Old Mrs. Li stood with her back hunched by the sink in the kitchen of a state-owned restaurant, stirring the water with her hands, and pieces of vegetable leaves fluttered between her rough fingers.

There was a great deal of noise in the kitchen, with all kinds of sounds mixed together, like a pot of boiling porridge, bubbling and emitting hot steam.

At the sink, several women wearing headscarves gathered together, whispering to each other while washing dishes.

"Old Zhang's marriage is off!" The fat aunt's voice was like a blunt knife, cutting through the steam in the kitchen.

As soon as he finished speaking, several heads came over.

"Why?"

"Are you quarreling again?"

"That girl is such a good girl, why..."

"I heard that girl thinks her son looks like a mule!"

Everyone laughed.

The water in the pool was splashing. Although Mrs. Li's hearing was not very good, she could still hear roughly what was happening.

But at this time, she had no time to take care of others, and she hadn't sorted out her own affairs yet.

For some reason, Li Guifang is back again! ! ! !

The flames on the stove over there were roaring, the oil in the pot was sizzling, and several male chefs were shirtless.

Wearing sleeves on his arms, he waved a big spoon and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up, don't dawdle!"

"Have you washed the vegetables? Hand them over quickly, don't delay serving them!"

Their voices were rough and raspy, mixed with the clashing of pots and pans, which brought Li Guifang back to her senses.

"Coming, coming, right away." Without waiting for her brain to react, Li Guifang instinctively handed over the drained vegetable basket.

"Aunt Li, why are you washing the vegetables so slowly? Hurry up!" The chef's voice came from behind, with a bit of impatience.

It is dinner time now and the demand for food is huge. If the food is not washed cleanly, it will be a disaster.

Old Mrs. Li was awakened by the sound, her eyes still a little dazed. When she came to her senses, she quickly increased her speed and quickly washed the fish.

"Aunt Li, what's wrong with you? You look so distracted?"

Zhang Erxi looked at Li Guifang and frowned, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Li Guifang quickly shook her head and forced a smile on her face, "I was just a little distracted."

Zhang Erxi was a little puzzled, but seeing that she wasn't ready to say anything, he didn't ask any further questions. In the end, he just sighed and said, "Aunt Li, if there's anything, you have to tell me."

After saying that, he went to the outer hall to clean up.

Li Guifang ignored her and continued working, but her thoughts went back to the moment she was reborn.

She remembered that she had bit herself in front of those five ungrateful people.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself dozing off on the round table in the kitchen, and the room was filled with a strong smell of cooking smoke.

She saw the sunshine outside the window and heard the noise coming from outside the window, and she knew that she had returned to the past.

She went back to 1985, when she had just retired and had never had a free day.

All the big and small matters in the family fell on her shoulders, and she also had to take care of several grandchildren. She was busy like a top every day.

After finally making it to summer vacation, the two children from the eldest family were sent back to be raised by their mother, and the second child's family returned to their grandmother's home in the countryside.

But before she could catch her breath, the fourth brother Li Mingyu drove her over to work for him as free labor.

The fourth child just graduated from high school this year and failed to get into college. Just when the old couple were worried about their son,

This poor kid was so lucky that he made friends with a chef from a state-owned restaurant and got a temporary job as a restaurant worker.

But after only one month of hard work, he found that whenever his mother had free time, she was always busy today or sick tomorrow, so he asked Li Guifang to take over his work.

Li Guifang also knew that these were all excuses made by the fourth brother.

He always follows Wang Shanshan around and flatters her. Whenever Lao Si is not at work, he is most likely hanging out with her.

I talked to him about it several times, but he always tried to get away with it by just lying.

Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he still agreed after his youngest son's constant persuasion.

…

After a busy day, Li Guifang finally got off work.

She walked out of the state-owned hotel and took a deep breath of the evening air.

I was so busy at work today, with almost no rest from morning to night, but at this moment, the fatigue of the day seemed to begin to dissipate the moment the bell rang.

She walked along the way home along her memory, and the architectural style on both sides of the street made her feel that she was really back.

The old-fashioned shop signs, mottled walls, and the 28-inch bicycles that shuttled back and forth all made her feel a warmth unique to this era.

The street vendors are still busy, their cries and bicycle bells intertwined.

Li Guifang couldn't help but slow down her pace and appreciate everything that was familiar yet unfamiliar.

"Mom, why are you here?" Li Mingyu saw Li Guifang on the street.

Seeing this here at this time, I was a little surprised, "Aren't you helping in the kitchen and cleaning up and closing the door?"

It’s no wonder he thought so. During this period, Li Guifang was the last one to leave work in the restaurant every night.

The reason is simple: working as a helper in a state-owned restaurant, he can take some money home at night.

The first people to leave work at the state-owned restaurant are an hour later than those in other factories.

It was only the first batch of workers at the state-owned restaurant leaving work, and Li Guifang was wandering around the streets. That was very, very strange.

"Li Mingyu, I'm a little tired today, so I'll go back first." Old Mrs. Li didn't want to pay any attention to Li Mingyu at all! But Li Mingyu didn't understand at all and kept complaining!

Li Guifang had no choice but to say a few more words, with a firm tone in her voice, "From now on, I will no longer help you work in the hotel. If you can do the work, do it. If you can't, get out now."

"What?" Li Mingyu was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion. "Mom, what happened to you? Were you bullied?"

"No one bullies me except you." Mrs. Li, understanding his hearing loss, repeated it again with a look of disdain in her eyes. "From now on, you will do your shifts by yourself. From now on, this human ATM of mine will be shut down."

"But, Mom..." Li Mingyu wanted to say something but was interrupted by Li Guifang.

"I don't need a but, but I can also live without a mother." Old Mrs. Li looked at Li Mingyu. Although her tone was still gentle, her eyes were filled with poison. "I don't lack a son either!"

Li Mingyu was frightened by Li Guifang's eyes. Although he was still a little unwilling in his heart, he finally didn't say anything.

He lowered his head and stopped talking.

I could only follow Li Guifang home slowly, not too far away.

As soon as she turned into the alley, Li Guifang smelled the fragrance of food. When she got home and opened the door, she saw her third daughter-in-law, Wu Xiaomei, sitting at the door knitting socks.

Seeing Li Guifang coming back, he just called out "Mom" softly in his throat.

His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, and then he stood up, turned around and went into the kitchen to serve the dishes.

Li Guifang looked at her third daughter-in-law and didn't know what to say for a while.