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

Xu Family

The babies cried one after another, one crying before another even finished. The birth of the triplets had taken the whole family from initial excitement to exhaustion and indescribable frustration in just one month.

The family hadn't had a child for many years, and Mr. and Mrs. Xu were used to the quiet atmosphere at home. This sudden commotion was still a bit hard for the three children to accept.

Xu Jianguo had also squeezed into Lao Si's room long ago, sleeping separately from Duo Duo, ostensibly so as not to disturb his wife during her postpartum period.

When she gave birth to three sons, seeing the envious looks from those around her, Duoduo felt that the sky was bluer and she had more energy. It was a moment of triumph.

But when they returned from the hospital, the children cried their hearts out, and not a single family member offered a helping hand.

She only has two hands; she washes all the diapers herself, let alone anything else—she simply can't manage it all. Although Duoduo feels sorry for her child, she is mostly frustrated and irritable, and her anger grows stronger every day.

"Xu Jianguo, the child is crying, lend a hand!" Xu Duoduo shouted angrily.

Xu's mother felt sorry for her son: "You've been lying down all day, but isn't he tired after working all day?"

"Then, Mom, can you lend me a hand?"

Xu's mother was even more annoyed: "Don't I work? I took care of four children all by myself, and no one cared. Why are you making such a fuss over nothing? You're the only one who's spoiled?"

"There's so much to do every day. We're all women, all daughters-in-law of the Xu family, so why are you treated differently?"

"Do you think I'm idle when I'm buying groceries, cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning? You're just looking after a kid and you're still yelling at this and that, as if you think you're so great?"

Xu's mother was also full of resentment: "You're useless too, you can't even produce a drop of milk. You gave birth to three in one go, it sounds impressive, but how are we going to feed them?"

"You need to eat meat and eggs to produce milk. Even if we give you the entire month's supply, you still won't produce much milk. Are we raising you or raising a child? Can we afford formula? Even if we were willing to spend the money, we couldn't get the ration coupons."

"The little money you two contribute is enough for me to keep losing. Useless!" After venting her anger, Xu's mother turned around, went back to her room, and slammed the door shut.

Duoduo couldn't say anything, she just held the child and cried. Xu Jianguo didn't show up at all.

There was no other way, so Duoduo finally got up and fed the children some rice water and changed their diapers one by one. While the children were sleeping, she washed the dirty diapers and put them on the hanging rope next to the coal stove, otherwise there would be no more to use.

At the end of May, students gradually stopped attending classes, and school operations also gradually came to a standstill. Following this, the sports school also had to close for the holidays, and Xu Jianshe returned from the sports school.

After the holiday started, Xu Jianshe wouldn't come back until it was time to eat. Knowing that Xu Jing'an had gone to work elsewhere, he didn't mention a word about her again.

Xu Jianshe has had enough of his family's criticisms of Xu Jing'an since she returned from school so many days ago.

Even he, in his naiveté, realized he'd been fooled by his third sister. Fortunately, she wasn't his own sister and hadn't betrayed him; he had indeed learned something real at the sports school.

Xu Jianshe, who was staying at home, joined the Red Guards with his classmates and became one of them.

They're full of fighting spirit every day, busier than anyone else. The problem is, not only are they not making any money, but their appetite is also increasing.

Xu Jianguo naturally had a lot of complaints.

Dinner had just been served when Xu Jianshe walked in. "Fourth brother, if you…"

"Alright, eldest son, eat your food properly." Seeing that things were not going well, Xu's father immediately changed the subject for Xu Jianguo.

The whole family disapproved of what Xu Jianshe was doing. They might think this in their hearts, but they couldn't easily say it aloud. When people are angry, a single wrong word could become a weapon against them.

He only has two sons, and he has never thought it was too many!

"Fourth brother, you're not a kid anymore, it's good time to tidy up the house. Wipe the windows, sweep the floor, and wash your and your dad's clothes."

"Take advantage of the hot weather and wash all the comforters..."

Xu Jianshe finished his bowl of porridge, but his mother hadn't finished explaining the chores she had assigned him.

