Sister Cai is fifty-three years old this year. She sent her grandson to kindergarten, bought groceries for today, and walked to the community carrying a reusable bag.
After saying hello to the doorman Lao He, I saw a group of old sisters sitting in a pavilion not far away, and smiled unconsciously on their faces.
"Hey, there's a crowd here so early. Have you bought all the groceries?"
He shouted with a smile as he walked.
"What food did you buy today?"
"Lettuce, you should go buy it in the afternoon. There is a van bringing bundles of it in the small square in the neighborhood next door these two afternoons. They cost five yuan for ten kilograms."
"Really? Is it fresh?"
"It must be fresh."
"That's right, who will buy it if it's not fresh?"
"What? Can't finish the meal? There are five or six people in the family. One plate of vegetables and one chopstick for each person is gone."
...
Several people chatted.
Sister Cai sat on the stone chair and put the bag next to her, "I can hear your voices talking from afar. What are you talking about?"
The old girlfriends all rolled their eyes and curled their lips, and glanced at Xu Yuling, who looked lonely and sad. One of them said, "It's not the old Xu family. Her son dislikes her and wants to send her back to his hometown."
"Send it back to your hometown?" Sister Cai's eyes widened, "No, Lao Xu, haven't you been back to your hometown for more than ten years? How can people still live in it?" Once the house loses its popularity, it will be abandoned soon.
Oh no!
"Are you mistaken? No one in our community knows that your Ah Shi is the most filial and the most obedient to your mother. He will not dislike you even if he dislikes anyone." Anyway, she didn't believe this.
What do you believe?
They have lived here together for thirty years, been neighbors for thirty years, and have known each other since they were young. How could she still not know who Xu Yuling was?
In the words of my little niece who just went to college, it’s making.
Make heaven and earth.
Self-centered.
I wonder if the old Song family was driven crazy by her back then.
"Sister Cai, don't you know the pillow style? What if the child listens to the mother's words? Once married, it's not what the wife says. Look at my house. After moving out, she didn't come back even once a month, and she didn't even have a phone call. I don’t believe it if it’s not someone else’s pillow talk.” The aunt said with a sneer, “If you have the ability, you will stay outside for the rest of your life. If you need anything, don’t ask me.”
"You can't say that. Today's young people are not willing to live with the elderly. So what do you mean, they want freedom and a world for two." Another aunt said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, living together brings more conflicts. We are both retired and have money. We don't have to take care of young people. We can go out to dance every day and walk with a group from time to time. How great."
Xu Yuling lowered her eyelashes.
She's not that carefree.
Others have pensions, but she does not. Over the years, she has been living on her previous savings and the man's death benefit, which has been spent long ago.
Hearing what the old neighbor said, she smiled bitterly and said, "Isn't that right? Young people have their own lives. I'd better be more conscious and don't be dissatisfied. I'm old. How long can I live? Don't make people resentful. Just go back to your hometown." Go down, my old man’s grave is buried in the countryside. He has been alone for so many years. I... If my two children weren’t still young, I would have gone with him. What’s the point of my life? Now, if I don’t want my son to be around anymore, do I have to die for him to be satisfied..."
She covered her face and sobbed.
Several people were busy comforting her.
Sister Cai was confused and grabbed the person next to her, "What happened to her family?"
The man glanced at Xu Yuling, who was surrounded by everyone, curled his lips, and whispered, "It's a trivial matter, it's just her own petty thinking..."
As he spoke, he shared the gossip he heard.
Those eyes that were shining with astonishing light and the mouth that was constantly opening and closing were not as uninterested as she just said.
"Did she say this herself?" Sister Cai looked at Xu Yuling in disbelief after listening to the whole process.
"That's not true. We are sitting here with our heads down early in the morning. We still pretend that something happened, just like this... Hehe, to put it bluntly, who young man doesn't like to have a barbecue? Late night snacks, if you are old you just turn a blind eye, who is still young, you have to care about such trivial things, no wonder she——"
"Okay, stop talking." Sister Cai quickly grabbed the man and winked at her.
The man understood and shut up.
Xu Yuling stopped crying after being comforted by her old neighbors. She showed a forced smile and wiped her eyes, "I'm fine, but I feel a little sad. I worked hard to raise my son, but..."
Everyone understands what is left unsaid.
They are all mothers-in-law, so they understand very well.
"Relax, eat when it's time, play when it's time, and worry less so you'll get sick less often."
"Yes, we have worked hard all our lives, but we should stop meddling in their young people's affairs. Good health is the most important thing."
"They'll get annoyed if you take too much care."
Xu Yuling smiled and wiped away tears, "I know, my son is still very good."
The old neighbors all agreed, "Your Ah Shi is indeed filial."
...
Song Shi came back from get off work and was grabbed by an aunt as soon as he entered the community.
He thought about it.
Oh, he is a neighbor who is close to Yuan Zha’s mother, his surname is Cai.
"Aunt Cai, what's the matter?"
Sister Cai pulled him aside and said, "Song Shi, aunt asked you, have you made your mother angry?"
Song Shi blinked with an innocent look on his face, "Aunt Cai, who did you hear this from? I made my mother angry? Why didn't I know that?"
"You still said!" Sister Cai glared, "Your mother already told you that you and your wife didn't give her food to eat. You two secretly ate in the house without calling her, and you treated her like a burden."
"Then Aunt Cai, you really blamed me wrongly. It was past seven o'clock when I came back from get off work yesterday, and I didn't cook at home. I couldn't help but complain a few times, but my mother took it to heart." He looked helplessly. Looking at Sister Cai, "Auntie, is it possible that your family also waits until your son-in-law comes back from the evening shift to cook dinner?"
"...Uh." Sister Cai choked. That's not true. It's not just her family, but every family in the community is like this. If you wait until the young people come back to cook, God knows what time the meal can be served.
"Every time your son and daughter-in-law go out to eat, they take you and my uncle with them?" He waved his hand, "Who in our community doesn't know that my salary card is always in my mother's hand, and the cakes and cookies are hidden in the cabinet in her room? There is a supermarket for milk powder for the elderly, so no one in the family can starve her."
"I'm the one who wants to be pitied, okay?"
"I didn't even have the money to join the company when it came to team building. My colleagues thought I didn't fit in with the crowd, and my boss thought I wasn't united. When I got home, I had to force myself to smile..."
"I am now entirely supported by my wife. How can I ask her to help me support my mother?"
After saying that, he muttered in a low voice: "Fortunately, I didn't listen to my mother and ask for Xiaolan's salary card. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the good life now, and we would definitely be in trouble."
Aunt Cai's pupils trembled.
She hurriedly grabbed Song Shi who was about to leave, "Are you stuck at your mother's place?"
"Yeah, she said she was afraid that I would spend it randomly, so she helped me save it." Song Shi took out his phone and checked the time, "Aunt Cai, is there anything else? I'll leave first if there is nothing else."
Sister Cai let go of her hand.
As soon as Song Shi left, she quickly took out her mobile phone and sent a voice message to her old sisters with whom she was usually close, "Hey, you know, I just met Lao Xu's son, and he said..."
