Was the demotion in Chapter 70 a mistake?

Zhang Xiaohu peeked out a few times, and it was impossible for anyone not to notice, especially Qin Yizhou, who often went on missions. Qin Yizhou spotted Zhang Xiaohu immediately, while Qin Zihang noticed him more late.

"Brother Xiaohu, have you had dinner yet?" Qin Zihang called out to the outside.

"I've already eaten, I've already eaten," Zhang Xiaohu quickly replied. "I ate before coming here."

"I'll finish eating soon, wait a moment," Qin Zihang said.

"Don't go too fast, be careful not to choke," Song Fenglan said. "Xiao Hu is over there, he won't disappear."

"I'll eat slowly," Qin Zihang said. He didn't eat in big bites or seem to be in a hurry. Qin Zihang wanted to play with Zhang Xiaohu, but he had to wait until he finished eating before taking his time. "Brother Xiaohu, please sit down first."

Zhang Xiaohu then entered the living room leaning on his crutches and sat down on the sofa without needing anyone to tell him where to sit.

After a while, Qin Zihang finished eating and turned on the TV, then sat down to eat with Zhang Xiaohu. Qin Zihang even gave Zhang Xiaohu a meat bun, which Zhang Xiaohu took and started eating.

Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu had a good relationship. When Qin Zihang went next door, if Zhang Xiaohu and his brother were eating, Fatty and the others would also give Qin Zihang some to eat.

"Let's watch TV," Qin Zihang said.

"The TV show is great, and the steamed buns are delicious too," Zhang Xiaohu said.

If Aunt Pang saw this, she would definitely say a few words to Zhang Xiaohu. Aunt Pang wanted Zhang Xiaohu to go play with Qin Zihang later, but Zhang Xiaohu insisted on going out. It was the same yesterday, and it's the same today, so Aunt Pang simply stopped interfering. As long as Zhang Xiaohu didn't run off somewhere else, it didn't matter.

The worst-case scenario is that Zhang Xiaohu didn't tell his parents and ran off to another place. His family might not be able to find him, which would be a real problem.

At Fan Yani's house, Guo's mother told Fan Yani that Song Fenglan's family had come. They had treated Song Fenglan quite well, brought a lot of things, and bought many other things here.

“We don’t have that much stuff at home, so we can’t bring you that much,” Guo’s mother said.

“It’s nothing,” Fan Yani said. “We’re not a wealthy family, so we don’t need to compare ourselves to others. The Song family… they’ve had a tough time. They’re getting their back wages from previous years in a lump sum. Sister-in-law Fenglan is their biological daughter. They… Mom, don’t overthink it. I’m not saying you’re bad just because I’m not your biological daughter. You’ve always been good to my biological parents.”

Fan Yani couldn't possibly resent Guo's mother; even the original owner of this body never resented her adoptive parents. At least the original owner grew up and survived. It was just that Guo Peng didn't marry the original owner for a long time, which made the original owner a little depressed. In a moment of shock, the current Fan Yani transmigrated into this world.

Fan Yani could sense the emotions left behind by the original owner of this body. The original owner regretted not seeing reality more clearly sooner. If the original owner had known earlier that Guo Peng wouldn't marry her, she might have married someone else instead of waiting for Guo Peng. Guo Peng was just using the original owner as a backup plan; if he couldn't find a better partner outside, he would go back and marry her.

“Mom, what I mean is that every family is different. If I were still in my original family, and I still couldn’t marry my husband, my life would only be very hard,” Fan Yani said. “In the countryside, the kind of people you marry are just like that. Although my older brother married my sister-in-law, I still have a good future. It’s good that I’m married and can stay here.”

"It's alright." Guo's mother still felt it was a pity. If Fan Yani had married Guo Peng, that would have been the best choice.

People say Li Hui's family is relatively well-off, but what's so good about it? They're from a small county town, not a big city like Nancheng. Li Hui even wanted to marry a married man before, someone with a bad reputation and questionable character.

