Middle-aged couple Li Jing and Wang Fen have entered the threshold of retirement life, which should be a golden period for each other to enjoy family fun. However, they never thought that in a dull afternoon, their concept of life had a subtle change.
Since their retirement, they have begun to focus more on their family's expenses. Li Jing is a budget-conscious person, and he believes that after retirement, there is no stable source of income, and he should be more budget-conscious.
After dinner that day, Li Jing suddenly put forward an idea: "Fenfen, after we retire, should we be AA system, after all, our son is also older, we don't need to worry about him anymore, how about our living expenses?" He carefully observed his wife's reaction.
Wang Fen was slightly stunned, she didn't expect Li Jing to have such an idea, they have been married for many years, and the two have always been jointly controlling the family finances. Wang Fen's heart was mixed, but she knew that Li Jing must have made a lot of determination when she made this suggestion, so in order not to hurt his self-esteem, she had to smile reluctantly, "Jingjing, do you distrust me so much?" But since you put it forward, let's do it according to your ideas." ”
Li Jing saw that Wang Fen was a little reluctant, and hurriedly explained: "Fenfen, it's not that I don't trust you, but I think that now that we are all retired and our financial resources have decreased, this is also to better manage our pension and make our lives more planned." ”
Wang Fen was silent for a while, trying her best to make her tone sound relaxed: "Okay, then let's start implementing it tomorrow." The cost of tonight's meal will be paid for by you. She said in a playful tone, trying to temper the awkwardness.
The two calculated that from then on, the water and electricity bills, food money, daily necessities, and even the cost of traveling were strictly implemented in accordance with the AA system. However, there are always unsatisfactory places in life, many daily small things have become a little awkward, Li Jing always goes to the supermarket alone, and when Wang Fen goes to the vegetable market alone, he no longer thinks about Li Jing's favorite dishes as before.
"Jing, you see this fan is broken, I checked it, and the repair cost is 100 yuan. Wang Fen suddenly mentioned it one day.
"Then let's give 50 yuan each. Li Jing said without thinking.
Wang Fen smiled, habitually took out 50 yuan from his wallet and handed it to Li Jing, but there was a trace of loss in his heart. In the past, there was no need to care about who paid for such a trivial matter, but now it needs to be deliberately shared, and she feels that she and Li Jing seem to be slowly distancing.
Such episodes gradually increased, and the husband and wife began to dispute over some small money. Although Li Jing is aware, deep down, he always feels that this kind of management is more scientific and reasonable.
Until one day, a small forgetting made Li Jing begin to re-examine the consequences of this accustomed AA system.
Since that night, the life of the two has been like embarking on an unexpected track. At first, Li Jing would occasionally ask Wang Fen what he thought with a little guilt, but every time Wang Fen always smiled and shook his head, as if he was fine.
However, life will always inadvertently crush the daily peace. No, one weekend morning, Li Jing ate the noodles cooked by Wang Fen and couldn't help asking, "Why are these noodles so hard, is it expired?"
Wang Fen was stunned for a moment and replied: "Oh, it should be the discounted noodles I bought after the two of us separated, which may not be so fresh." ”
Li Jing frowned, and muttered dissatisfiedly: "The quality of discounted things is sometimes not good. ”
Wang Fen sighed softly after hearing this, but did not respond. Such a trivial matter, which was not at all surprising before, now makes the atmosphere subtle.
As the days passed, the small frictions in life gradually increased. In the blink of an eye, summer went to autumn, Wang Fen's retired friend asked her to go on a trip, and she came to discuss with Li Jing in high spirits.
"Jingjing, Uncle Zhu and Aunt Chen are planning to travel to Guilin this month, and they asked me if I would like to go, let's go together. Wang Fen looked forward to it.
Li Jing was noncommittal, "I have already planned this month's money, and it costs a lot of money to travel, if you go, even if I owe you, I will pay you back next month." ”
Wang Fen was a little disappointed, but still agreed: "Okay, I'll go, come back and tell you if it's fun." ”
Wang Fen, who returned from the trip, looked very happy and obviously had a good time. But when she described the itinerary to Li Jing, Li Jing's face was not as excited as hers, and he always calculated in his heart what he would have to spend less to make up for this 'hole' in the coming month.
It was late autumn, and the two took their grandson to a nearby park together. When the grandson saw the balloon seller, he pulled Wang Fen to jump up and ask for it. Li Jing hurriedly said, "Hey girl, remember that this balloon is your money." ”
Wang Fen smiled and bought it for her grandson, but there was a bit of indescribable loneliness in her eyes when she looked back. She thought, maybe Li Jing didn't realize that such an AA system is not just a matter of money, it slowly builds a wall of isolation in her heart.
Soon, Li Jing ushered in his birthday. On weekdays, Wang Fen always prepares a big meal carefully, but this year, Wang Fen just made a few small dishes, when Li Jing asked why it was so simple, Wang Fen replied with a smile, "Jingjing, now it's the AA system, I made these according to my budget, I hope you don't dislike it." ”
Li Jing was a little embarrassed, he didn't expect Wang Fen to be so serious. The atmosphere at the table was a little silent, Li Jing tasted the food, and suddenly said: "Fenfen, the dishes are still delicious from you, this AA system, we..."
"Let's keep going, it's already started after all. Wang Fen interrupted him with a slight smile. Li Jing looked at Wang Fen and suddenly felt that his insistence seemed a little ridiculous.
