Narrator: Uncle Jiang
I was born in a rural area, and there are three siblings in my family, I am the second in line, with an eldest brother above and a younger sister below.
The eldest brother didn't have much education, he became a family very early, and after marriage, he and his sister-in-law farmed in the countryside for a living, and their lives were very ordinary.
I studied, I was educated, I got out of this small mountain village through knowledge, and when I was 20 years old, I was transferred to work in the city, met my wife, and because of work, I settled in the city, got married, and had children.
When the family was separated, because I had a job in the city, my parents gave the house and land in my hometown to my eldest brother.
My wife and I both had stable jobs in the city, and we had a good life, and after we got married, we had a son.
My son has been sensible and obedient since he was a child, and his grades in Xi school are also good, and he was admitted to an undergraduate school in the year of the college entrance examination.
After graduating from university, my son stayed in a big city and worked in an Internet company with a monthly salary of more than 10,000 yuan.
Later, my son became a family and was ready to buy a house in the city, with a down payment of 600,000 yuan, and we supported 400,000 yuan and took out all our savings.
I smiled and said to my wife: "We are frugal, and the money we have worked hard for decades has been spent by our son, and we returned to the pre-liberation period overnight."
The wife said: "My son is now married, and our task is completed, and after retirement, we will travel everywhere and see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland."
After listening, I nodded, and looked forward to my retirement life with my wife.
Within a few years, my wife and I both retired, and my monthly pension was 6,000, and my wife's monthly pension was 3,000, which was completely sufficient.
After retiring, my wife and I planned to travel with a group, and my wife always wanted to go to Lhasa and see the Potala Palace, so we decided to go to Lhasa as the first stop.
Who knew that before she started to set off, her wife had problems with her body, her abdomen was often painful, and she was still thin with yellow muscles.
I didn't feel at ease, so I took my wife to the hospital for a check-up, and the result was found to have pancreatic cancer.
I thought it was a misdiagnosis from the hospital, and I changed to a big hospital, and in the end it was the same result, I took the checklist, sat on the ground, couldn't accept it, my wife worked hard for most of her life, and finally waited until she retired, and she could enjoy it, and this happened.
In less than half a year, my wife passed away, and during that time I was very sad, depressed all day long, and I didn't want to eat.
My son didn't worry about me living alone in my hometown, so he took me to the city, lived with them, and helped them take care of the children by the way.
I went to my son's house, and at first my son and daughter-in-law treated me well, but on the weekend, they took me out to eat delicious food and bought me a new mobile phone, which cost more than 3,000.
I am responsible for taking my grandson to school every day, and sometimes, I also help with laundry and cooking, and share the burden for my son.
Who knows that after a long time, my daughter-in-law will not be right when she looks at me, I cook at home, and my daughter-in-law comes back from work without a smile.
Once, when I was washing clothes, I accidentally mixed my daughter-in-law's white clothes together, and when my daughter-in-law found out, she got angry and kept blaming me, but my son heard it next to me and didn't help me, and I felt very uncomfortable.
Since then, I have not been happy at my son's house, I always feel tiptoeing and can't let go, and my daughter-in-law has begun to dislike me.
I thought about it and decided to move back to my hometown in the county seat, and after my son found out, he didn't keep it.
When I returned to the county seat, I lived alone, and my life was very simple, I went to the park every morning for a walk, and then came back to cook, cook a pot of porridge, and stir-fry two dishes, which was enough for me to eat for a day.
I have an introverted personality, I don't like to go to crowded places, I often drink tea and read books at home alone, and I don't have much social interaction.
My son is busy with work and rarely comes back to see me, and I have lived alone for a long time, so I will inevitably feel lonely, and there is no one to talk to.
That year, my son did not come back, I was alone at home, looking at the lights of thousands of homes outside, and others were happy, and I was envious.
On the day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, my eldest brother suddenly called me ** and said: "Brother, you haven't returned to your hometown for several years, and my eldest brother misses you a lot, and I don't know if you are doing well now." ”
After listening to my eldest brother's words, I realized that I hadn't been back to my hometown for a long time, and I said to my eldest brother, "I'll come back tomorrow."
The eldest brother was very happy to hear this and said, "Okay, I'll ask your sister-in-law to cook the meal and wait for you to come back for dinner." ”
The next day, I took the car back to my hometown in the countryside, and I didn't come back for a few years, and my hometown has changed, the dirt road has become an asphalt road, and the roadside has been equipped with garbage cans, which looks clean and tidy.
