I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The next morning, Qiaoqiao got up early, and when Fenglin woke up, there was no one beside him.

Qiaoqiao was in the kitchen cleaning up the gifts her brother was going to take to see their master.

A large leg of lamb, three pounds of beef, ten pounds of pork, a large bluefish, a box of ribbonfish, and homemade dried chili peppers, dried green beans, and dried mushrooms.

Most importantly, half a jar of sauerkraut was packed in a bag.

The golden pickled cabbage was incredibly fragrant, and Qiaoqiao was certain that Chef Chen would enjoy it.

"Qiaoqiao, you're such a straightforward girl. Last night, your sister-in-law was already unhappy before she even started working. Later, I heard Director Luo lecturing her and telling her to have a baby. She got so angry that she ran upstairs." Hu Xiaomei complained.

"Sister Hu, Annie just got back. She's from Beijing, so she's naturally a bit spoiled. We should be more tolerant of her," Qiaoqiao said with a carefree laugh.

"You need to be careful."

Hu Xiaomei sighed. This family was originally harmonious and happy, but Annie was hard to accept.

Qiaoqiao worked all day without saying a word, but Annie started complaining as soon as she picked up the mop.

"Sister Hu, boil some water, steam the buns, and cook some porridge. They can have breakfast when they get up."

"Okay, the fire in the stove is burning, very soon."

"Luckily there's a refrigerator, otherwise there wouldn't be anywhere to put all this meat."

"Wenjing is a good-hearted person. I'm afraid only my family has these appliances." Sister Hu had a rather negative opinion of Annie, but she liked Zhou Wenjing quite a bit.

While packing the gifts, Fenglin came downstairs.

"Hey, Fenglin, why are you up so early? Sleep a little longer."

"I'm used to waking up early, I couldn't sleep. Why are you preparing vegetables so early in the morning?"

"My brother and Brother Jintao went to Master Chen's house this morning, so I need to prepare the gifts."

"Is that Yang Zheng's mentor at the machine factory?"

"Yes, they were more than just mentors; they were like father and son. Wenhui's prosthetic leg was thanks to Master Chen's help. Later, Master Chen was injured in an explosion while saving state property. He was also a hero in peacetime. Without Master Chen, countless people would have died at the machinery factory."

"That's right, burns are so painful," Sister Hu chimed in.

"I heard Jin Tao mention it. It was this Mr. Chen who first brought up the college entrance examination."

Fenglin helped by putting the meat into a woven bag, and then took another cloth bag for the dried vegetables and pickled vegetables, making two large bags in total.

"Fenglin, I've saved you a leg of lamb too. Marinate it when you get home and roast it for the New Year."

"Qiaoqiao, I don't want it. I feel bad that I don't have any gifts to bring to Uncle Zhou and Aunt Luo, or to your things."

"Why didn't you bring a gift? Didn't you bring me a coat? Brother Jintao helping Dad is the best gift. Besides, do good friends always have to give each other equal gifts? That wouldn't make us good friends," Qiaoqiao said angrily.

"Qiaoqiao, you guys are so good to me."

"Seeing you can stand up again and still earn money is the best gift. Once you buy a house in the provincial capital, I'll come visit you. I won't hold back on eating your food or using your things then."

"Qiaoqiao, you can still go and have fun even if you don't own a house. Our rented house is very big."

"Okay, then I'll come to see you in the provincial capital during the summer vacation."

"Okay, you can't go back on your word."

One by one, everyone got up. Yu Fu took two steamed buns and rushed to catch the bus, promising to come back for New Year's Eve dinner.

Zhou Wenhui and Luo Meiyun had to go to work, so they ate some porridge and steamed buns before heading off.

Zhou Zhonghai was going to the municipal party committee to supervise safety inspections. With the end of the year approaching, safety was of utmost importance.

The explosion at the machinery factory was caused by a lapse in vigilance during the Lunar New Year holiday, resulting in employees drinking alcohol in the workshop.

After finishing their meal, Zhao Jintao and Yang Zheng took two bags of things to visit Chen Yan.

Zhou Wenjing and Annie were the last to get up. Annie didn't like steamed buns and wanted noodles, so Sister Hu quickly started the fire and cooked noodles.

With so many people in the family, breakfast was a chaotic affair. After everyone had finished eating and the kitchen was cleaned up, Sister Hu prepared lunch, and Fenglin took Qiaoqiao upstairs to look at new coats.

Zhou Wenjing and Annie went shopping. It's almost Chinese New Year, and they need to buy two nice outfits.

In order to compete with his master in Shanghai for favor, Chen Yan wrote nine and a half out of ten letters to play the victim.