Even now, Guo's mother still dislikes Li Hui. She thinks Li Hui is a bad person, too pretentious. Guo's mother knows she's no match for Li Hui; she doesn't have Li Hui's thick skin, and Guo Peng isn't on her side. Facing Li Hui, she'll only suffer a crushing defeat.

"But..." Guo's mother sighed.

"Mom, are there any eggs left at home?" Fan Yani asked.

"There are a few more," said Guo's mother. "I'll buy some more tomorrow."

"Mom, don't just focus on making delicious food for me, eat some yourself too," Fan Yani said. "Treat this place as your own home, don't be shy. Others invite Mom over so she can enjoy herself, but I'm here to make you work, so you should eat even better."

“I see some people here are asking their mothers-in-law to have their families come over to help take care of their children,” Guo’s mother said. “What Mom can do, Mom will definitely do.”

Guo's mother still thought Fan Yani was good. Fan Yani would worry that Guo was unhappy, that she wasn't eating or sleeping well, while Li Hui didn't worry about these things at all. Li Hui only worried about whether Guo could eat better herself, and whether others would talk about her.

When Guo's mother heard others say that Li Hui treated her well, she couldn't refute it; she could only smile and agree. She couldn't let others think she disliked her daughter-in-law or had a problem with her. If Guo's mother dared to do that, Li Hui would send Guo Peng to talk to her.

Guo's mother didn't want to talk to Guo Peng about these things; there was nothing to discuss. She had given up on maintaining a good relationship with Li Hui. If Guo Peng sent money home, fine, even if it was a little less. But Guo Peng was already married; she couldn't let him send as much as before.

Previously, Guo Peng's younger brother was unmarried. After he got married, he soon had a child, and the family ran out of money, which is why Guo Peng needed to send more money home. Ultimately, the family had gone too far; they couldn't let their eldest son always send so much money home.

Now that Guo Peng is sending less money, his mother doesn't think he's done anything wrong. She just thinks that they, the people back in their hometown, are being unreasonable, insisting that he voluntarily reduce the amount he sends. Actually, Guo Peng's mother had told him before that he didn't need to send so much money, but he continued to send the same amount even before he got married, leading them to mistakenly believe that he would continue sending so much.

“You’ve done so much,” Fan Yani said. “If you weren’t here, I would have to get up many times at night and be in a complete mess.”

“It will be better after this period,” Guo’s mother said. “When the child is five or six years old, there will be fewer things to worry about. By then, you can consider having a second child. It doesn’t have to be that long; a year or two is fine.”

"Let's wait and see." Fan Yani knew that around 1982, the one-child policy would be very strict. If Fan Yani wanted a second child, it would be best to have one before then.

Whether Yue Hongwei stays in the military or transfers to civilian work, his job prospects should be quite good. It would be bad if Fan Yani's violation of family planning policies by having a second child affected her work, so Fan Yani needs to plan accordingly.

"Hmm." Guo's mother nodded. She thought of Li Hui again. Li Hui had a hard time getting pregnant, so there was basically no need to think about her anymore.

They're saying they'll wait a few years, maybe Li Hui can get pregnant again. In reality, they all know perfectly well that even if a few more years pass, things will remain the same.

Guo's mother figured they would have to rely on her younger son for support in their old age, so she should treat him better in the countryside. She didn't care what her older son wanted; she had no intention of continuing to rely on him.

"Mom," Fan Yani looked at Guo's mother, "is there anything you'd like to eat?"

“I’m fine with anything, I’m not picky,” said Guo’s mother. “You know what we eat in the countryside. We often slice sweet potatoes and cook them with rice to make porridge or rice. Sometimes we also put corn in, just to keep us full and not get too hungry.”

When Guo's mother came to Fan Yani's place, she thought the food was already delicious. Yue Hongwei would sometimes buy some meat so that Guo's mother could eat more. Guo's mother thought that her eldest son didn't let her eat more meat, but her daughter and son-in-law were feeding her meat.

After the TV was turned on, Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang watched it attentively. After watching for a while, Qin Zihang went to practice writing. Qin Zihang didn't stop practicing just because the Song family was there, so he did his writing and arithmetic problems at the same time.

Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang wrote together, and the Song family noticed that Qin Zihang wrote better. They didn't praise Qin Zihang individually; with both children present, they praised them together.

"Do you all write the same thing?" Song's mother asked.

“I’m in first grade with Brother Xiaohu, and we’re in the same class,” Qin Zihang said. “We also go to and from school together.”

"One class." Song's mother thought of Qin Zihang skipping a grade. Originally, Qin Zihang should have continued to attend kindergarten, but now, Qin Zihang is in first grade.

“Yes, we have the same teachers, the same classmates, and the same homework,” Qin Zihang said. “After we finish our homework, we can still practice writing and do arithmetic problems. We can do many, many things together, and Brother Xiaohu will stay with me.”

Having someone of similar age with him made practicing calligraphy much more interesting for Qin Zihang.

Zhang Xiaohu's handwriting wasn't this good before, but it's much better now. Seeing Qin Zihang writing, and knowing there was paper and pen available, Zhang Xiaohu started writing along with him. Fatty even brought paper and pens from Song Fenglan's house so Zhang Xiaohu could use them; it wouldn't be good to always use the paper and pens Song Fenglan provided, as those things cost money.

“It was my younger brother Zihang who was with me,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

“We’ll keep each other company,” Qin Zihang said. “Two people together can do more things. There are other people in our class who live nearby, but not this close.”

Occasionally, other children would come to play with Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang would play with those children as well. He was closest to Zhang Xiaohu.

"Not bad," said Song's mother.

"Grandma, look at my handwriting," Qin Zihang said. "Mom said that I need to write neatly so that the teacher will give me more points on the exams, instead of just a few. I need to write neatly so that the teacher can read what we are writing and give me a good score."

"Your mother talked to you a lot," Song's mother said with emotion.

“Mom is right, I should listen to her more,” Qin Zihang said. “Children are all like that, they have to listen to adults. Children are prone to making mistakes, and if they listen to adults, they will make fewer mistakes.”

"Yes, that's right, that's how it is." Song's mother nodded. "Your mother has a lot of things to do and can't be with you every day. If you're more sensible, your mother will have an easier time too."

“Many children envy me because I have a mother. They are so envious. Tian Junhua in our class initially said that his mother couldn’t get into a university in the capital. The teacher told him that his mother could get into a university in the capital. Then, Tian Junhua called me ‘Mom, Mom’ and wanted to come back to our home,” Qin Zihang said. “Then, his mother grabbed him and told him not to come with her. He even sat on the ground and threw a tantrum.”

After saying this, Qin Zihang gently patted his chest, "Fortunately, I became a mother's child early on. Every child only has one mother, and cannot have multiple mothers. They have their own mothers, so they can't come and steal Hangbao's mother."

Song's mother

Although she hadn't witnessed the scene, she roughly understood from her grandson's words. Song's mother looked at her daughter beside her; her daughter was prettier and smarter, indeed quite deceptive, and those children would definitely like her.

Actually, it wasn't just the children who liked Song Fenglan; she had many suitors before. It was because she refused their advances that she was framed. Those men felt she had lost her innocence and was forced to marry them.

That kind of affection wasn't pure at all, and Song Fenglan didn't need such suitors. After Song Fenglan married Qin Yizhou, Qin Yizhou wasn't in the capital, yet people still confessed their feelings to her; naturally, she couldn't accept. Song Fenglan knew what she wanted; those worthless men couldn't compare to Qin Yizhou, and even if they were more capable, she would never divorce him.

Once Song Fenglan is with another man, those people will have something on her, and she'll become a slut and a whore in their eyes. Don't expect men to treat a woman well; many men stop treasuring a woman once they've got her.

Those men can be nice to a woman before marriage, and nice to her before she gives birth, but after she gives birth, they show their true colors and dare to lay a hand on her.

"No one can take your mother away," said Song's mother. "Your mother is only your mother."

“If Mom doesn’t have any younger siblings, then Mom is only Hangbao’s mom. If Mom does have younger siblings, like Uncle, then Mom is also their mom,” Qin Zihang said. “I won’t compete with my younger siblings for Mom’s attention; we can all have one mom.”

