I am an ordinary office worker, and I depend on my wife for my life. My wife has always been a virtuous and good wife, but our married life has not been smooth sailing. We are faced with a serious problem: our parents are both elderly and need to be cared for.
I know that taking care of the elderly is our filial duty, but at the same time, it is also very entangled. Should we take my parents to live with us, or should we let them live in our hometown? If so, who will take care of them? If we let them live in our hometown, how can we fulfill our filial piety? These are the questions that keep me awake at night. I didn't want my wife to worry about that, so I kept my worries hidden.
One day, my father suddenly came to our house and said sincerely, "Son, your mother and I are both old, and our health is deteriorating, and we can't take care of ourselves in our hometown. You young people are working in the city again, and we are really sad. I looked at my father's old face, and my heart was mixed.
When I was in a dilemma, my wife objected: "We are already busy with work, how can we have extra energy to take care of the elderly? Moreover, our house is so small, where can we accommodate four elderly people? Why don't we let them continue to live in our hometown, and we can just give us some living expenses every month." My father looked disappointed.
I was torn apart. On the one hand, I understand my wife's concerns; On the other hand, I couldn't bear to see my parents in my hometown without someone to take care of them and suffer so much. I was torn between a rock and a hard place.
Over the next few days, the wife was resolute about the idea of her parents coming to live with her. "We're living like this now, and if the elderly come, we'll have to rent a bigger house, and the cost will increase a lot," she said. What's more, the health of the elderly is deteriorating, how can we office workers take care of it? "Whenever I wanted to intercede for my parents, my wife would stop me with these words.
My wife's tough attitude made me start to waver. Maybe she has a point, and bringing my parents in here will indeed add a lot of trouble and burden to us. Besides, we really can't take care of them. I'm starting to agree with my wife a little.
Finally, at a family gathering, the wife directly refused her father's request. The father looked sad and shed tears. Seeing this scene, my heart felt like it was being cut by a sharp blade, and it was extremely painful.
That night, my wife got angry at me: "You're just a useless thing! I can't even listen to my own wife! If it weren't for the sake of my children, I would have divorced a long time ago! From today onwards, your family will get out of here, and I won't support you people who eat idle meals anymore!"
I was struck by my wife's words. I never expected that she would be so ruthless and kick me and my parents out! Tears rolled in my eyes, and for a moment I didn't even have the strength to refute. I could only look helplessly at my wife and pray for her to change her mind.
At this juncture, my father could no longer bear the blow and collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth. I hurriedly picked him up and desperately called for help, but my wife did not move and still stood aside.
Then, the mother-in-law took out a stack of documents and slammed them in front of his wife: "This is the contract of your new house back then, and it is clearly written that this house belongs to me! The wife was completely choked by her mother-in-law's approach and had nothing to say.
Looking at the mess on the ground, my heart was extremely painful. I never imagined that a family conflict would evolve to this point. I began to reflect on whether I had listened too much to my wife and neglected my filial piety to my parents. Taking care of the elderly can indeed bring a lot of inconvenience to our lives.
After a painful struggle, I finally made up my mind. I want to live with my parents and never leave me. Let my wife leave this house first, and if she can reflect on it, I will naturally accept her again; If she's stubborn, then we'll see. Filial piety to my parents is something I can never turn my back on in my life.
And just like that, the wife left our house with the children. Looking at her departing back, my heart was mixed. I was disappointed in her callousness and at the same time sorry for her stubbornness. However, I know that it is her own choice, and I have already made my own decision.
My parents and I started a new life. At first, taking care of them was a real pain for me, but seeing them recover day by day and regain the joy of life, I felt that all the hard work was worth it.
As the days passed, the atmosphere at home became more and more harmonious. My father regained his health and began to grow vegetables in the small garden of the family; My mother's health was much better, and she started teaching me how to cook some home-cooked food, and she often used crochet to knit sweaters for the children. Seeing them enjoying themselves makes my heart warm.
Sometimes I think of my wife, but then I forget about her. She's made her choice, and I don't want to dwell on that sad past anymore. What I want to do now is to be filial to my parents and spend the rest of their old age.
What I didn't expect was that my mother-in-law, who was once aggressive, also changed amazingly. Perhaps it was because she saw my filial piety to my parents that her attitude towards me began to change.
Once, when I was boiling a pot of the old man's favorite tonic for my father, my mother-in-law actually took the initiative to come over and pick up a spatula to continue boiling for me. She couldn't stop praising me: "It's really good, you filial child, you will definitely be rewarded in the future." "
Since then, the mother-in-law has taken the initiative to meddle in household chores and help take care of her parents. Sometimes she would even secretly stuff me with some money and tell me to serve my parents well. Seeing my mother-in-law's transformation, I can't tell how happy I am.
Just when I thought my wife was a thing of the past, an unexpected episode happened.
It was a cold winter night, and I was about to add a quilt for my parents when the doorbell rang suddenly. I thought it was a courier, but I didn't expect my wife to be standing outside the door!
She stood trembling in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen, apparently crying. Seeing me, she knelt down without hesitation and wept bitterly: "I'm sorry, I'm too willful, I know it's wrong!
My heart was ecstatic, but when I thought about it, I couldn't help but be a little skeptical. I wonder if she meant it. So I pretended to be cold and asked, "Have you ever thought twice before you acted?" If you still have that face, I won't let you step into this house again." "
The wife nodded vigorously and said sincerely, "I know that what I did broke your hearts. I've been wandering outside for so long, and I've finally understood what is the most precious thing. It's my family, it's you! I'm ready to start over!"
Seeing how sincere my wife was, I finally opened the door and welcomed her in again. In this way, our family was finally reunited, and I also found that taste of happiness.