Wu Min was heartbroken to see a large piece of the pancake on the table being taken away. In those days, white flour was a precious commodity, and it was being eaten like that. It felt like her flesh had been cut off.

"This is my dinner, so eat less of it!"

"It's just that piece of flatbread, isn't it?" Zhao Yue threw the flatbread back into the lunchbox. "You have no idea how badly I was treated just now. He almost slapped me in the face. How did I end up with such an idiot?"

Wu Min secretly envied Zhao Yue. Wang Qiang was the market administrator, responsible for collecting management fees every day. This job was very lucrative; whether it was paid by superiors or by the people below, making a hundred or two hundred yuan a month was no problem.

Unlike her, who has to work day and night at the lumber mill, earning only about 30 yuan a month. Not only is she exhausted, but she also faces the possibility of being laid off at any time. If her husband could earn more money, would she need to do such hard labor?

"Xiaoyue, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you should be grateful. All you do is look after the kids and cook, while I have to go to work every day and can't sleep at night because of back pain. Your Wang Qiang is good enough to you, so don't complain so much," Wu Min said earnestly.

Zhao Yue slammed her hand on the table, completely ignoring Zhao Yue's pleas. "I stayed up all night making vegetable pancakes, all for this family. Why can't he understand?"

And why is he so afraid of men with the surname Su? He didn't even tell me, just told me not to cause any more trouble. I'm so upset!

"So you told Wang Qiang what happened. He's scared of that man, so you shouldn't provoke him. It's better to avoid trouble."

His salary is enough for you to live on. You can find a job when the child is a little older. Wu Min patiently advised Zhao Yue, hoping she could think more positively as a friend.

After finishing the water in her teacup, Zhao Yue said, "This isn't over yet. That little brat dared to talk back to me like that. How can I let her get away with this?"

Everyone saw it. If I chicken out, how can I ever walk down the street again?

Taking advantage of her position as the administrator's wife, she had been throwing her weight around for years. She never carried money when she went to the market; people would give her money as soon as she stopped. Over time, she accumulated some money, and with money in hand, she began to think about other things, eventually developing a gambling addiction.

When Wu Min is home, she doesn't gamble; she just chats with people. But if she's not home, she'll go to the street to find gambling dens.

Her savings were dwindling, which made her increasingly anxious; the hole was about to burst. She couldn't tell Wang Qiang, nor could she tell Wu Min... In her view, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. She only came to Wu Min to confide in her because she was truly exasperated today.

Wu Min didn't know how to persuade her anymore. She checked the time and realized it was almost time for her night shift.

"I have to go to work now. I'll come to your house tomorrow morning to talk to you and comfort you. Don't think about it so much."

"Don't mess with people Wang Qiang told you not to. What if something happens? How will you explain it?"

Zhao Yue calmed down and stood up. "You go to work, I'll go to the kindergarten and pick up the child."

Wu Min nodded and escorted the person to the door. Then, she hurriedly went back inside to pack the lunchbox, grabbed her keys, and went to work.

Zhao Yue's mind wasn't on her child. After picking him up from kindergarten, she got home to find Wang Qiang passed out drunk on a bench. She was furious, but couldn't show it. She made a simple lunch for her child, and after he ate, she took him back to kindergarten. Needing an outlet for her bad mood, she took some money and went to a familiar house to participate in a gambling game.