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

So what if I look for the wrong one?

Having hope is better than having no hope at all.

That kid's features, his temperament—he's practically a carbon copy of Old Zhang.

Upon hearing this, the old general frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head: "There are plenty of people in the world who are similar, don't overthink it."

He said that, but a strange ripple stirred in his heart.

Mingyuan had mentioned this issue before, but I didn't think about it that way at the time.

If her daughter had been born safely back then, she would be about the same age as her now.

Those stubborn brows and that indomitable spirit are just like my younger self.

Furthermore, all the children in the Zhang family share a common feature: each child has a copper coin birthmark on their body.

He remembered clearly that his son's birthmark was on his left shoulder, while his daughter's should be on her right shoulder.

"Old Zhang, regardless of whether it's true or not, send someone to investigate the child's background. Don't let negligence cause him to miss the opportunity to reunite with his family."

Old Dan lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of comfort.

The old general remained silent for a long time, his fingers gently stroking the rim of the teacup.

He remembered Zhang Wenying's rough yet clean hands, her stubbornly straight back, and her dignified yet unyielding gaze when faced with difficulties. Those eyes held so much that he knew so well.

"Investigate."

He said.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, he will not miss any opportunity as long as there is a glimmer of hope.

Upstairs, Zhang Yurou angrily threw her pillow on the floor, but dared not make too much noise.

She bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. Her father had never scolded her for anything like this before.

And those old leaders, they all watched her grow up and always treated her with great affection, but today they all sided with that woman.

She, the deputy director of the cultural bureau, was actually outshone by a cook. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, but she was helpless and could only swallow her grievances.

Now her father wants to kick her out of the house, and she is unwilling to accept it!

Living here is a symbol of status and an extension of power.

If she moves out, the cold treatment from the man in her house alone will be enough to make her suffer.

That old man is a man of his word; if I stubbornly refuse to move, he might publish a notice in the newspaper severing ties with me...

The deal for Li Wenhai's assistant fell through.

Shen Mingyuan chose a reliable and capable older colleague as his assistant.

Dean Shen's assistant earns a monthly salary of one hundred yuan, and the company also provides him with housing.

Upon learning the news, Li Wenhai sat in his office all day, his ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.

He just couldn't understand why Shen Mingyuan didn't use him.

He's one of the few college graduates in his workplace!

He believed he was capable and experienced enough, but he just couldn't catch Shen Mingyuan's eye.

Back home, his mother-in-law cried all day long, and He Caifeng kept pressuring him for money. The house was in chaos, with not a moment of peace.

He squatted on the threshold, looking at the crooked jujube tree in the yard, feeling a tightness in his chest.

"Wenhai, where are you going?" He Caifeng poked her head out of the house and called out as she saw him get up and walk out.

"Go out for some fresh air."

Li Wenhai went to find Li Wenjun.

Li Wenjun is in good health, his work is going smoothly, and he seems much more energetic.

Seeing Li Wenhai come in with a worried look on his face, he put down the newspaper he was holding and handed him a cigarette: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Wenhai took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, the smoke dissipating before his eyes. He gave a bitter laugh: "What else can I do? Work, family matters, they're all weighing me down, I can hardly breathe."

Li Wenjun glanced at Li Wenhai.

"Brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but I'm telling you this."

You've really gone too far with Mom these past few years.

You know better than anyone how much hardship and suffering Mom endured raising us all by herself.

But what about you? You've forgotten your mother after marrying your wife. You listen to He Caifeng in everything, giving half of your salary to your mother-in-law and half to He Caifeng. How many times have you ever cared about your mother?

Now the He family treats you like an ATM, and you're willing to pay them off.

To be honest, these are all bad habits that have been fostered by children.

Li Wenhai's face turned pale and then red after being scolded by his younger brother, and the cigarette between his fingers trembled slightly.

"I was also thinking that taking care of the child was a bit tiring, and it just so happened that He's parents volunteered to help us take care of the child, so I agreed."

But who knew that once she agreed, she would never be able to shake him off.

After He's parents moved in, the household expenses doubled, and He Caifeng always said that they had helped her and she couldn't treat them unfairly.

"I'm caught in the middle, caught between two horns." Li Wenhai took a deep drag on his cigarette.

"Now, the third son of the He family is getting married, and the elderly couple of the He family have come to He Caifeng again to ask for money, saying it's a loan, but when have they ever paid back a loan?"

My monthly salary is so low, it wouldn't be enough even if I put it all in.

Li Wenhai stubbed out his cigarette, lit another one, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I borrowed a lot of money this month to run around for work, but it all went down the drain."

Your sister-in-law only knows how to pressure me, saying I'm incompetent and can't even come up with a three-hundred-yuan gift.

What else can I do?

Fearing he might ask for money, Li Wenjun quickly replied, "Brother, I don't have any money either."

As you know, when I first started working at the machine factory, I earned less than forty yuan a month.

I have to give my mom twenty yuan every month, and the rest of the money is just enough for my own food and cigarettes. I really can't help you much.

Brother, the He family's marriage is their business. If you can't control it, then don't interfere.

The more you try to control them, the more they'll think you're easy to bully.

Li Wenjun couldn't help but shiver when he thought of his mother.

"I would suggest you borrow money from your mother."

But Mom already said last time that we used to be treated like "livestock" at home. If we wanted money from her, she'd give us three yuan to buy liniment, which we could use after beating us up.

Li Wenhai gave a wry smile and stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe. "With Mom's temper, how could I dare to speak up?"

She just doesn't care about us at all.

If she had supported us, we would have been successful long ago.

Shen Mingyuan was a frequent visitor to his mother's place.

Everyone says that Shen Mingyuan is very polite to his mother.

With just a word from his mother, Shen Mingyuan's assistant would be a piece of cake.

But she just wouldn't help.

They watched helplessly as he missed out on that position.

"Mom has her reasons," Li Wenjun said in a low voice. "I used to be a jerk too, and I even turned against my mother for Pan Wenfang."

But later I realized that everything my mother did had her reasons. It wasn't that she didn't love us; she was afraid that we would go down the wrong path and never be able to turn back.

As it turns out, Mom's judgment was correct.

I heard that Pan Wenfang became someone's mistress, and a couple of days ago she was beaten up in the street by the other man's wife, losing all face.

And then there's Pan Xiaoming, that bastard who's in jail and still doesn't behave, actually letting people outside bully our sister.

It was my mother's insistence that brought those bad people to justice.