The day before yesterday, on a sunny day, my adoptive mother's grandson, who is also my nephew, ushered in the most important moment of his life - his wedding. As the elder of the family, I was extremely excited to witness this grand celebration.
The wedding scene was very luxuriously decorated, with flowers, streamers, balloons, and the elaborate stage, every detail revealed delicacy and care. The guests were dressed in costumes with heartfelt smiles on their faces, and the whole venue was filled with a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
The nephew and the bride walked hand in hand on the red carpet, their faces filled with happiness and anticipation. I stood in the crowd and watched them walk step by step towards the palace of marriage, and my heart was full of emotion. My nephew has grown up and is no longer the little boy who followed me, and I have changed from an aunt to a giver, an elder who can support him in important moments in his life.
The wedding began with a toast, and my nephew and bride came to my table and they raised their glasses to toast me to express their respect and gratitude to me.
I stood up and looked at them affectionately, a warm current surging in my heart. I raised my glass and wished them a happy wedding and growing old together.
After the toast, I took out a carefully prepared gift - a key. This key represents a house worth 1 million and is my wedding gift to my nephew and bride.
I handed the key to my nephew and told him that it was a gift I had prepared for him, and I knew that he had just started a family and was under great financial pressure, and hoped that this house would allow them to have a place to settle down in the provincial capital and manage their lives better.
The surrounding guests let out a cry of surprise when they saw this scene. Some people applauded and congratulated, some people were envious, and some people had mixed emotions in their eyes. My brother and sister-in-law were even more moved, they took my hand with tears in their eyes, and refused to accept the gift.
I couldn't help but say, and stuffed the key into my nephew's hand: "If you don't accept it, you won't recognize me as an aunt." Didn't you say that I would be your aunt no matter what time it was?"
My husband on the side also smiled and asked his nephew to accept it, saying that this is the common intention of our family of three. Seeing this, my nephew took the key and bowed to us.
I was born in 1972 and my adoptive parents treated me like their own, and my older siblings loved me very much. Although my family was not wealthy at that time, and it can even be said that I was quite poor, I never felt material deprivation in this loving environment.
In my childhood memories, life at home was always tight. My father was an ordinary worker, and my mother took care of our children at home. The family's source of livelihood mainly depends on his father's meager salary, and this income is undoubtedly stretched to support the expenses of the whole family.
Still, my parents always tried their best to make us feel good about life. They always leave the best things in the house for us, even if it's a small piece of candy, and divide it into portions to make sure every child gets a taste of that sweetness. In my young heart, the image of my parents was so tall, and their love was so selfless.
My brothers and sisters always took good care of me, and they always kept the best food for me, even if I was hungry, to make sure I was fed.
I remember one time when there was not enough food at home, my brothers and sisters saved their share and secretly put it in my bowl. When I was full, I couldn't help but cry when I saw my brother, who was 1.7 meters hungry, so hungry that he used cold water to satisfy his hunger. My brothers and sisters heard my crying and made faces to tease me.
Despite the difficult living conditions, my childhood was full of love and joy. When night falls, the family sits around in the dim light and shares the interesting stories of the day, which is my happiest time.
It wasn't until I was 10 years old that I unexpectedly learned about my origins. On a sunny afternoon, I was playing in the yard as usual, occasionally looking up at the sky and imagining the shape of the clouds.
The atmosphere in the house seemed to be a little different than usual, and there was a tense silence in the air. There was a muffled voice in my grandmother's room, and I stood on tiptoe curiously and crept closer to the door.
Grandma roared: "What are you doing here? Gu Qin is just a wild child picked up from the garbage heap, you still think she is a treasure, it's really stupid!"
Dad's voice was calm and firm, and he said to Grandma categorically: "Mom, no matter how she came to our house, she is our daughter now. It is our responsibility to take care of her and give her a warm home. ”
Mom's voice was gentle and loving, her eyes glistening with tears, but she still argued: "Yes, Mom." We love her as much as we love our own children. She's smart and sensible, so how can we bear to let her go without a book?"
Grandma's mood calmed down a little, but there was still dissatisfaction in her tone: "You are making trouble for yourself! The family is already difficult enough, and you still have to provide her with education, what do you think?"
