Chunlan immediately rushed into the kitchen and scooped out a large bowl of rice. While everyone was still in shock, she quickly picked up several pieces of meat, then scooped out a spoonful of pickled cabbage and tofu. She was about to sit down when she worried that dinner might not be served, so she turned around and rushed back into the kitchen to eat in the dark.

Although she has been secretly eating extra meals at work lately, the more she eats, the less the others outside can eat. It's a win-win situation – harming the enemy a thousand while losing nothing herself!

Haha, in novels, there are verbal warnings, slaps and pats, and the Revolutionary Committee always ready to arrest people; in real life, the more you eat, the less the enemy eats, and one day, you will definitely starve the enemy to death!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha~

The next day, Zhan Chunlan went to work feeling refreshed.

At the department store, she finally heard the whole story that Ms. Fang Yun hadn't been able to tell clearly yesterday.

Zhang Jing's husband, Zeng Jun, separated from her family. He didn't leave with nothing; he took the couple's savings and moved out of the large family home to a courtyard near the department store, just a ten-minute walk away.

It's said that when they moved, Zhang Jing's dowry sewing machine was pulled from her sister-in-law Zeng Meng's room. At the time, Zhang Jing's brother, Zhang Rong, almost hit her; Zeng Jun slapped her once, and Zeng Meng slapped her twice.

This move completely shattered the family harmony that Zhang Jing had painstakingly maintained and that her mother-in-law, Qiao Yuzhen, had boasted about everywhere.

The only son actually separated from the family, and Zeng Jun's father actually agreed to it?

"No? What happened? Why did they suddenly split up?" Zhan Chunlan arrived a little late. She always liked to arrive on time, and this skill she had always been proud of actually prevented her from hearing all the gossip. Should she get up earlier next time?

"I'm just telling you, it's just..." The lady at the sewing machine counter next door was very enthusiastic about sharing her gossip. This process of passing on gossip was like noodle reproduction, doubling the fun!