The four siblings: ...

They stared straight at their mother, but their four heads were already conjuring up dozens of different guesses with varying degrees of uncertainty and possible outcomes.

"Mom, our family went bankrupt?"

Perhaps this was the only somewhat reasonable reason, coupled with the fact that Mom was hurriedly packing her luggage, looking like she was about to flee.

"No, no, it's just that your mother is a little penniless now, but not to the point of bankruptcy."

Just then, there was a loud bang, and the door was pushed open forcefully. Jasmine rushed in, yelling, "Are you crazy?!"

She immediately launched into a tirade against Yu Lian upon entering, startling the four children. However, Yu Lian quickly managed to calm Jasmine down from speaking.

"Go upstairs."

After the children quickly went upstairs, Jasmine couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "Are you crazy! Do you know all your money is gone? Do you know how many production lines your company will have to add in the future?!"

"Did you consult with anyone? What if something goes wrong along the way? Do you know how many ungrateful people there are? You won't get any benefits, and you might even be blamed for something you didn't do!"

"Oh dear, how could I be so unlucky? Besides, even if I'm broke, I still have He Lin, right? He can't possibly abandon me and the child, can he?"

Yu Lian's words made sense, but they only gave Jasmine a couple of seconds to catch her breath.

"Are you crazy! Thinking of relying on a man! Men are the most unreliable thing, you know that! What if…?"

As Jasmine spoke, she felt a chill run down her spine: "Never mind, you know what I mean. It's too late to say anything now. The whole world knows you're going to righteously give up your family fortune."

"Remember this, sister: you can't keep a man forever. If I'm being blunt, and you two get divorced, how many days can you live off He Lin's paltry money? Don't do anything stupid like that again. But don't worry, if you really go bankrupt, I won't say anything to you; I can support the kids for the rest of my life."

Yu Lian pushed away her outspoken best friend: "You're married now. Don't your husband mind if you keep several men on the side?"

"He wouldn't dare! If he makes even a slight expression, I'll stab him to death with this hammer."

The more she talked, the more the conversation veered off-topic, so Yu Lian quickly got back to the main point.

"Don't worry, do you think I would leave myself with absolutely no way out? I may have lost the money, but I can still raise the child. Besides, even if I have nothing, I can still live a good life as long as I have hands and feet."

Jasmine agreed with her best friend's words, after all, she was able to build a pharmaceutical company from scratch, and even if she lost everything, she would return to the top.

"I believe you. Even a beautiful woman needs to have a backup plan. By the way, are you going to Yuncheng?"

Yu Lian nodded—she had to go to such an important place.

"Okay, I'll go too."

If I remember correctly, Jasmine and Xue Ci were newlyweds.

"Are you sure you can go? Xue Ci has no objections?"

Jasmine hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.

Yu Lian shrugged and didn't continue speaking. Ever since she learned that Jasmine was tinkering with the daily chemical factory, she no longer stopped Jasmine from traveling between Xiangshi and Yuncheng.

That evening, Yu Lian said a brief goodbye to the children. He Lin went home before she left, and she happened to see him parking his car as she went out.

"You're back. Remember to take the children to their parents' place tomorrow morning."

Yu Lian was busy loading luggage into the car.

"So eager?"

"Yes, both professors are waiting for me."

"I'll come find you after I'm done here. Be careful on your way."

Yu Lian quickly declined—she had heard from Chen Shu that the whole family had been incredibly busy lately, but Chen Shu hesitated when he said it. However, Yu Lian guessed that He Lin was probably going on a business trip abroad.

"No need, I'll be back in a few days. You can focus on your work. I heard you've been quite busy lately, and you even have to travel for work."

As expected, He Lin pressed further: "Who told you?"

"Chen Shu said you're going on a business trip out of town. Okay, don't worry about me, take care of yourself. I'm leaving, Jasmine is with me, nothing will happen."

Hearing that someone was with him, He Lin felt much more at ease.

"Yes, remember to contact us promptly if you encounter any problems you can't solve."

"Oh, I'm leaving now. Don't say anything more. I'm not a child anymore. Goodbye."

Yu Lian walked quickly, decisively and without hesitation.

After the car drove away, He Lin tore up an unopened envelope and threw it into the bushes by the roadside.

From the torn fragments, it was clear that the envelope contained several photographs. Upon closer inspection, Yu Lian's face was clearly imprinted on one fragment. And on a fragment blown away by the breeze not far away, was Li Yanshen's face.

Along with the photograph, an envelope also contained a letter filled with writing. The paper was torn to shreds, and not a single complete word could be pieced together.

……

Two days later, in Yuncheng.

Yu Lian sat in the auditorium that could hold over a thousand people, on the stage, attracting much attention.

The auditorium was very quiet, as it was a solemn and respectful place, attended only by prominent figures from various organizations. However, some representatives of the common people were also present—Yu Lian recognized them as villagers from the first village she had visited.

The ceremony was grand, and Yu Lian felt a warm welcome and gratitude throughout. Although she didn't care about such formalities, she couldn't help but agree with her own actions when she saw the children growing up healthy after their recovery.

She remembers clearly that the child was just a tiny baby back then, her face flushed and her breath weak from the disease. In just a few months, she grew into a chubby little girl with a smile that could melt anyone's heart.

"Thank you again, Ms. Yu Nian! Thank you again!"

The host finished speaking passionately, and then the leader spoke.

"First, I want to thank the country and the government. Second, I want to thank our greatest contributor—Comrade Yu Nian. She truly deserves the title of 'comrade'! I only learned later that the pharmacy was also Comrade Yu Nian's doing. If it weren't for her, this time, the attack would have been much more intense..."

The rest of the speech was so long that Yu Lian's eyes became so tired she could barely focus. She had barely arrived and hadn't even had a proper rest before being taken to the site to receive her medal.

"Finally, please welcome Comrade Yu Nian to the stage and say a few words!"

These words startled Yu Lian, who quickly stood up and went to the leader's side. The leader warmly shook her hand and then left the stage to her.

"Hello everyone, I am Yu Nian. A series of opportunities led me to establish a pharmaceutical company. But in short—what I take from the people should be used for the people. The education I received from childhood taught me that when poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven. If I were to express my gratitude, I would first thank my father who sacrificed his life for the country, then my mother who worked hard to raise me, and finally, I, insignificant as I am..."

Jasmine was stunned watching from below the stage. She quietly turned to Yu Xin next to her and muttered, "Your sister is such a good actress. She was just saying she hadn't prepared anything, but when she went up there, she couldn't say a word—awkward!"

Yu Xin chuckled. However, the thunderous applause around her prevented her laughter from drawing attention.

"That's just how my sister is. What she told you is definitely true. She only found out about this awards ceremony when she arrived, right? She's the kind of person who shows her ability and resourcefulness, especially in times of crisis."

Jasmine stared blankly at the front row seat closest to the door: "No way, look who's that?"

Yu Xin turned her head—Jiang Qingke, who should have been in jail, was sitting there perfectly fine, with a sinister look in her eyes, looking like she was here to cause trouble.

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