"Mom, are you serious?" I looked at my mother in amazement, unable to believe what she had just said.
"Of course I'm serious. Either your sons take turns taking care of me, or you send me to a nursing home, don't!" Mother said firmly.
A wave of melancholy welled up in me. My mother is over eighty years old and cannot take care of herself. As an only child, I have been working in the city and rarely return to my hometown to take care of her. I have three older brothers, but they each have their own families and careers, and none of them can take care of their mother. Our children left their mother alone for the rest of their lives in that remote village.
The mother's old face looked particularly vicissitudes in the dim light. Her hands were wrinkled, like taut old clam shells. Her eyes had lost their luster with age, but now they were looking at me as sharp as two sharp swords.
"Sister, what do you say?" My eldest brother broke the silence in the room, "Mom is so old, we can't always leave her in the old house." "
"But we all have our own lives and careers, how can we have so much time to take care of our mother?" The second brother frowned and said, "Otherwise, we would better take my mother to the nursing home in the city." "
"Living in a nursing home?!" The mother's voice suddenly raised, "I'd rather stay at home and wait for death than go to that kind of place!"
However, after all, mothers are our own flesh and blood, the source of our children's lives. She has worked hard to bring us up, and we should do our part to repay her for her nurturing kindness. But what exactly should we do? Our sons and daughters have many family and career ties, and it is difficult to reach an agreement.
Just when I was deep in thought, the third brother suddenly spoke: "It's better to be like this, a few of us take turns to take care of my mother, each of us stays at home with my mother for a week every month, and my mother rests at home for the rest of the time." In this way, it will not affect our lives, and we can let my mother live at home, the best of both worlds, right?"
After the third brother finished speaking, the room was silent. We all turned our eyes to our mother and waited for her reaction. The mother's hands were tightly twisted together, and her brows were deeply furrowed, as if she was weighing the third brother's proposal.
"Okay, so be it. After a long time, the mother finally spoke, but there was still a hint of reluctance in her tone. She lowered her eyes and couldn't make out her expression, but I could imagine the disappointment and sadness in her heart for us.
My heart suddenly felt like something hard had hit me. As my mother's only daughter, I should serve my mother with the greatest filial piety, and not let her suffer such grievances in her old age. But what can I do? I have my own family and business in the city, and it's really hard to take care of my mother.
I gritted my teeth and said to my mother, "Mom, I'm sorry that we have been very neglectful and cold to you. But from now on, we will definitely do our best to serve you well, and we will never let you suffer a little more grievance. "
The mother did not speak, but nodded slightly, her eyes darkened. My heart was stung again, and my eyes moistened.
"Mom, how are you doing?" I asked with concern.
"It's okay, you kids are busy with your own careers, how can you have time to come and see me?" There was a hint of resentment in the mother's tone.
"I'm sorry Mom, we will definitely do our filial piety in the future. I said sadly, "If you have any needs, just ask, and we will do our best." "
"Which of you will take care of me first?" Mother asked.
"I'll do it first. Without hesitation, I replied, "You will let me stay here with you for a month, and then my brothers will take turns to replace me." "
"Well, then please. Mother sighed and softened a little.
Looking at my mother's slightly tired face, my heart was mixed. As an only child, I was supposed to be the most considerate and caring mother of all, but I left her to dry for years and let her spend the last years of her life alone in this small remote village.
I began to reflect on what I had done. In order to pursue my ideals, I left my hometown without hesitation and went to the big city to work hard. At first, I would often come back to visit my mother, but as my career progressed and my family was established, I gradually became less and less attached to my family. I was so immersed in city life that I left my mother behind completely.
It wasn't until now, when my mother made the desperate choice of "either let me live in a nursing home, or you take care of me", that I realized that my indifference and neglect to my mother had reached a point where I could not have done more. A biological mother who once tried her best to raise me is now abandoned by our children in a dark and damp old house, leaving her to die alone.
Have we really fulfilled our filial duties as children? How hard did our mother pull us up? And now we have completely left her behind and allowed her to be treated like this in her old age. A strong sense of guilt and self-blame came over me, and my eyes moistened.