Xu Jianshe wanted to refuse. But before he could speak, he saw his parents staring blankly at him.

Realizing the situation was inappropriate, Xu Jianshe immediately swallowed what he was about to say. He nodded decisively in agreement: "I understand."

Reading between the lines and understanding the situation has always been one of Xu Jianshe's strengths.

In August, the students began the "National Revolutionary Great Tour," and Xu Jianshe actively participated without hesitation.

You have to be proactive, he's already done enough housework!

"Travel all over China without spending a penny!" With this slogan, young and enthusiastic students joined without hesitation.

During this period, food, lodging, and transportation were all free. Xu Jianshe could no longer hold back and followed his friends out of the house.

"Mom and Dad, I'm leaving now!"

"Fourth brother, listen to your mother. We're not going—"

Despite his parents' repeated attempts to stop him, Xu Jianshe vanished in a flash!

With so many people coming and going, the national railway transportation system could no longer bear the burden in less than two months and had to stop work.

During this period, Xu Jianshe watched the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, climbed the Great Wall, and visited all the famous places in Beijing.

When he tried to take the train back, there were no trains left to take him.

Xu Jianshe realized that the situation was not good.

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker at the train station.

"The Red Army fears not the hardships of the Long March, regarding ten thousand rivers and mountains as nothing."

The Five Ridges undulate like gentle waves, while the Wumeng Mountains surge like mud balls.

The Jinsha River laps warmly against the cloud-covered cliffs, while the Dadu Bridge's iron chains hang cold.

Even more delightful is the thousand-mile snow-capped Minshan Mountains; after the three armies have passed, all faces are beaming with joy.

"Comrades, stand tall, display the spirit of hard work and never giving up, and learn from our revolutionary predecessors! Let us measure the magnificent rivers and mountains of our motherland with our own feet!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianshe felt his vision blur and his legs go weak. He could also hear a chorus of cheers in his ears!

By the time he limped home from Beijing, it was almost Chinese New Year.

After lying in bed for only a few days, Xu Jianshe couldn't take it anymore. He had never known how such a small child could make such a loud noise.

There's never a quiet moment. With the house in such a mess, who with legs could stand it?

Looking at his pitiful legs, he gritted his teeth, pulled two pieces of cotton from under the quilt, and stuffed them into his ears. Then he lay back down on the bed and fell fast asleep!

"Mom, how about we write a letter to the third son?" Xu Jianguo suggested during dinner.

Life's tough these days, someone has to take the fall!

"What's the point of talking to her? She's an ingrate!" Xu's mother got angry just thinking about it. She'd always thought her third son was honest and hadn't been on guard. Who knew she'd just disappear like that? What a load of rubbish—she promised to send him his salary every month!

They sent a letter every month without fail, inquiring about the health of their relatives and sending greetings to everyone. But they didn't give a single penny!

The letters were all about complaining about being poor, saying how hard things were for them. You have to admit, the third brother's writing is quite good. Over the past six months, every single letter has been different, but they all conveyed the same message—no money.

If the household registration were still there, there would be no worry about the third son not coming back. Who knew that bastard would secretly transfer the household registration away!

Thinking of this, Xu's mother became even angrier: "What are you writing? It's not even enough for stamps!"

"Then ask the second son tomorrow. The family is in such dire straits, the second son can't just ignore everything!" Father Xu made the final decision.

Seeing Shen's mother's expression, Xu Jianguo tentatively asked, "Mom, my workplace only offers 40 days of maternity leave. Duoduo will be back at work soon after her confinement period. What will we do with the baby?"

After hearing this, Xu's mother chuckled: "A temporary worker, wanting to go back to work after her postpartum period? What's the situation now? People are practically fighting tooth and nail over jobs. Who would keep a temporary worker on the payroll?"

"You think your mother knows nothing?!" Xu's mother shouted at the room, her face turned upwards. "That child wasn't born to me, nor was it born to me. What are we going to do? You decide, and don't even think about messing with me!"

Duoduo gritted her teeth and didn't say a word.