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

In October 1964, Xu Jing'an entered her second year of high school.

The second daughter, Xu Jingping, found a job in the workshop of the No. 3 State-owned Cotton Mill through her boyfriend's connections, earning fourteen yuan a month.

Not only does the job require shift work, but the workshop is also noisy with machines. Even though I've memorized all the operating procedures, I'm still dumbfounded when I stand in front of the machines.

The spinning yarn in front of her was so fast it made her dizzy. When she touched it, her hand turned red from the heat.

You also have to walk back and forth in front of the machine constantly, and the sweat on your body never stops.

It is said that in the summer, the temperature in the workshop is higher than outside, but she dares not complain!

Don't be fooled by her high school diploma; things are different now than they were a few years ago. High school and junior high school students are a regular occurrence in the city every year, so they're not that rare anymore.

But jobs are limited; there's only one opening for every job. Everyone wants an easy, good job, so you just have to be careful.

Xu Jingping's boyfriend, Yang Hongbing, was of average appearance, but his family was well-off and he was their only son.

She had to sift through all the boys around her before choosing her. If it weren't for her face, Yang Hongbing wouldn't have given her a second glance.

Yang's mother did say, "If I still can't find a good job, I'll retire and take care of the children after I get married."

"I'll give you my job as an accountant at the No. 3 State-Owned Cotton Mill. If it's not suitable, you can exchange it with someone else."

Just because of Xu Jingping, she has to fawn over her mother-in-law.

Once she takes over this job, her life will be in her mother-in-law's hands.

At that time, her husband's three older sisters, relatives, friends, neighbors, and even her colleagues will all subtly criticize her.

Thinking about this, she decided: I won't ask unless absolutely necessary.

The atmosphere in the living room was terribly gloomy at night.

"Eldest son, what exactly are you planning to do?" Xu's mother asked Xu Jianguo sternly, determined to get a clear answer from him.

Mr. Xu smoked a cigarette, his face stern, staring at his eldest son.

"You know our family's situation. As your parents, we can't even help our second child find a job, let alone find one for her."

Xu Jingping pursed her lips. She could just listen to her father's words, but she couldn't take them seriously.

Even if they had money and connections, they wouldn't use them on her, since there was already a fourth child in the family.

"Then, Mom, could you give your job to Duoduo? We'll be getting married soon and have a baby, then you can stay home and hold your grandchild."

"Bullshit—" Xu's mother stood up abruptly.

Xu Jing'an understood that Xu Jianguo had begun to listen to what Duoduo said and was starting to think about his own family.

"Eldest son, was it her who said that? What, trying to control me before even stepping inside?" Xu's mother pointed at Xu Jianguo and shouted, her chest heaving with anger. "If it works out, great; if not, don't. Take it or leave it!"

For parents, if their child is wrong, it must be someone else's fault!

Xu's father exhaled the cigarette that had been in his mouth for a while, "Eldest son, the fourth son is still young, and your mother is still young too. Tell her not to overthink it."

"Xu Jianguo, how come this house belongs only to you two? Everyone else has already left?" The fourth brother, Xu Jianshe, rushed out of the room, glaring at the eldest brother with eyes full of anger.

"Fourth brother, what's it to you?" Xu Jianguo yelled at Xu Jianshe in a hurry.

"How is this none of my business? It's my business if you're after Mom's job!" Xu Jianshe retorted without letting up.

The fourth brother had long considered Xu's mother's job as his own.

After all, the eldest son's job cost a lot of money and favors. The family's possessions are limited, everyone can see that, and nobody's stupid enough to know how hard it is to find a job.

"Alright," Xu's mother said, quickly stopping her sons as she saw them arguing.

"If you get married, we'll buy you a sewing machine, and you won't have to hand over your wages."

"So, where will we stay?"

"You can stay in the room with the second sister and her husband. The second sister should get married soon, and the third sister can set up a bed in the outer room at night. That would be perfect. Mom will get you new furniture and you can tidy it up nicely."

Xu Jianguo thought about it and agreed. Xu's father also nodded in agreement.

After all, the eldest brother Xu Jianguo and the female lead Xu Duoduo have been dating for almost a year.

In this day and age where people get married after just one meeting, this is nothing short of a miracle.