Zhang Yutong, 34 years old, comes from an ordinary family. His father was a grumpy construction worker, and his mother was a gentle and considerate housewife. As the eldest daughter in the family, she was taught to be filial to her parents and care for her younger brother from an early age.
The Zhang family's economic situation has always been very average, barely making ends meet. The father's temper made the atmosphere in the house always tense, and the mother often coaxed the two children after the father got angry. Despite this, her mother still tried her best to give Zhang Yutong and her younger brother Zhang Xiaoming a good education, teaching them to be diligent and studious, so that they can change their family circumstances in the future.
On the day Zhang Xiaoming was born, Zhang Yutong still remembers it vividly. The mother had a difficult delivery at home all day and all night, and the father paced anxiously back and forth in the hospital corridors. When the nurse walked out of the delivery room with the newborn Zhang Xiaoming in her arms, the father was so excited that she burst into tears, and the mother was tired but her face was full of happiness.
"Mom has worked hard, we have a healthy brother!" Zhang Yutong said happily, carefully stroking his younger brother's pink little face.
Zhang Xiaoming has been a lively and active child since he was a child, always smiling, which makes people happy when they see it. Zhang Yutong loves this lovely brother very much, and he will think of him first no matter what he does. On the way to school, she would hold her brother's little hand, for fear that he would get lost; When doing homework, she will also patiently help her brother answer questions.
"Sister, I want to be as smart as you in the future!" The little Zhang Xiaoming looked up at his sister, his eyes flashing with admiration.
Zhang Yutong smiled slightly, and secretly made up her mind that no matter what, she would take good care of this lovely brother and let him have a bright future when he grows up.
In order to give his younger brother a better environment for growth, Zhang Yutong is determined to change the status quo of the family. She worked hard and finally got into a good university. During her college years, she worked part-time to support her living expenses, and returned to her hometown every holiday to support her family with the money from her part-time job.
After graduating from university, Zhang Yutong entered a well-known company as she wished, although the starting salary was not high, she never gave up the opportunity to work hard. Working overtime and striving for performance, she was soon promoted by virtue of her abilities.
"Brother, sister, this is for you, I want you to live a better life!" Every month, Zhang Yutong will send a large part of his salary back to his hometown to support his younger brother's life and study.
At the beginning, Zhang Xiaoming was a well-behaved and obedient good boy, and he trusted and relied on his sister unreservedly. But as he grew older, he began to rebel and became less and less aware of his sister's good intentions.
"Sister, why do you dominate me so much? I've grown up, I have my own opinions!" Once, Zhang Xiaoming said to his sister fiercely.
Zhang Yutong looked at his younger brother helplessly, his heart was like a knife. She really loves her brother, but she is so misunderstood by him, she is very sad. Since then, her brother has become more and more estranged from her, and even began to ignore her.
"Great, my brother has finally grown up!" Zhang Yutong was very happy, and immediately prepared a large bride price, hoping that his younger brother's new life would make him understand his kindness better.
However, when she happily rushed to the wedding scene, she found that her brother still looked so cold to her and did not appreciate it at all.
Despite this, Zhang Yutong decided to fund his younger brother to build a house and give him a foundation to live on. She resolutely took out her savings for many years and spent 560,000 yuan in one go to build a three-story building for her younger brother in her hometown.
"Now you should know that your sister really cares about you, right?" Zhang Yutong muttered to himself to Xiaolou, his eyes revealing expectation.
However, she never thought that even this huge amount of money could not be exchanged for a trace of gratitude from her younger brother. On the contrary, when she came home for the Chinese New Year in high spirits, her younger brother unceremoniously refused her to enter the door!
On that day, Zhang Yutong was so elated! She was finally able to reunite with her younger brother and sister-in-law in her hometown. Carrying a large bag of New Year's gifts, she couldn't hold back the joy in her heart, and couldn't wait to knock on the door of her brother's new house.
"Ding Dong Ding Dong, brother, sister is back!"
However, to her surprise, the door was tightly closed, and there was no movement. Just when she was wondering, the door suddenly opened a crack, and her brother poked his head out coldly.
"Sister, what are you doing?" The younger brother's tone was full of coldness.
"Of course, I'm here to see your new house, and I'll give you an early goodbye!" Zhang Yutong said with a smile, wanting to push the door in.
Who knows, the younger brother stopped her unceremoniously, "Sister, you don't have to come in, we are doing well, we don't need you to be pitiful." "
Zhang Yutong was hit hard by his younger brother's words, and stood in place, tears bursting out of his eyes. She never thought that she would be treated like this for so many years of dedication!
But no! She obviously had good intentions and hoped that her brother could live a more decent life! Even if she spent most of her life savings, she had no regrets!
After some careful consideration, Zhang Yutong finally realized that the fundamental reason why her relationship with her brother was so distant was not money, but the lack of sincere emotional foundation between them.
She has always equated money with love, thinking that as long as she gives her brother enough material things, she can get his love. But in fact, this kind of one-way payment cannot be exchanged for real family affection.
The true meaning of family affection does not lie in material giving, but in spiritual care and care. Zhang Yutong realized that she should first rebuild the emotional bond with her brother and use spiritual communication to close the distance between them, rather than just stopping at the investment of money.
She began to learn to let go of her obsession with money and live a simple life. Although she still works hard, she will take the initiative to make new friends and participate in interest classes after work to enrich her spiritual life. She also began to try to understand her brother's thoughts, rather than blindly imposing her will on him.
Gradually, Zhang Yutong found a balance in his life, and his heart became more calm and content. She began to look forward to the day when she and her brother could renew their old friendship.
After a period of reflection, Zhang Yutong finally made up his mind to reconnect with his younger brother in his own way.
She did not resent her brother because of his coldness at the beginning, on the contrary, she chose to be tolerant and tolerant. She realizes that everyone has their own unique outlook on life and values, and she has no right and should not impose her will on her brother.
Even if her brother couldn't understand her good intentions for the time being, she decided to give him enough time and space. She will wait patiently and rebuild the bond between them bit by bit with her actions.
So, Zhang Yutong let go of all his previous obsessions and began to truly understand his younger brother's thoughts. She did not take the initiative to contact her brother again, but quietly waited for the day when her brother took the initiative to communicate with her.
In this way, a year, two years, three years have passed, and Zhang Yutong still has not given up. She often thinks of her brother's cute appearance when he was a child, which is also her biggest motivation, supporting her not to give up hope.
Finally, one day, Zhang Yutong received a call from his younger brother. On the phone, the younger brother's voice was a little hesitant, but he still mustered up the courage to apologize to his sister, hoping to re-enter his sister's life.
Zhang Yutong was overjoyed, she found that her younger brother finally understood the value of cherishing family affection. They agreed on a time and place to meet, and Zhang Yutong couldn't wait for this day to come.
When she saw her brother again, Zhang Yutong found that her brother's eyes were no longer cold, but replaced by a warm family affection. They hugged each other tightly, tears welling up in their eyes.
Since then, the relationship between Zhang Yutong and his younger brother has gradually returned to the right track. They are no longer obsessed with money, but share each other's lives and feelings. Zhang Yutong finally realized that the foundation of family affection does not lie in material, but in sincere feelings.
She hopes that her experience will make more people realize that money is important, but it is only a drop in the ocean compared to the preciousness of family affection. Having family affection is the greatest wealth in life, we should cherish the people in front of us, and use our hearts to have the most sincere connection with others.
Only in this way can we live a happy and fulfilling life, no longer bound by money and material things. Zhang Yutong sincerely hopes that she and her younger brother can join hands in this way and move towards a better future together.