"There's nothing we can do about it. We also have to think about our children. At this age, we can't just do whatever we want."

“It really is true. Come on, let’s go to the restaurant. I heard you were coming, so I asked your sister-in-law to prepare a few more good dishes, knowing you like them.”

"Old Shen, you understand me best. It's only when I come to your house that I can have some drinks and eat some good food."

"If I were at home, someone would be watching me no matter what I ate, and even if no one was around, I wouldn't enjoy my meal as much."

"Then why don't you come to my house more often? Our two families don't live far apart now."

"That's true, but you know what our family situation is like."

"That's true. If you come to our house every day for no reason, I'm really afraid that your nephews will move in. Everyone knows how strict your kids are with your food, clothing, and lodging."

"Right?"

"Then why did you come to our house this time? Don't you think you can eat whatever you want? I doubt it. Didn't you see my nephew came with you?"

"It's alright. With you here at your house, he won't dare to do anything to me. He'll have to give me some face."

"That's true, but don't worry, nephew. The meals prepared at home are the kind that the elderly usually eat. As for the alcohol, it's not like the kind sold outside; it's all grain-based liquor. As for the alcohol content, don't worry about it!"

"Don't even mention your dad only said he'd drink two ounces, he could easily drink half a pound."

"Uncle Chen, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that our old man can't control himself when it comes to food and drink, no matter what it is."

He was hospitalized for this very recently, and if we hadn't heard he was coming to see you, my siblings and I wouldn't have planned to let him out this time.

"What's wrong with Lao Wang? How did he end up in the hospital?"

"Dad, Uncle Shen is asking you a question. Why aren't you answering this time?"

"You've already said everything, why should I say anything more? How can a grown man be more talkative than a woman, babbling on and on? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"Dad, are you afraid that Uncle Chen will laugh at you? You can't eat without restraint! Look at others, you're so greedy that you end up in the hospital."

"No, nephew, after listening for so long, are you saying your dad just ate too much?"

"Isn't that right? It's not that we don't let him eat, it's just that he really doesn't feel like it, and we don't know why, but for the past two or three years he's been thinking about food all the time."

At first, we didn't think much of it. My dad is so old, how much could he possibly eat? But who would have thought that once he started eating, he would eat endlessly? Sometimes, if no one was watching him, he would definitely eat until he was stuffed.

Not long ago, he ate too much without realizing it.

I'm already quite old, and the doctor said my digestive system is weak and I don't digest food well, so I always end up with stomach aches from eating the wrong things.

We were afraid something might happen to him at home, so we had no choice but to send him to the hospital. He stayed there for half a month, and he was only discharged a few days ago.

"When we heard that someone had invited him to come here as some kind of lobbyist, we couldn't stop him no matter what we tried. We really had no other choice; otherwise, we wouldn't have specifically assigned someone to keep an eye on him."

"Old Wang, this won't do!"

"Old Shen, don't listen to his nonsense. He makes me sound like a pig who only knows how to eat."

"Dad, you know you can't stop eating. You're not young anymore, and it's not easy to digest if you eat too much."

Can't you eat a little less? It's not like you're only eating this once, and we're not going to stop you from eating next time. Why are you making it sound like we're mistreating you?

You said it's not like I'm stopping you from eating, why are you being so insistent?

"Isn't that because we were so poor back then? There wasn't nearly as much food as we have now. Can't I even try some? Besides, I haven't even eaten much. Who knows if that stuff is hard to digest?"

"You're not just tasting it, are you? How dare you say that? Uncle Chen isn't afraid you'll laugh at me. Sometimes, when my dad tastes something delicious, he'll snatch it even if it's a child."

Because of this, Xiao Tao and I have had countless arguments lately.

"No, Lao Wang, are you serious? How can you fight with a child for something at your age?"

"I... I'm just playing with my grandson. Otherwise, why would I be building a relationship with my great-grandson?"

"Is your way of building a relationship just making the child cry? How can you play with a child like that? You're always stealing their cookies or other things."

"That's because I never ate that when I was a kid. Why do you feel bad about eating something now?"

I'm not dead yet! And you have so many complaints. If I live another ten or eight years, are you going to throw me out on the street?

Old Shen, do you see this? This is an unfilial son.

"Alright, Lao Wang, you should be content. I know your nephews quite well; they wouldn't do anything to be unfilial to their parents."

"That's right, Dad, please don't say anything more nonsense, aren't you afraid that Uncle Chen will laugh at you?"

"Do I need others to laugh at me? I just ate a little something, and you, you unfilial son, run to your Uncle Chen to complain about me. Is this how a son should act?"

"That's no better than you being a father."

"Are you looking for a beating? How dare you talk back to me?"

"Alright, you two, stop arguing here. I can hear you all from the kitchen. Hurry up and sit down!"

"Old Wang, I know you love mashed yam, this is a dish I made especially for you. Here, eat it quickly."

"Sister-in-law, your home is so much better! You can have whatever you want to eat. Unlike my home, where someone controls what I eat."

I can't even eat a single extra bite of the most ordinary food. What kind of life am I living?

"Old Wang, you should be secretly happy! Don't take your blessings for granted. At our age, having children to take care of us is a blessing. Have you forgotten about that family in the alley next door a couple of years ago?"

“I really didn’t think so. My sister-in-law is right. At our age, it’s a blessing to have our children around us.”

"So you should be secretly happy to have your nephew looking after you. I've recently heard that many young people are unwilling to take care of their teachers and are sending their parents to nursing homes instead."

"Let's not talk about whether living in a nursing home is good or not. Just look at this behavior. You're not short of money, so why did you send your parents there?"

Even setting aside the question of what kind of food and lodging they'd get there, it would be incredibly difficult to even see them once they got there.

It's certainly easier for the children, but it's the elderly like us who are crying.