"That's a bit convoluted," Song's mother chuckled. "Do we still need to write?"

“Yes,” Qin Zihang said. “After you finish writing, do arithmetic problems. Arithmetic is very important. If you learn arithmetic, you won’t be easily cheated out of your money.”

“If you learn arithmetic well, you can count money,” said Brother Song. “You won’t treat a hundred dollars as ten dollars.”

"No way," Qin Zihang said. "I don't take that much money; it's all for my mother."

“I don’t have that much money,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’m a little bad at math, but that’s okay.”

Brother Song looked at Zhang Xiaohu, whose perspective was rather novel. What did he mean by "no money for a beating" and "mathematics can be a little bad"? Brother Song looked at Zhang Xiaohu's chubby-cheeked appearance and thought, "Oh well, he's not my child anyway. Even if I stay here for a few days, it's not my place to teach someone else's kid."

“No, Brother Xiaohu, you don’t have that much money now, but you will in the future,” Qin Zihang said.

"I'll be able to do math later," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"You have to learn from a young age so you can do better in the future," Qin Zihang said. "If you don't learn now, you'll fall far behind others later."

"I'll study with my little brother Zihang." Zhang Xiaohu was a little conflicted. He didn't really like studying, but he decided to study with his little brother Zihang instead.

“Let’s learn together.” Qin Zihang was satisfied when he heard Zhang Xiaohu say this.

"..." Seeing Zhang Xiaohu just say he'd study with Qin Zihang like that, Song Erge couldn't help but look at Song Fenglan, "Has Zihang always been like this?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Song Fenglan nodded. “I didn’t switch him with someone else.”

"Not bad, Hangbao is not bad," said Brother Song. "At least he knows he has to learn on his own."

If Qin Zihang thinks he doesn't need to study, then he is making a big mistake.

Song Erge thought to himself that a child like Qin Zihang must be the ideal child for many parents, but there's no such thing as perfection in this world. Every couple's child is different, and every child has a different personality.

“We can’t wait for the teacher to teach us. If we wait for the teacher, we’ll be just like the other kids, and we won’t be able to learn more than them or stay ahead of them. Shh, Uncle, we need to sneak past them when they don’t know.”

"..." It was unlikely that Song Erge could do it quietly; most people would know what Qin Zihang was doing at home. However, not all children have Qin Zihang's self-control. He saw Song Fenglan's shadow in Qin Zihang when she was young. "Your mother was like that when she was young. Once she decided on something, she would do it. Even if no one taught her, she would do it herself and she had to do it well."

“I’m like my mom,” Qin Zihang said proudly. “Children who are like their mothers are good children.”

Qin Yizhou looked at his son. He had heard what Qin Zihang had said; his son always liked to say things like that. People said Qin Zihang looked like him, but Qin Yizhou thought Qin Zihang looked more like his wife.

“I don’t want to be like my mother.” Zhang Xiaohu raised his hand.

“Brother Xiaohu, you’re not a bad kid, you’re a good kid too,” Qin Zihang quickly said. “You can be like your dad, your dad is good too.”

"Can I not be like Mom and Dad? Can I be like Auntie?" Zhang Xiaohu looked at Song Fenglan with a strong longing in his eyes.

“Okay, you can be like my mom,” Qin Zihang said. “You live next door to us and visit my mom often. You can, absolutely.”

"That's great." Zhang Xiaohu was happy.

Song Fenglan thought to herself that she hadn't taught Zhang Xiaohu to say that, but Zhang Xiaohu just liked to say it that way.

"I never expected that my sister would be so popular with the kids," Song Erge said with emotion. "Back then, you never liked playing with other kids and thought they were childish."

Song Erge recalled Song Fenglan from the past, when she was a bit arrogant.

"I don't remember." Song Fenglan couldn't admit that although she hadn't regained her memories of her past life, she was still more like her past self in her subconscious, and would subconsciously think that the things those children played with were childish.

