Yiyi said this not to elicit pity from others, but because she believed that learning survival skills at an early age was a wise choice, certainly stronger than those later generations of college students who, after going to school, didn't know how to do laundry and always sent their dirty clothes home to be washed and returned clean.
The post-80s generation, mostly single children, being spoiled was expected. But given the average conditions of that era, there wasn't really the means to spoil even if one wanted to. Then came the post-90s, there were some oddballs, but most kids were still pretty well-behaved.
So, she quickly changed the subject, not wanting to see pity for her in the boys' eyes, which would make her feel like she was peddling misery.