I went to the supermarket at the head of the village to buy two cartons of milk, some cigarettes and alcohol, and met acquaintances on the way, who greeted me warmly and chatted briefly, which made me feel very cordial.
In the city, the doors of the neighbors are closed and they rarely speak.
When I walked to the entrance of the village, my eldest brother saw me and hurriedly ran to meet me, and my eldest brother saw that I had bought a lot of things, so I didn't want to spend money in the future, and went back to my house to buy gifts, which was too outward.
My eldest brother and I chatted while walking, and within a few minutes, we arrived at my eldest brother's house, where my sister-in-law was busy stir-frying in the kitchen, and knew that I was going to come back, so she made a table of hometown dishes, all of which I love to eat.
During the meal, my sister-in-law asked me to eat vegetables, for fear that I would not be full.
While drinking with me, my eldest brother said to me, "Brother, although you have lived in the city for decades, this will always be your home, and you are always welcome to return".
I listened with tears in my eyes, and I was very grateful to my eldest brother and sister-in-law for making me feel the warmth of home.
My eldest brother asked me how I was doing in the city
I sighed and said, "I live alone, but I am too lonely, my son is busy with work, I can't count on it at all, once I had a cold and fever, I couldn't even drink a cup of hot water, and no one took care of me."
The eldest brother saw that I was not doing well, so he said: "Brother, you are alone now, it is better to stay in the countryside and live together with me for the elderly, we are all a family, we have a mutual dependence, and there are usually people to talk to." ”
I thought about it and felt that my eldest brother's suggestion was good, why didn't I think that my eldest brother and I were brothers, and now that we are old and our children are not around, it is better to apply for a group together.
I agreed, and decided to go back to the countryside and join the eldest brother for retirement.
I played at my eldest brother's house for a few days, and then I went back to the city, and I called my son and told me that I wanted to go back to the countryside to care for the elderly, and my son supported me to go back.
I thought that the houses in the city were empty and empty, so it was better to rent them out and collect some rent every month.
After I packed my luggage, I moved to my eldest brother's house, planning to retire at my eldest brother's house for a long time.
My eldest brother asked my sister-in-law to clean up a bedroom for me, and also prepared new slippers and new towels for me.
I took 3,000 yuan for my eldest brother and said, "Eldest brother, I eat and live at home, I can't let you suffer, I will give 3,000 yuan every month, which is considered a hardship fee." ”
When the eldest brother heard this, he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "It's all a family, come back to live, how can there be any money, I won't ask for it." ”
The sister-in-law heard it next to her, and hurriedly rubbed her hand against the eldest brother, signaling him not to speak, and the sister-in-law smiled and said: "Brother, then we are welcome, I will accept the 3,000 yuan, you just have to live here with confidence, just like your own home."
I said, "Sister-in-law, I have to trouble you when I come back, you should take this money, and I can live comfortably."
After I finished speaking, my sister-in-law accepted the 3,000 yuan, and her heart blossomed.
My sister-in-law and eldest brother farm in the countryside, and they also contract two fish ponds, and their annual income is tens of thousands of yuan, and I give my eldest brother 3,000 yuan, which is already good.
In the first few months, my sister-in-law was like entertaining guests every day, cooking me all kinds of delicious food, buying whatever I wanted, and not stingy at all.
Every morning when I get up, my sister-in-law has already prepared a meal, and after I finish eating, I go to the village to stroll, walk on the country road, breathe in the fresh air, and chat with the neighbors, not to mention how pleasant it is.
At noon, the sister-in-law prepared the meal in advance, and the eldest brother came back from work.
I had a very comfortable time at my eldest brother's house, and I was glad that I had come back and found a proper way to care for the elderly.
I thought that from now on, I would be able to spend my old age at my eldest brother's house.
Who knew that after my sister-in-law knew that I had a pension of 6,000 yuan, her attitude changed, and she disliked me for giving too little money.
Since then, my sister-in-law has become picky, reluctant to buy beef and mutton to eat, and specializes in buying that kind of cheap fatty meat, knowing that I have high blood pressure and can't eat fatty meat, but also specializes in fatty meat.
When eating, I can only watch, eat some vegetables, and sometimes I can't eat enough, and I'm embarrassed to say.
Once, I couldn't help it, so I asked my sister-in-law to buy some beef back when she was in the market, I don't eat fatty meat, but I didn't expect my sister-in-law to say: "You are old, you don't do anything at home, or eat less meat, eat more vegetables grown at home, so as to maintain health."
