After dinner, everyone sat on the sofa chatting, and Li Chunmei cut a plate of fruit and put it on the coffee table.
Grandma Xia winked at Li Chunmei, wanting her to tell Li Zhonghua about the old couple going back to their hometown to live together, but Li Chunmei thought about it and didn't say anything.
Grandma Xia had no choice but to clear her throat and say, "Zhonghua, your father and I have discussed going back to our hometown with Jianguo during the Qingming Festival!"
Li Zhonghua ate the fruit and said, "That's great! We can come back with Jianguo then too."
Li Chunmei then spoke up, "Big brother, Mom and Dad haven't finished saying what they were going to say..."
Before Li Chunmei could finish speaking, Grandma Xia got up and covered Li Chunmei's mouth. Her agile movements were nothing like those of a woman in her sixties.
This made Li Zhonghua, who had previously paid little attention to Xia's maternal grandparents' return home, start to take it seriously. He stared at Xia's maternal grandmother and asked, "Mom, what's going on? Are you hiding something from me?"
Grandma Xia avoided Li Zhonghua's gaze and muttered, "Nothing's wrong! What could we possibly be hiding from you? Don't overthink it."
Grandpa Xia slammed his hand on the coffee table. "Li Zhonghua, what kind of attitude is this? How could you say that to your mother like that! You unfilial son!"
Li Zhonghua turned to his maternal grandfather, "Dad, what are you hiding from me?"
Grandpa Xia, sticking his neck out, said, "It's nothing, we just want to go back to our hometown to live permanently! Is that not allowed? Your second sister has already agreed!"
"Dad, when did I agree? I only said I needed to discuss it with my older brother and sister-in-law!" Li Chunmei refused to take the blame if things went wrong.
Xia's maternal grandfather mouthed to Li Chunmei, "Traitor!"
Li Zhonghua was full of confusion. "Dad, didn't we agree before that we'd stay in Shenzhen for ten years and then take you home to retire? We're so worried about you two going home without anyone to take care of you! What happened? Why do you suddenly want to go home?"
Grandpa Xia stared blankly out the balcony. “It’s no fun staying here. We can only walk around the room or the neighborhood every day. If it’s a little far, we have to take a car. Your mother and I can’t read, so we can’t go out and about. When we helped out at your restaurant, it was lively and we could chat with people from the same province. Now it’s just your mother and me talking every day.”
"After we go back home, we can see our old friends from our hometown often. We can get together for a drink, chat, and play cards when we have nothing to do. Life is so carefree!"
What Grandpa Xia said is true. It is not easy for the elderly to readjust to a new environment. Language barriers and dietary habits alone can be very difficult for many elderly people.
Shenzhen is a place where land is extremely valuable, and the house that Xia Minmin and her family bought is not very big. Compared to the big house in their hometown, it is naturally not easy for Xia's maternal grandparents to adapt.
Grandma Xia wiped away her tears, "Last month, your dad and I almost got lost when we tried to take the bus to Chunmei's place. In the end, we had to take a taxi. When we went out to buy groceries, we were almost hit by a motorcycle that was driving recklessly."
Li Chunmei sat down next to Grandma Xia and took a tissue to wipe her tears. Her voice was a little choked up. "Mom and Dad, why have you never mentioned these things before?"
Grandpa Xia said, "What's the use of telling you? You can't solve the problem; it will only make you worry."
Li Chunmei thought for a moment, "Brother, why don't we send Mom and Dad back to their hometown?"
Li Zhonghua fell into deep thought. He originally thought that bringing his parents to Shenzhen would give them a better life, but he never expected that they would suffer so much injustice behind his back.
Li Zhonghua thought for a moment and said, "We're not home. What if something happens to you when we get back? As your children, we have to consider that!"
They are far away in Shenzhen and if something happens, they won't be able to get back in time.
Xia Jianguo suggested, "How about we hire a nanny?"
"No, no, your mother and I are just two peasants. If we hire a nanny, people will laugh at us!" Grandpa Xia quickly waved his hand in refusal.
Grandma Xia said, "Your father and I are still young and can take care of ourselves. We don't need anyone to take care of us!"
Sun Erni was in a dilemma. "If we just send you home like this, who knows what the villagers will say about me and Zhonghua?"
Sun Erni's concerns were genuine. Back in their hometown, after her son got married, the parents lived with him and his wife. If her son went to another place without taking his parents with him, the villagers would gossip about it unless he never came home again; otherwise, people would bring it up every time he returned.
"Just because of what the villagers say, does that mean we can't let Grandpa and Grandma go back to their hometown to live permanently?" Li Qing couldn't understand whether reputation was that important.
"Knowing full well that Grandpa and Grandma are unhappy in Shenzhen, but forcing them to stay just to save face, is that really the right thing to do?" Xia Minmin's words quieted down the people who had been arguing.
"It's so annoying! This won't work, that won't work. What business is it of theirs if I want to go back to my own home? I don't rely on them for food and drink. They're just a bunch of idle people with nothing better to do." Li Qing gradually became irritable.
Li Chunmei thought for a moment and said, "Brother, how about this? Mom, after you go home, transfer the land to someone else to farm, and stop raising pigs. Do less farm work and rest more."
Li Zhonghua had no choice but to compromise. "Mom and Dad, if you insist on coming home, then we need to make a deal, like what my second sister said. We'll go home together after Xiaoqing finishes her college entrance exam, so please bear with us a little longer. After we get home, we'll have the electrical wiring in the house fixed. We'll also buy you a refrigerator, a TV, and a washing machine."
Xia Jianguo said, "Brother, this is a great idea. Let's include our family in the purchase of home appliances. Once we have a TV, many people will come over to watch it, and Mom and Dad will have someone to keep them company at home."
Li Chunmei's eyes lit up. "Big brother, this is a great idea. The refrigerator is really good. We can give the money to our eldest sister or younger sister so they can buy rice, flour, oil, and meat for Mom and Dad every month. That way, they won't be reluctant to spend money on food and end up eating it all the time."
Xia Minmin said, "We can buy the clothes in Shenzhen and send them back to Grandpa and Grandma!"
When Xia's maternal grandparents heard that they could come home to live permanently, their expressions relaxed.
Xia Minmin realized that she hadn't seen her grandfather so relaxed since he came to Shenzhen.
Xia Minmin said, "Look how happy Grandpa and Grandma are! It shows that our decision was right."
"As long as Grandpa and Grandma are happy, let others talk!"
Li Zhonghua laughed, "You young people have such good ideas. We elders are too concerned about saving face, which makes us very tired! We should learn from you two in the future."
Xia Minmin said with a grin, "Being too proud will only lead to suffering! Let's learn from each other!"
Li Chunmei roughly rubbed Xia Minmin's head.
Xia Minmin yelled, "Mom, you messed up my hair!"
The whole family burst into laughter at Xia Minmin's messy hair.
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