My cousin, a former deputy director-level cadre, is now squatting on the side of the road selling vegetables, and he said, "We are all poor people."
I am He Fengshan, over 60 years old, who worked silently in a steel mill, just an ordinary workshop worker. In August last year, I reached retirement age, and the pension I received was only more than 2,300 yuan per month.
My cousin, Zhang Baohua, is my aunt's son. My aunt married in a neighboring village and soon gave birth to a cousin, who I was two years younger than.
My cousin has been bright since he was a child and has excelled in his studies. He was successfully admitted to the technical secondary school and became the envy of everyone. After graduating, he was assigned to work in our countryside as an agricultural technician. Subsequently, my cousin was transferred to the county agricultural bureau, and after hard work, he was promoted to section chief, and finally promoted to deputy director-level cadre.
I remember that year, my cousin had just retired, and my family went to the city to celebrate my aunt's birthday. Since his cousin was transferred to work in the city, he took his parents to live in the city and took care of his aunt's daily life. After my cousin retired, his monthly pension reached more than 8,400 yuan, compared to my pension of only one-third of his.
My family's financial situation is more difficult, and my wife is a housewife with no stable income. After graduating, her daughter became a supermarket cashier with a low salary, and her son-in-law was a factory driver, with a hard job and an unstable income. The daughter's parents, both farmers, are old but still toiling in the fields to make a living.
However, last year, his son-in-law lost his ability to work due to a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, causing his daughter to quit her job and concentrate on taking care of him. Their son is studying in a university away from home and needs 2,000 yuan a month for living expenses, which brings a greater burden to our family's finances.
I tried my best to make money, and even tried to sell toys on the streets, but with little success, and life was still difficult.
Despite this, I always have a sense of gratitude in my heart, because my grandson's care and blessings make me feel warm, and although life is difficult, the support and love of my family is the motivation for me to move forward. 
I have a former colleague who has always had a good relationship when we worked on the workshop. One day, I bumped into him on the street, and we started talking, and I told him all about my current predicament.
He sympathized with me and said, "If you want to find a job, I can help you figure it out." My son works in the city and is the manager of a company, I can see if there is a suitable job for you in their unit. ”
I thanked him very much and repeatedly told me to contact his son as soon as possible. For me, having a job is crucial.
Two days later, I received a ** from a colleague, who told me that his son had helped me find a job as a janitor, working 24 days a month, with a monthly salary of 2,800 yuan, including food and lodging. He said that if I was willing to accept, I could contact his son directly.
After getting my colleague's son's **, I couldn't wait to call him **.
His son was polite and called me uncle.
He said that there was a shortage of guards in their unit, and that if I wanted to, I could go to the city to find him.
That afternoon, I took the shuttle bus to the city and met my colleague's son. Under his arrangement, I officially started work the next day.
After going to work, I called my wife a ** and told her that I had found a job and everything was fine, so that she should not worry too much.
My wife choked up a little, and she said, "You are retired, you should enjoy your old age, but you still have to go out to work, it's really hard for you." When you are alone outside, you have to take good care of yourself, don't be reluctant to eat and drink, and your health is the most important thing. ”
I comforted my wife and promised to take care of herself.
After hanging up**, my eyes were also a little moist, and my wife's words made me feel emotional. She was putting it mildly, but I knew she was worried.
There was also an old man, also a janitor, who was from the countryside. He had a son, who started his own business and earned a lot of money. He came out to work, not to earn money, but for recreation.
This old man's surname is Zhou, and he is a good person for whom I am very grateful.
On the third day after I retired, I received a ** from my grandson. He was a little hesitant and didn't say anything, just that he missed me and nothing else. But from his tone, I could tell that he was trying to ask me for money, but he was too embarrassed to speak.
I asked my grandson, "You don't have any living expenses, do you?" Don't worry, grandpa will turn you around right away. ”
After putting down the **, I had a headache. I don't have any extra money, so what can I give to my grandson?
The old man surnamed Zhou saw my frowns and guessed that I was troubled, so he asked me, "Lao He, are you short of money?" I have it on hand, how much do you need? ”
The old man surnamed Zhou lent me 2,000 yuan before I could transfer money to my grandson. Later, the old man lent me money twice, and I could not repay him.
Three days ago, when it was my turn to rest, I felt bored and went out for a walk. Before I knew it, I came to the vegetable market, walked around there, and prepared to go back to the unit.
When I walked to the east gate of the vegetable market, I inadvertently saw an old man squatting on the side of the road selling vegetables, somewhat like my cousin.
I thought I was dazzled.
I walked over, came to the old man, and called out my cousin's name. The old man looked up, and I was sure that I was not mistaken, the old man squatting on the side of the road selling vegetables was indeed my cousin.
We were all surprised and a little surprised.
My cousin took out an old book, put it on the ground, and asked me to sit down. I sat down with him and started chatting about what's going on.
When I told my cousin about my current situation, he sighed and said, "We are all poor people, and it is really hard to run around for our children after retirement." ”
He recounted his situation, it turned out that his son and daughter-in-law worked in Shanghai and bought a big house, but they didn't have so much money on hand, so they had to reach out to him. He gave them all his savings and made money selling vegetables to help them pay off their mortgage.
"Most of our pension is used to help our children," he said. The more money I earn, the less pressure my son and daughter-in-law will have. It's the same with you, we're all working hard for the happiness of our children. ”
After listening to my cousin's words, I felt a lot of emotion in my heart. Yes, how many old people are not running around and working hard for their children?
After chatting with my cousin for a while, I said goodbye to him and prepared to go back to work.
When parting, my cousin said, "When you are free, come to my house, your aunt misses you very much." ”
I promised my cousin that I would go to his house when I had time to see my aunt. She is in her 80s and has seen one side less.
Walking out a short distance, I looked back and saw that my cousin was still squatting on the side of the road selling vegetables. Recalling his phrase "We are all poor people", I could not calm down.
Are we poor people? Everything we do for the sake of our children is worthwhile, something we should be proud of. We're all happy people!