An eighty-year-old man asked me, "Pension?" What does retirement look like?
Today, I went to the countryside to visit the elderly in the village, and one of them, a grandmother who is over 80 years old, made me think deeply. When I approached her house, I greeted her warmly: "Grandma Gao, how are you doing in retirement?" She looked at me with a smile on her face, but she asked me a question that went straight to the heart: "Child, what exactly do you mean by providing for the elderly?" What does it look like? ”
Friends, how would you answer Grandma Gao's questions? I was stunned on the spot, speechless. Grandma Gao's life is not rich, she has no pension and no pension. Her wife has long since passed away, her only son is working outside the home, and her daughter-in-law has also left them. Grandma Gao and a mentally handicapped granddaughter depend on each other, working day in and day out in the fields.
Every morning, Grandma Gao would take her granddaughter to work in the fields. At noon, they go home and cook a simple meal. In the afternoon, I went out again and was busy until six or seven o'clock in the evening before finishing the day's work. Back at home, Grandma Gao still has to take care of dinner. Such days, year after year, for Grandma Gao, the retirement life that the city population talks about is so strange and unattainable to her.
When I deeply felt Grandma Gao's rhetorical question, my nose couldn't help but sour, and tears rolled in my eyes. Her life is hard but resilient, and for her, life is all about fighting against fate, protecting her granddaughter and trying to make ends meet.
Grandma Gao, a strong and loving old man, is not concerned about herself, but about her mentally deficient granddaughter. She is like a majestic mountain, standing upright, just to guard the growth of her granddaughter. She knows that she must be strong and bring her granddaughter up, maybe she will be lucky enough to marry a good family and seek a better future for her granddaughter. If she dies prematurely, the fate of her granddaughter will be unimaginable.
Grandma Gao's son works outside all the year round, and although the living conditions are average, he still has filial piety and often sends back some money. These meager incomes, as well as Grandma Gao's hard work, the old-age allowance and the special hardship allowance issued by the grandmother, have become the support of their lives. Every day, Grandma Gao spent her days carefully and did not let herself fall.
Talking about the hard work of labor, Grandma Gao always replied with a smile: "I'm not tired, as long as my son can still remember me outside, as long as he still thinks that I and his daughter will depend on each other, no matter how tired it is, it's worth it." In her eyes, her granddaughter is the most pitiful child in the world, and if the family is tired, how will the child deal with herself?
When asked about her future wishes, Grandma Gao still smiled and said, "I just want to live a few more years and accompany my granddaughter to grow up a little longer." Sometimes I feel sad and helpless, but since fate has arranged it this way, I have to stand strong. The more I live, the more hope my granddaughter has. If I leave and my son takes his granddaughter with me, then I will have harmed two generations. Who would want to marry my son? ”
I am not a lonely sailor in this warm village, I have many enthusiastic neighbors. They would always lend a helping hand when I couldn't do it, and sometimes they would whisper that if I did leave one day, they would not leave my granddaughter alone. Her voice was full of firmness and warmth.
When Grandma Gao talked about her son, her voice began to tremble. She looked forward to her son's return, his smile and affectionate hug. She knew that her son was far away from home because he was burdened with a lot of helplessness, but his heart must also be concerned about this family. Grandma Gao will be strong and wait for him to return, and hand over this home and the child to him. That longing and love for my son deeply infected me.
The moment I said goodbye to Grandma Gao, my heart was like a knife. Looking at her increasingly bent back, feeling her tenacious and unyielding spirit, and thinking back to the weight she silently endured and her uncomplaining efforts, my heart is full of respect.
Son who is far away, can you understand the bitterness of your mother? Seeing your mother in your dreams? Hear the deep call of your mother? May this deep longing be transmitted to your heart across thousands of mountains and rivers. Let's pray together for Grandma Gao and her son, and may they be reunited soon and share the joy of family.
Grandma Gao's story is like a touching poem, telling the greatness and tenacity of mother's love. She uses her actions to interpret what it means to be "a mother is strong", she is not only the guardian of her granddaughter, but also the brave of life. May Grandma Gao's strength and love touch more people and fill the world with warmth and hope. February** Dynamic Incentive Program