Every person with a bit of sense would hastily refuse.
But not He Tiantian; as soon as someone would speak up, she eagerly followed.
She freeloaded meals and advantages, with the shameful demeanor of a ghost starving to death reincarnated.
Furthermore, whenever she saw another girl wearing a new hairclip or new clothes, she would pitifully play the victim and "borrow" the items.
She added countless laughs to the family courtyard.
And He Yaodong, once a formidable name in the unit, also became the subject of pointing fingers because of a "gluttonous," "greedy" daughter.
Though He Yaodong and his wife Wu Zhuoya felt a loss of face, they were seasoned and steadfast folk.
Others’ "jokes" were met with their laughter, taking no serious offense.
He Weijun and his sister, He Weihong, however, were young, sensitive about their reputation, proud, and self-respecting.
Hearing the gossip outside or being ridiculed to their faces, they felt a mix of shame and anger, wishing they could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Their He Family had always been among the top families in the courtyard.
Not to mention their outstanding elder brother, even the two siblings themselves were the epitome of both character and scholarship, the "someone else’s child" often referred to by other families.
Yet, because of one worthless, disappointing younger sister, they became the laughing stock of the entire family courtyard.
... It was only natural for the siblings to be angry.
"She made mistakes; did we not remind her enough? But she wouldn’t listen!"
He Weihong was fuming whenever she thought about the outrageous things her top-grade sister had done.
She said angrily, "In the past, people were too embarrassed to refuse her, even inviting her to join them for meals. Now what? People avoid her like the plague, and dare not even open the windows when cooking meat, for fear of attracting this shameless—"
"What do you mean ’shameless’? Is that how you talk about your own sister?"
"How many times have I told you, your sister is pitiable, having been raised outside since she was little... Her, her love for food is also because she was deprived of it all these years!"
"If she ate well every day, would she have become ?"
Wu Zhuoya, the fair-skinned old woman, had once disdained her younger daughter’s lack of ambition.
But she knew better; her little daughter became because she led a hard life and was forced into it by reality.
As they say, daughters should be raised in abundance, meaning girls should be well-fed and well-dressed, lest they be lured away over a piece of meat or a fine dress.
The little girl’s greed for food and money stemmed from the fear of poverty and hunger in her childhood.
And the ones to blame for all this were them, the parents.
With four children, two sons, and two daughters, the ones they owed the most were their youngest daughter.
So, no matter what their little daughter had become now, anyone could laugh at or disdain her, except for the He Family members!
Wu Zhuoya’s words were understandable to He Weihong.
She once felt the same way.
But her sister’s lack of drive had long exhausted He Weihong’s guilt and compassion after repeated troubles.
Now, she felt nothing but distaste and disgust for her underachieving sister.
Of course, there was perhaps a hidden jealousy as well.
She drank her sweet potato and corn porridge in a few gulps, wiped her mouth, and left a resentful comment, "Mom, just keep spoiling her. Sooner or later, she will cause big trouble!"
Saying this, He Weihong grabbed the military messenger bag from the coat rack and strode out the door.
Had He Tiantian been there, she would have surely applauded He Weihong—sister, you truly are prescient!
At that moment, He Tiantian was hiding outside in a corner, starting to accept the script—
"Damn, she really is top-grade!"
Seeing the script, He Tiantian felt an indescribable helplessness.
And having just experienced the dark era of the Republic, the hardships and patriotisms of the resistance, she had lost her attachment to that world.
But her deep love for her motherland had reached heights incomprehensible to later generations.
Her current state of mind was akin to that of someone from the ’50s or ’60s—
Endless love for the motherland, perhaps living a tough life, but with a passion deep in their bones to build up the nation.
Ready to contribute to the motherland and brave sacrifices.
Her love for this land was profound, without regret or complaint.
If anyone attempted to sabotage, to tarnish, or even to harm the nation’s interests, He Tiantian would regard that person as a mortal enemy!
But alas, the role she time-traveled into was of someone selfish, cold-hearted, without conscience -- a top-grade scourge.
Damn it, a person who would change allegiances for milk, without any sense of right or wrong, a downright shameless character.
For a bite to eat, for a better life, they’d desert and even leak national secrets, causing immense harm.
Not only bringing trouble on their family but also casting a terrible shadow over the country.
He Tiantian took a deep breath, feeling for the first time, an impulse to "exterminate for justice."
Such a top-grade scum was superfluous to this world!