My surname is Li, I am 64 years old this year, I worked in a cotton yarn factory in the county seat when I was young, and now I have a pension of more than 3,000 yuan a month.
My wife and I retired and returned to our hometown in the countryside, where she was responsible for growing and selling vegetables, while I enjoyed playing chess and walking my dog every day. The pace of life in the countryside is very slow, getting up at six o'clock in the morning, walking around the village with the dog, and going home for breakfast. My wife chatted with the neighbors, and I went to play chess with the old guys. At noon, I went home to cook and eat, and lived a very comfortable life.
Our house in the countryside is quite spacious, with a total of more than 300 square meters up and down, and a wide yard. I often tell my wife that there are no such conditions in the city, and that living in a building is like being trapped. It's still comfortable to live in the countryside, the house is big, and the air is good.
My wife said, you haven't lived in the city, so don't talk nonsense. Aunt Wang, who lives at her son's house last month, said that there are square dancers in the city every night, and the lights are bright everywhere. She said that when we arrived at night, it was pitch black and even the dogs couldn't see it.
As soon as I heard my wife mention Aunt Wang next door, I knew that she was actually complaining in her heart that her son didn't invite us to live in the city. My son also called ** when I thought about this and invited us to his house for the holidays.
My wife was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth, and immediately put down the work in her hand and began to pack up her things. I'm very calm, just go for a few days, what's so exciting, I'm just as happy as I am in ** pension.
My wife packed a lot of things, and the long beans, loofahs, gourds, and peppers she grew at home were packed in a basket full of them. I advised her not to bring so much, they were sold in the city. My wife said that this is our mind, and it is someone else's business to buy it. Although rural people don't have any good things, at least these self-grown ones are healthy and pollution-free.
The next day, we took a ride to the city and went to my son's house. The son and daughter-in-law were very welcoming and prepared a large table of dishes early. I looked at the menu, there were thirteen spiced lobster, braised yellow eel, Dongpo meat, etc., all of which I like to eat. My son also took out the wine given by his colleague and drank it with me.
I was picking my teeth on the couch when my daughter-in-law took out a thermos from the kitchen and filled the leftovers on the table into the thermos. I'm a little confused, who is this going to deliver food to?
Daughter-in-law, who are you going to send food to? I asked.
She smiled and replied, "I'm going to bring food to my dad, and there is no cafeteria where he works." I turned to my son and was even more puzzled, because I remembered that my father-in-law had retired a long time ago, so why was he still working?
When my son got married, I knew that my father-in-law worked in a motor factory, and he said that he would retire in two years. The grandson is already 6 years old, he should have retired a long time ago!
My own monthly pension is only more than 3,000, and my wife's pension is only more than 1,000, which adds up to more than 4,000 is barely enough for the two of us. In the countryside, the cost of living is not high, we grow vegetables to eat, and the fish and meat we buy are also very cheap, and the monthly expenses are not large.
My father-in-law really can't be idle, I don't want to enjoy happiness at all, even if I have to go to work on a hot day, aren't you afraid of heat stroke?
After my daughter-in-law went out with food, I watched her ride away from the balcony and couldn't help but ask my son, "Didn't your father retire a long time ago?" Why did he still go to work? "At such an age, you should enjoy your retirement, so why bother?
The son sighed: "Dad, I just said you can't count on it!" My husband goes to work not for himself, but for us. Last year, I lost 200,000 yuan in business and borrowed money from you, but you said that there was no money, and the pension of more than 4,000 yuan a month could not help me. Later, my father-in-law lent me 200,000 yuan, which solved my urgent need. ”
I was shocked when I heard this, how could my father-in-law have so much money? Can you come up with 200,000 at once? It was unexpected. I feel a little embarrassed, although my wife and I don't have a high cost of living in the countryside, but we can't save any money in a year, and there are many people in the countryside, often have medical expenses and other expenses, and the money in my pocket has long been spent, so my son borrowed money from me, I really can't take it out.
The son has such respect for his father-in-law, it turns out that there is such a reason.
The next day, when the meal was ready, I urged my daughter-in-law to quickly pack up her father-in-law's meal while everyone had not yet moved their chopsticks. The daughter-in-law smiled and said, "It's okay Dad, you can eat first, I will arrange my father-in-law's meal later, he won't mind." ”
These words made me even more empty-hearted. Yesterday, when I arrived at my son's house, I saw a table full of delicious food, I only cared about myself, and even ate all the Dongpo meat, and in the end I left some leftovers for my father-in-law, which really made me feel guilty. And my daughter-in-law's thoughtfulness made me grateful, and she didn't blame me, but said that she didn't do it enough.
