Li Xiao walked into the house with his suitcase, and before he could put down his luggage, a rapid phone rang. He glanced inside the room and saw his mother Li Hong quickly pick up the phone, with a hint of anxiety on her face.
"Oh, Mom, are you okay? I mailed you that medicine last time, and I should receive it soon. Li Hong's voice was eager, and at the same time she began to get busy in the kitchen.
Li Xiao put down his luggage and asked softly, "Mom, is it grandma?" ”
Li Hong nodded, her face soft, but her brows were still tightly locked. After ending the call, Li Xiao noticed a trace of tiredness on her mother's face.
"Xiaoxiao, you go take a bath first, dinner will be ready immediately, today my mother made you your favorite braised pork." Li Hong tried her best to maintain her usual warm smile.
The atmosphere at the table was not as relaxed as usual. His father, Chen Wei, looked a little impatient, frequently glancing at his family members who were eating and the phone ringing from time to time.
"You have a lot of family affairs!" Chen Wei finally couldn't help but mutter. There was a hint of sarcasm in the words, mixed with dissatisfaction with this family situation.
Li Xiao felt his father's emotions. I want to say something to adjust the atmosphere, but I don't know where to start. The tightness in the air made him feel a little suffocated.
After dinner, Li Xiao found an opportunity to talk to his father alone.
"Dad, have you been bothered lately?" Li Xiao asked cautiously.
Chen Wei sighed, as if he was trying to suppress the unhappiness in his heart: "It's nothing, it's just... Your mom has a lot of phone calls, and there's a lot going on at home, and you know I like to be quiet. ”
"But grandma is home alone, and she's worried." Li Xiao tried to explain, but was worried that his words would deepen his father's displeasure.
Chen Wei was silent, and Li Xiao didn't say much, just stood quietly aside, thinking about whether this holiday could help his family relieve this delicate atmosphere.
The next day, after Li Xiao woke up, he found that his mother Li Hong was answering the phone again, with a little anxiety in her voice: "Okay, okay, I know, I'll ask." ”
After putting down the phone, Li Hong seemed to notice Li Xiao's gaze: "It's your uncle... You know, he's got a little bit of housework to take care of over there. ”
Li Xiao knew in his heart that his relatives on his mother's side also needed care and help, but he was also worried that these frequent phone calls would bring more discordant voices in the family.
As the days passed, Li Xiao tried to bring some different atmosphere to the family in his own way. Or help my father fix a faulty TV, or accompany my mother to sort out photos.
But even so, he could still feel his father's silence and his mother's concerns. Home, which was supposed to be the warmest harbor, now seems to be a little turbulent.
Li Xiao thought to himself, this holiday, he might be able to do something. Or at least before you are about to go back to school, you can see the lost harmony in your family return to everyone's heart.
As the days passed, the atmosphere at home became more and more tense. Li Xiao could feel that although his father Chen Wei still maintained due respect for his mother Li Hong on the surface, his careful care for her was significantly reduced. Every time the phone rang again, Chen Wei's brows would involuntarily furrow even tighter.
One night, a planned family dinner was disrupted. Grandmother Zhang Guiying's phone called, talking about Li Xiao's uncle Zhang Hua's father, that is, Li Xiao's maternal great-grandfather was sick and hospitalized.
Chen Wei's already modest patience seemed to wear out in the persistent ringing of the phone. Li Xiao saw that his father's face was not only tired, but also mixed with the flames of anger.
After spending a lot of time, Li Hong returned to the kitchen to find that dinner had passed the normal meal time. The belated meal could not quell Chen Wei's dissatisfaction.
"Why don't other families have so much to do with you?" Chen Wei's voice began to show irritability that was not sad.
Li Hong tried her best to explain: "You also know that it is not easy for my mother to be alone outside, and my younger brother works outside all the year round, and the affairs at home..."
Chen Wei threw down his chopsticks and interrupted her angrily: "The affairs of your family are so important, can the affairs of our family be delayed?" ”
Li Hong wanted to speak and stopped, and finally could only lower her head and eat silently. At the dinner table, except for the sound of chopsticks and bowls colliding, there was only silence.
After the meal, Li Xiao noticed that Chen Wei was sitting alone on the balcony, holding a cup of undrunk tea in his hand. Li Xiao plucked up the courage to sit beside his father.
"Dad, is there something on your mind?" Li Xiao asked slowly.
"Well, I just think that sometimes your mother cares too much about her side of the family." Chen Wei finally said the depression in his heart, "It doesn't mean that I don't care about them, but I also hope that our family can have a peaceful environment." ”
Li Xiao showed an expression of understanding: "I understand my father's thoughts, I think we can find a time to talk to my mother." ”
Chen Wei sighed: "The talk is to be discussed, but I don't want the relationship between your mother and her mother's family to deteriorate because of me." As he spoke, his gaze seemed to linger somewhere in the distance, as if he was recalling the warm times of the past.
