The once busy "Spring Festival" is now hard to find, and every household has a private car, high-speed rail, and airplanes, and distance is no longer an obstacle. As the saying goes: "If you have money, you can't afford to go home for the New Year".
However, in recent years, the economy has been sluggish, and many wanderers have gradually felt the worry of the New Year. Every Chinese New Year, the desire to go home for the New Year is often accompanied by the worry of paying for the New Year's expenses for the parents.
Every year when I go home, in addition to the expenses of my parents for the New Year, I also have to face the cumbersome expenses of giving red envelopes to the elders and juniors of my relatives, which is a lot of money, making people feel that a year's hard work seems to be in vain.
This year, my wife and I have saved more than 80,000 together and decided not to go home for the Chinese New Year. The plan is that both parents will each provide 5,000 yuan for the New Year, and our family of three will spend a quiet New Year in a rental house in a foreign land.
However, my mother called** and expressed her desire to bring my brother's family to my house for the New Year. Although I was not reluctant in my heart, I resolutely refused to avoid going straight into financial difficulties. However, this refusal attracted reproaches from relatives and was accused of unfilial piety. It's not that I'm unwilling to be filial, but I know that once they come, we'll immediately fall into poverty.
My name is Liu Qiang, and I am a courier who sticks to the streets and alleys of the city. I'm 46 years old, and my wife and I have gone to work in a foreign country, and she is a part-time housekeeper while I am busy on the streets of the city.
Our son is studying in the city at university, and we decided to move here so that we can be reunited as a family of three. Luckily, we rented a house close to my son's university so he could come home and visit us at some time.
I worked various jobs to make a living, and finally chose to become a courier while also thinking about opening a small rookie shop. In order to accumulate a fortune, our family rarely buys new clothes and rarely eats out.
This year, we finally made a decent deposit. The wife proposed to leave 30,000 for the New Year, and save 50,000 for a three-year term. Our lives are frugal and fulfilling, and my wife not only works part-time jobs every day, but also writes some words online.
Our family is working hard to live a better life in our hometown in the future. Life is simple, but we are content.
Last year, my wife and I earned some money in the city together, so my mother offered to come and spend the New Year with us.
My brother and his family took my mother to come by train all day and all night.
In the minds of my mother and younger brother, my older brother, who works in the city, is like a professional collector of money.
They stayed with me for more than a month, and as a result, I fell into poverty.
When my mother and her party came, there were still 10 days before the Chinese New Year, and these 10 days became the busiest time for my wife and me.
The wife prepared 2,000 yuan for the younger brother and daughter-in-law to buy ingredients, but the younger brother and daughter-in-law spent all the money in one day.
They took their mother around shopping, buying new clothes and shoes, but they didn't think about buying ingredients.
Although the wife was angry, she had no choice but to take out 500 yuan again to buy ingredients for her brother and daughter-in-law, and persuaded her to work part-time with her to increase her income.
The younger brother and daughter-in-law were not only unwilling, but also made a remark, thinking that we as brothers and sisters-in-law looked down on her.
The outbreak of the disease caused the rest of the family to develop fevers except for my wife and me.
After a full two weeks, it was gradually **, and since there was no health insurance, all medical expenses had to be paid out of pocket.
The cost of the mother's hospitalization cost more than 10,000 yuan, and the two children of the younger brother's family also spent more than 10,000 yuan.
After the Chinese New Year, I instantly fell into poverty, and I almost couldn't even pay my son's school fees.
This year I was once again faced with my mother's request to come to me for the Chinese New Year, but I could only politely refuse because I really didn't want to go through the financial pressure again.
It's hard now, I have to work more than ten hours a day, and my wife has to work three part-time jobs. In order to have a better life, my son is also tutoring the children of other families during the holidays, and we are all desperately trying to earn money.
I don't want to see the money I earned after a whole year of hard work end up being consumed by a Chinese New Year expense. Last year, I had to buy a ticket for my mother to go back to my hometown, but this year she asked me to buy a round-trip ticket for them in advance.
Actually, they didn't come for the Chinese New Year, but in the hope that I would give them money. I had to resolutely refuse, but my mother thought I was an unfilial son who didn't know how to understand.
But looking back, I realized that my mother and brother didn't really understand me. Our family worked hard in a foreign land to prepare for our old age. My wife said that if my son can stay here, we can take out a loan to buy a house here, and it doesn't matter if we don't go back to our hometown, as long as we can live a good life, no matter in **.
Eventually, we can live the life we yearn for together, no longer bound by old customs.
In many cases, family relationships seem to be drawn by money.
When there is no wealth to support you, you may feel unwelcome no matter where you are, especially in a family with more sons.
A few years ago, my younger brother worked as a small bag foreman in his hometown because he was smart and flexible, earning some "pocket money".
Whenever there is a Chinese New Year reunion, he is always eloquent, and sometimes even more determined than my eldest brother, so that people may think that he is the eldest son in the family without knowing it.
When my daughter got married, we didn't keep the bride price from my in-laws, but let my daughter take it back to my in-laws' house.
At the time, my mother and brother thought I was a little "stupid", but looking back now, I feel that I made the right decision.
My daughter is living well, and we feel comfortable working outside the home.
As my son graduates and puts into work, our lives will be much better.
In the joyful moment of the Chinese New Year, everyone is eager to return home and become the focus of envy of the villagers and neighbors.
However, if the road home needs to be paved with money, I may still choose not to go back.
Over the years, my brother's business did not go well, and he eventually had to close his doors and return to his hometown to work for others.
They want to come to me during the Chinese New Year, probably just in the hope that I will come up with more money to help them.
My mother used to say that it is easy and easy to make money in a big city, and that brothers should take care of each other.
I understand this, but as an older brother who works in other places, I still find it difficult to accept that I have to take them in and spend a whole year's savings.
In today's difficult economic times, everyone knows that making money is not easy.
When we were children, we often saw how beautiful and important our "relatives" were.
However, as independent living begins as adults, we soon realize that kinship is not always as pure as we would like. February** Dynamic Incentive Program
In reality, these relationships tend to become vulgar, pursuing mutual interests, and those who fail to get their hands dirty are even snubbed.
Even when faced with life's greatest difficulties, sometimes it is to blame for the intervention of relatives.
Life experience has taught us that friends are more likely to be sincere with us than relatives.
I am currently working in a foreign country, giving my mother 500 yuan a month for living expenses, and I also pay for the cooperative's medical insurance and social security.
However, my mother was always dissatisfied and often felt that I should give more, while mistakenly believing that I was making a lot of money outside.
This year, I decided not to host my mother and brother's family for the Chinese New Year, mainly because I didn't want to let my hard-earned savings over the past year go down the drain.
Despite being rebuked by my mother and ridiculed by my brother, I was content to be able to save a sum of money.
The warmth of affection may need money to support it, and wealthy relatives may be more popular, but whether rich or poor, family members are still only called relatives.
In real life, earning money is considered the supreme royal way, and everything else becomes an insignificant floating cloud.