Shen Junyan quickly finished a bowl of porridge. Other dishes were served one after another. He sighed comfortably, "Ah! Fortunately, my father is so capable, otherwise I would have lost my freedom long ago."

Huang Wanzhen swallowed the noodles in her mouth and said, "Well, everyone's living environment and thoughts are different. I think being too 'free' is not good. It will affect my development."

Shen Junyan raised his eyelids and looked at her. "You always report good news in your letters, not bad news. Is America really that good?"

"Oh! That's not the case. I think America is quite suitable for you. People there value freedom more than people in China. I can't do that for me. I feel a little bit out of place. But life doesn't matter where you live. We should seek common ground while reserving differences and live well." Huang Wanzhen put down her chopsticks and fiddled with the glass at hand.

Shen Junyan looked at the somewhat bored Huang Wanzhen and said, "I always feel that you are living too hard. After so many years in the United States, haven't you found someone with the same ideals? I heard that your good friend Song Wenyin is still unmarried. Birds of a feather flock together."

"Hey! Am I tired of living?" Huang Wanzhen disagreed. "You can't even see women who are tired of living, okay? They are all locked up in the backyard!"

"I think raising a child is the most tiring job in the world. I would rather work two jobs than raise a child. My older sister's daughter, Zhenzhen, is being raised by my mother. I'm not the main caregiver, but I still worry a lot. I'm afraid she'll be bullied at school, that she'll get sick, all kinds of worries."

"If I really get married, I'll definitely have a child. If I have a daughter, I'll have to try for a second child. I've seen myself clearly now. I'm a very responsible person. A son is fine, but I would never give a daughter to someone else. A child would tie me down. How can I still eat with you here? Or go out to work? It's harder than being in jail. In jail, you can still sleep at night, but you can't even think about getting a full night's sleep with a child!"

Shen Junyan quickly interrupted her, "Don't get excited, I'm just asking."

Huang Wanzhen curled her lips and looked at him with disdain, "Double standards! Why don't you get married and have children?!"

Shen Junyan unceremoniously put the three fresh shark fins in front of him and started eating. "You said it too! I advocate freedom. During the war, I once went to the front line as a rescue doctor. Yanzhi came to me and asked me to go. I said okay, I would go back and clean up. He said not to clean up, it was too urgent, the fighting had already started, and we should leave immediately."

"I had no choice but to listen to them and leave immediately. When I got home, all the birds in my cage died. From then on, I never kept birds again. I decided not to take care of things I couldn't take care of, so I couldn't take care of my wife and children! So I didn't want to get married and have children."

"Besides, I hate being controlled the most. Even my dad can't stand it. When people get close to each other, the word 'control' is inevitable. So I moved out and rented a place on my own."

"What if I have a wife and children? They want to control me too. If I don't listen, they're unhappy. If I listen, I'm unhappy. This world is not a beautiful place. I want to live as freely and happily as possible."

"Pa pa—" Huang Wanzhen clapped her hands. "Very good. Although your ideas are different from mine, I find that we are both responsible people. This may be one of the reasons why we can become good friends."

"Come on! Cheers to what we have in common!" Huang Wanzhen picked up the glass and raised it towards Shen Junyan.

Although the glass was filled with just ordinary water, Shen Junyan was not disappointed at all. He also picked up his glass and clinked it with Huang Wanzhen's. "Cheers!"

"I made the right choice to invite you out for dinner. Not only can I enjoy a free meal, but we also have such a good chat. I'm so happy!" Shen Junyan brought the braised duck feet with matsutake mushrooms in front of him and pushed the empty three-fresh shark's fin dish aside. "These are all my favorites. Order whatever you want!"

Huang Wanzhen rolled her eyes and said, "I know. I won't compete with you for it!"

Then he straightened his face and asked him, "What are your plans for the future?"

While eating, Shen Junyan replied to Huang Wanzhen, "What plans can we make? I am full so that the whole family will not be hungry. Let's take it one step at a time."

"Tsk tsk—, you're much more carefree than me. I'm jealous of you." Huang Wanzhen shook her head with envy. "Where are your parents? Don't you care?"

Shen Junyan finally looked up from his delicious meal and glanced at Huang Wanzhen. "What are you talking about?! I can live my own life well, not asking them for money, and not letting them clean up my mess. That's already pretty good. I don't want them to control me, and they don't need me to control them."

"The Shen family now has five generations living together, with over a hundred people. No one claims to be better than their parents. Sometimes I feel that each generation is inferior to the previous one. Take me for example. My father is the director, and I am just a doctor. In the eyes of outsiders, I am definitely not as good as my father."

Huang Wanzhen continued, "Do you also think you are not as good as your father?"

"Haha, that's not possible. Everyone has their own expertise, that's all! I'm a doctor of medicine! In terms of academic qualifications, how can my dad compare to me?!" Shen Junyan laughed.

Huang Wanzhen also laughed along with him.

The days together were beautiful, but also short. Shen Jun invited a photographer from the Six Nations Hotel to take a photo of the two of them. He smiled and said to Huang Wanzhen, "Develop three copies. When I get the photos, I'll mail one to you and Yan Zhi."

Huang Wanzhen also smiled. "Okay, his garrison address keeps changing, and I can't contact him. Before I leave, I'll write him a letter. Can you help me mail it to him?"

"Okay, help me scold him in the letter. How long has it been since he invited us to dinner? He really deserves to be punished."

Huang Wanzhen glared at him in feigned anger, "You're talking like you're treating me to a meal!"

"Hahaha, let's go. I'll drive you back myself."

In this war-torn era, so many people died due to war and famine. When Huang Wanzhen came back this time and saw that her relatives and friends were safe and sound, she felt relieved.

Before leaving Peking, Huang Wanzhen wrote letters to several friends she had not met.

This time when she left, Huang Wanzhen did not inform too many people. She just secretly went to the Tao family in Nanchizi and brought back a black leather suitcase.

The next morning, Huang Wanzhen and Song Wenyin took a group of people on a train to Shanghai.

This time Xiulan did not go with them. Xiuzhu was very worried about her and was anxious all the way. Her mood did not improve even when she arrived in Shanghai.

Huang Wanzhen advised her, "Everyone has their own destiny. Xiulan has her own path to take. We should respect her choice and wish her the best. If you want to know about her, you can write to her anytime, even now."