Lao Liu was a well-known retired teacher in that community, and he could always be seen in the early morning and sunset, in the cramped park, either dancing in the square or playing chess with his partners in the senior activity center. His life was regular and fulfilling, until that Friday, the north wind was a little fierce, and the pedestrians on the road were in a hurry, and Lao Liu was no exception. Unexpectedly, an electric car that suddenly rushed out made him unable to dodge, and as a result, he fell on the cold ground.
Lao Liu in the ward was lying on the bed, the rain outside the window had quietly stopped, and his face looked a little pale in the dim light. On the small table next to the hospital bed is a half-flipped copy of "Dream of Red Mansions", which seems to tell the story of his leisure time. However, such days have lasted for 15 days, and his son Liu Hao and daughter-in-law Xiaohui have never been able to come to the hospital to see him. Lao Liu looks forward to having one of their calls on his mobile phone every day, even if it is a few words of greeting, but the screen is always as clean as new.
Today, the 15th day of hospitalization, his slender fingertips gently swiped the phone screen, but he couldn't help but sigh. The door of the ward was suddenly pushed open, and it was nurse Xiao Zhang, with her usual kindness.
"Lao Liu, good morning, how are you feeling today?" Xiao Zhang checked the monitoring equipment while talking to Lao Liu.
"It's okay." Lao Liu replied lightly, he was good at hiding his emotions, "Xiao Zhang, my son hasn't come yet, have you seen it?" ”
Xiao Zhang smiled slightly embarrassedly and replied, "No, Lao Liu, you can relax, maybe they are busy, this society is under great pressure, and they may not be able to pull away." ”
Lao Liu nodded suspiciously, but he knew in his heart that his son's company was in an office building five kilometers away, and it was enough to send a courier over when he had time.
"Son, he... Be busy, business is difficult this year, I understand. Lao Liu pressed the mobile phone in his hand with a trembling hand as he spoke, the screen lit up and went off, there was no news, and the portraits of Liu Hao and Xiaohui quietly occupied there, as if everything was still calm.
Nurse Xiao Zhang comforted a few more words, and then busily went to other wards. Lao Liu faced the four white walls alone again, feeling disappointed and heartbroken, he thought to himself that he was a big man, and he would have such a fragile day.
He remembered that he took Liu Hao to the park to play thirty years ago, whenever Liu Hao fell, he always rushed up as soon as possible, picked him up, and the warm embrace and the sentence "Don't be afraid, there is a father", which can always make Liu Hao regain the courage to stand up again. And now, Liu Hao seems to have forgotten all this, even if he is lying on the hospital bed, he has no time to take care of it.
Just when Lao Liu was full of clouds, he accidentally overheard the conversation in the hospital bed next door...
"Auntie, your son is so nice today, he brought you flowers again." There are patients in the ward who sigh.
"Yes, my son feels sorry for me and comes once every three days." Aunt Li in the bed next door smiled happily, holding the blooming flowers in her hand, which was beautiful.
At that moment, the once strong old Liu's eyes began to fill with tears, and he didn't know whether to envy Aunt Li or feel sad for his loneliness. He shook his head and secretly made up his mind that after he was discharged from the hospital, he must have a good talk with Liu Hao. The next day, Aunt Li sipped her morning green tea leisurely as usual, and she carefully observed Lao Liu's emotions. Yesterday's conversation did not disappear in her memory, and Aunt Li knew the unforgettable sense of loss.
"Lao Liu, I see that you have been frowning all the time these days, is there something troublesome at home?" Aunt Li asked lightly.
Lao Liu looked out the window and sighed: "Auntie, the world has changed, and every family used to be reunited. Now..."He changed his words and didn't confide in Aunt Li again.
"This matter, Lao Liu, you can't blame the children, in today's society, who is so busy and righteous as in our era?" Aunt Li continued, "You have to look at the point and go with the flow." ”
"However, they don't have any news at all, so it doesn't seem like a busy problem." Lao Liu is still unwilling.
