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

Looking at the clean and tidy house, Shen's mother felt another pang of pain in her heart.

The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west, and life goes on as usual. The Shen family quickly returned to their old routines.

Summer rains can come down in an instant. Mr. and Mrs. Shen are getting on in years and felt a bit chilly.

I opened the box containing my autumn clothes to find a few warmer outfits. But then I discovered a small box hidden inside.

Mother Shen understood something in her heart, and with trembling hands opened the letter and saw that it was indeed a letter left by Shen Yue.

There were gifts for Shen's parents, gifts for Shen and Xu Jing'an, gifts for his three nephews and nieces, gifts for his wife Gu Panpan, and gifts for his four children.

Four of the children's envelopes were dated, one letter per year, continuing until they turned twenty-five.

Looking at all these things in front of me, the emotions I had finally managed to suppress surged up again.

Mrs. Shen could no longer hold back her tears. Mr. Shen, with red eyes, sat silently to the side, unable to utter a single word of comfort for Mrs. Shen.

……

Xu Family

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, shaved, and combed my hair while it was still wet. Then I took out some face cream and carefully applied it to my face, neck, and hands. Finally, I changed into a clean and tidy set of clothes.

As soon as her son walked over, Xu's mother smelled the aroma. She attributed her son's unusual behavior to "post-rural life syndrome".

Xu's mother solemnly said to Xu Jianshe, "Fourth son, let's meet at the park entrance again at 9 a.m. this morning. You're familiar with this now, so I won't say anything more!"

Xu Jianshe nodded helplessly.

Xu's mother never imagined her youngest son's path to marriage would be so bumpy. She introduced him to so many women, but none of them suited his taste!

"Fourth brother, why don't you stop being so demanding? That's enough!"

"Mom, I'm not asking for much~" Those women are obviously not from the Xu family!

"If it really doesn't work, why don't you stop using the face cream for a while?" In Xu's mother's memory, normal men didn't use this.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have so many amazing people surrounding her youngest son!

Xu Jianshe shook his head firmly.

Since returning to the city, Xu Jianshe has remained unmarried. Over the years, he has gone from being his mother's "warm and caring son" to being "disliked by everyone" in his own mother's eyes.

From a fresh-faced young man to a middle-aged single man, Xu Jianshe's value has actually decreased instead of increased!

He was indignant. Why was it that people with children were being pursued, while he, a single young man, was unwanted?

Xu Jianshe was also helpless. He also wanted to start a family, to have a wife and children, and a warm bed, but the world wouldn't allow it!

Two years in the countryside, aside from anything else, broadened Xu Jianshe's horizons. His "radar for avoiding staged accidents" was constantly scanning the area!

The lesbians he encountered can be divided into four categories.

The first type: people who happen to sprain their ankle, people who bump into them while shopping, people who accidentally collide with them, and people who ask for directions on the street—Xu Jianshe pretends not to see any of them.

He'd seen this all before!

When Xu Jianshe first arrived at the Shen family home, Shen He, in an attempt to reassure his brother-in-law, recounted how he met his wife. Upon hearing this, Xu Jianshe immediately realized: his brother-in-law had fallen into a trap!

Xu Jianshe learned from his third sister: if you see something by chance too often, it will no longer be a coincidence!

Sure enough, his two years of experience in the countryside proved that his summary was correct!

He's someone who's seen the world and been to the countryside; would anyone easily treat him like a fool?

The second type: The girl has a good reputation; she is kind, sensible, gentle, and kind. She speaks softly and gently, always touching people's hearts.

Isn't this his second sister's specialty?

If you encounter a girl like this, and you inquire further, you'll find that anyone who has had a conflict of interest with her never came out unscathed!

The girl was nice to him, but she was nice to others too. He knew this kind of routine all too well!

The third type: The girl is straightforward, efficient, and adept at both domestic and external affairs. Isn't that exactly what describes his own mother?

From the time he was old enough to understand, his father never said "no" to anything his mother approved of. The old couple had never argued in their entire lives!

The thought of marrying a girl who resembles Xu's mother sends shivers down Xu Jianshe's spine.

The fourth type: honest, hardworking, and good at managing money.

Before she married into the family, this was the kind of persona her sister-in-law, Duoduo, cultivated! But she never stopped harboring her own schemes!

There are countless lesbians in the world, but Xu Jianshe can always see the shadow of the Xu family women in them.

Later, the girls introduced by matchmakers could also be divided into two categories.

Those with poor conditions: either the woman herself is unemployed, or her family is a source of worry, or her family has a long list of burdens.

Everyone was hoping he would lend a hand and they could get something out of him, but could Xu Jianshe really do that?

I wouldn't marry him even if I shaved my head!

Those with similar conditions are further divided into two categories.

They're not thinking straight. Even though Xu Jianguo and his wife went to the Northwest, they can't stay there forever! They'll come back eventually.

If he doesn't go toe-to-toe with the eldest son and his wife when the time comes, he's not Xu Jianshe, the fourth son of the Xu family!

If you find someone who's not very shrewd, aren't you just dragging yourself down and sending food to the eldest couple?

That smart guy has such a big heart! He's always trying to climb the social ladder by associating with the second sister. They've already set a trap for him before he even gets in the door; once he's in, the second sister will definitely bury him alive!

Xu Jianshe hasn't lived enough yet!

Seeing that it was already eight o'clock, Xu Jianshe rode his bicycle to the park. To his surprise, two girls were waiting under the big tree at the entrance: one was beautiful and slender, and the other was of average appearance and plump.

Xu Jianshe walked straight up to the plump young woman. "Hello, I'm Xu Jianshe. Sorry to have kept you waiting!"

I heard the girl has a good job and comes from a well-off family. She must be pretty.

The girl was direct: "Comrade Xu Jianshe, how much dowry is your family offering? My mother said: less than 200 yuan is unacceptable. After all, my two nephews should be getting married in a couple of years, and it won't be enough to go around if it's too little."

Xu Jianshe sighed inwardly, "A miscalculation! No matter how well-off my family is, it doesn't stop me from making another quick buck. I never imagined that nowadays, the bride price money goes not only to the brothers but also to the next generation."

He blurted out, "My mom also said that if you want to marry me, you can't have less than 200 yuan in dowry. So we're not a good match."

"It's only right for a man to pay a bride price when he gets married, so how can he expect the woman to bring a dowry? Does that mean the girl is being raised for nothing?"

"Now men and women are equal. Not only are young, unmarried women valuable, but first-time husbands like me are worth a lot of money!"

Xu Jianshe had just finished speaking and was about to turn and leave when he heard voices from the side.

"After we get married, I'll move in with you. After all, your mother is getting old and needs someone to look after her."

"If you have a child, let your mother retire so she can rest and not be so tired at work."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianshe stared intently at the man opposite him. He couldn't help but admire the man's audacity in uttering such words.

Even someone as shameless as Xu Jianshe would have to admit defeat!

He always thought the world was abnormal, but later realized that what was abnormal was his surroundings. To be precise, he was surrounded by extraordinary people!