I listened to it, and I felt uncomfortable, I took 3,000 yuan a month, and I ate some vegetables and fatty meat, which was too cost-effective, and if it went on like this for a long time, who could stand it.
That day, the sister-in-law only fried two green vegetables, not even a piece of meat, the eldest brother couldn't stand it, and said to the sister-in-law: "My brother gets 3,000 yuan a month, and you are reluctant to buy meat, how can there be such a person as you search." ”
The sister-in-law said aggrievedly: "I am also thinking about my brother's body, not to mention that meat is expensive now, so I eat and drink like this, and 3,000 yuan is not spent at all."
I understood what my sister-in-law meant, that is, to imply that I gave less money, and for the sake of my eldest brother, I didn't say anything, and ate with my head bored.
At night, I lay in bed and tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, thinking that I was getting 3,000 yuan a month, was it a little less.
After thinking about it, I felt that I still got 4,000 yuan a month for my eldest brother and sister-in-law, and my monthly pension would not be used up anyway.
After the eldest brother found out, let me stop adding money, three thousand is enough, I don't want to see my sister-in-law's face, I insist on giving 4,000 yuan, and after my sister-in-law knows, she smiles from ear to ear.
I thought that after I took 4,000 yuan, my sister-in-law would change it, but who knew that the excessive things were still to come.
The nephew was ready to buy a new house in the city, and when the eldest brother and sister-in-law found out, they were very happy, and the nephew called back, saying that the money was not enough, and asked the eldest brother to make up 150,000 yuan for him.
After hearing this, the eldest brother's face changed suddenly, they were farming in the countryside, and they only had tens of thousands of yuan in their hands.
My sister-in-law hit me with the idea, and that day, my sister-in-law suddenly made a table of delicious dishes, and I felt that something was wrong.
After eating, my sister-in-law said to me: "Brother, your conditions are better, this time your nephew is short of money to buy a house, you will support 100,000 yuan."
I said, "Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't borrow, I don't have so much money in my hands, when Xiaojun (my son) bought a house, I took out all my savings, and now that I'm retired, I can't save much money at all." ”
My sister-in-law got angry, didn't believe that I didn't have any money in my hand, and thought that I deliberately didn't borrow it.
Because of this incident, the sister-in-law didn't even cook, and deliberately lay on the bed and didn't get up, and the eldest brother and sister-in-law quarreled in the bedroom.
The sister-in-law said: "Your brother has a pension of 6,000 yuan a month, and only gives us 4,000, I think it is my own brother, so I don't care, he saves so much money, this time I asked him to borrow 100,000 yuan, but I didn't borrow it, it was too much, and there was no big brother like you in my eyes."
Eldest brother: "Don't you know in your own heart, my brother comes to our house, he only eats a few hundred yuan a month, and the rest of the money goes into your pocket, I have never seen such a greedy person as you, not to mention that my brother has no money in his hand, how can he lend it to us." ”
The sister-in-law said: "When he comes to our house to provide for the elderly, the pension should be all given to us, and his son is unreliable, so what's the use of keeping the money."
The eldest brother couldn't listen to it anymore, so he told the sister-in-law to shut up and stop talking.
I stood outside the door and heard it clearly, my heart was like a knife, I didn't expect my sister-in-law to have such an idea, it was really a lack of heart.
The eldest brother and sister-in-law made a fuss like this, I felt uncomfortable, I was happy to return to the eldest brother's house to support the elderly, but in less than a year, I regretted it, I didn't want to stay in the eldest brother's house, I was afraid that if this continued, I and the eldest brother would not even be able to do it.
I also finally understood that in my old age, no one can rely on anyone, only on myself.
I asked my son to buy me a ticket back the same day, and after I packed my luggage, I moved back to the city.
When I left, my eldest brother kept me, but I politely refused, saying that I wanted to go back to the city to live and come back when I had time.
In this way, I returned to live in the city, although I was lonely, but it was much more comfortable than living in my eldest brother's house.
I finally knew that it was not reliable to support the elderly with my relatives, living under the same roof every day, firewood, rice, oil and salt, after a long time, there would be contradictions, each with its own thoughts.
Between relatives, it's okay to get together occasionally, no matter how good other people's homes are, they don't have peace of mind in their own homes.
Later, I spent 3,000 yuan to hire an hourly worker, cook me two meals a day, and clean up some housework, so that I am not only relaxed, but also have someone to talk to, which I think is very good.