He Binglin was helping his wife pick vegetables when he saw him come in with a red face. He immediately guessed what he was thinking and smiled as he ushered him into the yard: "Are you here about the social event? If you want to find female comrades, don't just think about giving gifts. You have to learn to listen to people."

As he spoke, he handed Xing Yi a bowl of cool boiled water. “When I was dating your sister-in-law, I relied on listening to her talk about things at the factory and chatting along with her. It was much better than just talking about yourself.”

Xing Yi wrote these words down in his notebook and then asked how to find topics to talk about.

He Binglin then used himself as an example, saying that you can start by talking about what the other person has in their hand or what they are wearing, instead of asking questions that sound like you're taking a census.

After chatting for a while, Xing Yi, brimming with experience, thanked He Binglin and turned to head towards Lu Lin's house.

With advice from both his brother and sister-in-law, he finally felt less panicked.

Gu Mingyue smiled and asked him to sit down: "This is simple. You don't need to rack your brains to think about giving expensive gifts. What women value most is sincerity."

She wiped her hands and explained to him in detail, counting on her fingers, "First of all, pay attention to personal hygiene. Wash and iron your clothes before the social gathering, make sure your hair is neatly styled, and don't smell of sweat. This is the first impression you give people."

"Secondly, don't always have such a stern face." Gu Mingyue couldn't help but laugh when she recalled Lu Lin's serious demeanor when they first met.

"You're used to being serious during training, so you need to relax at the social gathering. Smile more, chat with people, and ask about their interests. Don't just stand there like a silent gourd."

She paused, then added, "If you really want to prepare a small gift, choose something practical, such as a small, nicely packaged bar of soap, or a small bag of freshly roasted sunflower seeds or peanuts. It's understated yet can help you connect. Most importantly, don't try to please people. Being genuine with them is better than anything else."

Xing Yi nodded repeatedly, keeping Gu Mingyue's words in mind. When he stood up to thank her, the embarrassment on his face had lessened considerably, and his eyes showed more expectation.

The get-together was held in the auditorium of the military camp, and the Women's Federation comrades helped organize it. The atmosphere was lively and warm.

Xing Yi stood at the door, took a deep breath, and straightened his neatly ironed military green shirt. In his pocket were two small pieces of candy wrapped in colored paper.

He prepared this according to Gu Mingyue's suggestion, and he was holding a plate of freshly roasted sunflower seeds in his hand.

At first, he was a little reserved, leaning against the wall watching others chat and laugh.

Remembering Gu Mingyue's advice to "not keep a straight face," he tried to relax his smile and offered a handful of sunflower seeds to a passing woman.

A moment later, a woman with braided hair and carrying books stopped beside him and asked with a smile, "Comrade, did you bring these sunflower seeds? They smell really good."

Xing Yi quickly nodded and handed the plate to her: "It's freshly cooked, have a taste."

Instead of standing there awkwardly as before, he took the opportunity to chat with her, asking about the book she was holding and telling her about the funny things that happened during his training.

Occasionally, he would be amused by the other person's jokes and burst out laughing, his serious expression completely gone.

When they were having a pleasant conversation, Xing Yi remembered the candy in his pocket and handed it over somewhat shyly: "This is a little gift I prepared. It's not worth much, so please don't mind."

The woman accepted it with delight, then took out a sewing kit embroidered with small plum blossoms from her canvas bag and handed it to him: "Then I'll give you a little something too, you can use it if your clothes get torn in the future."

The two looked at each other and smiled. The music on the radio continued, and laughter and cheerful voices filled the auditorium.

My sisters-in-law were right; sincerity works better than anything else.

The next morning, Xing Yi specially bought two jin of peach shortbread from the supply and marketing cooperative and went to Xia Qinghe's house first.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he waved the peach shortbread in his hand and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I really owe you all the advice yesterday! I chatted with that woman until the end of the event, and she even gave me a sewing kit."

Xia Qinghe smiled as she took the peach shortbread and stuffed a warm corn into his hand: "That's right. If you work hard to get along in the future, you're sure to succeed."

After leaving the He family's house, he carried another bag of candy and hurried towards the Lu family's house.

Gu Mingyue was watering the orchids when she saw him coming and quickly greeted him.

Xing Yi placed the peach shortbread on the table and began to recount the details of passing melon seeds and discussing books at the social gathering with great enthusiasm. He then scratched his head and laughed, "Sister-in-law Gu, what you said really worked!"

Lu Lin patted his shoulder and laughed, and Gu Mingyue laughed along: "This is just the beginning. If you treat each other with sincerity in the future, you will definitely get along smoothly."

Gu Mingyue and Lu Lin had thought Xing Yi's deal was a sure thing, and they even joked in private about preparing to attend his wedding.

Unexpectedly, after some time, Xing Yi came to the door looking dejected, sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, his voice filled with grievance.

“Sister-in-law, Lao Lu, Comrade Lin said it’s not quite right. I really can’t figure out what I did wrong to upset her.”

He clutched the crumpled candy wrapper in his hand, repeatedly recalling the details of their time together: "I did as you said, remembered that she loved reading, and accompanied her to the bookstore; when we went to the market, I offered to carry her things and never dared to be stern, but how could it all have happened..."

Before he could finish speaking, he sighed heavily, his face full of confusion and disappointment, and his shoulders slumped.

Gu Mingyue gently comforted her: "Don't rush things. You can't rush matters of the heart. Maybe it's not that you did something wrong, it's just that you two weren't compatible."

Lu Lin patted him on the back: "Don't worry about where you went wrong. If you really can't let it go, find an opportunity to ask him properly and talk things out. It's better than guessing blindly."

He Binglin and Xia Qinghe were also there, and neither of them expected this. They could only say that their time together had not yet come.

Although Xing Yi's relationship didn't work out, several couples did get together at the social gathering.

When Gu Mingyue was chatting with Lu Lin, she mentioned it with a sigh: "I heard that a soldier and a female comrade from the town's supply and marketing cooperative have hit it off, and two young men have exchanged addresses with girls from nearby brigades and are planning to meet up at the market in the future."

Lu Lin laughed as he listened: "Looking at it this way, this social gathering was quite worthwhile."

Xia Qinghe nodded in agreement: "The female comrades who come to participate are diverse. Some work in town units, and some work in the brigade. They all have their own personalities, so you can always meet someone you get along with."

He Binglin chimed in, "That's right. That's how fate works. Some people don't find their match, while others happen to meet someone who understands them perfectly."

Gu Mingyue originally thought Xing Yi would be depressed for a while, after all, the social gathering had made him listless for several days.

Unexpectedly, Lu Lin returned from the camp that day and said with a smile as soon as he entered the door, "Mingyue, get ready. Xing Yi is going to treat us to dinner in a couple of days. That kid has quietly started dating someone."

Gu Mingyue's needle and thread suddenly stopped, and the needle almost pricked her fingertip.

She looked up at Lu Lin, her eyes full of surprise: "Really? It hasn't been that long! He was all frowning just a while ago, how come he suddenly has a girlfriend?"

Lu Lin hung his military cap on the coat rack and took the fabric from her hand: "I met a female logistics officer when I was helping to repair tables and chairs. We got along well and often went to read books and stroll around town together. We became friends after a while."

Gu Mingyue couldn't help but laugh: "He's been hiding it pretty well! It seems that what happened last time didn't affect him; on the contrary, he's met the right person."