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

In two years, Feng Chuncao spent all the money her family had saved and all the private savings her husband, Zhao Mancang, knew about.

All the money was exchanged for her daughter's dowry. (She used the good timber to make a set of furniture, a new quilt, fabrics of different colors and patterns, a sewing machine, a watch, a 26-inch women's bicycle, etc.) If she didn't spend this money, it was uncertain whether her daughter would get it in the end.

People are realistic, and Feng Chuncao was willing to believe in her husband's feelings for her at this moment. But she didn't believe that Zhao Mancang would remain unchanged for the rest of his life!

The house was about 30 square meters, divided into three rooms: one for the daughter, one for Feng Chuncao and Zhao Mancang, and the last room was used to store the dowry prepared for the daughter. Then a lock was put on it, and the key was given to Zhao Xiaofang.

At the time, she didn't have enough money to buy things for her daughter, so Feng Chuncao went to the factory to get an advance on her husband's salary for two years, and borrowed all the receipts from her colleagues and neighbors.

This move, putting everything else aside, firmly attracted the attention of the factory leaders, colleagues, and neighbors in the residential compound.

As long as the debt isn't paid off, Zhao Mancang will be constantly in the news at the steel mill. Zhao Xiaofang, too, can be said to be living under the public eye.

What do you eat for three meals a day? What do you wear in all four seasons? Everyone will subconsciously compare it to when your biological mother, Feng Chuncao, was alive.

When the stepmother came into the house, he dared not lay a finger on her or utter a single harsh word.

If anything goes wrong, she'll be infamous throughout the entire residential compound and steel mill the next day. Unless she doesn't care about her own and her children's reputation.

If Zhao Xiaofang leaves the house with red eyes, she's all smiles on the surface but bitterness on her heart; if Zhao Xiaofang's hands are wet, she's secretly taking the opportunity to torment her stepdaughter...

Before Feng Chuncao died, Zhao Xiaofang was in her first year of high school, so she simply paid for three years' worth of expenses in one go (tuition, books, meals in the cafeteria, etc.). She also prepared several sets of clothes and shoes, enough for Zhao Xiaofang to wear until she went to work.

It can be said that although Zhao Xiaofang's mother has been gone for two years, her father, Zhao Mancang, is still on the road to repaying the money and the tickets.

Before she breathed her last, Feng Chuncao repeatedly instructed Zhao Xiaofang on the other arrangements and backup plans before closing her eyes.

So when Zhao Xiaofang's stepmother, Deng Taohua, entered the door, she was immediately met with Feng Chuncao's first move and was completely dumbfounded.

Deng Taohua thought that marrying Zhao Mancang would give her a house to live in and allow him to support her two children. But the reality was completely different from what she imagined!

The family had no money, and she still had to lend a hand; her daughter shared a room with Zhao Xiaofang by building a wooden plank, and her son didn't even have a room, so at night he could only put together stools in the outer room to make do.

Deng Taohua has been a widow for 15 years. Now she's looking for someone to live with, isn't she just looking for someone to have a partner with?

My son is also a temporary worker, 20 years old this year, working as a loader in a warehouse. My daughter is 16 years old, and it looks like she'll be getting married soon, but where are we going to get the bride price and dowry?

Her son is her root, and her daughter is the apple of her eye; she can't bear to see either of them suffer.

The family of three lives in a rented room of about 10 square meters. Over the years, she has exhausted herself raising her two children on her own.

Now Deng Taohua has no choice but to accept this loss, but she won't just endure it for the rest of her life.

After filling up the household expenses for two consecutive months, Deng Taohua thought about taking over Feng Chuncao's formal job (she could take it from either her son or daughter).

Zhao Mancang shook his head and told her, "Before she died, Feng Chuncao asked Director Guo of the factory and Sister Li from the labor union to be her witnesses. Only her daughter could take over her job; the factory wouldn't agree to it for anyone else."

After failing in his second attempt, he fell into obscurity.

Zhao Mancang and Deng Taohua were merely living together out of convenience. There was no affection between them!

Even his adopted daughter and son combined are not as important as his biological daughter, Zhao Xiaofang.

Therefore, Zhao Mancang didn't care whether Deng Taohua's mother and her two children were doing well or not.

Deng Taohua was also aware of this problem, so she spent the past two years cultivating a relationship with Zhao Mancang. She would often casually bring up topics like having a grandson and marrying off her daughter.

This made Zhao Mancang realize that he still needed his son to support him in his old age, even if that son wasn't his biological son. After all, his daughter would eventually get married and leave the family!

Zhao Mancang gradually stopped asking about his adopted son's affairs and is now actively urging him to find a partner and get married.

Zhao Xiaofang knew her stepmother had begun her third tactic. She had her eye on that room and her dowry.

The stepmother's two children are getting old, and they can't delay any longer. But marriage requires housing, dowry, and a bride price. They can't expect the couple to be out there getting married and having children, can they?

Zhao Xiaofang was born prematurely and has been carefully raised over the years. Feng Chuncao works in a workshop, which requires physical strength and often involves overtime.

She'll definitely have to work after graduation. But the physical demands of factory work are so high, Zhao Xiaofang's body definitely won't be able to handle it. If she collapses, wouldn't she just be doing someone else's work for free?

Her stepsister is only one year older than her and has been unemployed and staying at home, yet her stepmother doesn't seem worried at all.

Isn't it just that they're waiting for Zhao Xiaofang to get tired so her own daughter can snag a bargain? Then she won't have to spend a penny, and she'll get both fame and benefits. Nobody can say a bad word about the mother and daughter!

Thinking about this made Zhao Xiaofang feel even more upset.

Xu Jing'an looked at Zhao Xiaofang for a while, then walked towards her. Time was running out; get out of class would be over soon.

"Hey classmate, did you need something?" Zhao Xiaofang had already spotted Xu Jing'an.

"I came to ask if you need a job?"

"What do you mean?"

Xu Jing'an: "We're both unfortunate people. I can imagine your situation; it's nothing more than your stepmother scheming against you. I have both parents, but if I have anything good, the first people to scheme against me are my family."

Zhao Xiaofang wasn't surprised that Xu Jing'an knew about her family affairs. Who in the residential compound and the school hadn't heard about the mess her mother had made before her death?

She was already used to the attention she received from others!

Xu Jing'an plopped down next to Zhao Xiaofang and looked at her. "I'm Xu Jing'an, a second-year high school student."

"Let's not talk about anything pointless now. I have a job in the finance department of a steel mill, but I can't take it. I was wondering if you wanted it? If you do, we can help each other out."

Zhao Xiaofang said helplessly, "To be honest, I really want it, but I don't have the money!"

"I didn't say it absolutely had to be money!" Xu Jing'an chimed in, looking at Zhao Xiaofang. "Honestly, Zhao Xiaofang, I envy you. You have a mother who loves you very much!"

Zhao Xiaofang's eyes also reddened when she saw Xu Jing'an's sincere gaze.

Ever since her biological mother, Feng Chuncao, left, Zhao Xiaofang felt that the place was no longer her home.

Watching her stepmother and her two children constantly revolve around her biological father; watching her biological father go from being indifferent to now paying attention to her.

Zhao Xiaofang knew that her father was also about to disappear!