Last week's afternoon, the sun shone obliquely through the window into the living room of my son-in-law's house. I was helping to take care of my second baby, who had just fallen asleep, enjoying the moment of silence.
At this time, my mother-in-law came over slowly, sat down next to me, and asked seemingly casually, "Xiaoyun's mother, how much is your pension now?" ”
The moment I heard this question, I felt a strange feeling welling up in my heart, but I didn't pay much attention to it.
I am 54 years old this year, and before I retired, I was a leader in the unit, and my pension was quite considerable, with 6,000 yuan a month.
But before I could speak, my son-in-law rushed out of the room like a gust of wind, and there was an indescribable nervousness on his face.
"Mom, my mother-in-law's pension is not much, just more than 2,000 yuan." The son-in-law's voice broke the somewhat delicate atmosphere.
I was stunned and looked at my son-in-law suspiciously, full of puzzlement, not understanding why he said this. My pension is obviously not this number, why did he deliberately report it low? And what about his nervous look?
I felt the air seem to get tense, and my brain was racing, pondering why.
When the mother-in-law heard her son-in-law's answer, her expression was a little strange, but she didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.
And I sat there, my heart full of confusion and doubts, this action of my son-in-law left me completely scratching my head, and I kept asking myself in my heart, what the hell is going on?
This doubt hung over me like a dark cloud, and I didn't know what to do for a while.
My name is Zhou Li, I am 54 years old, I was born in 1969 in a small city. My mother's family is well-off, both parents have jobs, and as the only daughter in the family, I have been loved by the whole family since I was a child.
At the urging of my parents, I completed my studies, and although I didn't get into university, I still got a good job with the help of my parents.
In 1991, when I was 22 years old, I met the right old man through the introduction of relatives, and the two soon entered the palace of marriage.
Two years later, I gave birth to a daughter, the only child I had with the old man, and the pearl of the whole family.
The old man and I were very fond of our daughter, and under our training, my daughter became a slim girl with excellent academic performance, not only admitted to a university, but also found the person she liked.
And my son-in-law, he comes from a remote mountain village. I remember hearing about his family background for the first time, and I was still a little apprehensive.
The old couple of in-laws work outside all the year round, and their life is not easy. The son-in-law also has a younger brother, and the child's academic performance has not been very good, and he is naughty all day long.
I remember one time, my daughter came home with her son-in-law, and my husband and I had dinner with them.
After eating, her husband frowned and said, "I still have reservations about this family business, I'm worried that our daughter will be wronged in the future." ”
Although I agreed with my husband's words very much, I looked at my daughter's firm eyes and looked at my son-in-law's simple appearance, and my heart was also entangled.
One day, I was chatting with my daughter, and I gently asked her, "Baby, are you really thinking about marrying your current boyfriend?" His family conditions are not very good. ”
The daughter said firmly: "Mom, I know the situation in his family, but he is very good to me, and I believe that we can live a happy life." ”
I looked at my daughter with both relief and worry.
Later, I went to my son-in-law's hometown once. It was a poor and backward mountain village with rough roads and dilapidated houses. I saw the house where my in-laws and the elderly lived in it had extremely simple facilities.
I can't help but think to myself, my son-in-law grew up in such an environment.
Once, I heard my son-in-law talking to his parents on the phone, and my mother-in-law said on the other end of the phone, "Son, your brother has been in trouble again, please send him some money back." ”
The son-in-law was a little embarrassed and said, "Mom, I don't have that much money now." ”
The mother-in-law immediately said unhappily: "How can you have no money, you are all working, you don't care who cares about your brother." ”
I listened to it from the side, and I felt very uncomfortable, which was obviously eccentric.
When I got home, my husband and I talked about it again. The husband sighed and said, "You see, his family is like this, and his daughter will definitely suffer a lot of grievances in the future." ”
Although I was worried, I comforted my husband and said, "Maybe things will be better when they get married." ”
In my heart, I always want my daughter to be happy. But in the face of such a family background, I can't help but worry about my daughter's future.
I often wonder if my daughter would be better off if I had been more adamant about this family affair in the first place. But looking at my daughter's happy smile, I thought maybe my worries were unnecessary.
