During the Mid-Autumn Festival, three large tables were set up in Feng Haidong's restaurant.

Feng Haidong’s parents sat at one table with his brothers and sisters, while his parents-in-law sat at another table with his wife and brothers and sisters.

Finally, there was a small table where a group of children were sitting together.

In fact, the children had been sitting by the stove making sugar pancakes since early morning and had already eaten most of their food. They weren't very hungry now, but they were still very happy to be able to sit at the table by themselves.

Once everyone was seated, the table was set with various dishes prepared during the busy morning.

Especially in the middle were two large grilled fish that Feng Haidong had specially prepared for his family.

It really made everyone stare at it closely for quite a while.

Before the grand banquet began, Feng Haidong wanted his father and father-in-law to say a few words.

As a result, all four elderly people from both families unanimously agreed that Feng Haidong should speak.

The father said, "Haidong, you are the host of this banquet today, so it's your turn to speak."

My father-in-law said, "Yes, it should be Haidong who speaks today."

The mother said, "Fourth son, you speak."

My mother-in-law said, "Haidong is acting like a patriarch now, so you should say this."

After the four elders said this, the other brothers and sisters all expressed their willingness to let Feng Haidong say a few words.

Lu Yaobin shouted, "My brother-in-law said, and even Mom and Dad said, that you are now the head of our family. Brother-in-law, don't back down, just tell us!"

The eldest brother, Feng Haiming, said, "Haidong, you speak up. I've been chatting with you today and I've noticed you have a lot of ideas. Why don't you share them with us?"

Seeing that everyone was urging him to speak, and even some of the children were joining in the commotion, he realized that everyone was encouraging him to speak.

Feng Haidong finally stood up: "Alright, since everyone wants me to speak, then I'll speak."

The entire restaurant fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Feng Haidong.

Feng Haidong's gaze swept over everyone, then he said with a smile, "First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and then I would like to wish everyone a happy National Day."

This remark made everyone laugh.

Feng Haidong continued, "Unconsciously, more than half of this year has passed, and there are only three months left. I think we should all feel that things are different now than before."

In the past, we only needed to go to work every day and receive our money smoothly at the end of the month. We had more time to take care of many things at home, take care of our children, and even take care of our parents. We could also reunite with our parents during holidays.

But now, our workplaces are facing numerous problems to varying degrees, and we are beginning to confront the pressures of life.

Upon hearing this, the brothers and sisters all agreed that it was indeed true.

The year is almost over, but many people's workplaces are still shut down.

When will things get better at work?

This is something that no one is entirely sure about.

On the contrary, there are rumors circulating in everyone's workplace that they may not be able to pay salaries next month or the month after.

In this environment, everyone is feeling pressure they've never felt before.

Seeing that everyone's expressions were gradually becoming serious, Feng Haidong continued, "Although we are under more pressure in our lives now, I think now is the time for us to work harder and demonstrate our resilience."

Think about our parents. When they were our age, did their lives have any better than ours now?

It's probably clear to everyone that when our parents were our age, their lives were far less comfortable than they are now.

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But my parents never gave up. They stayed at their posts and raised us children.

Compared to our parents, what are our current setbacks?

Feng Haidong's words lifted everyone's spirits considerably.

Everyone couldn't help but look at the parents of both families, and also recalled many of their own childhood memories.

In comparison, the lives of our parents when they were young, and the lives of most of us when we were children, were indeed much harder than they are now.

But the parents never complained; instead, they steadfastly persisted step by step.

As Feng Haidong said, if our parents were able to get through such difficult times, what are the setbacks we are facing now?

Moreover, Feng Haidong is a living example.

With no work at the factory, Feng Haidong relied on his own hands, starting from a street stall and gradually building his own restaurant. All of this is the result of his personal efforts.

Feng Haidong said, "So what I want to say today is, brothers and sisters, what our family has passed down is this spirit of perseverance. We cannot let go of this spirit. We must stick to this spirit. We cannot complain or give up on ourselves when we encounter setbacks. We must work even harder."

At this point, Feng Haidong raised his glass: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let us offer this first glass to our parents who have worked hard and persevered throughout their lives."

At Feng Haidong's suggestion, everyone stood up and raised their glasses.

Then everyone said in unison to the four elderly people, "Mom and Dad, you've worked so hard. Your children respect you."

The four elderly people saw this large family—sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, and the third generation of children—all raising their glasses to them.

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