"I asked the old lady, what will happen when you get old? What if you die and no one finds out?"
"The old lady said to me: 'I can't move anymore, so find someone to take care of me and give me some money every month for food and shelter. When I die, the nanny should know about it. I will make a will in advance and give some of the money to the nanny after my death, and donate the rest. I can be cremated and buried in a pre-purchased cemetery."
"The old lady also said that if you don't care about your afterlife while you're alive, then you shouldn't care about anything else after you're dead. What else can you know? If there really is an underworld, then being a little poor is fine. There's nothing to be afraid of. Her children and grandchildren are unfilial, and it's really because money can tie them down. When she dies, there won't be any paper money burned for her. After she said that, I suddenly understood."
"While your father and I are still able to move and have strong bodies, earn more money and save more for the family. When your brother gets married, you can separate the money and buy them a house. After that, the business is in your brother's hands, so there's no need to worry about them starving to death."
Not only Zhong Yuxiu, but also Yan Rushan and Yan Guofeng were stunned by these words. But then they thought it was true. If children and grandchildren are not filial, it is better to be alone in peace and quiet.
If children and grandchildren are truly filial, the elderly will not feel lonely living alone.
As they chatted, they talked more and more. Mother and Father Zhong cherished the time they spent with their daughter. They had few opportunities to see each other, and even less time to spend together, and even less time to talk. Because of this, the two elderly people in the Zhong family cherished the present time even more.
"You can do whatever you want. When you can't move, I will support you. If you don't want to live with your eldest brother, I will pay for a nanny to take care of you." She didn't want to get too close to the Zhong family, but she would not avoid fulfilling her filial duty to the original owner.
After hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Zhong subconsciously looked at Yan Guofeng and his grandson. Their daughter was a fool; they said it out loud and hoped that the Yan family would not have any opinions.
"We don't need you to support us, as long as you live well. We can still move around and earn money, so we can save the money we earn now for our retirement." Zhong's father said, "We don't ask your eldest brother to be filial in the future. He should support us in any way he wants. If he wants to, he can treat us well, but if he doesn't, forget it."
It is true that it is better to rely on yourself than on your children and grandchildren.
Zhong Yuxiu declined to comment. "I don't know whether my elder brother will give it to me or not. I will give you everything I should give. If I give it to you, just accept it and don't refuse. You gave birth to me, and even though I wasn't raised by you, I am still your daughter. If you push away what filial children owe you, you are pushing away their filial piety."
"What Yuxiu said is true. Just take the things given by your children and grandchildren. Without parents, there would be no children. Yuxiu has this intention. If you two accept it happily, Yuxiu will be happy." Yan Guofeng spoke, but Zhong's father and mother were dumbfounded. Why did the Yan family seem to support their daughter?
Yan Rushan said, "Mom and Dad, I have no objection to Yuxiu being filial to you two. She should be filial to us. When our three sons grow up and can be filial to Yuxiu and me, we will do the same. We will accept what we should accept. If they want to live with us, they can live with us. If they don't want to live elsewhere, that's fine too. Although we are not around, as children, we must still show the filial piety we should show to them."
Mr. and Mrs. Zhong were confused. The family their daughter married into was too open-minded. People say that a daughter who is married off is like spilled water; what they mean is that after a daughter arrives at her husband's home, she will have many restrictions and should be filial to her parents-in-law. Many people will not let their daughter-in-law go back to be filial to her parents-in-law.
Not only is their daughter's in-laws not like this, they are also very open-minded; they do things in a responsible manner and have a good family tradition!
After having a meal at Yan's house, they left with smiles on their faces. After leaving the compound, Zhong's mother kept saying to Zhong's father, "Our daughter is so lucky!"
"It's because my daughter has good taste and chose a good in-law. Their in-laws are wealthy, so they are generous in their work." Zhong's father said objectively, "How many wealthy families are there in the countryside? It's already difficult to support a family, and even if my daughter wants to be filial to her parents, her ability is limited."
This is a fact.
In rural areas, many families could only afford to have enough food and clothing, which was far from the well-off life in later generations.
Mother Zhong nodded. "My daughter is really thoughtful. If she wasn't, nothing I could say would be of any use. Yuxiu's in-laws are really good people. It's a good thing she didn't grow up with us all these years. We don't have the money to raise Yuxiu well! Her adoptive family must have put in a lot of effort. We've been in Beijing for so long and haven't been able to visit them."
"Don't say anymore. If her adoptive family really loved her, they wouldn't have let her go to the countryside. We have heard about her affairs before. They just love their biological children more. Yuxiu doesn't mention her adoptive family to us, so we shouldn't meddle in other people's business. Just do what our daughter wants." Father Zhong is open-minded. Some things cannot be accomplished by just talking.
Whether you love someone or not depends on what that person does and whether the person being loved lives a good life.
If you're not doing well, then you won't feel any pain. Who doesn't know how to say nice things? Especially nice things about yourself.
"Yes! They went too far on this point." Mother Zhong stopped talking about this topic and discussed her three grandchildren with him. "You see, our three grandchildren are growing up really well, plump and strong. It's a pity that I can't watch them grow up."
Father Zhong patted her shoulder, glanced back at his son who was following behind, and smiled, "It's a great blessing for you to recognize your daughter as your relative. Don't think too much about other things. When our son gets married, he will give you grandchildren to hold."
"Yes." Mother Zhong narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Then when will we return to the countryside? We can be considered to have returned home in glory, right?"
"Of course." He stood up straight when he had money.
A family with a solid foundation gives people confidence.
"Oh, I forgot to ask Yuxiu if she wants to go back to the village with us to at least meet her relatives." Mother Zhong clapped her hands and looked back towards the courtyard, regret in her eyes. "It would be great if Yuxiu could bring her grandchildren back with her."
"The children are still young, forget it; it's not possible this time. Wait until they are older, then we can talk about bringing them back home." Firstly, the children are young, and secondly, he is afraid of delaying his daughter's work.
My daughter's job must be very important since it has attracted the attention of spies. Returning home to recognize her relatives is a big deal, but it seems insignificant compared to the major issues of family and country.
Mother Zhong nodded, feeling both regretful and happy. "Well, the most important thing this time is to find a good wife for our son."
They walked back after much discussion. The Zhong family listened, expressionless. He no longer had any thoughts about whether to get married or not. His first wife had given him such a headache that it had left a psychological scar. He finally got divorced, and now his parents were arranging another marriage for him. Marriage really wasn't that easy!
After the Zhong family left, the Yan family became deserted. Yan Guofeng sat on the floor and played with the children; Zhong Yuxiu and Yan Rushan leaned on the back of the sofa, chatting casually.
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