Dad sighed, still firm, and said, "Mom, we can't just look at the difficulties in front of us. Your child's future is more important than anything else. It's okay for us to be a little harder, but we can't delay our children's education. ”
Mom chimed in: "We'll figure it out, Mom." Even if we eat less and wear less, we should let our children have books to read. ”
I stood outside the door, my heart twisting like a knife. Grandma's words were like a sharp sword, piercing my heart. At this time, I realized that I was not my parents' biological flesh and blood, but an abandoned baby that people didn't want.
I couldn't hold back and asked my mom. Seeing that I heard it, my mother sighed and told me the truth.
It was a winter morning, the wind was bitter, the sky was gray, as if even the sun was unwilling to poke its head out of the warm bed early. The people of the village were still asleep, and only a few chickens and dogs barked occasionally broke the silence.
Mom, as usual, carried a basket and prepared to go to the market to buy some necessities for the family. As she walked past the garbage heap at the head of the village, a faint cry caught her attention.
Mom stopped and looked around, but there was no one in sight. She followed the sound and saw a weak figure curled up in the corner of the garbage heap, shivering. It was a little girl, ragged and her little face purple from the cold, apparently abandoned.
The little girl's eyes were closed, her breathing was weak, her mother's heart was pinched, she did not hesitate at all, took off her scarf, and gently wrapped it around the little girl's body: "Child, don't be afraid, Auntie will take you home." ”
The mother carefully picked up the little girl and warmed her with her own body heat. She quickened her pace and hurried home. When she got home, her mother immediately lit a fire, fed the little girl some hot soup, and brought her some old clothes to put on.
When my father saw this scene, his brows tightened, and he asked his mother worriedly: "What are you doing? Our family is already difficult enough, how can we afford to raise another mouth?"
The mother replied firmly: "I can't watch the child get cold outside, let's eat one less bite and save the child's life." ”
The brothers and sisters also gathered around, and they looked at the new guy curiously, there was no trace of rejection in their eyes, only full of curiosity and concern: "Mom, who is she, why is she wearing so little?"
The mother stroked her brother's head and said gently, "She is a poor child who has been abandoned by her family. From now on, she will be a member of our family. ”
My sister also came over, took the little girl's hand, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, we will all be your family in the future." ”
From that day on, I became a member of this family. Although my arrival has made life at home more difficult, the love of my family has made me feel warmer than ever. They gave me a home, gave me a name, and gave me a whole new life.
After learning the truth, I hugged my mother and cried, and my mother touched my head with a smile: "Qinqin, you are my daughter, don't think too much." Mom doesn't ask for anything else, just ask you to study hard, be a productive person in the future, and live a happy life. ”
I nodded desperately and told my mom that I would definitely study hard. Later, I learned that the reason why my grandmother lost her temper was because my father lost his job, and the whole family had to rely on a few acres of thin land to make ends meet, and it was really impossible to support three children.
My mother did not approve of me dropping out of school, and in order to provide for our education, she was ruthless and sold the family's sewing machine, which was the dowry that my grandmother had bought for my mother, and she had been carefully protected all these years.
Seeing the sewing machine being sold, my brothers and sisters cried, only I gritted my teeth, and not a single tear fell, just because I knew that I was not qualified to cry, and I had to study to be worthy of my parents.
The process of studying is full of hardships. I remember it was a cold winter morning, and before dawn, I was about to set out on my way to school. There are more than ten miles of mountain roads from the school, and the road conditions are very bad, potholes, rugged and difficult to walk.
I put on the thick padded jacket that my mother had sewn for me, put on the old gloves passed down from my older siblings, and carried my school bag. The bag contained dry food and a water bottle that my mother had prepared for me, which was my food for the day.
I stood in the doorway, took a deep breath of cold air, and looked up at the sky, the stars were still twinkling, and the moon was still hanging in the sky, and I knew that it was going to be a long and difficult journey.
I stepped on the creaking snow and began my path to school. The cold wind cut my face like a knife, and I had to lower my head and cover most of my face with a scarf, revealing only my eyes. The trail is lined with bare tree trunks, and the occasional early bird chirps in the branches, their voices echoing through the empty valley, making it look particularly bleak.
The mountain trail was getting harder and harder, and my feet were numb from the cold, but I didn't dare to stop and rest. I know that once I stop, the heat in my body will quickly dissipate, and it will be even harder to walk again. I gritted my teeth and moved forward one step at a time.
