To please others? It's better to please yourself.

Xu Duoduo turned to look at her three sons, her heart filled with emotion. "Sons, all these years, your father and I haven't taken care of you. It's our fault."

Xu Xiangqian quickly replied, "Mom, we never felt wronged. Dad and you both went to contribute to the construction of our country; everyone should speak highly of you!"

Xu Xiangjin also stated, "None of us suffered any hardship or injustice. Mom, it's you and Dad who have suffered."

Xu Xianghua followed up without backing down: "For so many years, we've missed you all. But now, our whole family is finally reunited!"

Having just watched a great show, the three of them, though not understanding the reason, still subconsciously applied what they had learned.

Xu Jianguo wiped his face with his palm: "They're all good kids. Their parents know that."

Duoduo held the hands of each of the three children one by one: "Thanks to your grandparents for taking care of you, otherwise your father and I would not have been at ease."

Xu's mother had calmed down: "Now that you're back, do you have any plans?"

Xu Jianguo replied, "We've been assigned to the Forestry Bureau. We're just meeting with you now before heading to our new posts. We'll feel at ease once we've settled into our jobs."

Upon hearing this, Xu's father hurriedly waved his hand, "Go quickly, go quickly! What are we waiting for?"

Xu's mother agreed, "This is serious business. We can discuss everything later!"

The others were busy urging them on. Xu Duoduo and Xu Jianguo went straight to the post office, grabbed the money and letter of introduction, and then went to the Forestry Bureau.

As soon as the couple left, Xu's mother said, "It's almost noon, let's cook now! Eat early and go back to work!"

The three Xu brothers, Xu Xiangqian and Xu Xiangjun, resumed their work, managing the Xu family's household affairs perfectly. Naturally, not a single grain of rice was added to the food.

The couple arrived at the Political Work Section of the Forestry Bureau, and the entire process, including registration and dormitory assignment, took less than half an hour.

Clerk Xiao Hu looked at the two of them: "You've been assigned to the forest fire prevention section. Go to the office and meet with Section Chief Niu first. He personally requested you!"

Whatever the reason, since Xiao Hu has extended an olive branch, they have to accept it.

Xu Duoduo and Xu Jianguo quickly thanked him.

As soon as the fifty-something-year-old Section Chief Niu opened his mouth and spoke, the two of them knew the reason.

As soon as Section Chief Niu met us, he said, "We've been waiting for you all." His thick Northwestern accent was immediately noticeable.

Duo Duoduo: "Section Chief Niu, listening to you speak makes us feel more at ease. We're practically from the same hometown!"

Xu Jianguo: "My wife and I have been away for ten years. The Northwest is our second hometown. Section Chief, where are you from?"

Section Chief Niu's smile widened. "My hometown is Shaanxi."

Xu Duoduo: "We have a comrade in our headquarters surnamed Wu who is also from Shaanxi. His noodles are absolutely amazing!"

Section Chief Niu's grin widened. "Everyone in the office calls me Section Chief Niu. Actually, my surname is First. My dad's name is First Strong, and my son's name is First Light."

The couple chuckled along.

Section Chief Niu: "Don't rush into your work yet. I'll give you 10 days to settle things down before you come back. I'll arrange for someone to mentor you then; it's not a big deal!"

Xu Jianguo and Xu Duoduo then settled into their home. The dormitory was a room of about 20 square meters, and it was impossible for their sons to move in with them.

Besides, with all the children coming over, wouldn't that mean making room for the fourth son, Xu Jianshe? All five family members felt it wasn't worth it, so the children had no choice but to continue living at Xu's house.

……

As soon as Xu Jianguo and his wife left, Xu Jianshe's expression turned sour. After lunch, he went back to his room, lay down on the bed, and didn't utter a sound.

Zhao Xiaofang sighed, looking at her husband. "Jianshe, no matter what, the eldest son and his wife have already made their stance clear. Wouldn't it be better if we just lived peacefully together?"

"Now that it's over, and we didn't lose anything, it's not worth provoking them out of spite!"

Xu Jianshe let out a breath: "Wife, you're right."

Fighting out of spite is something only hot-blooded young people do. Adults are always fighting for their own interests.

If it's about fighting over the inheritance, he and his eldest brother would be perfectly justified in fighting to the death. But if they go through all that trouble just to get back at someone, it's a waste of time and energy, with more input than output.

Isn't this just losing money to gain publicity?

More importantly, the eldest son and his wife have clearly made progress. Once Xu Jianshe makes a move, it will mean the start of another dispute.

It's hard to say who will win or lose between the two families. Xu Jianshe had no idea and could only regretfully give up.

Xu's mother spent a month in anxious suspense before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Xu's father patted his wife on the shoulder: "Don't worry! They're not stupid! When life is good, who would cause trouble!"

The Xu family has entered a period of complete stability.

……

With the resumption of the college entrance examination, Xu Jingping keenly realized that her current situation was not good.

There will be more and more college students in the future. How can someone with only a high school diploma compete with others?

With established figures above and rising stars below, it will be incredibly difficult for Xu Jingping to make a name for herself!

Back then, the women's federation staff in the factory all had their own connections, but now the relationships among the women's federation staff in the city are even more complicated. Each person has their own notebook.

Xu Jingping spent several days flipping through her notebooks but couldn't find a breakthrough. After thinking about it for a few days, she felt that the only way was to improve her professional skills and pursue a career in training.

Only then will we have the strength to compete.

There are only so many places available for further education, and everyone is scrambling to get in.

Xu Jingping had no choice but to calm down and focus on her current work. These days, most of the work the Women's Federation deals with involves conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, and between husbands and wives.

While others were too lazy to do anything, she took the initiative to run errands, mediate conflicts, and solve problems.

After a year, Xu Jingping organized all the work she had handled, wrote a work summary and personal suggestions, and submitted them to Director Yao of the Municipal Women's Federation.

The next day, Director Yao called her to his office.

Director Yao said with a smile, "Xiao Xu, I called you here for nothing else. I just want you to give me some specific suggestions regarding your work summary."

Xu Jingping: "Director, I've been working in women's affairs for over ten years, and I've been here for a year. I've thought a lot about how to improve the situation for our female colleagues and help them truly stand up for themselves!"

"Other tasks are more difficult to implement, and our Women's Federation can't easily overstep its bounds to manage them."

Director Yao looked at his colleague encouragingly and said, "Please continue!"

Xu Jingping: "I think that if we can make women understand two things, we can improve most of the current situation."

First: The sex of a child is determined by the man.

The saying goes, "You reap what you sow." What you harvest has nothing to do with the soil, but rather with the seeds.

Regarding the scientific basis, I've also researched the data. Americans discovered it in 1902. We can invite specialized medical experts to explain it then.

"Second: During the marriage, all income earned by the family is considered joint property of the couple. In the event of a divorce, each party shall receive half."

As soon as he finished speaking, Director Yao stared at Xu Jingping for a while, then smiled. "Very good! We'll have a meeting this afternoon!"

Following the conference, the popularization campaign was carried out vigorously, from cities to rural areas, and from government offices to rural villages.

A year later, Xu Jingping got the opportunity to study in the provincial capital.