PNB Chapter 288 Love Needs to Flow
Chapter 288 Love Needs to Flow
Not only did we let them eat, we also packed it up in advance, neatly putting a little of each item into bags, and asked them to take it with them when they left.
Every time I sympathize with her hard work and ask her to do less, she says it's no problem. But when she sees her grandchildren eating less when they go to her house or refusing to take anything from her, she blames them and is unhappy.
But as long as you go there with an empty stomach and eat whatever the food is, and it is best to ask her for something when you leave, she will be smiling all day long.
It seemed that as long as these grandchildren were happy eating, she could also enjoy the happiness brought by the food.
I remember that my second aunt didn't like spicy food before, but there was a period of time when my eldest uncle caught a lot of fish, and they were all small white fish the size of a palm, so he gave some to every family. Everyone didn't know what else to eat except fried small fish, so every family fried small fish, and adults and children wanted to vomit when they saw the fish.
As a result, the second aunt had a sudden idea and made a pot of fermented black beans and fermented lees. It looked very flavorful, not to mention that it was covered with a thick layer of red oil. The children rushed to eat it and even ate the fried fish bones.
Second Aunt was smiling happily, and she took all the uncooked small fish from other families and made another pot of them.
From then on, my second aunt's snack for entertaining guests during the Chinese New Year every year became small fish cooked with fermented rice. Later, seeing that the children were not afraid of spicy food and liked it the spicier the food, she changed it to a spicier version and even made her own replica of the fried chili peppers, which I don't know whether it was from Hunan Province or Guizhou Province.
But the children from other families were just like Su Yuchen. Although they were extremely greedy and liked the food very much, they were repeatedly and seriously warned by their families not to eat too much of Second Aunt's food. Second Aunt's family was not well off, and if they ate it, she would have nothing to eat. They could only try it out of tokenism.
As time went by, there were more and more leftovers at my second aunt's house, and she smiled less and less. Gradually, she refused to go when anyone called her, and she seldom went to these relatives' homes for dinner. Every year when I went to her house to pay New Year's greetings, she didn't seem as enthusiastic as before.
Later, when relatives came to Su Yuchen's house, she overheard their conversation. They said that her second aunt's child had grown up and was getting sick more and more often. Her life was becoming increasingly difficult. She had to stay at home all day long and hoped that she would not get sick. Everyone should visit her more often when they have time, even if it's just to lend a hand.
So during that period of time, all the relatives rushed to the second aunt's house. People like Su Yuchen's father, who were busy but had spare money, refused the second aunt's refusal and gave her money.
It was not until the second aunt got angry, closed the door, refused to see anyone, refused to accept anyone's kindness, and avoided relatives when she went out that the relatives began to feel confused. Was it a mistake to help her?
Later on, the only contact between these relatives and my second aunt was that every Chinese New Year, the children would go over to pay their New Year's greetings and simply sit for a while, and the distance between the two sides became increasingly farther and farther.
But my second aunt still makes small fish with wine lees and fried peppers every year. When I go to her house as a guest, she will still smile with wrinkles on her face and push the plate in front of her, "Eat! Eat!"
Today, Zhao Xiaojing asked Third Grandma, "Can you still eat?" Su Yuchen's heart moved for no reason, and when he saw Third Grandma grinning, revealing a mouth full of teeth that had fallen out and only a few were left, all the doubts in his head disappeared.
Grandma San obviously couldn't eat these hard desserts, but every Chinese New Year, she would get up early and make a bunch of them. In the end, her grandchildren would eat them all and take them away, so she got nothing and it seemed like her work was in vain.
My second aunt prefers light meals, especially spicy food, but she made a spicy version of wine lees fish and strong-flavored fried peppers. She spent several hours cut and cleaned the fish, and watched with a smile as everyone's mouths and hands were covered with oil, but she didn't even take a bite herself.
Third grandmother always said that she was old and would be buried soon, so all the delicious food and drinks would be a waste. She was reluctant to drink the tea brought by her third cousin, and refused to go to the hospital to get dentures. But when she was not allowed to work, she said that she was very strong and making a few pounds of sesame candy was nothing. It was just an easy job of getting up early and going to bed late.
Second Aunt always said that she had no hope in this life, and she could see the end at a glance. No good things meant anything to her. What would be left after eating, drinking and using them? But she always tried every means to collect good things, and then took them out like offering treasures to the younger generations. Seeing the younger generations' curious expressions, her eyes were always shining.
The third grandmother's appetite has been getting worse in recent years, and she just eats perfunctorily. However, her skill in making snacks has become more and more sophisticated. Every time Su Yuchen goes to her place, she eats and takes away food, and then calls her to come for dinner at noon. At the dinner table, she listens to Su Yuchen's sweet words praising her delicious cooking, and she is happy, and she can always eat half a bowl of rice more.
In recent years, the fish cooked by Second Aunt has become spicier and spicier, but the portions have become smaller and smaller, because the children have grown up and become more sensible. They eat her food less and less when they go to her house, and only taste a little. They also bring her food and give her money. Second Aunt's enthusiasm for the younger generation has gradually turned into unfamiliarity. She no longer even attends the younger generation's twelfth birthday banquet or the full-month banquet for their children.
The moment the third grandmother grinned and said to Zhao Xiaojing that she couldn't bite it, the images of the two stubborn female elders overlapped in Su Yuchen's mind, and all doubts disappeared.
Third Grandma and Second Aunt have the same love for the younger generations, Mom and Dad care and love them the same way, and the younger generations love Third Grandma and Second Aunt the same way.
But love needs to flow.
As for my third grandmother, since she lived a wealthy life with many children and grandchildren, she was just lonely. So my parents thought it was okay for her to move around or make some snacks, and they never stopped her from loving the younger generations.
But at my second aunt's house, living conditions were difficult. Her son, who was born with epilepsy, needed constant care, and her husband was repeatedly sentenced to jail for fighting. Her parents felt that her life was too hard, and while they tried their best to help her, they prevented her from giving back and also stopped all her love from flowing out.
Love could not flow and became a stagnant pool in her heart. She began to reject any influx of good intentions and sought an equal balance psychologically.
It cannot be said who is wrong, because everything is done with good intentions. The overbearing love of the parents' generation for the second aunt was unrequited, so they forcefully restricted the younger generation. The second aunt's love for the younger generation was also selfless. She did not require the younger generation to be sensible, she just wanted to give the younger generation what she could.
So when the relationship between the two sides reached a deadlock, many years later, Su Yuchen brought Zhao Xiaojing to the house and ate half a bucket of fish from Second Aunt in one breath. Only then did Second Aunt speak with tears in her eyes and her voice became much louder.
Because her love finally began to flow, someone received it, and in return gave her a bag of her favorite various hemp candies that she hadn't eaten for a long time.