My name is Xiaomei, an ordinary white-collar worker, receiving a salary of 8,000 yuan a month, working hard in a big city. My husband, Cuong, is a simple rural guy who has put down roots in the city by his own efforts. This Spring Festival, we decided to go back to his hometown for the Chinese New Year and meet his parents, who are my in-laws.
I remember that it was the 28th day of the lunar month, and Ah Qiang and I stepped on the train back to our hometown. The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from high-rise buildings to rolling fields, and I knew that there was another world there that I had never really integrated into. When we arrived, we were greeted by a pair of wrinkled but smiling elderly people, who were Cuong's parents and my rural in-laws.
On the first day I arrived home, my mother-in-law said to me with a smile: "Xiaomei, you are busy working in the city, so you can rest well when you come back, and leave all the housework to me." "I was feeling warm in my heart, thinking that it would be a blessing to have a mother-in-law who understands my daughter-in-law.
Early the next morning, my mother-in-law began to arrange for me to do this and that, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning, as if I was the full-time nanny she had hired. Every morning, when the rooster crows three times, I have to get up to prepare the family's breakfast, and my mother-in-law sits on the side to guide, from time to time to comment on the heat and saltiness, although I have doubts in my heart, I still hold back.
Day after day, I became the head chef for this Chinese New Year, and even though I was paid 8,000 a month, at this moment, I felt like a housewife tied to my monthly salary. One day, when I straightened up from the stove and looked at my smoky face in the mirror, I said to myself, "I really don't want to do this anymore." ”
That night, I finally mustered up the courage to express my distress to Cuong: "Cuong, you know that I am also in charge of the company, why do I become a slave in the kitchen when I return home?" It's not that I don't want to help, I really don't want to spend the whole Chinese New Year on cooking. ”
After hearing this, Ah Qiang was stunned for a moment, he held my hand, muttered for a moment and said, "Xiaomei, I understand your feelings. Maybe Mom wants you to experience what it feels like to be at home, but that's a bit too much. Tomorrow, we'll talk to mom together. ”
The next day, the couple found an opportunity to tell my mother-in-law what was in our hearts. The mother-in-law listened to this, her face became a little complicated, and then she sighed: "Xiaomei, don't I think you are good at craftsmanship and want you young people to learn more life skills?" I didn't expect to put pressure on you, but I didn't think it through. ”
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze, and slowly flowed with a word of apology from her mother-in-law. I saw the guilt and understanding in my mother-in-law's eyes, and I also saw Ah Keung's firmness and love. I think this is the truth of life, full of misunderstandings and run-ins, but also full of understanding and tolerance.
Since then, my mother-in-law no longer asks me to do all the housework alone, and everyone does it together, and the smell of the New Year has become stronger. This Spring Festival, although there have been confusions and struggles, we have all found a rhythm of life that suits each other, and it has also brought each other's hearts closer.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, the family sat around for a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and my mother-in-law specially praised a few dishes I made, and said with a smile: "Xiaomei, you are now not only our family's white-collar elite, but also our family's chef." I smiled and replied, "*You taught it well." "At that moment, I felt a sense of belonging and accomplishment that I had never felt before.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, according to custom, we have to visit relatives. On the way, Cuong quietly told me that my mother-in-law knew about my independence and hard work in the city, and hoped that I could adapt to rural life more quickly and better integrate into this big family. I had mixed feelings in my heart, both relieved and moved.
The experience of this Spring Festival made me deeply understand that marriage is not only a matter of two people, but also a blend of two families. As modern women, while sticking to our self-worth, we also need to learn to understand and respect traditional family ethics and find a balance in order to make family relationships more harmonious and happy.
After the Chinese New Year, we returned to the city. I will always think of that Spring Festival and the experience of understanding and acceptance, which makes me more convinced that no matter where I am, as long as there is love, understanding, and tolerance, life will always be full of warmth and sweetness.