The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

All the questions in my mind were answered in that instant. The mother and her two children must have really run out of food and had nowhere else to go, so the two little brothers ran to the zoo to steal grass meant for feeding the deer to fill their stomachs.

This explains why, despite chasing after them, they didn't see a single staff member, and why the fake lock opened with a single touch.

It seems the zoo staff knew all along, which is why they provided large portions of grass to the deer and secretly facilitated their activities, turning a blind eye.

After all, in this era of nationwide food shortages, even a little bit of fresh grass can save lives.

The woman sized up Liang Zhe, then glanced at Tian Tian in his arms, a look of surprise in her eyes: "Comrade, who are you?"

"Auntie, your little brothers..." Tian Tian leaned on Liang Zhe's shoulder, about to complain, but Liang Zhe interrupted her with a smile: "Big sister, we're tourists from out of town. We accidentally got lost and are asking for a drink of water."

"Oh, is that so? Okay, okay, no problem!" The woman quickly said to her son, "Xiaoyu, go get your uncle and sister a glass of water."

She paused, then seemed to remember something and added, "Are you two from out of town? It's almost dinner time, haven't you eaten yet? If the child is hungry, he can have a bite here. The food at the state-run restaurants is expensive, but our home, though simple, can still fill his stomach."

Liang Zhe's gaze swept over the iron pot on the stove, looking at the green grass boiling inside. A pang of sadness welled up in his heart, and he asked softly, "Big sister, what do you and your family of three usually eat?"

The woman's eyes flickered slightly, and she forced a smile, saying, "There's nothing else good to eat at home, but we happen to have a bowl of vegetable porridge, which the two kids brought from the neighborhood committee."

"The neighborhood committee?" Liang Zhe frowned, knowing that the two children had made up a lie to keep their mother from worrying. Sure enough, Xiao Guang and Xiao Yu both looked like they had done something wrong, with their heads down and not daring to move forward.

Not wanting to make the two children nervous, Liang Zhe changed the subject, asking, "Big sister, where's your husband? I haven't seen him."

"He..." the woman sighed, "hasn't been home for a long time. I don't know where he's gone."

"Mom, didn't Dad go find food?" The boy named Xiaoguang looked up from the stove and said loudly, "Don't talk about Dad like that! He's a great scientist, he'll definitely come back!"

"What kind of scientist is this?" The woman gave a bitter smile. "What scientist would abandon his wife and children and not come home for years?"

After saying that, she seemed to realize that she had lost her composure. It was really inappropriate to complain about her husband in front of outsiders, so she sighed softly and showed a bit of embarrassment on her face.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, comrade. I shouldn't have said these things in front of the children. Let's not talk about it anymore. Are you hungry? Please sit down, I'll have them get you some porridge."

Even though her family was so poor that they had to eat boiled grass, she still maintained her hospitality. This kindness and resilience touched Liang Zhe deeply.

He quickly waved his hand and said, "Sister, no need to trouble you. We're not hungry. We just came to ask for a drink of water. We'll leave after we've had our water and won't bother you and the children."

Perhaps it was Liang Zhe's gentleness and sincerity that made the woman lower her guard; perhaps it was because she had no one to confide in about the grievances and bitterness she had felt over the years, and now that she had met a stranger who was willing to listen, she couldn't help but open up.

Before this, she never dared to tell her two young sons about her difficulties and grievances, for fear of worrying or upsetting them.

"Comrade, look at you. Your daughter is so young, yet you still find time to take her out to play. You're clearly a responsible and caring man." The woman looked at Liang Zhe with envy in her eyes. "Your wife is so lucky to have a husband like you, and your child has a father like you."

Little did he know that these words struck a nerve with Liang Zhe, instantly awakening the guilt buried deep within his heart.

He asked himself how much he had neglected his wife and daughter over the years. If he had spent more time with them, as the woman had said, he wouldn't be living with such regrets now.

"Comrade, to be honest, my husband works at an agricultural research institute."

The woman gently stroked the pillowcase in her hand, her tone tinged with nostalgia, "Look at my yard. When he was home, he would always plant all kinds of vegetables in these two plots, so our family could eat fresh vegetables."

"Where is he now?" Liang Zhe asked softly, already having some guesses in his mind.

"The country is in a bad situation. The fields are not yielding grain, and crops are not growing," the woman's voice lowered. "He was appointed to a critical mission and was sent out by the organization to study high-yield crops and solve the problem of feeding the people."

"When he left, he left me a message saying that he would come back to be with us once he succeeded in his research. But as you can see, since he left, half of our family has collapsed."

"My legs are useless; I can't do heavy work and I always drag the organization down, causing them trouble. Actually, I can embroider some pillows and quilt covers to earn money, so I don't need the organization to always help me. These days, everyone is struggling."

"It's because the children feel sorry for me and are afraid I'll go hungry, that they go to the neighborhood committee every now and then to ask for some vegetable scraps..."

Hearing this, Liang Zhe completely understood everything.

The woman's husband sacrificed his family for the greater good, going to another battlefield. His wife and children ran out of food at home, and the children, not wanting to rely on handouts, devised a plan to steal animal fodder.

Understanding the family's difficulties, the zoo decided to pretend they knew nothing. However, the zoo couldn't offer much, so both sides could only tacitly keep it from each other until now.

The iron pot on the stove was still bubbling away, and the scent of grass filled the small courtyard, tinged with a hint of bitterness.

Sweetie nestled on Liang Zhe's shoulder, blinking her round eyes. She looked at the iron pot on the stove, then at the two young men with their heads down and faces full of guilt, and then at the haggard-looking aunt in the wheelchair. It was as if she had thought of a solution.

She suddenly broke free from Liang Zhe's embrace, ran to the stove, opened her small handbag, and emptied its contents.

Milk candy, biscuits, dried apricots, milk beans.

These were all gifts given to her by the uncles and aunts at the guesthouse.

She stood on tiptoe and put all of these into Xiao Guang's hands. When she couldn't fit them all in, she handed them to Xiao Yu, who was standing to the side.

"Brother, here, have some."

Xiao Guang was stunned. Looking at the milk candy in Tian Tian's hand and then at Tian Tian's innocent smiling face, he didn't know what to do for a moment.

Xiaoyu was also stunned. The panic and wariness on his face were gradually replaced by surprise and emotion.