In this way, the air in the house seems to be getting heavier and heavier. Li Xiao didn't know what he could do, but he realized that if this potential crisis was not resolved soon, the relationship between his parents could face a greater test. Li Xiao made up his mind that he must find a way to bring harmony back to this family before the end of the holiday.
At dinnertime, Li Hong received a call from her mother's house again, she anxiously glanced at Chen Wei and Li Xiao who were eating, and signaled to leave for a while. Chen Wei's face suddenly sank.
"It's endless! Your phone is more diligent than your meal. Chen Wei's tone was marked with sarcasm.
Li Hong replied tremblingly: "It's my mother, she said she had something urgent to tell me." ”
"Don't we have an 'emergency' here?" Chen Wei was emotional, and his voice was raised.
Li Xiao looked at his father, and couldn't help but stand up and try to adjust the atmosphere: "Dad, it's not easy for Mom, it's not easy for her to be at home over there..."
Chen Wei interrupted Li Xiao's words: "Xiaoxiao, you don't understand, your mother always regards the affairs of your grandmother's family as the first priority, our family's affairs, my feelings, she has never taken it to heart." ”
Li Hong returned to the dining table, and the impetuous atmosphere overwhelmed her: "I... I just..."
"Just what? Have you ever thought that you would chill this family? Chen Wei asked sharply, anger and disappointment intertwined in his words.
"Mom, shouldn't you and Dad sit down and have a good talk?" Li Xiao tried to act as an intermediary to ease the increasingly tense situation, "Maybe we can find a way that is satisfactory to both parties." ”
Li Hong choked up, speechless, while Chen Wei looked sad and indignant. The atmosphere cooled down suddenly, and the cracks of lack of communication were visible at the table. The aroma of the meal is overwhelmed by the emotions that are gradually accumulating.
Li Xiao was silent, and finally spoke: "I know you all have your own difficulties, but we are a family, we have to find a way to solve it, don't we?" His words were full of sincerity and understanding.
Chen Wei looked at Li Xiao, and there was a trace of tenderness in his heart: "I just want a quiet home, Xiaoxiao, you don't want to grow up in this atmosphere, right?" ”
Li Xiao nodded: "Yes, Dad, I also hope that the family will be harmonious with Meimei, let's try to work together, okay?" ”
On this night, family problems that had been masked by the oppressive atmosphere were finally put on the table. Although there is still a long way to go, at the very least, the door to communication has been pushed open.
Li Hong sat on the balcony, looking at the sunset in the distance, but her mind was not calm. In the days following the clashes, neither she nor Chen Wei spoke much, and the silence between the two was heavier than ever. But she understands that she has to do something for the sake of this family.
One night a few days later, Li Hong decided to break the dreary atmosphere. "Wife, can we talk?" She said to Chen Wei slowly.
Chen Wei put down the book in his hand and nodded. "I think it's time to talk."
Li Xiao looked at them and whispered, "Dad, Mom, I know you all have your difficulties, but we always have to find a way to solve the problem." ”
Li Hong sighed deeply: "I know, I've been thinking about this all the time, how to better settle down at home and not delay taking care of my mother." But I did neglect our family, neglected you, wife. ”
A smile appeared on Chen Wei's face: "It's not that I don't understand you, I just hope you can balance it." The two of us are grasshoppers on a rope, aren't we? ”
"Yes, wife." Li Hong replied to a smile, and she rediscovered the gentle self and partner who encouraged her.
"So what are we going to do in the future?" Li Xiao asked cautiously.
"First of all, I will try to understand more, and I will also try to arrange things at home in advance to reduce the pressure on your mother." Chen Wei turned to Li Hong, "Then you can also have more time to deal with your mother's affairs." ”
Li Hong nodded: "I will make a good distribution and try not to let the atmosphere at home be affected again." ”
The worry in Li Xiao's heart gradually eased. He looked at his parents' communication and felt a little relieved. The dialogue between Li Hong and Chen Wei made him believe that as long as he was willing to sit down and communicate, he could find a solution to even the most difficult problems.
A few weeks later, Li Xiao's vacation ended, and he needed to go back to school to continue his studies. On the day he left home, he noticed a different change in his home. The phone rings the same, but the atmosphere at home is much warmer. Li Hong would finish all the housework early, and then quietly accompany Chen Wei to watch TV or chat.
Before leaving, Li Xiao hugged his parents deeply. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I'll be coming back to see you often." Li Xiao said.
Chen Wei patted his son's shoulder, "Don't worry, we will be fine, and we will communicate if there is any problem, just like this time." ”
Li Xiao left the house with a smile, his heart full of hope. The parents found a solution to the family conflict, and the home was back on track again. And all of that changed started with a sit-down, honest conversation.