“Once, you even made Jiang Yufei cry. You called her childish and stupid. She wanted to play with you, but you disliked her and wouldn’t play with her,” said Brother Song.

"..." Song Fenglan blinked. Who still remembers things from when they were so young?

"She deserved it. She knew what kind of person you were, yet she still went up to you," said Brother Song.

Did Song Fenglan think that her feud with Jiang Yufei had started so early on? Song Fenglan didn't remember much about her childhood; many unimportant things were automatically filtered out by her brain, which couldn't possibly dwell on those things.

“Some kids are just very immature,” Qin Zihang said, adding that his mother was right.

"Yes, yes," Brother Song said with a smile.

"My mother is very good," Qin Zihang emphasized.

“Yes, your mother is smart, your mother is very good,” said Song Erge. “Your mother is my sister, and my sister is naturally very good.”

Around 8:30, Fatty Sister came to pick up Zhang Xiaohu and take him home.

Back home, Zhang Xiaohu told his mother that he wanted to be like Zihang's mother.

"I want to be like Zihang's mother, I must be like my aunt," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"Do you think I don't want you to be like Zihang's mother?" the fat woman said.

"If I look at Zihang's mother and aunt more often, I can become just like her," Zhang Xiaohu said.

“Look, look,” said the plump woman. “If you look at Zihang’s mother a few more times, you’ll become like your aunt. So look all you want, I support you looking.”

The plump woman thought her son was too naive; Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang weren't from the same womb, and Zhang Xiaohu was nowhere near as clever as Qin Zihang. However, no.

As long as Zhang Xiaohu is willing to put in the effort, relationships are more important than anything else.

"Really?" Zhang Xiaohu looked at his mother with a suspicious gaze, sensing that something was off about her.

"Really, of course it's true, how could it be fake?" the plump woman said. "You don't need to be as smart as Zihang, being half as smart as him is fine. Look at Zihang's test papers, what scores did he get, and what scores did you get?"

Last semester at the end of the semester, Zhang Xiaohu's score was much lower than Qin Zihang's. Qin Zihang got a perfect score, while Zhang Xiaohu only got sixty-something. Oh, this score seems like half, but it's really too low, and this is only in first grade.

The chubby woman thought she should be satisfied. If Zhang Xiaohu hadn't gone to study with Qin Zihang, he probably might have failed. Every time she thought about her younger son's grades, she felt a headache coming on. Although her older son's grades were also poor, at least he knew he had to try.

Zhang Xiaohu is the type of person who can slack off and not study properly when no one is watching him.

It's impossible for Aunt Pang to keep an eye on Zhang Xiaohu every second. Zhang Xiaohu is just a kid with a lot of trivial matters to worry about. One minute he wants to go to the toilet, the next he says a little bug is biting him, and then there's something else all the time. In short, there's always something else on Zhang Xiaohu's mind when he's studying. Studying is secondary; other things are the most important.

"I...I...I hope I can get a higher score this year," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"Can you do it?" the plump woman asked.

“Yes, absolutely! I’ve been studying with Zihang for a long time now,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “First grade has just started…”

“This time, you broke your leg,” said the plump woman. “Broken leg, no excuse for not being able to study properly.”

Fatty Sister-in-law predicted the reasons Zhang Xiaohu would use later, so don't expect Zhang Xiaohu not to make excuses.

"..." Zhang Xiaohu lowered his head slightly and carefully tugged at his mother's clothes. "Mom, there is still hope. There is still second grade."

"Yes, there's still second grade. You should study hard," said Sister-in-law. "If your grades continue to be bad, you won't be able to go to school and will have to come home to do other chores. Doing other chores won't be so easy; it will be much harder."

“I’m studying,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"Study hard." Aunt Pang herself didn't have much education, and she didn't know how to teach her child, so she could only try her best to make Zhang Xiaohu love learning.

After Zhang Xiaohu left, Qin Zihang watched TV for a while before going to bed with Song Erge. Lying on the bed, Qin Zihang chattered on and on with Song Erge about his mother and his experiences at school.

Qin Zihang had a lot to say, and Song Erge listened quietly, occasionally offering a few comments.