Just as they were chatting energetically, the nurse Ah Fen quietly came with a cleaning cart, "Lao Liu, do you want to go out for a walk today?" Fresh air is good for the body. Ah Fen warmly invited.
Lao Liu agreed with no interest, and walked to the small garden of the hospital with Ah Fen. There, Ah Fen shared her own story.
"As for my family, the old man left early, but my son and daughter-in-law are worried, but they are also busy, and I don't want to trouble them." Ah Fen was mruning the flowers and grass while chatting, "Look at me, it's not good, everyone in the hospital treats me well." ”
After hearing this, Lao Liu sighed: "Ah Fen, you have a good mentality!" I think I'll have to learn from you. ”
"Lao Liu, you have to understand that children are their own, but they also have their own lives." Ah Fen said earnestly.
"I know...," Lao Liu's voice became lower and lower, "I just didn't expect it to be like this in the end." ”
In the days after returning to the ward, Aunt Li and Ah Fen became the objects of Lao Liu's heartfelt words. The exchange with Ah Fen made Lao Liu think more about the changes in family relationships and the differences between people in the context of the new era. He began to realize that maybe he needed to change some of his mindsets, but there was still a place in his heart that he couldn't let go.
During a walk with Ah Fen, Lao Liu finally opened his heart, "Ah Fen, what you said is right, I have seen a lot." However, sometimes I still wonder what I am doing in this life. ”
Ah Fen comforted him: "Lao Liu, life is like this, you always have something to influence others." Just like the influence you have on your son, although he is not showing it now, but your education and love for him, one day he will understand. ”
Lao Liu looked at Ah Fen, a trace of gratitude flashed in his eyes, he knew that every word of Ah Fen was sincere. This small environment of the hospital is like a microcosm, where everyone is facing the temperature differences in life in their own way.
These words, like a warm current, gradually flowed into Lao Liu's heart, he not only had a kind of family-like gratitude to Ah Fen, but also had a new understanding of the indifference to the outside world. And the emotional experiences and reflections brought about by this daily routine also paved the way for his next decision. On the day Lao Liu was discharged from the hospital, the morning sun sprinkled through the white curtains on the familiar and simple wooden bed. The ups and downs of the hospital life came to an end, and it was replaced by a desire for family warmth.
At the door of the hospital, Lao Liu carried the medicine prescribed by the hospital on his back, thinking that he could embrace the long-awaited freedom, but he knew that fate could always arrange surprises and sadness unexpectedly.
Walking into the house, an unfamiliar voice came into Lao Liu's ears. "What do you think the old man thinks? After staying in the hospital for so long, we don't have time to take care of it. ”
Lao Liu stopped, it was the voice of his daughter-in-law Xiaohui, and he couldn't help but listen intently.
"Oh, I think he just wants to be confused, and we will have to worry a lot less after the property is transferred." Liu Hao muttered.
"Don't mention it, my mother is still nagging me today, saying that my time is wasted on this old man." Xiaohui's voice was full of helplessness.
"But once the house is transferred, let's talk in the future, shouldn't the old man go to the nursing home?" Liu Hao continued.
The fire in Lao Liu's heart was ignited little by little, he couldn't believe his ears, was this his son? This is what he said about his son who worked hard to train his son who graduated from college and was in the management of a business?
He took heavy steps, approaching the living room step by step, looking at the two people sitting on the sofa chatting, his heart suddenly fell to the freezing point.
"Liu Hao, Xiaohui, I'm back." Lao Liu's voice was flat and bland, without a trace of fluctuation.
When Liu Hao and Xiaohui saw Lao Liu, they immediately became at a loss. "Dad, why didn't you call beforehand?"
