Family Ties Endure | Van Xingcan: Accompanying Mother to Bask in the Sun (Essay)
On a sunny morning, as a ray of sunlight shone through the gaps between several houses next door, it sprinkled into my living room, and the whole living room suddenly seemed warm. At this time, I supported my elderly mother, sitting on the sofa in the living room to bask in the sun. This was the mother's happiest and most pleasant time of the day.
Mother is 96 years old. More than a year ago, her body was still strong, her eyes were not dim, her ears were not deaf, and she walked steadily. She was old and stubborn, often competing with us to do housework, such as washing dishes, cleaning tables, and mopping the floor. We didn't want to be too demanding of our elderly mother, but she would get angry and say, 'You don't let me do anything, and you don't let me do anything, are you saying I'm getting old and useless? You let me sit here, it's better if I do it now…' She kept talking and getting more and more angry. Finally, we had to give in and let her do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn't get tired. She was old, so she would make mistakes when doing things. Once, when she was washing dishes, she accidentally broke a plate. I was worried about her getting hurt, so I asked, 'Mom, are you okay? Did you get hurt?' She waved her hand and said, 'I'm really getting old, I can break a plate when I wash dishes, it's really useless.' I comforted her, 'Just don't hurt yourself, it doesn't matter if a plate is broken, it's just a little thing! In the future, let you do these things, you rest well.' She said, 'I won't do it, I won't do it.' But the next day, she was the first to start tidying up the dishes on the table.
Last summer, Mother accidentally fell and was examined, but no major problems were found, just some swelling on her arm. But after that, she couldn't walk as flexibly as before and needed someone to support her. When it was hot, we often took her to the shady place in the yard or under the front door. Mother had good relationships with people, and the neighbors often came to chat with her when they had free time, so she didn't feel lonely. However, since autumn, the weather has been getting colder, Mother is old and weak, and easily gets colds, so she can only stay in the house and watch opera machines all day long, which made her feel bored and unhappy. We were all busy and didn't have time to spend time with her. But every 9 to 11 am, the sunshine blessed my living room, and I would always make time to take her to the living room to bask in the sun and chat with her, which made her face glow with a smile.
Look, on the sofa in the living room, under the warm sunlight, a mother and son were sitting together, a young and an old man. My mother and I sat together and chatted happily. Elderly people often lose focus on current matters and forget things, and they often forget where their glasses are. But they remember things from decades ago, just as they happened, and they are deeply engraved in their memories. As soon as my mother and I sat down, we started reminiscing about old times, and when we were happy, our faces were beaming, and when we were sad, we shed tears. It's no exaggeration to say that this situation is full of joy and sorrow. Once, Mother suddenly asked me, 'Child, do you still remember the story of one yuan?' No matter how old a person is, in Mother's eyes, they are still a child. 'I remember, I'll never forget it, that time I felt pain in my butt for several days,' I instinctively touched my butt, feeling a little pain. Mother said, 'Looking back now, I was a bit too harsh that time, after all, you were less than six years old, it was just one yuan!'
I remember that one yuan happened 56 years ago on a sunny morning. Her brothers and sisters were all going to school, and Mother was busy with housework. I, a child, was playing alone in the house and found a one-yuan coin. At that time, even a one-yuan coin was hard to come by for a child like me. I held the one-yuan coin in my hand and flipped it over and over. Suddenly, a bigger boy called 'Xingcan' who was several years older than me saw it, and he said, 'Xingcan, come over and see what you're holding?' 'One yuan!' I said happily. 'Let brother take you to buy snacks?' 'No, my mother will scold me.' 'She won't see it, it's okay.' So, I was dragged and persuaded by 'Old Flatten' to the People's Market, where we bought a lot of roasted peanuts, and we didn't finish eating them until we were making burps, and the remaining ones were given to 'Old Flatten' to take away.
When we returned home, Mother scolded me fiercely, and I had a swollen butt. Finally, she hugged me and shed tears. But from then on, I never took any money that didn't belong to me, and I always did things honestly and sincerely until I retired. Perhaps it was because Mother's scolding had a significant impact on me.
As the sun moved, that familiar ray of sunshine was blocked by the buildings in front, and Mother said reluctantly, 'The sun is gone, we should go back.'
I helped Mother walk back to the house.
