1
I am Aunt Li, 60 years old, from Northeast China.
My wife and I both worked in a metallurgical company before we retired. We have a son named Xiaojun.
We are all ordinary workers, and our wages are not high. We did not save much savings after our son went to college.
Fortunately, my son lived up to his expectations and joined a state-owned enterprise after graduation. He was engaged in technical work and his monthly income was about 10,000 yuan.
My son transfers 5,000 yuan to me every month. My wife works a job and earns 2,500 yuan every month. Together with our retirement salary, the amount in my account starts to increase.
Xiaojun felt that the current house was too crowded, so I bought a house with three bedrooms and two living rooms, thinking that it would be enough for me to live with my daughter-in-law in the future.
My son is getting older every year, and I am beginning to worry about his marriage, and I beg the old sisters around me to help him introduce a partner.
2
Having acquaintances is easy, and my son soon found someone to date. The girl's name is Xiaoqiu. She is very shrewd and speaks crisply. I think it's great. She and my honest son complement each other perfectly.
After getting along for half a year, the two began to talk about marriage.
Xiaoqiu and I discussed the matter of the wedding house: he could live with us, or he could buy another house. But when it comes to buying a wedding house, we can only buy a small one because our savings are limited.
Xiaoqiu said she couldn’t cook and wanted to live with us. We chose a good and auspicious day to marry her.
Soon after her marriage, Xiaoqiu didn't laugh as much as before, and sometimes she even pulled a face. After asking Xiaojun, I found out that the old couple got up at 6 o'clock every day to cook, which affected Xiaoqiu's sleep.
Xiaoqiu wants to move out, and I agree.
I said, the small suite I promised you is still available, but I don’t care about the decoration. Xiaoqiu said, just buy a renovated second-hand house.
Soon, Xiaoqiu took a fancy to a two-bedroom apartment in our community, but the cost exceeded the budget. In order for them to live comfortably, I borrowed some more from relatives and finally bought the house.
However, the newly bought house needs to be decorated and cleaned, and the young couple will have to live with us for a while.
Knowing that Xiaoqiu thought we were too noisy in the morning, my wife and I kept our voices down as much as possible and walked on tiptoe. Sometimes we didn't dare to speak, so we made gestures with our hands.
The elderly sleep less and want to exercise when they wake up. We don’t dare to cook at home, so we go out for a walk and buy breakfast directly after we come back from the walk.
Xiaoqiu had a smile on her face, but we, the old couple, were not used to eating outside and felt it was unhygienic.
I think that the house has been bought and they can move in after packing it up. It won't take long, so they can just be patient for a few more days.
3
Almost two months have passed, and Xiaojun and his wife have no intention of moving.
Xiaoqiu said before that we don’t have to do the job of cleaning the house, she hired a cleaner. I paid her 1,000 yuan for the cleaning fee, and I didn't ask anything else.
One day, I couldn’t bear it anymore and asked Xiaoqiu: How is your house being cleaned up? Can your dad and I take a look? Xiaoqiu said that the packing was almost done. She had been sleeping well recently and was not in a hurry to move.
She slept well, but my wife and I didn't even dare to breathe in the morning. It was so frustrating.
That afternoon, my wife and I decided to go and have a look at the house. Fortunately, it's not far away, so you can reach it in a leisurely pace.
I listened at the door, and there was the sound of walking in the door. I thought it must be the housekeeper cleaning.
I knocked on the door, but I didn’t expect that it was Xiaoqiu’s mother who opened the door. When I entered the house, I saw Xiaoqiu's father enjoying afternoon tea leisurely. The windows in the house are bright and clean, and the facilities are complete. It seems that they have been packed up a long time ago, and they have been staying there for several days.
4
When I got home, my wife said, Xiaoqiu lived in that house for her parents, right? I said no, the house is too small to live in.
When Xiaoqiu came back from get off work, I told her, I went to your house and saw your parents there.
Xiaoqiu's face dropped, as if I had no right to interfere: "Yes, my parents are there to help me look after the house."When
was about to go to bed, I sent a WeChat message to Xiaojun to come to my room and asked him what was going on?
Xiaojun said that Xiaoqiu's younger brother was getting married and was cleaning up her mother's house. The old couple had not been able to rent a house for the time being, so they were borrowing it for the time being. Xiaoqiu asked him not to tell us for fear that we would disagree.
agree or disagree, they all live in it, just live in it. Isn’t it quick to rent a house? My wife and I will just endure it a little longer.
However, this incident made me feel that Xiaoqiu is too scheming. I always feel that it is not easy for my in-laws to say that they are staying temporarily.
5
Sure enough, it was as expected.
That day, my wife and I were walking in the community and met my old colleague Sister Yang.
Sister Yang lives downstairs in the house her son bought. When I bought a house, I consulted Sister Yang. She understood my family's situation.
Sister Yang asked me curiously: Wasn’t that house bought for your son and daughter-in-law? Why is it now being lived in by the daughter-in-law’s parents?
I said it was a temporary stay and I would move out after a while.
Sister Yang shook her head: Your mother-in-law told me that they will live in this house and your son will not move out yet.
I decided to ask Xiaoqiu face to face what was going on.
Xiaoqiu couldn't hide it any more, so she told the truth: because her parents were preparing for her brother's marriage, her parents had emptied their family resources, were reluctant to rent a house, and wanted to stay for a while.
I asked, if you want to stay for a while, how long should you stay, or should you stay forever?
Xiaoqiu lowered his head and said nothing.
I said: I understand your parents’ situation. We are both working-class people and our incomes are not high. It’s okay to live in the girl’s house.
However, when you enter our door, we are a family. If you have anything to say, just say it without beating around the bush.
Xiaoqiu's face turned red and white: Mom, I understand.
I thought about it and said: Actually, I have something I haven’t said to you. Your dad and I got up early because you didn't sleep well and we didn't dare to move. It was quite uncomfortable. And every day when I eat, I see you don’t like to use chopsticks. I know it’s not to your taste, which makes me feel worried.
How about we change the house and let your parents live here. Your dad and I will live in that house. Anyway, it’s not far from a community.
Xiaoqiu couldn't believe what I said. She looked at me intently: Mom, what did you say? You are going to live in a small house?
I said, yes, we are all comfortable this way.
Xiaoqiu wanted to say something else, I patted her hand: That’s it!
6
Soon we swapped houses.
Sister Yang said to me, are you stupid? You can live in a big house for others, but you can live in a small one.
I said, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a big house or a small house. What’s important is that everyone is comfortable.
This small house is just right for our old couple to live in, and it is also very convenient for cleaning. Moreover, my wife and I no longer have to slur our voices in the morning to talk, and we no longer have to rack our brains about what to eat every day, which makes me feel indescribably comfortable.
Xiaoqiu is very grateful to me. We are much closer than before.
Xiaoqiu’s parents do their best to take care of their daughter and son-in-law. They hope that Xiaoqiu will have a baby more than I do, and they say they want to help look after their grandson.
My wife praised me for playing abacus and very loudly.
I said, wouldn’t it be nice to have a harmonious family and everyone gets what they deserve? Dear friend, what do you think of my calculation?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-