From now on, I must be filial to my mother and repay her for her nurturing kindness. Even if it is necessary to sacrifice my career and family, I will not hesitate to do it.
I looked at my mother's old face, her eyes were dull and her hands were wrinkled. Her body was already so weak that she could not do even simple household chores. My heart hurts like a sword.
"Mom, you don't have to worry about housework in the future, everything is on me. As I spoke, I hurried over and helped my mother to sit down on the couch.
"I'm really bothering you. Mother waved her hand weakly.
And just like that, I started taking care of my mother in my hometown. A month passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was time for my eldest brother to take over from me.
"Sister, you've worked hard this month. "On the day my eldest brother came, my mother was sitting in the yard basking in the sun.
"Yes, my mother has worked hard for us all her life, and we should be filial to her now. I laughed.
"yes, it's just that we realized it too late. The eldest brother sighed and looked at his mother's back, his eyes complicated.
At this moment, the mother suddenly spoke: "You are not young anymore, and you are still so stubborn. At my age, why do you need to worry about taking care of me like this? "
"Mom, don't carry it yourself, let's serve you well. I hurriedly stepped forward and said.
"Serve me, can you do it?" The mother's expression suddenly changed, and her eyes became sharp and powerful, "You children, none of you have ever fulfilled your filial piety since you were a child! I have worked hard to pull you up, but you have left me in this remote village, leaving me alone to spend the last years of my life!"
My mother's sudden questioning hit me like a hammer in my heart. She is right, from childhood to adulthood, which of us children has fulfilled our due filial piety? We are all immersed in our own lives and careers, leaving our mothers behind.
A strong sense of guilt and self-blame arises. How hard did it take for Mother to bring us up, and we left her alone in this dark and damp old house. We owe so much to our mother.
When the mother had said this, she staggered to her feet and was about to return to the house. I hurriedly stepped forward to help, but she pushed me away.
"Mom, just listen to us. I said anxiously, "We will definitely serve you well with all our hearts." "
"Can you do it?" The mother's eyes were full of suspicion and distrust, "Can you pull me up as hard as you did back then?"
I was so choked by my mother's questioning that I couldn't speak. Yes, which of our children has ever done his best to raise his children as his mother did back then? We just passively accept the grace of our mother's nurturing, but we have never really experienced the hardships of our mother.
Just when I was confused, my eldest brother patted me on the shoulder and said solemnly: "Sister, from today on, we must use practical actions to be filial to our mother and repay her for her nurturing kindness." If you don't achieve your goal, you won't give up!"
From that day on, my brothers and I began to be filial to our mother. My eldest brother started to stay at home with my mother, and I returned to the city to work.
"Mom, you can rest at home, just tell me anything. The eldest brother said to his mother intimately.
"Well, got it. Mother nodded, but there was still suspicion in her eyes.
"That's a lot of hard work. Mother sighed.
"What about the hard work? You tried so hard to pull us up!" The second brother said sincerely.
The mother didn't speak, just nodded slightly.
Watching my brothers serve their mother more diligently every month makes my heart feel warmer. As children, we have finally begun to do our due filial piety and repay our mother's nurturing grace.
However, there was still a hint of doubt and distrust in the mother's expression. It seems that it is not an overnight thing to win back the trust of our mother, and we must prove ourselves bit by bit with our actions.
I secretly resolved that from now on, I would do my best to be filial to my mother, no matter what. Even if it is necessary to sacrifice my career and family, I will not hesitate to do it. After all, how difficult and hard it was for my mother to pull us up back then!
Three months passed, and it was my turn to return to my hometown again to take over from my second brother to take care of my mother. As soon as I walked into my mother's old house, I saw her sitting in the yard, looking a little tired.
"Mom, how are you doing?" I hurriedly stepped forward and asked with concern.
"It's okay, your brothers have really done their best to take care of me these past few months. Mother sighed, "It's just that you still have your own career and family after all, and I don't want to keep you in trouble." "
"Mom, don't think so. I said, stepping forward to help my mother get up, "How difficult it is for you to pull us up, we should be filial to you now." "
The mother didn't speak, just nodded slightly, and finally there was a hint of relief in her eyes. It seems that our actions over the past few months have finally slowly touched my mother's heart.