I was busy with dinner in the kitchen when I suddenly heard the phone ringing in the living room. Wiping my hands, I walked over slowly and picked up my phone, and the number displayed on the screen made me stunned for a moment - it was my son Zhang Minghui.
"Hey, Minghui, what's wrong?" I suppressed my inner turmoil and said as calmly as I could.
"Mom, where's the money? Why haven't you called yet? On the other end of the line, his son's impatient voice came over.
I was speechless for a moment, and a sudden anger rose in my heart. I haven't been in touch for so long, and as soon as I open my mouth, I ask about money. I took a deep breath and tried to control my emotions: "What money? ”
"Demolition money! Didn't you say that it would be half for me and Lijuan? Why hasn't there been any movement yet? Minghui's tone became more and more impatient.
I couldn't hold back any longer, and the anger rushed up at once: "Zhang Minghui! You white-eyed wolf! Your dad and I have given you the demolition money to your sister, and I won't give you a penny! ”
"What? Why should I give it all to my sister? Minghui shouted loudly on the other end of the phone.
I was so angry that I trembled: "Just rely on her filial piety!" It's up to her to be sensible! What about you? What else would you do besides asking for money? ”
Without waiting for him to say anything more, I hung up the phone directly, and then decisively pulled his number into the blacklist.
Putting down my phone, I sat down on the couch, feeling like all my strength was drained. Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun spills into the house, casting a faint orange color over everything. I looked at the family photo on the wall, and suddenly I felt like I had gone back to a few months ago.
At that time, Lao Zhang and I were still immersed in the joy of demolishing the old house and receiving a considerable amount of compensation. Who would have thought that this money not only did not bring us the expected peaceful old age, but set off a family turmoil.
I close my eyes and think back to everything that has happened in the past few months. The son's greed, the daughter-in-law's troubles, the daughter's understanding, and the anxiety between me and Lao Zhang...... All the images flashed through my mind like a movie.
"Xiuying, what do you want?" Lao Zhang's voice pulled me back to reality.
I opened my eyes and saw my wife standing in front of me with a concerned expression on her face.
"It's okay," I barely managed to squeeze out a smile, "just thinking about it...... Are we really doing it right? ”
Lao Zhang sighed and sat down beside me: "It's all over, stop thinking about those unhappy things." ”
I nodded, but knew in my heart that the matter was far from over. My son's phone call is probably just the beginning. Whether Lao Zhang's decision and I are right or wrong, I'm afraid it will take time to prove.
But at this moment, I just feel exhausted. As the sun sets, a new day is coming, and our family will face new challenges.
As night fell, Lao Zhang and I had a simple dinner. On weekdays, we always talk while eating, talk about neighborhood gossip, and talk about the current situation of our children. But today, the dinner table is unusually quiet, except for the sound of chopsticks touching the dishes.
After eating, I habitually went to the balcony to water the flowers. A dozen pots of flowers and plants are my favorite, and taking care of them every day can help me forget my worries. But today, my mind is not on these flowers and plants.
My mind is constantly replaying bits and pieces of these years. Forty-three years of married life is not long, but it is enough for me and Lao Zhang's lives to be closely intertwined.
I remember when we first got married, we were also from poor families, let alone buying a house, and we couldn't even afford a decent bed. For the first few years, we slept on simple beds made of wooden planks. At that time, we were young and full of hope, and we felt that as long as we worked together, life would always get better and better.
After having children, we, like most Chinese parents, put all our hopes in our children. Especially after having Minghui, we poured all our love into this old man.
"Xiuying, are you still thinking about the day?" Lao Zhang's voice came from behind me, interrupting my memories.
I turned around and saw Lao Zhang coming with two cups of hot tea. He handed me a cup, leaned on the balcony railing, looked at the lights in the distance and said, "Actually, are we too doting on Minghui?" ”
I was silent for a while, then said slowly, "Maybe." I always feel that Xiaoli is a girl and will get married sooner or later. And Minghui is a son, and he will inherit the family business in the future. So ......"
"So we blindly partiality and gave all the benefits to Minghui." Lao Zhang took my words, with a little remorse in his tone.
Yes, in retrospect, we were indeed too biased. When we bought a house for Minghui, we gave almost everything we had. At that time, Xiaoli had just worked for a long time, and she was also worried about the house, but we felt that our daughter would naturally be taken care of by her in-laws after she got married, so we didn't think much about it.
Later, Minghui got married, and we bought them a car. And when Xiaoli got married, we only gave some symbolic dowry. Every time I think about it, I feel a little guilty.
"Do you remember the time Xiaoli got sick the year before last?" I asked suddenly.
Lao Zhang nodded: "I remember, at that time, Xiaoli had just given birth to her second child, her body was very weak, and she had a severe cold. ”
That time, Xiaoli had a high fever and was admitted to the hospital. Lao Zhang and I took turns to take care of her, but Minghui never visited his sister once. On the contrary, Xiaoli offered to lend her savings to her younger brother to buy a house at the most difficult time.
"I should have realized something then." I sighed, "But I'm still blindly biased in favor of Minghui." ”
Lao Zhang was silent for a while, and then said: "Maybe this demolition money is to give us a chance to make up for our past mistakes." ”
I nodded, remembering when the demolition money arrived a few months ago.
That day, Lao Zhang and I sat at the table, looking at the long list of numbers on the passbook, a little overwhelmed. 1.3 million, that's a lot of money for seniors like us.