And just like that, after several hours of hard trekking, I finally saw the outline of the school. When I walked into the classroom and saw the warm smiling faces of my classmates, all the tiredness and coldness seemed to disappear. I felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness that I had never felt before, because I knew that I was one step closer to my dream.
After school, I had to walk more than ten miles home in the mountains. Even though the journey home was equally difficult, my heart was filled with strength. I know that as long as I don't give up, one day, I will achieve my dream and make my parents proud of me.
The summer of 1989 was a fateful moment for me. I received an acceptance letter from the university, which is not only an affirmation of my years of hard work, but also the best reward for my parents' selfless upbringing. Although my family is not wealthy, my parents decided to hold a college banquet for me and invite family and friends to celebrate the good news.
On the day of the school entrance banquet, the house was decorated with joy, with red couplets hanging on the walls and delicacies made by my mother on the table. Friends and relatives from the village came, and they all congratulated me with smiles on their faces.
I stood in the crowd with gratitude. I know that without the hard work of my parents, I would not be where I am today. I saw the pride and relief on my parents' faces, and they saw the tears in my eyes.
Halfway through the banquet, I mustered up the courage to say, "Today, I am able to stand here because of the nurturing grace of my adoptive parents." They gave me a warm home and gave me the opportunity to get an education and pursue my dreams. ”
I turned to my parents and said affectionately, "Thank you, Mom, Dad." Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. ”
After saying that, I slowly knelt down and kowtowed three deeply. This kneeling is my gratitude to my adoptive parents for their years of nurturing grace, and it is also my highest respect for their selfless dedication.
My parents rushed forward to help me up, and their eyes were filled with tears. Mom's voice was choked, but there was a happy smile on her face.
The mother said, "Son, get up quickly." As parents, we only hope that you can live well and be able to prosper. ”
Dad also said excitedly, "Yes, child." We don't want you in return, we just want you to be healthy and happy, and you can make a difference in the future. ”
The surrounding relatives and friends were touched by this scene, they applauded one after another, and some even shed tears of emotion.
However, time is so ruthless that it doesn't give me a chance to repay my parents' kindness.
On the eve of graduating from college, I received a call from home with the heartbreaking news that my adoptive mother had passed away due to illness.
At that moment, I felt the world spinning, and my heart was full of grief and regret. My adoptive mother was one of the most important people in my life, she not only saved my life, but also gave me a warm home and taught me how to be a human being. Her passing was undoubtedly a huge blow to me.
I hurried home, filled with guilt and self-reproach along the way. I regret not spending more time with her during her illness, and I regret not doing more filial piety during her lifetime. I think of my adoptive mother's life, her love, her teachings, her expectations, all replayed in my mind like a movie.
When I got home, I saw my adoptive father and older siblings devastated and my heart was twisted.
I said to the portrait of my adoptive mother: "Mom, you have worked hard all your life, and you have not had time to enjoy your daughter's filial piety, so you left like this." Gu Qin was not filial, did not stay by your side when you were sick, and did not let you see the day I graduated from college. ”
I felt a pang of heartache, the grief and regret of losing a loved one, which cannot be expressed in any words. How I wish I could turn back the clock so that I could have the opportunity to talk to my adoptive mother again, listen to her teachings, and do my filial piety.
My adoptive father came over and patted me lightly on the shoulder, his voice was hoarse but firm: "Child, your mother's greatest wish is to hope that you can be productive and be a useful person." You have to study hard, work hard, and don't let down her expectations of you. ”
I nodded with tears in my eyes, and secretly vowed in my heart that I would fulfill my adoptive mother's last wish and become a promising person to repay her for raising her.
Since then, I have studied harder and worked harder, hoping to use my own efforts to make up for my regrets for my adoptive mother and fulfill her expectations for me.
In the dead of night, I always think of my adoptive mother's kind smile and the teachings she gave me before she died. I know that although my adoptive mother is gone, her love, her expectations, will always inspire me to move forward. I will continue to take every step of her life with her love to comfort her soul in heaven.
Over the years, I have visited my adoptive father every year, brought him some good things, and spent some time with him. If my brother insisted that it was his business to support his parents, and it would be impossible to give up his adoptive father's right to support him, I would have taken him long ago.
Giving my little nephew a house is not only to repay my adoptive father and mother, but also to repay my brother for taking care of me over the years. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today.
(The story material is provided by the people around the author, and the love is responsible for sorting it out.) If you'd like to share your story, please let us know. ）