Narrator: Huang He Finishing: Summer of Roses
When I was in my third year of junior high school, my parents had to go out to work in order to improve their lives. At that time, many families in our village had built two-story buildings, but our family lived in dilapidated bungalows, my grandmother was sick, and my father borrowed a lot of money.
After my grandmother died, my mother was unwilling to live such a life and wanted to go out and fight hard. My younger brother was only 6 years old at that time, and his parents didn't feel at ease when he was at home, so they took his younger brother to other places, leaving me to live with my grandfather.
Grandpa is a lazy person, usually the biggest hobby is peanuts with a little wine, drink dizzy and fall asleep, wake up and go around the village, or go to his old buddies' house to chat for a while, go home and drink two sips.
Before my parents went to work, they were worried that my grandfather would not be able to take care of me. Grandpa patted his chest and promised to quit drinking, and he would take good care of me and not let me go hungry, but my parents had only been gone for a few days, and my grandfather was completely exposed.
In this way, when I came home from school every day, I was often faced with a cold pot and a cold stove, and I was really hungry and had to eat some snacks to satisfy my hunger. Gradually, I found myself losing a lot of weight and my face became pale. But there are times when I get tired of eating snacks, and I eat instant noodles every morning, and I get hot, my mouth foams, and my nose often bleeds.
I really couldn't help it, so I learned to cook some simple meals on my own. Grandpa can cook, but he is lazy, he saw me learn to cook, just guide me on the side, I learned to fry a few simple dishes, grandpa gave me the job of cooking.
When I got home, I was tired and hungry, and I had to wash and chop vegetables and stir-fry by myself, and after a long time, I didn't bother to get it, so I just dealt with two mouthfuls, or simply went to school hungry.
But at that time, I was more dissatisfied with my grandfather, and I also blamed my parents a little, and I didn't understand why they took my younger brother away and didn't take me away.
My aunt lives in the county seat, and although she is very busy, she comes once a month. That day, as soon as my aunt entered the door, she found that I was slightly yellow and had lost a lot of weight, so she pulled me to sit down and asked me why I had lost so much weight. When she learned that her grandfather refused to cook, she was so angry that she counted her grandfather down, and complained to her parents, blaming them for not going out to work when I was in the third year of junior high school.
My aunt couldn't bear it, so she went to the street to buy eight-treasure porridge and nutrition express to put at home, and also bought a big bag of bread for me to eat in the morning. Before leaving, I went to the kitchen and bought vegetables, cooked the rice and put it in the pot to heat, and I could eat a hot meal when I came home from self-study at night.
Later, my life could only improve on the day my aunt came. Before my high school entrance examination, my aunt came home and heard my grandfather say that my grades had dropped, and I was so anxious that I stomped my feet.
My aunt is a straight person, and she talked to my parents on the phone on the spot, asking them if money was important or my future was important. However, my parents' jobs are just stable, and it will be difficult to find this suitable job after quitting.
My aunt understood my parents' difficulties, so they discussed letting me study in high school in the county and live in her house. She has a nice high school near her house, and it's only a 10-minute bike ride from her house. However, my high school entrance examination score must be at this high school.
To be honest, I was a little apprehensive when I first heard the news. After all, it will be a little uncomfortable to leave the familiar environment and go to a relative's house to borrow. But my aunt's cooking skills are the best among my siblings, and I look forward to it when I think of having a hot meal to eat every day without having to go hungry anymore.
Of course, my parents agreed, they were quite concerned about my study and life, but they were too busy with work to take care of me personally. If they have the help of their aunt, they can rest assured.
My aunt asked me if I wanted to go to live at her house, I nodded, and my aunt said: Then you should study hard and improve your grades. You are a smart baby, my aunt believes that you will definitely be able to pass the exam, I will buy things for you, you can study with confidence, and when the time comes, I will let your uncle drive to pick you up.
With my aunt's encouragement, I was motivated. Before the high school entrance examination, I studied hard at the desk every day, and my grades finally rose from the previous middle to the top three in the class.
Fortunately, I was accepted, and I successfully moved to live with my aunt. My aunt really believed me, my room was repainted, dried for more than three months, and everything was ready. As soon as I arrived at my aunt's house, my aunt took me to the mall to buy a few changes of clothes and shoes, and I didn't have to buy anything.
My aunt's family has two children, a boy and a daughter. My cousin and cousin have already gone to work, and they all have their own things to do, and they don't need to worry about my aunt, so my aunt gave me more care.
My aunt is a hardworking and simple person, and she and her aunt grow fungus in the greenhouse together. Every day before dawn, they have to get up and go to work in the greenhouse, I have to go home for dinner at noon, my aunt sets a time every day, and rushes home to cook when it is time, so that I can eat when I get home, and I will not delay my homework.
I went to school at noon, and my aunt continued to work until it was dark. In summer, the temperature in the greenhouse is as high as forty or fifty degrees, and the heat is unbearable. Every time my aunt came out of the greenhouse, her face was so hot that she was red, and several times she was so hot that she almost suffered from heat stroke, and she was dizzy when she walked.