Wang Fen knew what Li Jing might be thinking in her heart, and she also understood that this system made him feel very reasonable, but as time passed, she clearly felt the increasingly obvious distance between the two. Small frictions are like silent raindrops, slowly wetting the originally warm heart.
Facing the upcoming National Day, Wang Fen is actually looking forward to the warmth of a family reunion, but she doesn't know what kind of changes will happen to the National Day family banquet under this AA system.
The National Day has finally arrived, and every family is immersed in the joy of the festival and the atmosphere of reunion. Li Jing and Wang Fen's family was also busy in the morning, and the two originally agreed to prepare some dishes for each to complete the family banquet together.
However, in the midst of his busyness, Li Jing suddenly realized that he had forgotten to go to the market to buy meat. The preparations for the family banquet were disrupted, and he said to Wang Fen in a panic: "Fenfen, I may... I forgot to buy meat. ”
Wang Fen stopped what he was doing and looked at Li Jing in surprise: "Forgot? I said that I was going to make braised pork today, how could you forget?"
Li Jing touched his nose embarrassedly, "Maybe I thought too much about it last night and forgot about it for a while." ”
Wang Fen sighed, but still smiled and said, "Okay, then you can go to the market now, it's still too late." ”
Li Jing hurriedly put on his shoes and went out, and the crowd in the market made him sigh at the excitement of the festival. He hurriedly bought the meat and hurried back.
When she got home, Wang Fen was already sweating profusely. Seeing Li Jing come back, she asked, "Have you bought it?"
Li Jing nodded, "I've bought it, let's start making it quickly." ”
The two began to get busy, and after a while, their son's family also came. As soon as the grandson entered the door, he smelled the smell of food and happily ran around the kitchen.
The son looked at the busy two and teased with a smile: "Dad, Mom, why are you still busy? If you had prepared earlier, wouldn't it be easier now?"
Li Jing glanced at Wang Fen, and felt a little unhappy. Wang Fen just smiled and didn't say much.
Finally, when all the dishes were laid out and the whole family sat down around the table, the little grandson danced and shouted, "Shall we start eating?"
The laughter of his family gradually drowned out Li Jing's inner uneasiness, but when he saw the table full of dishes and Wang Fen smiling and pouring wine, his heart was suddenly touched by something soft.
Wang Fen noticed Li Jing's gaze and asked softly, "Jingjing, what's wrong with you?"
Li Jing shook his head, with an indescribable mood in his eyes: "Fenfen, I... I was so confused this morning. ”
"Forget it, it's not a big deal. Wang Fen smiled and patted his hands, "Today is the National Day, and family reunion is the most important thing." ”
Li Jing felt something clearly in his heart, he looked at the happy scene of the family, recalled the AA life since this time, and felt some regret in his heart. Li Jing realized that everything about the holiday banquet silently showed how lacking warmth his ideas were.
At the end of the family banquet, Li Jing silently helped Wang Fen wash the dishes in the kitchen, and there were no more unnecessary words. Wang Fen looked at him, knowing that he was touched in his heart, and the eyes of the two met with an indescribable understanding.
The afterglow of the National Day has not yet dissipated, but Li Jing's mood is getting heavier and heavier. He looked at Wang Fen's busy back, and suddenly felt a little selfish. That night, tossing and turning in bed, Li Jing, who was full of thoughts, finally found the courage to speak.
"Fenfen, do you think it's right for us to live like this?" asked Li Jing cautiously.
Wang Fen turned around, her eyes gentle and serious, "What's the matter, Jingjing, what do you want to say?"
Li Jing sighed and said frankly: "I think the previous AA system has added a lot of unnecessary friction between us, although it was to better manage the pension at the beginning, but now that I think about it, it seems that compared to the harmony of the family... It doesn't seem to matter that much. ”
Wang Fen smiled slightly and held his hand, "Jingjing, I'm very happy that you can realize this." Indeed, during this time, I also felt that we were all losing more happiness for that little money. ”
Li Jing was concerned, "That... Will we still insist on the AA system in the future?"
"No, Jingjing. Wang Fen shook her head, "We have gone through so many years together, isn't it more evident that our relationship is firmer when we face difficulties together?"
Li Jing was relieved when he heard this. In the days that followed, they never mentioned AA again, but discussed every expense and family matter together as before. Life has once again returned to the old way of supporting each other and discussing together.
Li Jing began to take the initiative to take the initiative to buy a new TV set for his family, and he felt that giving the best to his family was more important than anything else. Wang Fen no longer sets up her own "small treasury" as before, whenever Li Jing is in difficulty, she is always the first to stand up and is willing to share the burden.
The grandson happily circled around the grandparents when they saw that their grandparents had regained their old intimacy and harmony. "Grandparents, why do you suddenly seem to be happier?"
Li Jing and Wang Fen looked at each other and smiled, Wang Fen bent down and hugged his grandson: "Because grandparents understand that the happiness of the family is more important than anything else." ”
Home is a harbor of warmth and harmony, money is important, but it can never compare to the tacit understanding and warmth between family members. Li Jing hugged Wang Fen beside him again, his eyes full of happiness. Perhaps, this is the ordinary and real happiness they are pursuing.
In this warm atmosphere, Li Jing slowly spoke, "Fenfen, if we realized all this earlier, did we miss too much?"