"Lao Zhang, how do you say this money should be divided?" I asked.
Lao Zhang thought for a while and said, "In this way, we will leave 300,000 yuan for the elderly, and the remaining 1 million yuan will be given to two children, 500,000 yuan for one person." ”
I thought it was fair and readily agreed. However, when we told the children about this decision, it caused a storm.
After hearing this, Xiao Li just said softly: "Dad, Mom, you have too little left, you should think more about yourself." ”
And Minghui and his daughter-in-law Lijuan reacted very differently.
"Only 500,000?" Lijuan screamed, "We still have a mortgage to pay off, and our children have to go to school, how can we have enough?" ”
Minghui also chimed in: "Yes, Mom, you also know how high the price is now. Besides, we are your sons, so shouldn't we give us more? ”
I was so angry with their attitude that I couldn't speak. Lao Zhang said with a calm face: "What kind of attitude do you have? Your mother and I have worked hard all our lives, can't we even keep the money for the elderly? ”
But Minghui and Lijuan didn't give up, and in the following days, they came to the house every once in a while to make trouble. Sometimes it was Minghui who came to complain, saying that the work was not going well and that he needed money turnover. Sometimes it is Lijuan who brings her children and says that the children are going to cram schools and the tuition is expensive.
Every time they came, I felt physically and mentally exhausted. I began to wonder if we were educating our son wrong. Why did he become so greedy?
In contrast, Xiaoli's performance is gratifying to us. Instead of asking for money, she often brought her children to visit us and buy us some supplements. At one point, she even quietly slipped me a bank card, saying that she was afraid that we would be short of money.
Just when we were exhausted by Minghui's family, Xiaoli gave us a suggestion.
"Mom, Dad," she said, "there is a second-hand house for sale near my house, and the price is very reasonable." Why don't you buy it and move in closer to us? So that I can take care of you all the time. ”
Lao Zhang and I glanced at each other, and we both saw joy in each other's eyes. yes, why didn't we think of this before?
So, after careful consideration, we made a big decision: to use all the demolition money for our own pension. We decided to buy the house recommended by Xiao Li and save the rest of the money to prevent old age.
When we told the children about this decision, Xiaoli expressed her full support. Minghui and Lijuan, on the other hand, were furious, accusing us of partiality and even threatening to sever our relationship.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh again. "Lao Zhang, you said that we would be too ruthless to do this?"
Lao Zhang shook his head: "Xiuying, we have already paid too much for Minghui. It's time to think about ourselves. Besides, we are doing this to treat our two children fairly. ”
I nodded, and my heart settled down. Yes, we've been biased for so many years, and it's time to face up to that mistake.
It was already late at night, and the lights in the distance were thinning. Lao Zhang and I went back to the house and got ready to rest. Lying in bed, I couldn't sleep for a long time.
I began to reflect on my life choices. We give all our love to our son, but we neglect our daughter, who also needs love. We think we are doing good for our children, but we unknowingly spoil our son, but we hurt him.
Now that I think about it, the one who really knows how to be grateful and filial piety is the daughter we once neglected. And our son, who has devoted all his heart and soul, has become a person who only knows how to take.
This realization made me feel both sad and regretful. But I also feel a little relieved that at least it's not too late, and that we still have a chance to make amends.
Tomorrow, I'm going to call Xiaoli and ask her when she's free, so we can go and see the house she recommended. The thought of being able to live closer to my daughter in the future makes me feel indescribably happy.
As for Minghui...... I sighed. I know that this decision could hurt our relationship completely. But I still have a glimmer of hope that maybe one day, when he is truly mature, he will be able to understand our painstaking efforts.
Lying in the dark, I gently held Lao Zhang's hand. For more than 40 years, we have shared the ups and downs of life. Now, together we have to face the consequences of this difficult decision.
But I know that as long as we're together, we'll get through this. With this thought in mind, I slowly closed my eyes and looked forward to tomorrow.
Outside the window, the evening breeze blows gently, bringing the coolness of early summer. I know that our life is like this cycle of four seasons, with the hope of spring, the heat of summer, the harvest of autumn, and the bitter cold of winter. And now, we are standing in the autumn of life, looking back on the past, and planning for the future.
Did we make the right decision? I do not know. But I know that this is a deliberate choice. We are no longer young and vigorous parents, but old people who have gone through vicissitudes. We have the right and the responsibility to plan for our old age.
Tomorrow, the sun will still rise. Lao Zhang and I will continue our lives and face the ups and downs that may come. But we no longer panic, no longer hesitate. Because we finally understand that true family affection is not a one-way request, but mutual understanding and support.
We may have lost a greedy son, but we gained a sensible daughter and found ourselves. At this important juncture in our lives, we have chosen to be responsible for ourselves and to be fair. This may be the last lesson we can give our children.
With these thoughts in mind, I slowly drifted off to sleep. In the dream, I saw a warm picture: Lao Zhang and I were sitting on the balcony of our new home, Xiaoli brought the children to see us, and we enjoyed the joy of family. And in the distance, I seemed to see Minghui standing thoughtfully, with a hint of remorse and longing in his eyes.
Maybe one day, this dream will come true. But in any case, I know that Lao Zhang and I have made a choice for our lives. We will be open to all that this choice brings, whether it be joy or sorrow. Because this is life, full of choices and full of accidents. And we will continue to walk bravely until the end of life.