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

The little baby was surrounded by a group of big shots, who fed him a steamed bun and a spoonful of soup. He ate to his heart's content, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with happiness.

Liang Zhe, the biological father, was instead "squeezed out" and sidelined.

It smells so good! The long-lost soft and fluffy texture is so much better than those coarse grains that make your throat feel dry. When Liang Zhe took a bite of the steaming hot bun, he couldn't help but feel a sense of delight.

It smells so good! That long-lost soft and fluffy texture is so much better than those coarse and hard-to-swallow grains.

He looked at his daughter's sweet face as she ate, then at the steamed bun in his hand, his eyes welling up with tears, and he couldn't help but think of his deceased wife.

Shufen, thank you for bringing Tiantian into my life. Thank you for letting her bring us such precious food. If only you could be here too…

The noise in the canteen gradually subsided. Every soldier and researcher who received a steamed bun quieted down, savoring this hard-won, refined food. This wasn't cornbread mixed with bran, nor was it coarse coarse grain porridge; it was a real, soft, and sweet white flour steamed bun.

Several soldiers choked on their food, and the researchers took off their glasses and quietly wiped away tears of emotion.

Just then, the door to the mess hall was pushed open again.

Li Dazui and several cooks came out carrying several large platters, each filled with boiled dumplings. Round and steaming hot, the aroma of meat and vegetables overpowered the original wheat fragrance.

The entire cafeteria fell silent instantly. All eyes were focused on the plates of dumplings, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, turned to the small table where Commander Liu and Professor Qian were sitting.

"Comrades," Li Dazui said with a big smile, "this is some meat and vegetables that the squad leader and a few others pooled their money and tickets to specially get for us to make dumplings for you and Tiantian to try."

After saying that, he put down the dumplings and looked at the squad leader with a grin.

The squad leader lowered his head in embarrassment. "Commander, meat is really hard to come by. I only managed to get this little bit. Please don't mind."

Commander Liu looked at the dumplings in front of him, then glanced around. The soldiers all looked at him with smiles, their eyes showing no jealousy or doubt.

In their hearts, they deeply understood the sacrifices these leaders had made: they ate and lived alongside the soldiers, never seeking special treatment, and were always the first to rush to the front lines when trouble arose. Now that they finally had some dumplings, why not treat themselves?

"Commander, eat quickly, the dumplings will get cold."

"Yeah, squad leader, why didn't you say so sooner? I could have contributed my allowance too!"

"I still have some meat tickets, but they're hard to buy. Let me know who's going next time."

"I also agree to donate meat coupons."

The old commander shook his head and beckoned to the squad leader. The squad leader jogged over, still a little nervous. "Commander, please don't scold me... This was my own idea. The leaders have worked hard, and Tian Tian has caught a chill; she deserves some good food to nourish herself..."

"You rascal..." Commander Liu sighed, patting his shoulder with his large hand. "We're working hard, but aren't our comrades working hard too? Everyone here is contributing to the motherland; everyone is working hard!"

"On the battlefield, sharing a frozen potato was unavoidable. Now, with a little meat, you expect us to lock ourselves in and eat it all by ourselves, treating us like special cases? What do you take us for?"

He turned around, picked up the sweet enamel mug, took five dumplings with tongs, and put them in the sweet bowl. "Here are five dumplings: one for me, Mr. Wang, Mr. Qian, Comrade Zhao, and Little Sweetie's dad."

"As for the rest," he said, looking at Li Dazui, "you distribute them to everyone. Give as many dumplings as you have, so everyone can have a taste."

"No distinction between superiors and soldiers, and no one will receive special treatment. Everyone in the mess hall today, including the cooks and those who will be changing shifts soon, will have a share."

After saying that, he looked at Li Dazui, who was standing there dumbfounded, and said, "Are you still standing here in a daze! Are you going to wait for the dumplings to get cold?"

"Commander... this..."

"Get the hell out of here! Execute orders!"

"yes!"

Li Dazui's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out. He picked up the plate and was about to leave. After taking two steps, he turned back, picked up a dumpling, and gently placed it into the sweet jar.

"This is my portion, for Sweetie."

He went downstairs and started distributing dumplings to each person. Commander Bai came over, said nothing, and put his own dumpling into Tian Tian's bowl as well.

Li Gong did the same, picking up his own portion and giving it to Tian Tian.

The dumplings in front of Tian Tian gradually piled up. The little girl didn't know what was happening, let alone what dumplings were.

"Grandpa, what is this?"

"It's dumplings," Professor Qian said gently, scooping one up with a spoon and carefully blowing on it. "My dear girl, have a taste. When conditions at our base improve, we'll be able to eat dumplings more often."

"Grandpa, why aren't you eating?"

"If you eat it, then the grandfathers will have eaten it too."

"Yes," Commander Liu hugged Tian Tian, ​​"My darling, you are a blessing to our entire base. Now that you're better, our entire base is better."

"Clap clap clap—"

I don't know who started clapping first.

At first, it was sporadic and hesitant, but soon it joined together and resounded like thunder throughout the cafeteria.

Looking at the small, fragrant dumpling in the bowl, everyone's eyes were not filled with appetite, but with tears of emotion.

Among this group of people were two special guests. One was Shen Ruowen, whose foot injury had subsided considerably, and she came to the cafeteria with Li Guihua's help.

Her bowl not only contained a rare white steamed bun, but she also received a dumpling.

No one treated her differently because she came from town; she received the same treatment as everyone else.

Meanwhile, Gao Yanzhou, while biting into a steamed bun, stared at the dumplings in his bowl. Seeing his silence, everyone assumed he was worried about Professor Zheng Hong's condition. But Gao Yanzhou just smiled, offering no further explanation, and instead focused his gaze on Tian Tian, ​​who was surrounded by everyone, before forcefully swallowing the steamed bun in his mouth.