I know that life is always full of challenges and uncertainties. And the path my daughter has chosen, no matter how difficult it is, I have to support her and believe in her. I only hope that my son-in-law can always be good to my daughter, so that she can find her own happiness in this imperfect marriage.
Time passed, and I finally agreed to my daughter's family business, married my daughter, whom I regarded as a treasure, and did not ask for a penny of bride price.
My mother-in-law always cries poor, and I really can't do anything about her, I just hope that my daughter can reap the happiness that belongs to her.
On the day of the wedding, the daughter was dressed in a white wedding dress, as beautiful as a fairy on earth. The son-in-law stood beside her, his eyes full of love and firmness. Looking at their affectionate gaze at each other, although I was reluctant to give up, I also had more peace of mind and expectation.
In the days after they got married, their daughter and son-in-law lived very happily. The son-in-law was as I expected, an excellent husband.
His love for his daughter is meticulous, and every morning, he always wakes up earlier than her, prepares a nutritious breakfast for her, and then gently wakes her up, looks at her sleepy-eyed cute appearance, and smiles dotingly.
After work, no matter how tired he is, he will rush home as soon as possible to accompany his daughter to do housework, watch TV or just chat. They will stroll through the streets together at dusk, holding hands, enjoying the tranquility and sweetness.
The daughter also loves her son-in-law deeply, and she will prepare every meal for him with her heart, even if it is just a simple home-cooked meal, which is full of her love. They will carefully prepare surprises on each other's birthdays and bring endless touches to each other. Their love is like a beautiful piece of music, with every note beating with a happy melody.
They are positive and full of enthusiasm and pursuit for life. The son-in-law worked hard at work, and with his talent and diligence, his career was thriving.
Not to be outdone, her daughter has continued to improve in her field of work and has achieved good results. They encourage each other, support each other, and work hard together for a better future.
Soon after, with their own efforts, they bought a house of their own in the provincial capital. It was a cozy little nest, not big, but every corner was full of traces of their love.
From choosing furniture to furnishing the room, they do it all by themselves, just to create a warm haven that belongs to them.
As time went on, they welcomed two lovely children. When I saw those two little ones for the first time, my heart swelled with endless joy and emotion.
The big one is a lively and lovely girl, and the little one is a tiger-headed boy. Looking at their immature faces and innocent smiles, I seem to see the continuation of life and the bloom of hope.
The son-in-law is also extremely fond of his two children. Outside of work, he plays with the children, tells them stories and teaches them to read. He would take the children to the park and let them run and play in the grass to their heart's content. while
When the children are sick, he will be anxious to stay by their side and take care of them carefully. He was not only a good husband, but also a good father.
And for us, the son-in-law is also very filial. During the holidays, he would always come back to visit us with large bags of gifts, chat with us, and care about our physical condition.
He would patiently listen to our stories from the past and share with us the details of his life and that of his daughter. His attentiveness and thoughtfulness made us feel a deep warmth.
When I gradually recovered from that happy memory, my son-in-law sat down beside me with a sincere face and explained to me why he had lowered my pension to my parents.
It turned out that his 29-year-old brother had not yet married a wife, which made his parents anxious, and they were trying to raise money for their son to marry a wife all day long, and he naturally became the object of their ideas.
My son-in-law knew that once his parents found out that my pension was high, it would be like a storm that would disturb all of us.
I listened quietly to my son-in-law's story, and I felt a little more understanding and distress for him. He is sandwiched between his small family and his original family, trying to maintain a balance, and the difficulties and helplessness can be imagined.
His wisdom and responsibility made him choose such a seemingly helpless but wise approach, just to protect our hard-won peace and happiness.
I gently patted my son-in-law's hand and said, "Child, I understand, I understand your hardships and support your approach." Our family can have such happiness as it is now, all because of your hard work and dedication. ”
My son-in-law's eyes welled up with tears, and he held my hand tightly, as if he had a thousand words but didn't know where to start.
I think that my daughter married the right person this time, which gave me an extra son to love. If my in-laws owe my son-in-law, maybe I can make up for it, as long as my son-in-law is good to my daughter.