Preface
My name is Yang Hongmei, I am 40 years old this year, and I am an ordinary worker. I grew up witnessing my mother's difficult situation, and she toiled for most of her life to raise our four children. Although there have been some family conflicts, I have always regarded her as the most important person in my life, hoping to give her a peaceful life in her old age.
However, greed and selfishness eventually hurt me. It makes me angry and saddened that my older siblings did not hesitate to hurt their own biological mother in order to share my mother's inheritance. And just when I thought I could finally take good care of my mother, fate dealt me a heavy blow – I was caught in the whirlpool of the law, and now I am in prison, and I don't know when I will see the light of day again. It was undoubtedly the most painful and hopeless moment of my life.
I hope that by telling my story, I can teach my children who covet their parents' legacy a profound lesson and never repeat my mistakes.
1. Selfless mothers
My father died of illness when I was 40 years old, and my mother has been raising our four children on her own. In those years, she worked hard day after day, not only to support us, but also to find ways to enable us to receive an education and live a decent life. I still remember my mother's tired figure and her tenacity.
In order to give us a warm home, my mother never cared about her own needs. She always keeps the best for us and eats the leftovers herself. Even if it really can't hold on sometimes, he never complains to us. On the contrary, she always comforted us with a gentle smile and encouraged us to study hard and succeed in the future.
I still remember that our family's financial situation was very difficult at that time, but my mother never let us feel it, but always tried her best to meet our needs. Once, when I wanted a beautiful new dress, she sewed it herself, and went through it until she made a dress that looked good. I was ecstatic, completely unaware of how much effort and sweat my mother had put into it.
In this way, my mother brought up our four children step by step, and never complained about her situation. Although she did not receive much good education, with a tenacious perseverance, she did her best to give us the best life. Whenever I think of all this, my heart is filled with admiration and gratitude for her.
2. Disputes over the mother's inheritance
When I was 25 years old, we were given a piece of land in our hometown because of some development projects. The mother was also given a 90-square-meter plot of land. Later, my mother said that she would give me the land and let me build a house. I was very touched at the time, I didn't expect my mother to be willing to give me such a precious inheritance.
My husband was very upset when he saw their attitude, and suggested that I build a house directly on the 90-square-meter plot of land, without touching my mother's piece. However, I knew that my mother had no money herself, and if I didn't fix it, she might not be able to live in a house for the rest of her life. So, I still chose to sign and took on the responsibility of providing for the elderly.
After that, I built a 180-square-meter building on my mother's land, and my mother stayed with us on the first floor. I take care of her wholeheartedly, and I cover my monthly utility and living expenses. My father-in-law lived on the seventh floor when he was younger, and my mother and father-in-law lived in peace for 10 years.
But in the past 10 years, my brothers and sisters have never seen my mother in the future, and they have never contributed a penny to help her. All they know is that they will find someone to ask me for my mother's pension during the Chinese New Year, saying that when she dies, they will share it according to their share.
One day, I received a call that my mother had fainted at home, and I hurried back to find her lying unconscious on the ground all the time. Later examinations revealed that it was due to malnutrition. I learned that my mother's monthly salary was given to my brother and two sisters as soon as it arrived, and I only left 100 yuan to live, so my health deteriorated.
Since then, I have taken my mother in my care. I was responsible for all the medical expenses alone, but my brothers and sisters still turned a blind eye and did not even want to visit. Sometimes I need to go out to run errands, but I am worried that my mother will fall, so I have to take care of her every step of the way. Because of this, my husband often quarreled with me, thinking that I was too much energy to spend on my mother.
3. Falling into legal disputes
As time passed, my mother's temper became more and more eccentric, and sometimes she would give all her retirement salary to my brother or take all the medicine at once. I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided not to pay her any more, but to wait for it to be deposited in the card itself.
This immediately angered my older siblings. They started harassing me frequently, saying that I had taken my mother's money without permission. Later, they even went straight to the police, claiming that I had illegally seized my mother's property.
When the police came to my house, I explained to them what had happened and hoped that they would deal with it fairly and impartially. But in the end, I was detained on charges of "fraud". Right now, I'm behind bars, and I don't know when I'll see the light of day again.
Fourth, the betrayal of my relatives and my self-blame
I still can't believe that my relatives would do such a hurtful thing for the sake of an inheritance of tens of thousands of dollars. Have they forgotten that our mother raised us alone? I have been taking care of my mother selflessly all these years, and I have put in so much effort that they are not even willing to visit. And now, I was convicted of defending my mother's interests, and I was in prison, which was really tormenting.
I often ask what went wrong. Maybe it's because I coveted my mother's legacy that led to the tragedy I have today? But I knew in my heart that the decision was made out of genuine love for my mother, not for my own benefit. I just want my mother to be able to live out her old age in peace.
What saddens me even more is that my older siblings can betray their own mother so callously. Whenever I think of my mother's heartbroken appearance, my heart is filled with guilt and self-blame. I obviously wanted to give her a healthy old age, but I accidentally dragged myself into the whirlpool of this strife.
I can't wait to go back in time and make the right choices again. Maybe I should insist that my mother build the house herself instead of carrying the burden for her. Or maybe I should be more proactive in communicating with my older siblings to see if I can agree on a care plan. If I had been more cautious and thoughtful at the time, maybe I wouldn't have been in the predicament I am in.
5. Advice to children
During these dark days, I finally understood a truth: never covet your parents' possessions, let alone use them for your own ends. Because not only does it hurt your loved ones, but it can also bring irreparable costs to yourself.
I used to think that as long as I could let my mother have a healthy old age, even my efforts would be worth it. But now, I have fallen into such a situation, and I have lost my freedom. This is undoubtedly the greatest tragedy and shame of my life.
I hope that through my own experience, I can teach a profound lesson to the children who covet their parents' legacy. Don't be blinded by the temptation of money and forget the family affection that blood is thicker than water. No matter how rich your parents are, don't use them as a tool to grab their wealth. On the contrary, we should cherish the loved ones in front of us, serve them with our hearts, and repay their nurturing kindness.
My only hope now is that I can regain my freedom and return to my mother as soon as possible. I will take good care of her and make up for my neglect over the years. Even after my mother died, I would never give a penny to those three relatives. All that money should be used to help others in need and make the world a better place.
May my story serve as a warning to everyone not to fall into the trap of money and hurt their dearest ones. Only when we treat our families with love and responsibility can we truly have a happy and fulfilling life.