Song Fenglan has to go to work tomorrow and won't be able to stay home with her mother and the others. It's difficult for Song Fenglan to ask for leave; she's now in a leadership position and has to supervise people, so she can't always take time off, even though she rarely does.

“Mom, I’m going to work tomorrow, I didn’t ask for leave,” Song Fenglan said. “You…you can walk around by yourselves, you know the address.”

"I know," said Song's mother. "Don't worry, we can cook for ourselves and pick up Hangbao. Don't worry, everything will be fine. We're all grown up. When we're here, your aunt won't need to pick up or drop off Hangbao."

"Yes." Song Fenglan nodded. "I've troubled Auntie quite a bit on a daily basis. In the beginning, it was Uncle who suggested that Auntie take care of Hangbao. They are both very kind people."

When Professor Su said those words, Song Fenglan also felt that what her family was doing was wrong. However, she and Qin Yizhou both had to work and didn't have much time to take care of Qin Zihang. It wasn't that Qin Zihang couldn't stay at school, but if possible, they would certainly hope that someone could take care of Qin Zihang so that he could go home to rest and eat.

“It’s very good.” Song’s mother strongly agreed. She had spoken with Professor Su and his wife, and both of them were people of very good character. “You go to your job, we’ll handle things ourselves.”

Song's mother was also planning to go to the mall to buy some things; there were quite a few. As the weather was gradually warming up, she also intended to buy some good fabric to make some simple clothes so she could have a change of clothes for the summer. Song Fenglan didn't have much time to do these things, so Song's mother would try to make as many as possible.

"Go and rest, your father and I need to rest too," said Song's mother.

"Okay," Song Fenglan replied.

Back in the room, Song Fenglan told Qin Zihang that her parents would be picking him up from school for the next week, adding, "If you have something to do, you can come back later."

"What could possibly happen to me? The most important thing right now is you," Qin Yizhou said. "Our unit leaders have already told me that Cao Fang and I are basically taking over shifts."

No one can be left unattended; they must ensure Song Fenglan's safety.

"Whether my parents are here or not, I have to come back on time," Qin Yizhou said. "How can I relieve them if I'm not back?"

"Whatever you want," Song Fenglan said. When she worked overtime, Cao Fang basically worked overtime with her too. When Song Fenglan was at the office, Cao Fang could rest for a while and didn't have to follow her. But when Song Fenglan came out of the office, Cao Fang had to follow her again.

It seems like Cao Fang doesn't have to do anything else, but it's still hard work. Sometimes, even when Song Fenglan is resting, Cao Fang still has to stay here. When Song Fenglan has to work overtime, someone has to take her to the research institute.

Sometimes, Song Fenglan felt like a little child, needing someone to follow her and protect her.

"I plan to take two days off," Qin Yizhou said.

"Can you take a leave of absence?" Song Fenglan asked.

“When there’s nothing going on, I can still take leave,” Qin Yizhou said. “My parents don’t come often, and I had vacation days before, but they weren’t used. It’s okay to take two days off now.”

Qin Yizhou wanted to treat the Song family well; he couldn't just let them wander around on their own. The Song family still had a few days left in their stay, so Qin Yizhou decided to take two days off to spend with them, leaving the Song family with their own time to explore.

“Okay, but I can’t take leave from my side. I’ve been rushing to meet deadlines lately,” Song Fenglan said. “We still need to optimize it.”

New fighter jets have been developed, but they are still being continuously optimized to further enhance their performance. Optimization is not a simple task and requires a great deal of work.

"Okay," Qin Yizhou said. "Don't worry about your business, I'll take care of things at home."

"I know you're here." Song Fenglan leaned on Qin Yizhou's shoulder. "Mom says you're still reliable. I said, Mom, aren't you afraid that one day you won't be able to be relied on if I say this so early?"

"You have to be reliable, you have to be reliable for a lifetime," Qin Yizhou said. "You can't be unreliable."

Just then, Li Hui was telling Guo Peng how many gifts Song Fenglan's family had sent.

