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

Xu Jing'an could sense the slight changes in her mother, but she remained unmoved.

Nine out of ten families nowadays favor sons over daughters. Raising a son requires careful attention, and you also need to save more money for him because you will rely on him for your old age.

They treat their daughters like outsiders, and if she eats even a single extra bite, it's like a needle pricking their eyes. Some families may put on a good show, but they remember exactly what they've given their daughters, only thinking about even greater returns. They calculate how their daughters will grow up to work for the family, earn money, and bring in dowries when they get married.

They even brainwash their daughters, making them understand that their roots are in their parents' home and wanting them to consider their parents' family wholeheartedly. After marriage, whenever there are conflicts or grievances in the husband's family, the married daughter feels even more important to her parents' home. It's like a cycle, going back and forth endlessly.

Now, Xu's mother is saying comforting words to make her understand the importance of her family. She's trying to pull Xu Jing'an, who has escaped her grasp, back into her life.

Taking this opportunity, Xu Jing'an asked, "Mom, how's Jianshe doing lately?"

"What else can I do? Just stay home and relax, as usual."

Are my sister-in-law and the others busy?

"The three children are learning to walk now, and no one in the family can be idle." This is one of the reasons why only Xu's mother came.

"Mom, I've got some news."

"What news?"

"News about the fourth brother's later life."

Xu's mother stood up abruptly, grabbing Xu Jing'an's hand: "Third son, what do you mean? Explain yourself!"

Xu Jing'an looked at her mother, who had returned to her familiar self, and smiled. "What's in it for me to tell you?"

Xu's mother's gaze sharpened. "Your own brother, and you still want money? I've wasted all my time talking to you. Don't you even care about your family anymore? You ungrateful wretch!"

Most people don't have the idea or behavior of self-reflection, so Xu's mother never looked for faults in herself.

Xu Jing'an pulled her hand away from his, which was gripping her so tightly it hurt. "Mom, look at what you're saying. Even close brothers keep clear accounts." Looking into her mother's eyes, she said, "Mom, I'm your own daughter."

Xu's mother relaxed and sneered, "I always thought the second son was most like me, but it seems your mother was wrong. Third son, just tell me what you want and I'll grant it."

"It's not much, I just want some dowry money, Mom can give me whatever she thinks is appropriate. I can't go into my husband's family empty-handed."

Xu's mother gritted her teeth, "100 at most."

"Not a penny less than 300 yuan," Xu Jing'an replied firmly.

"Mom, don't glare at me. You don't want to live under my sister-in-law's thumb when you're old, do you? She's been married into the family for so long, you know her character better than I do. You know in your heart whether my brother is reliable or not."

Xu's mother remained silent. Did she not know that her eldest son was unreliable? She simply refused to admit it.

She had to keep the fourth son by her side to keep the eldest son and his wife in check. Otherwise, when she got old and couldn't earn money or move around, she would be completely controlled by the eldest son's wife.

"150, no more than that."

"Mom, this isn't fun." Xu Jing looked at her mother quietly.

Looking at her daughter, who showed no emotion whatsoever and whose eyes were filled with indifference, Xu's mother realized that she had raised this daughter in vain.

Before this, she had never truly felt that her third child had crawled out of her womb. Truly, he was her own flesh and blood; a mother's daughter is just like her son.

The two women looked less like mother and daughter and more like a pair of calculating business partners. Xu's mother suppressed the bitterness welling up in her heart.

"I'll take 300 yuan." You'd better have some useful information.

"Mom, you should step down this year and let Jianshe take over, otherwise he won't be able to stay."

Xu's mother was startled: "Explain more clearly."

Xu Jing'an held out her hand, indicating that she would pay first. Xu's mother had no choice but to take out the 300 yuan that she hadn't even had a chance to warm up from her pocket and hand it to Xu Jing'an.

Xu Jing'an took the money, then leaned close to her mother and whispered, "Before classes were held, students were constantly on the go. Was it harder to find a job then?"

"Now that classes have resumed, how many students are graduating this year in addition to those from the previous two years? They're all crammed together! And jobs are extremely scarce."

"How are we going to manage so many people? The newspapers are always advertising for unemployed high school graduates to go to the countryside. Right now it's just a call to action, but what if it becomes mandatory later? Our family will only have Jianshe left."

"Mom, if you let Jianshe take your place, not to mention whether the people in the neighborhood will agree, who in our building won't be envious? Won't it cause more trouble for no reason?"

After thinking about it, Xu's mother agreed with her third son. This matter couldn't be delayed any longer; they should get back and take care of it!

"Mom, if you still feel it's not safe enough, why don't you let Jianshe get married as soon as possible!" Xu Jing'an made another suggestion.

That night, Xu's mother tossed and turned, unable to sleep soundly.

After this incident, the two realized that the already limited bond between mother and daughter had completely vanished.

But Xu Jing'an couldn't let outsiders know. So she got up early in the morning and went to the state-run restaurant to buy more than a dozen large meat buns for her mother to take on the road. She also prepared a bunch of things and packed them up for her mother to take with her.

When we saw Xu's mother off, the neighbors we met along the way greeted her and said goodbye as she carried large and small bags.

Xu Jing'an watched as her mother boarded the train without looking back, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

Children who are abandoned often crave parental affection more, and the least favored child in the family especially desires parental approval and recognition. In reality, no matter what they give, they ultimately gain nothing!

Because they have never experienced being loved, most of them also do not know how to love themselves.

But Xu Jing'an is not one of them now. She took out a colorful lotion from her pocket and carefully applied it to her hands; the orchid fragrance could be smelled from a distance.

Back at work, Xu Jing'an thanked Wu Sufen and gave her a jar of watermelon jam that she had dried in the summer. "This is good stuff," Wu Sufen said happily as she accepted it.

The day passed quickly.

When I got home, I steamed some cabbage and pork buns, some dried vegetables and tofu buns that I had sun-dried in the summer, and some sweet red bean buns.

Just as the pot was being cooked, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, I saw Shen He standing there. Seeing Shen He's face and ears red from the cold, my gaze softened.

Shen He knew in his heart that this self-inflicted injury was the right move.