After a few drinks, Chu Shenyu had gotten the full scoop on the Zhu family—even more accurately than Zhu Yun had from watching the occasional recordings. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Zhu Yingxia insisted on leaving. The three of them at home only managed to make him stay for one night; they couldn’t hold him back any longer.

Chu Shenyu had no choice but to go out and arrange another vehicle for him.

The machinery factory had orders from all over the country and sometimes made deliveries, so there were plenty of trucks heading to various places. It didn’t take him long to make the arrangements.

Zhu Yun packed a tote bag for Zhu Yingxia with milk powder, malted milk extract, candy, and cookies, along with a packet of tutoring books and test papers she hadn’t had time to mail yet. She gave him no room to refuse, saying:

"I believe in keeping things clear, even with family. You brought me grain, so I’m not going to take advantage of you. Our relationship is a two-way street; that’s how we keep it strong. Unless, of course, you don’t plan on bringing me anything next year!"

"There are a lot of seniors and kids back home. They should eat something nutritious. Good health is the greatest asset!"

"Next year, after I’ve had the baby and gotten into college, you all should visit again. I’ll take you around the city to have some fun..."

"No matter how tough things get at home, make sure the children study hard. You have these materials now, so tell them their aunt is waiting for them here in the Capital City..."

Smiling, Zhu Yingxia nodded repeatedly and stopped trying to refuse. Clutching one bag of food and another of books, he sat in the truck’s passenger seat and waved enthusiastically to his sister and her family.

As the truck drove off into the distance, a sense of relief washed over Zhu Yun. She had finally resolved one of the original host’s lingering regrets.

She had tucked an envelope into the bag of food. Inside were two hundred yuan and a letter.

The letter explained the matter of her getting money from Old Mrs. Wang. It stated clearly that she now had a family and a job, so they didn’t need to worry about her. The remaining three hundred yuan, it said, would be sent gradually in the form of nutritional supplements and tutoring books.

Her tone was blunt. She added that if they truly cared for her, they would make their children study hard so they could grow up to be capable enough to have their aunt’s back.

After that last incident, the neighbors across the hall fell silent.

Just as Chu Shenyu had said, Lin Jin was bailed out by the Lu Family, and the only place she had left to go was the Wang Family’s home.

But because of her, Wang Xianbing was stripped of his deputy director position. Years of currying favor had gone down the drain. He was now just an ordinary clerk, no better than a recent college graduate.

The intense attraction they once shared was severely diminished in the face of reality, and they began to bicker over every little thing. Old Mrs. Wang also did a complete one-eighty, putting on the airs of a domineering mother-in-law and starting to torment Lin Jin.

But Lin Jin was cunning. Counting on the fact that Wang Xianbing still had to work at the factory and worry about his reputation, she rarely ever came out on the losing end.

The Wang Family moved from the staff apartment building to a small courtyard house outside the factory. Rumor had it they had a small fight every three days and a major blowout every five.

Whenever Zhu Yun got tired from studying at home, she’d watch the "live broadcast." Worried it might be bad for the baby’s prenatal development, she always watched on mute and had the Teletubbies provide subtitles. It brought her endless joy every day.

One time, craving some game meat before the great drought arrived, she pulled Chu Shenyu aside to give him some instructions, stuffing a box of malted milk extract and a bag of pastries into his hands.

Chu Shenyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed at her in exasperation and said, "I’ve been wondering what kind of expert had shown up at the factory, someone who could find the traps I set. And every time they took the game, they’d leave something behind for me."

"At first, I was planning to teach that person a lesson. You think this young master can be fobbed off with a few trinkets? Is that just game in my traps? That’s *my* property! I just could never track down the culprit. And here you are, the thief, right under my very nose!"

Zhu Yun froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "But you’re the one who ate most of it! It’s a classic case of the wool coming from the sheep’s own back!"

The festive, lively New Year’s atmosphere lingered for about a month, and the smiles on everyone’s faces, young and old, were infectious.

Zhu Yun was deeply moved by the simple, easily satisfied happiness of the people in this era. It was a feeling that seeped deep into your bones over the years and was difficult to erase.

In March, she gave birth to a healthy, chubby baby boy, Chu Kunlin.

His nickname could have been the cool-sounding Maodou. However, being quite the little glutton, he was duped by his unscrupulous father. Convinced that Dou Huahua was more delicious than Maodou—and therefore a much better name—he insisted that everyone call him Dou Huahua to show his unwavering devotion. But that is a story for another time...

That same year, Zhu Yun led her group of "disciples" to successfully pass the entrance exams for major universities, causing a sensation throughout the factory. Congratulatory banners hung over the entrances of all four cafeterias for nearly six months. The joy of the students’ parents was a whole other story—an epic tale of underdogs staging a magnificent comeback.

This sparked a new craze for studying in the factory. ’If even that group of second-generation factory kid slackers can get into college,’ people thought, ’how hard can it be?’

Director Yun herself had said it: as long as you mastered the fundamentals, the exam was just a formality. Weren’t droves of students flooding into universities every year?

Riding this wave of blind confidence, a surprising number of people managed to pass the college entrance exams in the following years before they were suspended again. They pursued higher education and then returned to work at the factory after graduating.

No one could have ever imagined that a young wife from the countryside would end up having such a profound impact on the machinery factory.

In his own role, Chu Shenyu also brought immense growth and profit to the factory, continuously narrowing the technological gap in machinery between Xiahua and other nations. He became a celebrated hero, earning praise and a thumbs-up from everyone.

In this lifetime, Zhu Yun and Chu Shenyu lived out a happy, peaceful life together, hand in hand. It was a life full of laughter and quarrels, but most of all, steadfast devotion.

Climbing out of the nutrition pod, Sister Yun was in a daze. She shakily took a shower, threw on some clothes, and stood staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

Her agent, who already knew she was back, knocked before entering. He clutched a script in his hand, but instead of rushing to ask why she had torn apart the "official pairing," he gave her a strange look and asked, "Sister Yun... d-did you really sacrifice yourself for love this time?"