Reborn as an 80s-aged woman, her unfilial son begs for forgiveness on his knees.

Sister Li had a big smile on her face.

Where else can we go?

Wenying opened a braised meat restaurant in Wenshu Lane.

Ever since I tasted that braised dish last time, my palate has been completely turned off by other places. I made a point of getting up early today to support her and also to bring some home for my family to try.

"Wow, Zhang Wenying has this trick up her sleeve."

"That braised pork must be expensive, right?"

"Hey, you get what you pay for. The taste is worth the price!"

Besides, meat and vegetables in state-run restaurants are rationed, and sometimes they're sold out if you go late. And the taste isn't even as good as Zhang Wenying's.

Besides, Zhang Wenying's braised pork was five cents cheaper than that of the state-run restaurants, and it tasted better too.

I only like the food at Wenying's place.

"Really? Then I'll go buy some and try it."

"Old Li, wait a moment, I'm going to get the basin."

Li Jianguo became increasingly alarmed as he listened.

Watching the group heading towards Wenshu Lane, his face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists.

That damned woman Zhang Wenying actually opened that braised meat restaurant.

Whether it's braised meat or rice dishes, everything costs more than one yuan.

If they sell a hundred or so servings a day, that's over a hundred yuan in revenue. How much would that be in a month? The more Li Jianguo thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, his heart aching as if being scratched by a cat. He gritted his teeth, turned, and walked towards Wenshu Lane.

Li Jianguo hid to the side, watching the long queue outside Zhang Wenying's braised meat restaurant, the business was booming beyond belief.

Zhang Wenying was cutting meat and serving rice, while his mother was helping to collect the money. Two elderly neighbors were also quickly clearing the table and washing the dishes.

The eldest daughter's restaurant was also packed with people. Although there weren't as many customers as at the braised meat restaurant, the bustling business, with each item sold, was still quite enviable.

Li Jianguo's eyes turned red as he watched the gleaming banknotes flow into Zhang Wenying's pockets like a river.

He always thought being self-employed was shameful, but he never expected it to be so profitable. The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. Why could Zhang Wenying, a widow, live so well?

She earns so much money, why shouldn't she spend it on herself?

He clenched his fists so tightly his nails almost dug into his flesh. No, he had to think of a way to stop Zhang Wenying from being so smug.

Fearing he might run into acquaintances and be seen, Li Jianguo hid for a quarter of an hour before leaving.

Shen Mingyuan parked his car on the side of the road, picked up two lunch boxes, and went to queue up again.

The old commander tried the braised dishes here last time and immediately fell in love with the taste.

So he decided that whenever he had free time, he would come to get food and deliver it to his place.

The old general has spent his life on the battlefield and is now quite old. He has few relatives around him, so all Shen Mingyuan can do is make a few extra trips to make sure he has a hot and palatable meal.

Today, he was still dressed in a neat Zhongshan suit, standing tall and composed. He looked a bit out of place in the group, attracting everyone's attention.

He ignored the stares of others and waited patiently, his gaze fixed on Zhang Wenying's busy figure, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

Have you heard?

The one who died in the sea was a female student from the city's No. 1 High School.

Tsk tsk, I heard she's pregnant with an illegitimate child.

"Really?"

Girls these days really don't know how to respect themselves. They do things like this at such a young age; it's shameful.

"That's right. I heard her family hasn't come to claim her yet. It's such a tragedy."

"If you don't love yourself, who can you blame?"

After such a scandal, who would want to acknowledge her?

Shen Mingyuan, who was in line, frowned.

He turned his head and coldly swept his gaze over the gossiping people, but did not say anything.

But the dead should be respected.

It's really wrong of them to throw dirty water on a deceased person before the matter has even been investigated.

"A good-for-nothing girl, she's dead, so be it."

It was her own carelessness that led to this incident.

If my daughter turned out like that, I would strangle her with my own hands!

"I heard that her mother wasn't a good person either; she was quite the womanizer when she was young. This girl probably took after her mother."

"That's possible."

"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will also be crooked."

"Maybe that girl went astray and eloped with someone, only to get pregnant and dumped, then tried to extort money from him, and ended up being killed."

"Serves you right!"

Such a shameless woman, even in death, is a blessing for society!

"That's right, a young lady like that, instead of learning good manners, elopes with someone. She's a disgrace to society."

Those who said these things were merely speculating; they had no idea what the truth was, yet they had already condemned the dead girl.

Gossip always gets more and more outrageous and malicious as it's spread.

"That killer must be a psychopath."

The victim was another young girl; it must have been raped and then murdered—the methods were extremely cruel.

"I heard that when the body was found, it was covered in wounds, it was a truly gruesome sight."

"It takes two to tango. If that girl had behaved herself, she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess."

For a time, all sorts of opinions were expressed, as if the dead girl had become their topic of conversation and a target for them to vent their sense of moral superiority.

Shen Mingyuan grew angrier the more he listened.

Even though he was very well-mannered, and even though the girl had nothing to do with him, he couldn't help but want to say a few words in rebuttal.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a pleasant female voice rang in my ears: "Comrades, isn't it going too far for you to talk about a dead person like this?"

The truth of the matter has not yet been investigated, so how can you conclude that she is immoral?

What if she's a victim? What if she was just unlucky and encountered bad people?

Furthermore, a bunch of grown men spreading lewd rumors about a young girl—your behavior is an insult to your ancestors!

She felt a pang of heartache whenever she thought of that blurry photo in the newspaper.

At the tender age of a flower, she should have been blossoming freely, but an uncontrollable tragedy shattered her image, and even in death she has to endure this unwarranted malice. She should have had a life of her own, a loving family, and a bright future, but now, even her last shred of dignity has been stripped away.

She suddenly remembered her youngest daughter from her previous life.

Was she just as helpless back then? Were there people talking about her behind her back, saying she deserved it, saying she was shameless? She couldn't even protect her, leaving her to suffer these vile words even after death.

Yes, there are.

After her daughter went missing, rumors circulated from both the school and the neighbors that her daughter had run away with someone.

They say she's shameless, that she's already learning bad habits at such a young age.

She was so angry that she was trembling all over, but she didn't even have the strength to refute him.

Hearing these words now, she felt a surge of emotion in her chest, as if she had been struck hard by a blunt object. Each word was like a knife stabbing into her heart.