Lao Liu looked at them and said calmly, "Oh, I want to surprise you." ”
Xiaohui quickly stood up and forced out a smile: "Dad, you have worked hard." ”
But Lao Liu's heart was no longer on her words, he looked at Liu Hao: "Hao'er, in fact, I heard your conversation at the door just now." ”
The air suddenly froze, Liu Hao swallowed his saliva, and quickly explained: "Dad, you misunderstood, we were just joking." ”
"Jokes?" Lao Liu finally showed his anger, "As your father, I am unwell and need to be taken care of, so it has become a burden?" And has my property become a real burden on your heart? ”
Liu Hao and Xiaohui's faces turned pale, they didn't expect Lao Liu to express their dissatisfaction and anger so directly.
"Dad, we know it's wrong, and we'll change it later." Liu Hao's voice became smaller and smaller.
Lao Liu shook his head: "I think I should think about it carefully." There must be something wrong with a father who treats his son as an asset and a son who treats his father as a burden. ”
Looking at Liu Hao and Xiaohui in front of him, Lao Liu's distress and anger are intertwined, this house, this family, and the family affection paid over the years, but in the end, it has been exchanged for talking and calculating. Lao Liu's heart was cold at that moment.
After exhaling heavily, Lao Liu turned around and went back to his room, and closed the door tiredly but firmly. Tomorrow, he will go to the law firm and there are a lot of things to reconsider. After that incident, Lao Liu secretly made up his mind. In the following days, he did not immediately communicate with his sons Liu Hao and Xiaohui, but began to closely observe the people and things around him.
One day after dinner, he deliberately mentioned the real estate: "Do you think this house should be transferred in advance?" ”
Liu Hao hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Dad, this matter... Don't worry, your body is the most important thing. ”
Lao Liu smiled faintly, knowing the reluctance in his son's tone, and the topic stopped.
One afternoon after that, Lao Liu made an appointment with his old friends Xiao Zhao and Uncle Gu, who he hadn't seen for a long time, and by the way, he also consulted a lawyer friend to hear their opinions.
"Lao Liu, the house belongs to you, and it should be left to someone who knows how to cherish it." Xiao Zhao smoked a cigarette and persuaded seriously.
Uncle Gu pondered, "Old man, I think who is good to you in this world, you know it in your heart. The house is just a pile of bricks and tiles, and the key depends on whether there is a temperature. ”
Lawyer Zhang, a lawyer friend, analyzed objectively: "Legally speaking, you have the right to decide how to dispose of your property. It is also natural to give this right to the people who care about you and take care of you. ”
Lao Liu was silent after hearing this, he had his own plans in his heart. A few days later, he found the nurse Ah Fen and said to her in an almost solemn tone: "Ah Fen, I have an idea, I want to transfer the house to your name." ”
Ah Fen was shocked: "Lao Liu, this is not appropriate, I just did what I should do." ”
Lao Liu has already decided: "Ah Fen, you are a good person, you have taken better care of me than my relatives who are far away in the past few months." I'm not homeless, I just want the house to belong to someone who genuinely treats me like a family. ”
In the end, after some formalities, Lao Liu's house warrant was clearly marked with the new name "Ah Fen". Ah Fen was moved, but also promised to take care of Lao Liu like his own relatives.
After Liu Hao and Xiaohui found out, they were indignant but quite guilty. "Didn't you say yes, Daddy? Why? Liu Hao couldn't understand.
"Don't you want to spend a little more time caring for me? If you transfer the property early, will you lose even this last bond? Lao Liu tried his best to say calmly.
Xiaohui and Liu Hao fell into deep contemplation, and they finally understood that in this world, once lost, there are some things that can never be recovered.
The whereabouts of the property seem to have become the most ordinary secret war in an ordinary family, and the entanglement of feelings and materials caught everyone off guard. Liu Hao and Xiaohui's tears, is it regret or relief? And Lao Liu's decision is a relief or an education?
The house was left to the people who really cared about him, and Lao Liu's heart finally got a trace of peace. The bumps and warmth along the way made him more aware that loving and being loved is not a simple right and obligation, but a self-evident understanding and tolerance that is staged all the time.
It was getting late, Lao Liu sat on the rocking chair handed to him by Ah Fen, shook it gently, and stared at the full moon in the distance through the already mottled window.
In this quiet night, who lives for whose warmth after all?