Yesterday was my retirement birthday and my aunt and cousins had prepared a special celebration for me.
That night, I wore a red cheongsam to greet my family. The table was filled with a variety of delicacies, including my favourites braised pork and fish-flavored eggplant.
"Auntie, you look a little unhappy, what's wrong?" asked my cousin Li Hui.
"Hey, actually, I've been having some troubles lately. "I ate the food, my brow furrowed.
"What's the matter? Speak up and let us all help you. Cousin Li Hui put down her chopsticks and looked at me with concern.
"Well, after I retired recently, some people approached me as friends, but I found out that they didn't really want to be friends with me, but wanted to take advantage of me.
"What can I do about this?" Aunt Li Yu interjected, "Retirement is a time when it is easy to be taken advantage of, you have to be careful."
"yes, that's what I thought too. So I think, don't treat your playmates as friends after retirement, and do these things well, so as not to be deceived.
Not long ago, a lady named Zhang Yan approached me and said she wanted to be friends with me. At first, I was embarrassed to refuse her, but gradually, she always used the excuse of coming to my house and asked me to invite her to dinner, which made me very unhappy.
"It seems that you really have to be careful, Auntie, you can't get used to such people. Cousin Li Hui persuaded.
"yes, I've got to keep my distance from these people, and don't let their fox friends delay you. Aunt Li Yu also agreed.
"yes, I've got to pay attention. I nodded, knowing this in my heart.
Although I have the care and reminders of my family, I still have some entanglements in my heart. I have to be careful of people who claim to want to be friends with me and not trust them easily.
Just the day after my birthday party, I received a call from an unfamiliar number from a man claiming to be my cousin.
"Hey, hello, I'm Li Wei, I'm your cousin. A deep male voice came from the other end of the line.
"Li Wei, why haven't I heard that there is such a cousin in my family?" I asked, a little confused.
"That's right, I'm your second uncle's son, and we met when we were young. He tried to explain.
My heart suddenly tightened, I am the youngest in this family, when I was a child, there were indeed people in the family who often came to visit the door, but my cousin and cousin really hadn't seen much, and a cousin suddenly appeared at this time, which made me a little confused.
"Ah, that's it...... But why are you calling me now?" I asked, trying to probe.
"That's right, I've been in some trouble lately and need some money to solve, and I want to ask if you can help me.
As soon as I heard it, I understood that this was the legendary "begging cousin", and I couldn't let him take advantage of him.
"Heck, my family has been in a bit of trouble lately, I can't lend you money, you have to solve it yourself. "I tried to make excuses.
"Can't you really help me? Aren't your family quite rich?" he was obviously a little unwilling.
"Haha, some people have a lot of money, some people are short of money, but I can feel your sincerity, but I really can't help you now.
But after hanging up the phone, I was still very entangled. Should I tell my family and ask them to help me analyze the identity of this cousin and whether the request is genuine?
Moreover, I have no brothers and sisters, and my parents died young, so I have been their only daughter since I was a child, and I don't know if my parents have a brother or sister-in-law, and my cousin who suddenly appeared at this age, although I don't remember having such relatives, he can indeed tell me some scenes in my home when I was a child, which makes me hesitate.
I'll have to talk to my family to see what the hell is going on with this cousin. But I'm also worried that if this person is really a liar, it will cause problems for our family.
With the approach of his cousin Li Jian's wedding, the family has also become lively. Everyone was busy with the wedding, and I was preparing my cousin's gift.
"Hey, hello, I'm your cousin Li Jian's fiancée, I heard that you are going to prepare a gift for him, I have an idea......" A female voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Oh, hello...... This one...... I'm not ready, by the way, who are you?" I asked, hesitantly.
"This ...... I also need to think about it. "I didn't give a positive answer. Hanging up, I was lost in thought.
When I returned home and saw my son, my original joy was instantly filled with a trace of unease. My son, with a serious look, told me something I didn't expect—he was going to separate from me.
"Mom, I've always felt that our house should be mine. Although you and Dad have supported me for so many years, this is what I deserve.
I couldn't believe my ears, what was a harmonious and happy birthday celebration just now turned into a family dispute that completely broke down.
"Son, this house was saved by your father and me bit by bit, and it is also the place where we spent our lives supporting you to grow up.
This decision left me in a deep conflict. I can't ignore my son's thoughts, but as a mother, why don't I see everything in the house as love for my child, and what can I do to face it?