“They don’t treat money like money, they bought a lot of things,” Li Hui said. “Big bags and small bags. Their family is bourgeois, they really are, they spend money without batting an eye.”

"Don't say that," Guo Peng said. "Their family has been exonerated. If someone hears you saying that..."

“I’m just saying it at home, I wouldn’t dare say it outside.” Li Hui rolled her eyes. “My cousin-in-law was transferred, it’s probably related to Song Fenglan and the others.”

Li Hui was afraid that her husband would also end up in that situation. Most importantly, her husband didn't have the same high status as her cousin's husband, and she feared Guo Peng would have to be transferred to a civilian job. Li Hui still hoped Guo Peng could stay there, and ideally, even get promoted.

"Don't you think they're afraid someone will report them for buying things like this?" Li Hui asked.

"Report what? They're spending their own money." Guo Peng didn't understand. "Their salaries over the years add up to a lot."

This is such a simple truth that many people understand.

"Are the Song family trying to curry favor with Qin Tuan?" Li Hui asked again.

"I don't know," Guo Peng said. "It's not necessarily about currying favor with Commander Qin. Commander Qin's wife is also quite capable; she got into the research institute as soon as she arrived. Professor Su and the others treat her very politely."

Guo Peng wasn't blind; he could see the different opinions many people had about Song Fenglan. Cao Fang was an exceptionally good female soldier, and the fact that she was assigned to protect Song Fenglan indicated that Song Fenglan was definitely not an ordinary person.

This is also why Guo Peng didn't want Li Hui to clash with Song Fenglan. It would be better for Li Hui to clash with anyone else, even Political Commissar Zhao's wife, than with Song Fenglan. They didn't know Song Fenglan's background or just how powerful she really was.

Everyone says that Song Fenglan's deceased uncle was powerful, but once a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; once someone leaves, the tea grows cold. How could those people possibly stay kind to Song Fenglan forever, nor could they expect Cao Fang to protect her?

"When you see Song Fenglan in the future, just walk right past her and don't say these things. It's fine to talk about it at home, but don't let others influence your conversations."

Everyone overheard. "Remember what happened with your cousin and cousin-in-law," Guo Peng said. "We need to think things through carefully and avoid Qin Tuan and his wife. Before the Song family arrived, someone even went to deliver grain, oil, rice, and flour to Qin Tuan's family."

What did that say?

This suggests that the relevant personnel may have known all along that the Song family was coming.

Those people delivered the items openly and without any attempt to hide them; they did so right under everyone's noses, and many people saw it.

Previously, people said that Commander Qin was being dragged down by his wife and probably wouldn't be able to get promoted. But now, few people say that. They all say that Commander Qin has good taste and that he found a good wife.

The winds of change can shift so quickly; everyone's praising it now.

“They treat me like I don’t exist when I’m around,” Li Hui said. “Of course I can’t talk to them.”

"Okay, that's good," Guo Peng said.

Li Hui knew in her heart that Guo Peng still cared about his work, and so did she.

“Don’t pretend I don’t know anything,” Li Hui said. “I know everything.”

Li Hui was in a bad mood, but there was nothing she could do. She simply didn't have the power to get others on her side. If she had known earlier that Qin Yizhou's wife was such a formidable figure as Song Fenglan, Li Hui thought she would have given up on the idea much sooner.

This is all her cousin's fault. Li Hui used to think her cousin was good, but now she feels that her cousin, having become someone else's stepmother, wants her to become a stepmother too. It's her cousin who has these thoughts; she wants to set Li Hui up with Qin Yizhou, even though she's not incapable of being with someone else. Li Hui doesn't admit she's also having feelings for someone else, and just thinks it's her cousin's fault. As an unmarried girl, she's naturally shy; if her cousin hadn't done those things, would she have gone along with it?

Seeing that Li Hui had her back to him, Guo Peng covered himself with the blanket and also turned his back to her. After a while, Guo Peng lay back down.

Li Hui was heartbroken and couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. She just wouldn't turn over, not wanting to face Guo Peng. Guo Peng was not as good as Qin Yizhou; he came from the countryside and had no connections. Guo Peng's future was predictable, and the difference between them was vast.