Chen Yan's way of playing the victim is very artistic. He doesn't say he's miserable or sad. His whole piece is reasonable, but it makes people feel sorry for him.

"Yang Zheng, it's not easy being away from home, don't worry about your master. In a group of three, there must be one who can teach me. In one's life, there are many masters, and I am just one of them. Your master is old and now disabled, but fortunately, he has a workplace to take care of him, so life isn't too difficult."

Lying in a hospital bed for too long makes one miss the days at the factory. Back then, who wouldn't bow and scrape to greet their master? Even Tang Ping wouldn't dare to be negligent. Now, sigh, never mind, everything's fine, all is well…”

In one's life, one may have many teachers. Doesn't that mean that you have new teachers outside and have forgotten the old ones?

Lying in bed... reminiscing about the old days...

He used to be so successful, but now he's forgotten all about it and has become a useless piece of trash.

Finally, there was a twist: Master is doing well, don't worry.

Every word and phrase is presented in a flat, straightforward manner, followed by a seemingly well-intentioned word of comfort, but in reality, it is a heart-wrenching act that leaves one feeling guilty.

Yang Zheng's heart was shattered by Chen Yan's letter. He thought his master was living a desperate life at home.

Professor Dong didn't want Yang Zheng to come back so early, but Yang Zheng was eager to return and insisted on coming back early to spend more time with his master.

The Chen family moved to a new house, Building 6, Unit 302. A knock came at the door, and Chen Hong opened it. She was startled at first, then shouted, "Brother Yang Zheng, when did you get back?"

Ignoring Zhao Jintao's presence, she rushed into Yang Zheng's arms, hugging his neck and jumping around.

Chen Yan, who had just been discharged from the hospital, was lying on his bed in the bedroom, fiddling with his radio. When he heard Chen Hong's shout, he quickly stuffed the radio under the covers, lay down, and began to whimper, "Ouch, who... ah... Hong Hong... who's here?"

"Dad, it's Brother Yang Zheng, come in, come in quickly."

Chen Hong accepted the gifts from Yang Zheng and Zhao Jintao and welcomed them into the house.

Yang Zheng strode into the bedroom. His master had just undergone skin grafting surgery, and the new skin had not fully healed, making his face look terrifying.

Tears welled up in Yang Zheng's eyes. He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Yan's hand, and choked out, "Master, your disciple is unfilial. You have suffered so much."

Zhao Jintao was also somewhat moved: "Master Chen, hello, I'm Yang Zheng's friend, and I came here specifically to see you."

"Oh, it's you guys. You've come. Please have a seat..."

Chen Yan said weakly, "I want to get up but I can't. I'm really pitiful."

"Master, let's go to the hospital. I'll stay with you there for the New Year."

Yang Zheng couldn't hold back any longer and said with tears in his eyes.

"Master is old and has lived enough, Yang Zheng, don't worry." Chen Yan felt a little sad as he looked at Yang Zheng's tears.

"Master, you are still young, that's enough. Jin Tao and I will take you to the hospital, you are too weak."

"No, no, I'm too old. I just want to spend the New Year at home. Hospitals are bad luck," Chen Yan said sadly.

Chen Hong happily brought in two cups of tea, and seeing her father and Yang Zheng crying, she asked, "Why are you crying?"

Chen Yan wiped away his tears and turned his head away. Oh no, this girl is definitely siding with outsiders.

"Honghong, Master is in so much pain, how can he be discharged from the hospital? Is it because you can't take care of him? I'll go and take care of him."

Yang Zheng knew that everyone had their difficulties, and even if he didn't go home for the New Year, he would still take good care of his master.

"Brother Yang Zheng, what are you saying? Dad's discharge from the hospital was approved by Dean Luo. Don't be fooled by how scary his face looks; once the new skin grows, it will be smooth. And Dad has anti-itch pills to keep him in check, so he's not in any pain at all."

As she spoke, Chen Hong walked to the bedside and nudged Chen Yan: "Dad, weren't you listening to the radio just now? You even ate a big bowl of noodles this morning, why are you suddenly feeling unwell?"

Rebellious daughter, this rebellious daughter.

"Yes, seeing Yang Zheng brought me immense sorrow. I feel much better now."

If we keep pretending, something bad might happen.

"Dad, sit up and talk to Brother Yang Zheng. I'll go to the grocery store to find Mom and buy some more vegetables."

"Okay, okay, go ahead."

Chen Yan sat up abruptly, waved his hand impatiently, and spoke without any more sorrow.

The radio, which had been hidden under the covers, rolled out at just the right moment.

"Master, if you feel unwell, go to the hospital."

Yang Zheng couldn't see anything wrong with it at all, stubbornly believing that his master was in great pain.