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

Watching the old men eat with such gusto, Zhang Yurou couldn't quite understand it.

It's just a very ordinary meal, isn't it?

Why are they so excited? They all look like they haven't eaten in eight lifetimes.

And to the very end, those old men even started wiping away tears. Was it really necessary?

Zhang Yurou suppressed her displeasure, went over to refill their tea, and then said softly, "Dad, please eat slowly."

You haven't eaten properly for days; eating too fast can upset your stomach.

Grandpa Zhang raised his head, a complex light flashing in his cloudy eyes. He looked at Zhang Yurou deeply but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to his old friends and told them to eat more and not to be shy.

Shen Mingyuan glanced over there.

You don't need to worry about her.

That woman, she's not a member of the Zhang family at all.

The less biological the child is, the more they want to show off their status and importance in front of others.

What's there to show?

If it weren't for the old general's sentimentality, she wouldn't even have the right to enter this place.

But she herself has no self-awareness whatsoever.

The old general forbade her to call him "Dad," but she insisted on doing so.

The old general forbade her to manage household affairs, but she insisted on doing so.

"oh?"

Zhang Wenying looked at the old general.

Unexpectedly, he was actually an elderly man with a distinguished military record.

"Back in the day, the old general was a figure who struck fear into the hearts of the enemy on the battlefield," Shen Mingyuan said in a low voice, his eyes filled with respect.

"He dedicated his life to the country, but his wife and children disappeared in the war that year."

He spent half his life searching for his wife and children, and half his life waiting, but to this day, there is still no trace of them.

Zhang Yurou's original surname was Liu, and she was the daughter of a company commander under the old general.

The company commander and his wife both sacrificed their lives, leaving this child alone and helpless. The old general, remembering their past relationship, adopted her and treated her as his own daughter.

However, Zhang Yurou always regarded herself as the true master of the Zhang family, always acting as the eldest daughter of the Zhang family, and even harboring resentment towards the old general's own flesh and blood.

The old general, mindful of her loss of her father at a young age, had tolerated her willful and reckless behavior over the years, but she had never truly understood the old general's good intentions.

She always felt that as long as she acted filial enough and devoted enough, she could erase the barrier of blood ties.

But she forgot that some things are etched into one's bones and cannot be filled by a few meals or a few insincere greetings.

She wasn't the only child who became an orphan back then.

The old general adopted more than just her.

But she alone took this kindness for granted and even began to covet things that did not belong to her.

"If it weren't for the old general's kindness, where would she have gotten all this glory?"

For some reason, Zhang Wenying felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of sadness as she looked at the old general's deeply lined face and his cloudy yet resolute eyes.

"The old general looks very kind."

"Yes, in his life, he was worthy of his country and his comrades, but he was unworthy of himself."

Shen Mingyuan sighed, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "These years, as life has become more peaceful, he has become even more lonely."

He always sat alone in the courtyard, staring blankly in the north direction.

So many years have passed, and there has been no news of his wife and children.

Some say that most of his relatives... are gone.

Some people introduced him to performing arts soldiers in the army, but he refused them all.

He said that he only recognized that one woman in his life, and even if she were really gone, he would hold onto that thought and wait for them to come back.

This obsession, like a thorn, has been stuck in his heart for decades, impossible to pull out or smooth out.

He sat alone in the empty courtyard, tears welling up in his eyes every time he thought of his family.

But Zhang Yurou disliked nothing more than the old man mentioning his children.

Because if the old general's biological children were to return, her status as an "adopted daughter" would be shaken.

Everything she has painstakingly built up over the years will slip away like sand through her fingers.

She was afraid, afraid that someone she had never met would suddenly appear and take everything away from her.

So she would always subtly hint to the old general that his relatives might have already passed away, and advised him to let go of his obsession and enjoy his old age.

She even secretly burned the old photos that the general had treasured for many years, saying that she was afraid he would be saddened by seeing them, but in reality, she wanted to completely sever his connection with the past.

At this moment, Aunt Li chimed in, "That's right. Once when I was cleaning the old general's study, I found a yellowed letter under his pillow. It was covered with writing, the handwriting was crooked and messy, as if he had used all his strength to write it."

I peeked at it; it read: "My son, your father misses you dearly. If you were still alive, you must find me so that your father may see you one last time."

But when the young lady saw the letter, she took it and burned it without saying a word.

She's greedy.

They coveted the villas here, the old general's connections, and the unparalleled prestige.

He also wanted to replace the old general's family and become the true master of the family.

But she forgot that blood ties cannot be burned away, and longing cannot be burned away.

The old general will probably never stop searching for his family.

At this moment, Zhang Yurou walked over.

She wore a polite smile, but her voice was as cold as ice: "Aunt Li, you're being nosy again."

If you don't want to work here anymore, just say so.

As she spoke, she took out five yuan and threw it on the table: "Comrade Zhang, this is your hard-earned money. Take it and get out of here."

Seeing this woman made her feel annoyed.

Zhang Wenying looked at the five yuan and was so angry she laughed.

She slowly stood up, not taking the five yuan, but looking directly into Zhang Yurou's eyes, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force: "Miss Zhang, we agreed on one hundred yuan. By giving me five yuan, are you humiliating me, or humiliating yourself?"

Zhang Wenying's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a blunt knife, slowly cutting through the hypocritical facade in the air.

Zhang Yurou chuckled coldly.

"Just as I expected, you petty bourgeois are insatiable."

One hundred dollars?

You don't even consider whether you're worth that price.

"For a stranger of unknown origin to give you five yuan is already an immense favor; don't be ungrateful."

Instead of getting angry, Zhang Wenying smiled, a smile that carried a sense of desolation as if she had seen through the ways of the world.

She shook her head gently, her voice tinged with a sigh: "Miss Zhang, if I'm not worth it, are you?"

Since you don't want to give it, then I'll raise the price.

"You have to give me ten thousand for this meal today."

"What?

Ten thousand?

Why don't you just rob it?

"Have you ever seen what ten thousand yuan looks like?" Zhang Yurou shrieked, her composure shattering instantly.

Zhang Wenying remained neither arrogant nor humble.

"What, you can't afford it?"

"If you can't afford to be arrogant, why are you trying to show off in front of me?"