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

Zhang Ju's eldest daughter raised her tear-streaked face and choked out, "Mom, it's all my fault."

"If I were a boy, my father wouldn't have disliked us or abandoned us."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ju felt a pang in her heart and quickly cupped her eldest daughter's face in her hands.

"Silly child, what are you saying?"

You and your sister are both Mom's precious treasures. Having you two in my life is better than anything else.

Your father's rejection of us is his loss, not your fault.

Even without a man, my mother can still live a prosperous and fulfilling life.

But if Mom didn't have you, she really couldn't go on living.

As Zhang Ju spoke, she pulled her two daughters closer into her arms, as if she wanted to meld them into her very bones.

Zhang Wenying stood at the door watching this scene, her eyes also becoming a little sore.

But she did not go forward to comfort her.

Some wounds need to be processed by the mother and her two children on their own.

For a woman in this era to be able to grit her teeth and say the word "divorce" takes immense courage.

In other words, they were born in a good era.

In the old society, let alone divorce, even if you were beaten to death by your husband, no one would stand up for you.

······

For Li Jianguo, however, things weren't so easy.

He was in pain all over his body and thought that he would feel better after a good night's sleep.

Who would have thought that when I woke up the next day, I not only felt sore all over, but also had a high fever.

He struggled to get up, wanting to find some water, but found that even the thermos in the room was empty.

Hearing a cough coming from his father's room, Li Wenhai pushed the door open and came in. Seeing that Li Jianguo's cheeks were flushed with fever, he quickly said, "Dad, if you don't get up now, you'll be late."

Every unit has to hold a mobilization meeting on Mondays, and being late will result in a deduction of wages.

Li Jianguo struggled to sit up, feeling dizzy and his vision blurred.

"Boss, I'm not feeling well. Can you ask my workplace for a day off?"

He felt weak all over and even had difficulty getting out of bed.

But it's just a fever, right?

Just cover yourself with the blanket and sleep it off.

Seeing that his father's complexion was not right, Li Wenhai reached out and touched his father's forehead. He felt that it was very hot and couldn't help but frown.

"Dad, you have a fever."

Honestly, at his age, he still gets beaten up. He's just asking for trouble.

If he falls ill, who will take care of him?

"Dad, how about... I take you to the hospital?"

Li Jianguo waved his hand, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping against a stone: "Why go to a hospital? It's a waste of money."

You should hurry to work so your boss doesn't catch you being late.

I'll be fine after a rest.

Don't forget to ask for leave for me.

He didn't sleep well at all last night.

He dreamt that Zhang Wenying punched and kicked him, and called him a scoundrel who cheated on his wife, and a coward who only knew how to bully his own family.

How could Li Jianguo be a coward?

He was an outstanding worker in his unit and a kind-hearted person in the eyes of his colleagues and neighbors.

On what grounds did Zhang Wenying say those things about him?

In his dream, he was so angry that he trembled all over and his head was spinning.

When he woke up, he found himself burning up with fever, too weak to even lift his arms. Li Wenhai stood by the bed, looking at his father's flushed face, feeling both anxious and angry.

This father's health is too weak.

So what if you just got beaten up? How come you've developed a fever?

Although he thought this in his heart, he still said aloud, "Dad, what would you like to eat?"

I'll go out and buy you some porridge.

Li Jianguo shook his head, his throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton: "No need, you should go to work quickly, don't be late."

He has no appetite at all right now.

Li Wenhai sighed, poured half a cup of cold water from the thermos, and placed it on his father's bedside table: "Dad, drink more water. I'll come back to see you at noon."

Li Jianguo nodded dazedly, his eyelids feeling as heavy as lead.

Li Wenhai glanced at his father again, still feeling uneasy. He opened the window a crack to let in some fresh air, then hurriedly went out and bought a bowl of porridge and two vegetarian buns, placing them on the bedside table.

After thinking for a moment, he went back into his room and searched around.

What are you looking for?

He Caifeng's tone was very unpleasant.

"Dad has a fever, I want to see if we have any medicine at home."

He Caifeng looked displeased.

That old man, he really knows how to cause trouble.

"There are a few tablets of Analgin in the left drawer, but I don't know when I bought them, and I can't guarantee whether they're expired or not."

He Caifeng pouted.

Li Wenhai opened the drawer and, sure enough, saw several tablets of Analgin inside the paper package.

It's good that there's medicine.

As for whether it expires or not, he doesn't care that much.

He placed a tablet of Analgin next to his water glass before hurrying off to work.

He Caifeng held her son, muttering curses under her breath.

With no one to pick up the child, she can't slack off.

Looking at the porridge and steamed buns on the bedside table, Li Jianguo felt a pang of sadness.

Sons are still the best.

Seeing that he was not feeling well, he still knew to get himself medicine and buy himself food.

Unlike those two good-for-nothings, who followed their mother and never came to see him.

······

As Zhang Wenying's life improved, matchmakers flocked to Li Xiaojuan's doorstep.

First, Aunt Wang from the next workshop introduced a young man who worked at a steel rolling mill. She said his family had three large brick houses, and his parents were honest, hardworking workers. They only had this one son, and the houses would definitely be his in the future.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaojuan felt somewhat displeased. The steel rolling mill was a place filled with smoke and soot, and by the end of the day, her nostrils would be filled with black ash. She didn't want to live that kind of life at such a young age.

Someone else introduced him to a junior clerk at the grain bureau, who was divorced and had two sons.

"Hey Comrade Li, that man may be divorced, but he's a permanent employee of the Grain Bureau, a secure job with no worries about income."

Even though being a stepmother is tough when you marry into the family, it's still better than being alone.

Women, in the end, need to find someone to rely on.

Hearing this, Li Xiaojuan felt even worse.

She's not unable to get married, so why should she become someone's stepmother?

Li Xiaojuan wasn't being picky; rather, she had already suffered from the consequences of her marriage and wouldn't easily believe in other people's talk of "good days."

She knew in her heart that no matter how much the matchmakers raved about it, only she knew what her life would be like after she actually married into the family.

She didn't want to gamble again.

Zhang Wenying didn't force her daughter to marry anyone; she only told her to keep her eyes open and not to just listen to the matchmaker.

Everyone has to walk their own path in life; no one can do it for them.

That day, someone led a young man into the store.

The young man was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, wearing a faded blue work uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a section of his strong wrist.

He was an ordinary-looking person, not very tall, with a square face and dark skin. He looked like an honest and unassuming person.

He stood at the door, rubbing his hands nervously, as if he dared not meet Li Xiaojuan's gaze.

The person who brought him here was Aunt Hong, who lived in the area.