When my in-laws were still alive, they often said that moving to Miaoshan was a blessing for them!
"Yeah?"
"That's right. It's just that my husband and I really don't have any skills, so in the end, the old couple gave us this shop."
As for the shops in the city, they were also divided among the other siblings, but they weren't interested in the kitchen work. I heard they either transferred the business or switched to other ventures.
"But the shops here aren't as valuable as those in the city. Don't you think the old man is being biased?"
"I don't think so. It's true that this shop can't compare, but when the two elders were alive, they also subsidized us in other ways."
My daughter is going to work at the Li's Building, right? There's a ready-made apartment there, which we built up while you two were still alive.
Even if our family earned a lot, we couldn't keep up with the current housing price increases.
"That's true, the current housing prices are indeed ridiculously high."
After finishing breakfast at the stall, I continued to stroll around. It's fair to say that no one knows Miaoshan better than myself, but at the same time, no one knows Miaoshan less than myself.
To understand this place, you need to know every mountain and river, every inch of land. What's more, the food here is still the same, but the owners have long since changed.
The elderly who have been able to stay at their posts for so long have either retired long ago or passed away for some reason.
When I used to stay here, I could think of people I knew first, chat with them, and talk to them.
But what about now? Most people don't live here anymore. Well, those who came back from the countryside back then, even if they were younger than me, are now in their sixties.
People of this age aren't raising their children's kids; they're out having fun at sixty. How many people are still working from dawn till dusk?
In other words, those who are struggling financially or do not want to burden their children.
On this bustling street in Miaoshan, although the shops are all long-established brands, the elderly people only sit in the shops from time to time to keep an eye on things. The rest of the time, they just find a quiet place to bask in the sun.
After walking around for a while each day, I sit by the lake. Here, I often run into many familiar faces, mostly elderly people sitting in the retirement home.
They often fish or play chess here when they have free time.
"Hey! Isn't this Shen Laosan's wife? What brings you here today, you busy man?"
Seeing that the other person recognized him, but he didn't recognize the other person, he asked with some confusion.
"And you are?"
When the other person realized that he didn't remember her, he said...
"Chairman Li, you must have a bad memory. I am Ji Jie, Wang Yuliang's wife."
My wife, Wang Yuliang, was a soldier under Deputy Commander Shen.
Hearing her say that, I understood why she knew me, but I still asked.
"Comrade Li, are you staying at the retirement home with your spouse, or are you here for sightseeing in Miaoshan?"
"At that time, we lived in a retirement home. My husband was promoted one level before he retired, so after he retired, he had the opportunity to be assigned to a retirement home."
By the way, why didn't I see Deputy Commander Shen at the veterans' retirement home?
"We don't live here."
"I see. So, what brings you to Miaoshan today?"
"The kids are all on summer vacation, so they don't need our help looking after them. They're just taking advantage of this time to come out and have some fun."
"I see. But that makes sense. Nothing is more important than taking care of the children right now."
"That's right, but luckily they all listen to us, so things are a bit easier for us."
By the way, are any of your children married yet?
"It's settled, but none of them are in a hurry to have children, otherwise I wouldn't be so bored."
I don't understand how kids these days think. Why are there so many reasons for having a child?
"It's really hard to say, that's how young people are these days."
Another reason is the high cost of living and raising children; they definitely want to wait until they have a certain level of financial stability before having children.
"Actually, I understand this too, but men can wait for time, while women's prime years are only a few years long."
By the way, I heard you and Deputy Commander Shen also have a daughter. I wonder if your daughter has children now?
"She has a son, she got married young, and her child is almost in elementary school now."
"Aren't you two very tired just taking care of the child?"
"Fortunately, the children of the eldest and second eldest sons are all grown up now and basically don't need anyone to take care of them. Only the youngest son's child is a bit younger, so now it's mainly the youngest son and his wife who take care of the child."
"Logically speaking, in your family's situation, you could have simply left the child with a nanny. Why should you two suffer like this?"
"That's true, but then again, no matter how well Auntie takes care of them, she certainly can't teach them as much as we, their grandparents, can in terms of knowledge and interpersonal skills."
"That's true. Recently, many media outlets have reported on the issue of nannies taking care of children. It's really worrying to completely entrust your child to a nanny."
"The most important thing is how well you know your aunt; if you don't, it really won't work."
But then again, even if you understand, you can't just leave your child entirely to the nanny.
You know, this child is closest to whoever takes care of him.
"That's true, but no matter how envious I am, it's no use. It's just that the kids at home aren't worried at all."
"This really can't be rushed. Maybe when you stop urging them, the children will give you an unexpected surprise."
"That's true. By the way, Chairman Li, why haven't we seen Deputy Commander Shen for so long?"
“He didn’t come here. He’s been busy lately. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to Miao Shao’s place alone.”
"I see. I was thinking of finding a time when we could have a meal together and have a proper chat."
Upon hearing this, I knew the other person might have something to say, so I quickly spoke up.
"No, no, please don't go to so much trouble. Besides, I've been here for a while, and I'll be going back in a couple of days."
There's really no need to trouble the retired cadres; otherwise, the child's father will complain again.
When the other party saw that he had refused, they didn't say anything. Besides, they were just being polite, so how could he take it seriously?
Seeing that the other party was no longer saying anything, he made an excuse to leave.
Actually, the other person wasn't very comfortable chatting with me, partly because of his status as the child's father.
Another point is that one's own abilities are stronger than the other party's, which unintentionally gives people a sense of dominance.
This is also why they are unwilling to live in retirement homes; it's simply because getting along with each other is too difficult.
It's better to live in the alleyway; at least there are old neighbors there, and no one will care so much.
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