Grandma Lu stayed in the hospital for a week. The doctor said that she would have to stay at home and rest for the rest of the time, and eat more nutritious food.
During this period, Uncle Lu did not show up. Father Lu and Third Uncle Lu took turns looking after Grandma each day, usually after they finished their shifts in the evening. After Lu Shurui applied to the hospital, a caregiver arrived the next day. She was a woman in her forties who worked very efficiently and took good care of Grandma.
Lu Shurui took leave to pick up his grandmother from the hospital. He and Yu Yin discussed it and decided that his grandmother should come and stay with them. Their house was spacious and could accommodate her comfortably. Most importantly, it had an indoor bathroom, so they wouldn't have to go out and queue for the toilet.
"Grandpa and Grandma, why don't you come and stay with us? Our house is spacious and has a bathroom. Uncle Hu and Aunt Hu can help us if anything happens. Yinyin and I can rest assured."
Lu Shurui discussed it with his grandfather, knowing that the old couple had their own ideas and wouldn't easily change them.
"Yinyin, if your grandmother and I live with you until the day we die, would you and Shurui be responsible for taking care of us in our old age and seeing us off in our final days?"
Grandpa Lu didn't ask Lu Shurui, but instead asked Yu Yin. With elderly people in the family, it's the women who need to worry; there's only so much a man can do. Grandpa Lu understood this perfectly well; if he were with Shurui and the others, it would be Yin Yin who suffers.
“Grandpa and Grandma, if you’re willing, I have no problem with that. Not to mention how many years you two have taken care of Shurui, you and Grandma helped us a lot when we first came back. If you don’t help take care of the family, we can’t go to school in peace.”
Yu Yin had no close relationship with either parent; aside from her mother, she didn't spend much time with her father either. Her grandparents provided her with the parental love she lacked, and she didn't mind taking care of them in their old age and seeing them off in their final days.
"Okay, I understand. Shurui, go and call your third uncle's family, your eldest uncle's family, your aunt's family, and your parents. Come over tonight. I need to talk to them about taking care of them in their old age. I have three sons and one daughter. I need to make sure my grandson takes care of me in my old age."
Following his grandfather's instructions, Lu Shurui called their workplace, telling them they absolutely had to come that evening. Lu Shurui also called his brother, the eldest son and grandson in the family, who was required to attend.
Yu Yin and Lu Shurui tidied up the house and made dinner. During this time, Yu Yin went home to tell Aunt Hu that she would be back a little late that night and that the children could go straight to bed after finishing their homework.
Around 6 PM, everyone who was supposed to come arrived. The entire eldest uncle's family was there, along with the third uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Lu, and the eldest brother Lu came alone. The youngest aunt also came alone; her house was a mess, and she didn't want to add to her parents' troubles.
"Everyone's here. I called you all here today to talk about my and your mother's retirement. What do you all want to say?"
Grandpa Lu looked at his sons and daughters, who were over fifty years old, and then at his wife, whose leg was in a cast.
"Dad, Mom hurt her leg this time and needs a long time to recover. It's not suitable for you two to live alone. Shujin's mother and I will live separately. Why don't you come and stay with us?"
“Mom’s leg needs rest and quiet recuperation. Xiang Qiang and his accomplice are always coming over and causing trouble. How can Mom rest?”
Lu's mother didn't explicitly say she disagreed, but her meaning was very clear. She had just been liberated and didn't have to take care of her grandson anymore; if she had to take care of an elderly person as well, how could she live?
Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu did not express their opinions, and their expressions remained unchanged.
"Jiang Wanling, you..."
"Mom and Dad, why don't you come to our house? Shuqi hasn't been back much since her internship, so there's enough room at our house."
Aunt Lu spoke up, whether sincerely or not, her sincerity was so great that Uncle Lu didn't even need to say anything.
"Dad, um, my house..."
"Dad, you know our family situation. We only have two rooms, but five or six people live there. There's really no room left."
Uncle Lu had barely opened his mouth when Aunt Lu interrupted him, saying that they had no place to live in their own home and no way to support themselves in their old age.
Aunt Lu was willing but powerless; she moved her lips but ultimately said nothing.
Brother Lu felt that his eldest uncle was in charge of his grandparents' care, and that his father and third uncle were not really their concern, since they weren't the ones providing for his parents. He didn't say anything, but just glanced at Lu Shurui.
“You’ve said everything. Now listen to me. Your mother and I have raised the four of you in our lives, helped you get married, bought you houses, and prepared dowries. We don’t think we’ve lost out. After you got married, we didn’t interfere in your little family, and there were no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problems.”
“We’ve lived our whole lives with limited resources. After helping you get married, we don’t have much savings left, just a little retirement income to cover our daily expenses. The only thing of value we have are these two houses; we have nothing else.”
The four siblings, including Mr. Lu, looked anxious and heavy-hearted. They felt they had failed in their filial duties, failing to provide their parents with a peaceful old age. Their parents had given everything for their children, and the children had done so little in return.
"Dad, Mom, we..."
Grandpa Lu raised his hand to interrupt them, saying there was no need to repeat themselves, it was meaningless.
“Your mother and I are getting old, and we just want to live our remaining days in peace. Yinyin doesn't mind that we're old and is willing to take care of us in our old age and see us off in our final days, so we'll live with Shurui and Yinyin from now on. But I can't let my grandson take care of me in my old age and see me off in my final days for nothing,”
"These two houses will belong to Shurui from now on. The transfer will be completed tomorrow. Don't say any more nonsense."
Grandpa Lu glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law, who was about to speak, which startled Aunt Lu so much that she bit her tongue and hissed in pain.
"That's how it should be. We children haven't fulfilled our duty to support our parents, and we've made the younger generation bear the burden. We're ashamed!"
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