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

When Xu Jing'an arrived at the subdistrict office, there was half a mixed flour bun, an open lunchbox, and a half-open drawer on the desk.

I could hear the director's voice coming from next door. He spoke a few words, then paused, presumably answering a phone call. And it was clear that the call had come quite suddenly.

Xu Jing'an looked around; no one was there. She slipped inside, opened a drawer, tore off several sheets of the special paper for issuing letters of introduction, stamped them one by one, and put them into her spatial storage.

He quickly put the things back in their original places and left.

After waiting outside for five minutes, the director finally came out. Seeing Xu Jing'an, he asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Director, my name is Xu Jing'an. I'm a second-year high school student at No. 2 Middle School. Tomorrow, our teacher is taking us to the provincial capital to participate in a math competition, and we'll be back the day after tomorrow. That's why I'm here to trouble you with this letter of introduction."

"That's great!" the director said with a smile.

Two minutes later, after receiving the letter, Xu Jing'an thanked the director and quickly left. The food would get cold if she didn't leave soon.

One night passed...

After breakfast, I tidied up my things and checked the money and receipts that Xu's mother had given me last night. They were all there.

"Mom, after class this morning, I'll head straight from school and be back the day after tomorrow."

"Don't wander off outside, keep an eye on your belongings!"

"Mom, I understand." After Xu Jing'an finished packing, everyone in the family left.

I took out the letter of introduction and then took out a blank sheet of paper that I had stamped with the official seal yesterday. I then rewrote the letter of introduction for registering for the recruitment exam.

Xu Jing'an tore off the stub of the letter of introduction, put her backpack on, put the rest into her spatial storage, and finally locked the door.

There were few pedestrians on the road at this time. After walking a while in the direction of the school, I boarded a bus heading to the steel plant.

A year later, she had saved another 3 cents of her own money. Hmm, that's progress!

When we arrived at the steel plant, we walked inside and found a bunch of people queuing up.

Xu Jing'an quickly ran over to queue up, showed the staff her household registration book and the letter of introduction for recruitment, and received an application form.

After filling out the form, I took my household registration booklet and letter of introduction, and followed the crowd to a building. There was a notice posted there!

Xu Jing'an squeezed to the front only to find out that the exam location varied depending on the job position she applied for. The accounting position she wanted to apply for was on the 3rd floor of the west building.

More than 500 people also dispersed in different directions.

When Xu Jing'an arrived on the third floor, she told him which job she wanted to take the exam for, received the slip of paper, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the exam was over.

The invigilators collected the exam papers. "We'll notify you in three days; the admission list will be posted on the bulletin board then."

Many people walked out of the examination room one after another.

"How did the exam go?"

"I don't know many of them."

"Why is this question so difficult?"

"Absolutely!"

"I see you've already written it?"

"Oh, what a load of rubbish."

……

Xu Jing'an was squeezed into the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

At that moment, no one admitted to doing well on the exam. When it came to how they did, each one sounded worse than the last. Their brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Some who looked good immediately turned pale and were about to cry and wail, trying to prove they knew nothing!

These days, admitting you're not as good as others is never something to be ashamed of!

"Does our steel mill have that many children of employees?" someone asked with dissatisfaction.

The woman next to me sighed: "Who doesn't have a few relatives?"

"That's true, my neighbor brought her niece over."

"Those who know the news now must have someone in their family working here."

"If they're not children of employees of our factory, we can't hire them even if they pass the exam!"

……

With more people, there are more competitors, and nobody likes that!

Xu Jing'an didn't linger and turned back to school.

There was a small grove of trees behind the school building. She went straight in, and sure enough, the person she was looking for was there.

The girl, with two braids, wearing a red top and black pants, sat on the ground with her back against a big tree.

It's class time now, and both teachers and students are busy. There aren't many people around outside, except for myself and the girl across from me.

Zhao Xiaofang is feeling very frustrated. She doesn't know how to break the current deadlock. Her grades are average, and graduation and job hunting are just around the corner.

Zhao Xiaofang's mother only had one child, Zhao Xiaofang, and passed away from illness two years ago.

Her father, through an introduction, married Deng Taohua, a temporary worker at the same workplace. When her stepmother arrived, she brought a son and a daughter, both older than her.

Zhao Xiaofang's biological mother, Feng Chuncao, got separated from her family when she was 8 years old while fleeing famine. Just as she entered the village with the crowd, she saw a horse-drawn carriage approaching.

The maid lifted the curtain and helped the lady out of the carriage; her bound feet had barely touched the ground and she hadn't taken more than a few steps.

Many people rushed up and surrounded them, kneeling and begging, hoping that kind-hearted people would take pity on them and give them some food.

The landlord's wife, who had just returned from her parents' home, was so startled that she lost her balance. Taking advantage of the situation, Feng Chuncao rushed over and became her cushion.

The woman who had fallen on top of her was unharmed, but Feng Chuncao immediately fainted.

When she woke up, unsurprisingly, she stayed at the landlord's house. Naturally, she immediately sold herself into servitude as a maid.

She had witnessed the power struggles and infighting among the young masters, young ladies, old ladies, wives, and concubines of the grand mansion, from the smallest details of food and clothing to the largest assets.

Over the course of ten years, Feng Chuncao went from being a little maid who was constantly beaten, scolded, and punished by having to carry water basins on her head, to a senior maidservant by the master's side. She never slept well for a single day.

When the landlord's family fled, Feng Chuncao did not go with them. She had had enough of being a servant to others.

When she first felt unwell, Feng Chuncao didn't take it seriously, thinking she could tough it out in a few days. That's how she'd always been since she was a child.

"There is no suffering that cannot be endured, only blessings that cannot be enjoyed." This sentence has been engraved in Feng Chuncao's heart since she was old enough to understand.

By the time she realized something was wrong and could no longer bear it, it was too late. The hospital couldn't treat her anymore!

At this moment, the only thing she couldn't let go of was her daughter, Zhao Xiaofang.

Finding a place for her daughter became Feng Chuncao's top priority!