Mother's savings book

Diu's hometown is in the highlands. After storm number 3, the place where she was born suffered a lot of damage. Watching on TV, she saw landslides burying dozens of people, making her unable to sleep. The only means of communication with her mother was her mobile phone, but due to the storm and floods, she could not connect. Feeling anxious, Diu and her husband decided to visit their mother together this time.

After a long time returning to her childhood home full of memories, seeing her mother still healthy and peaceful, Dieu felt relieved. While her husband and younger brother went fishing at the pond, her sister-in-law and mother were busy in the kitchen cooking delicious dishes, Dieu went into each small room, looking at the objects that were associated with her childhood. Dieu went into her room. The room was still kept the same by her mother as when she was still at home. Dieu choked up, she stood at the bookshelf, taking out the good books that she had saved money to buy when she was a literature student at the district school. The books were all carefully preserved by her mother, flat, without a speck of dust, proving that she often took care of and cleaned this place. Suddenly, from the bookshelf, a savings book fell down. Curious, Dieu opened it to see. The numbers inside made Dieu stunned.

Diu, a native of the highlands, came to the city to study, started a career, and then got married in the city. Although her material life was comfortable, as a daughter-in-law and a government employee, she could not freely take time off work. Diu's father had passed away, leaving only her mother, who was over 70 years old, living alone at home. Her younger brother also worked far away. She loved her mother, but because of the distance, she discussed with her husband to send her 8 million VND each month for her mother to spend and buy medicine.

Growing up with the boundless love of her father and mother, although the family's finances were not very good, Diu and her sister were always taken care of no less than their friends. Diu remembers the cold winter days when her mother still woke up early to prepare a hot breakfast for the two sisters while her parents only ate cold rice.

Time passed, Dieu went to college and settled down in the city. The hustle and bustle of life and work kept her going. Dieu could not visit her parents often. Her father passed away from a serious illness, her younger brother went to work far away, Dieu found a way to repay her parents by sending money home to her mother every month. Her mother also received a pension every month, but she suffered from many chronic diseases, and her salary was probably not enough to buy medicine.

When Diu decided to send money to her mother, her husband supported her. Diu's husband said that 8 million, but more, would still be a loss for her mother because she only had a daughter, it was hard to feed and educate her, and now she married far away and could not take care of her for a single day. He also proactively reminded his wife to transfer the money on time to make her mother happy. When receiving the money, her mother did not forget to remind her: "You also have to keep some for spending. In the city, the cost of living is expensive, and children's education is expensive. Mom in the countryside doesn't spend much, don't give it all to her."
At that time, Diu simply thought that her mother reminded her because she was worried about her. But her mother also had to buy medicine and take care of her life. She also encouraged her mother to travel with her old friends. But now, looking at the savings book with the large amount of money her mother had saved for so long, Diu understood everything. Her mother had not spent a single penny she sent home but had saved it and suffered from poverty.
When did Diu’s mother enter the room, she held Diu’s hand and explained: “I’m old, I don’t need to spend much. I know you have to pay for a house, you still owe money for your car, and you have to pay for your children’s education. I want to save some money for you later.”
Diu understood that for her mother, material and financial needs were not many, and she spent just enough. Her mother never felt deprived. What she needed was companionship and to be close to and cared for by her children. Diu was wrong. Since the day she sent money back, she always thought that she had fulfilled her duty and responsibility to her mother. Up until now, she believed that everything was impractical without material things and that money could make up for everything. She also understood that sending money to her mother was actually just to escape responsibility, to avoid having to take care of her mother, not what her mother needed.
Diu hugged her mother tightly. When she was little, her mother was the one who protected and sheltered her, but now that she was grown up, she could not take good care of her mother. In her mind, she planned to discuss with her husband to bring her mother to the city to take care of her if she agreed. If her mother still wanted to stay in the countryside, she would also go back with her husband and children to visit her often.

Outside the rain has stopped, the flood has stopped rising. I feel relieved...