Hong understood and did not force her mother to live with her anymore. She would often bring her family back to visit her mother. Maybe her mother would not be lonely in the countryside.
Her mother's hands were shaking as she locked the gate, but her eyes were still fixed on the house. Hong knew her mother did not want to leave. Her mother had spent her whole life attached to this house, the garden, and the life in the countryside, but Hong did not feel at ease leaving her mother alone in the countryside.
The car started, taking Hong and her mother to the city. Her mother would have a better life if she lived with her because she would be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. Hong had two brothers. The eldest went to the South to make a living. He was an ocean liner pilot so he was often away from home. Several times he suggested taking his mother to the South to live with him so that she could take care of him, but she refused. Hong was closer to her mother, after all, the city where she lived was only 20 kilometers away from her mother's house.
This time, Hong decided to bring her mother to live with her because 2 months ago, her mother had a stroke. Luckily, her neighbor, Ms. Thom, discovered her lying unconscious on the kitchen floor and took her to the hospital in time, otherwise...
Thinking about that, Hong was scared again and she decided to discuss with her husband and her brother to bring her mother to live with them. Although her house was not a luxurious villa, it was large enough for her mother to have a proper place to live. Her husband was also a thoughtful person so he agreed to bring his mother-in-law to take care of her.
Hong's house is in a new urban area. Most of the people here are young couples who come to the city for work and business, so they buy houses. That's why each family knows each other. They, like Hong and her husband, go to work from early in the morning and come home late in the afternoon.
During the first days at her daughter's house, Hong's mother was not used to it so she kept going in and out. Every day, she watched the camera at home to see what her mother did and what she ate.
Hong and her husband do not eat lunch at home but eat at the company canteen, so she often wakes up early to go to the market to buy breakfast and then cook lunch for her mother. The evening is the time for the whole family to gather. Hong's mother is a hard-working person, so she cannot sit still. She finds all kinds of things to do. One day she washes clothes, cleans the house. Another day she takes out a pile of curtains to dry. Sometimes she takes out the children's clothes to see if any are torn and then sews them. One day Hong and her husband come home to find the food clean. It turns out that her mother found something in the refrigerator to cook and wait for her children to come home to eat... Fearing that her mother would be tired, Hong once reminded her mother to rest, watch TV, and sit in a massage chair to relax. Her mother just said she was not used to it, she wanted to work for fun, to relax her hands and feet.
These past few days, Hong saw her mother bring a chair to the window and sit and look out for quite a while. On the other side of Hong's window was still an empty lot, the investor left it there, there was no infrastructure yet so many families took advantage of the opportunity to grow vegetables. Although the land in the city was not good, but with careful care, Hong's house also had lush green vegetable beds. These past few days, every day Hong saw her mother sitting there for a long time, so today when she came home from work, Hong asked:
- What's wrong with you these days, Mom? I saw you sitting and looking out for a long time.
Hearing Hong's question, her mother sighed and honestly said she missed home. Her mother looked at the vegetable beds outside and remembered her small garden. Hong's father died early, so her mother worked hard day and night. In addition to planting acres of rice fields, she also renovated the vegetable garden. Thanks to those vegetables, Hong's mother provided her with food and education for several years in Hanoi. Hong also knew that the garden was a memory and a joy for her mother over the years.
Hong bought all the supplements and good milk for her mother, but she didn't understand why her mother didn't gain weight. She even saw her mother getting thinner and less talkative. Hong vaguely guessed that her mother missed home and her hometown. But she didn't feel safe leaving her mother in the countryside. What if her mother had a second stroke and she didn't live with her and the neighbors didn't know?
Many times she intended to persuade her mother to remarry so that she would have someone to be happy with and depend on in her old age, but she still did not dare to say it. It could also be because of her selfishness and also because she did not want anyone to replace her father in her mother's heart... Hong thought that if she brought her mother to the city to be closer to her daughter and took better care of her mother, her mother would be happy and healthy, but her mother was still sad like this, she wondered what to do.
Hong's husband is quite understanding, as if he understands his mother-in-law's feelings, so he discussed with his wife that this weekend the whole family should arrange for her to go back to the countryside to visit. He also realized that his mother-in-law was suffocated and lonely when she had to confine herself in four silent walls all day. Only in the evening when her husband, wife and grandchildren returned did she have a few happy hours. In the city, his mother could not go out to the garden in the morning to take care of the plants and feed the chickens. In the afternoon, she would go out to the alley to play with other women of the same age... Although his mother lived alone, she still had neighbors and friends. He advised her to let her go back to the countryside more often or persuade her to join some clubs for the elderly in the ward... because he knew his mother-in-law was very lonely.
Hong understood, she just wanted her mother to be happy and healthy. It was good that she took her mother to take care of her, but the city environment might not be suitable for her. After thinking carefully, the next day Hong decided to talk to her mother and ask her if she wanted to go back to her hometown. Hearing her daughter, her mother was very happy and immediately agreed. It turned out that her mother really wanted to go back to her hometown to live, but she was afraid that her daughter would be sad, so she held back, not daring to tell her children...
The day Hong took her mother home, she quickly got out of the car and opened the gate. The dear, familiar house was associated with many happy and sad memories, and her mother could not bear to leave. Although she lived alone in the countryside, perhaps Hong's mother was not lonely because she had neighbors and villagers to keep her company. Her mother also had a garden and an airy living space. Hong understood, so she did not force her mother to live with her anymore. She would often bring her family back to visit her mother and ask her neighbor Thom to keep an eye on her mother more. Perhaps her mother would not be lonely when she returned to the countryside.
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