I glanced at my wife, who stood up and brought a clean bowl and poured out some of the untouched food for her father-in-law. I said to my daughter-in-law, "It's the Dragon Boat Festival, why don't you invite your father-in-law to share the joy of our reunion?" ”
The daughter-in-law shook her head: "He is working time now, and he has three times his salary for overtime on holidays, so he is reluctant to ask for leave." It's okay, we'll just eat it ourselves, and we'll have a chance to ask him out later. "My daughter-in-law's words made me even more uneasy, my father-in-law didn't even want to let go of the festival, and worked tirelessly to support the family, but I only cared about my own enjoyment, and I was ashamed to complain that my son didn't take me over to live.
On the third day, my daughter-in-law was about to go out to deliver food, and I offered to go with me to visit my father-in-law by the way, so I followed my daughter-in-law to his place of work.
On the way, my daughter-in-law told me that my father-in-law now works for a logistics company and is responsible for sorting couriers. Every day from 7 in the morning and 7 in the evening, there is only one hour of rest at noon. Since he is retired and re-employed, he has no lunch allowance and can only bring some simple food by himself. The poor father-in-law felt that eating outside was too expensive, so he had to carry some steamed buns and pickles with him to barely fill his stomach. The daughter-in-law was very distressed when she learned about it and offered to bring him food.
Sorting deliveries may not sound too hard, but after seeing him at work, I realized I was wrong. He is over sixty years old, bending over to carry the express non-stop, and he has to check the face sheet all the time, and if he is not careful, he will make mistakes. And there was no air conditioning in the warehouse, only a few swinging fans, which could not relieve the heat at all.
My father-in-law was sweating profusely, and the sweat kept flowing down his temples, so hot that his face turned red. At this time, it should be lunch time, and the other colleagues have gone to get lunch, but my father-in-law sits on the ground casually, drinking water and fanning the wind with his hat. Seeing us coming, he hurriedly stood up and shook my hand warmly.
When I first met my in-laws a few years ago, he came across as a leader. He was a few years younger than me, but he had a calm temperament, neat hair, and spotless dress, giving him a sense of nobility. When I spoke to him, I couldn't help but feel a little reserved, as if I were facing an authority figure.
However, now looking at his father-in-law, he is no longer what he was at the beginning, and has become an ordinary migrant worker. Swarthy and covered in dust, he was very different from his previous image.
When the daughter-in-law brought the meal, the father-in-law squatted on the ground unceremoniously and ate quickly, as if time was waiting for no one, and he didn't want to waste a minute or a second.
I was worried that I would disturb my father-in-law's lunch break, so I said goodbye to him after a few simple greetings. But he said that when he finished his work tomorrow, he would be free in the evening, and he asked me to have a drink. I hurriedly agreed.
On the way home, I fell silent. Compared to my father-in-law, I feel that my pattern is too small. After I retired, I only cared about my own leisurely life, and I couldn't even help my son in trouble. And the father-in-law can not only easily take out 200,000 yuan, but also work diligently every day to engage in manual labor.
I asked my daughter-in-law, "How long has my father-in-law been doing this job?" She replied: "His father used to work on a construction site and was fired because of his age. But my father-in-law didn't want to be idle, and through a friend's introduction, I came to work in this logistics park, and it has been almost two years now. ”
I then asked, "How much does my father-in-law earn a month?" The daughter-in-law said without concealment: "If you work overtime, you can easily reach six or seven thousand a month, and basically stabilize at about five thousand." Combined with his own pension, it is less than ten thousand a month. ”
My father-in-law is really amazing, and I can't help but envy him. The daughter-in-law then explained: "Actually, I don't want him to continue working like this this year, but he doesn't want to. He felt that being idle was also idle, and it was better to do something to contribute to society. Don't look at him like he is now, in fact, he has a little savings, and he has saved 500,000 yuan, even if he no longer works, it is enough to support his retirement. ”
I was surprised again when I heard my daughter-in-law's words. My father-in-law actually has 500,000 savings, how did he do this? Even though I never retired, I haven't saved that much money over the years.
I got home and was so excited that I had a private conversation with my wife: "Honey, we're too short-sighted, you know? My father-in-law actually had a deposit of 500,000 yuan and lent 200,000 yuan to our son. ”
My wife was also surprised when she heard this, because her father-in-law didn't look like a rich man. I immediately couldn't sit still, so I pulled my wife and decided to go home immediately. Although my son wanted us to stay longer, I insisted on going back because there was still a vegetable patch to look after. Before leaving, my son gave me 2,000 yuan, but I politely declined. I am not obligated to subsidize them, and I am embarrassed to accept their money anymore, and their lives are not easy.
Since then, I have never mentioned the matter of asking my son to provide for his old age. I decided to seize the time when I still have the ability to look for opportunities to make money. Do you have any good advice?