I felt very distressed in my eyes, so I wanted to help my aunt. But my aunt always said: This work is not tiring, I am old, just rest for a while. Your main task now is to study, and if your academic performance is good, it will be worth it no matter how hard your aunt is.
Although my aunt is busy, she takes care of my life very carefully. In order to make me eat well and study, she would get up before dawn every morning to make me breakfast, sometimes hot steamed buns, sometimes fragrant egg fried rice or shredded pork noodles.
I asked my aunt not to get up so early, I went to the breakfast shop to buy and eat, and my aunt said that the meals made at home were hygienic and not easy to have diarrhea, so I insisted on getting up early to cook.
From school to my aunt's house, I have to go through a small alley, and there are occasional people in the alley who fight fakes. I was riding my bike to and from school, but once someone stopped me and asked me for money, and I beat me if I didn't give it.
I'm honest, but I'm not easy to mess with. I had a fight with the other party, and I didn't want my aunt to worry, so I didn't tell her, but after she found out that I had a wound on my hand, she asked me several times.
No matter how late it was, she would wait for me to come home at the school gate. In winter, when the weather was cold, my aunt was standing in the snow with a scarf and hat and waiting, and when she saw me coming, her eyes were bent into crescents. After a long time, I can always recognize my aunt at a glance from many parents.
My aunt's family is not wealthy, but she is willing to buy me delicious food. She knew that I was studying hard at school and needed to be nourished, so she often bought me milk and fruits. Sometimes she would stew some chicken soup and pork rib soup for me to drink, saying that it would nourish my body. I persuaded her not to spend so much, she said that I am a boy, I am growing my body, I need nutrition, if I can't keep up with nutrition now, I will be in trouble if I don't have a child in the future.
My parents give my aunt living expenses every month, but I know that my aunt spends more than that. After my parents knew, they also made more money for my aunt, but my aunt refused to accept it, she said that it was not easy for my parents to make money, just give some living expenses, and don't need to be so clear.
Under the careful care of my aunt, my face also became rosy. What's more, my academic performance has improved a lot.
My aunt told my parents about my change, my parents were excited, and my aunt was even happier, and they praised me for being a good seedling of their Huang family.
Three years have passed in a flash, and in a blink of an eye, it is time for the college entrance examination. During that time, my aunt was more nervous than me, and she changed her tricks to make me delicious food every day, for fear that my nutrition would not be able to keep up. I also worked harder and didn't want to live up to my aunt's expectations.
It's a pity that I don't know if I was too nervous, or if I put too much pressure on myself, I didn't perform well in the college entrance examination, and I could have been admitted to the university of my choice, but I only got into two books.
At that time, I felt so guilty that I felt sorry for my parents' expectations and for my aunt's care for me over the years. I made up my mind that I must study hard in college, strive to achieve something in the future, and repay my aunt's kindness.
So, I buried my head in books, and in addition to studying, it was a work-study program. At that time, I barely had time to visit my aunt's house, and I didn't even make very many phone calls.
However, I didn't know how to choose a major, so when I was in college, I chose a major that sounded good. Although I tried hard, my grades were not satisfactory. After graduating, I found that there were not many job opportunities in this major, and the salary was not high.
I originally thought that when I made money, I would buy a lot of good things for my aunt and repay her kindness. However, the reality is too cruel for me to accept. Excluding rent, living expenses, and other expenses, I barely save much money every month.
I didn't feel like I had the face to face my aunt, so I didn't go back to see her for seven years after graduation. Whenever my mother mentioned my aunt, I always found an excuse to avoid the topic. I knew my aunt was worried about me, but I just couldn't take that step, and I felt like I didn't have the face to go back.
Later, my mother told me that my aunt cried when she called her to ask about my situation, and she said that she didn't know if I lived in her house before, and what she did not do well, which made me angry, otherwise why I would not go back for so many years. Over the years, she often dreamed of me, and when she thought of me, she wanted to cry.
Hearing this, my heart was sour, and tears almost fell.
My mother thinks that I can't always escape like this, and my aunt has high hopes for me, but she won't blame me if I don't do well in the exam. Whether I'm good or not, it's her nephew, and she'll hurt me. I should go and see her lest she feel guilty.
I think what my mother said makes sense, so I spent 2,000 yuan to buy some things for my aunt and took them back to see her.
When my aunt saw me coming, she cried before she could open her mouth, she took my hand and asked me if I had been doing well over the years, how my work was, and whether I had been wronged. After hearing this, she wiped her tears and comforted me and told me not to get too tired.
I apologized to my aunt and said that it was wrong for me not to come back to see her all these years. My aunt didn't blame me, she said I could come and see, and she was very happy.
Since then, I have visited my aunt several times a year. Every time I went, my aunt would prepare a sumptuous meal and talk to me about work and parents, and I felt like I was back in the days when I lived at my aunt's house.
Now, I've changed jobs and my life is stable. I took my aunt and my mother on a trip in March.
I've figured it out, my aunt treats me well and never asks me for anything in return. If I am doing well, I will let her enjoy more happiness, live in average, go back to see her more, she doesn't care what I buy, as long as I have her in my heart, she is happy.
In fact, between relatives, the return they want is very simple, make a phone call, go back to have a meal with them, and they will be very satisfied.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional, please read sensibly.