On the first day of the new year, Song's mother made breakfast for Song Fenglan early in the morning. After eating breakfast, Song Fenglan went to work. Qin Yizhou was able to accompany the Song family to take Qin Zihang to class.

Actually, Song Fenglan doesn't start work this early; it's just that many people in her workplace arrive much earlier. Song Fenglan often arrives early as well, which can be considered a form of overtime.

Song Fenglan likes her mother's cooking; it tastes like her mother's cooking.

When Song Fenglan arrived at the station, she was in a good mood, but that didn't mean everyone else was.

If there are problems with the experimental materials, the person in charge of procurement must bear responsibility, and the manufacturing factory must also bear some responsibility. The specific materials were clearly specified, yet so many materials turned out to be defective. Their unit is researching and manufacturing aircraft; substandard experimental materials will affect the progress.

If no one discovers the material problem, and everyone keeps experimenting and failing, that all adds up to costs.

The director even held a special meeting to address this issue and reported it to higher authorities. Did those people really think their research institute was easy to fool? They didn't see anything wrong with the "similar" results, saying it was just a slight difference in percentage or something.

A mere percentage difference... that's a truly terrifying thing.

Song Fenglan didn't attend the meeting; this matter didn't require her responsibility, nor did it require her to be a witness. With so many people in the research institute, they would surely be able to spot any problems with the product.

The director was angry, and all Song Fenglan could do was to focus on her own tasks.

At noon, while Song Fenglan and others were eating in the cafeteria, someone mentioned the materials.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened," Professor Su said.

"Has this happened before?" Song Fenglan asked. "If similar things have happened before, why is it happening again now?"

"The answer is that domestic manufacturing processes aren't good enough, which is why things are like this. The technology is outdated, and the products produced are of poor quality," Professor Su said. "The only thing we can do is make them rework it. There's no real punishment, and with a technical excuse, they just procrastinate."

Especially during special times, those people had plenty of reasons.

Professor Su and his colleagues also suffered. Their skills were deemed inadequate; their skills were deemed inadequate, always deemed inadequate. Did those people really think Professor Su and his team couldn't distinguish between a lack of technical skill and a lack of personnel? Frankly, some people are afraid to take responsibility. If something goes wrong, they blame it on technical issues. They can often get away with it by claiming that domestic technology is inferior to foreign technology.

“It has to be someone who goes there to tell you, someone who teaches you step by step,” Professor Su said. “Not everyone has that kind of sense of responsibility.”

Professor Su sighed, "In those special times, if people like us said a few words, people would immediately say, 'You studied abroad...'"

Back then, having studied abroad was considered a cardinal sin; people might assume you'd been recruited by the enemy and try to harm you. Professor Su hated that atmosphere; many things got stuck and dragged on.

If everyone works together well, they will definitely be able to do things better, and domestic technology will advance rapidly instead of stagnating.

“What does it matter if they lack education? They have good family backgrounds and have never been abroad,” Professor Su said. “If someone goes around saying that, others can find other people to talk about us, saying that our technology is really not good enough.”

Later on, it turned out that Professor Su and his ilk were in the wrong; they didn't understand the situation in China and they were too presumptuous. In order to avoid being sent to a farm and being criticized, they had no choice but to endure it.

Now that the national situation has changed, those people can't keep causing trouble like this.

This time, they absolutely must learn that this can't go on, and someone has to take responsibility. Don't use a lack of education and skills as an excuse. While some things are indeed limited by technology, for simple things that don't require such high technical expertise, it's pointless for those people to still pretend.

"We'll see," Professor Su said. "We don't need to get involved; someone else will."

Just as Professor Su said, many things in the country are back on track. A number of factory managers have been investigated. Those who were unqualified but did not do anything else wrong have been demoted.

In the capital, Tang Lu's father, who was originally the deputy director of a factory, has now been dismissed. Tang's father clearly did not expect such a thing to happen.

"Is there a mistake?" Mr. Tang asked the leader.