Chapter 2 Chapter two

Akio works for a lighting equipment manufacturer whose head office in Tokyo is located in Kayaba-cho, Chuo-ku.On the way to the subway station, he used his mobile phone to call Chunmei's house.Harumi is Akio's younger sister, four years younger than him, and her husband's surname is Tajima. Chunmei answered the phone, and when she heard it was Zhaofu, she quickly asked in a doubtful voice: "Is something wrong?" The word "mother" should have been omitted in her words. "No, it's nothing. It's just that Yaeko called just now to say that mother is already asleep, so I don't think it's necessary to wake her up. Let her rest today."

"Then I..." "Well, you don't use it today, and I will trouble you tomorrow." "Is it... tomorrow as usual?" "That's what I mean." "Well, I happen to have some things to deal with here." Probably to calculate the turnover or something, Akio thought.Chunmei's husband opened a clothing store in front of the station. "I know you're busy too, it's really hard for you." "Don't say that." Chunmei whispered.The implication is that until now, I don't want to hear such words anymore. "Then, see you tomorrow." Akio hung up the phone.

After walking a few steps after leaving the company, I suddenly remembered that I forgot my umbrella in the office.It was still raining when we went out in the morning, and Akio didn't know when it would stop, because he was at the company all day today.Thinking about how troublesome it would be to go back and get it now, I went straight to the station.As a result, he has lost three umbrellas in the company. Take the subway from Kayabacho to Ikebukuro, then transfer to the Seibu Line.The tram is still so crowded, let alone turning the body, even if you move your hands and feet, you have to be careful.It was only mid-April, and the heat in the carriage was already so hot that people's forehead and neck were sweating.

Akio managed to grab a hanging ring with great difficulty, and wasn't his exhausted face reflected in the window glass in front of him?This is a man in his early fifties.In recent years, his hair has become bald a lot, and the sagging of his facial skin has caused his eyes to droop.He could only make himself unhappy after seeing it, so he closed his eyes anyway. I was thinking about Yaeko's phone call, not knowing what happened.The first thing that comes to my mind is my mother, Zhenghui. Could it be that something happened to her in her old age?But he felt that Yaeko's tone would be different in that case.But since she doesn't want Chunmei to come, it's hard for people to think that this matter has nothing to do with Zhenghui.

Akio curled his lips inadvertently, and his mood became gloomy just by imagining the difficulties that Yaeko would bring him next.In fact, this situation has been going on recently. Every time I come home from get off work, I will hear my wife’s protest.Sometimes she narrates sadly and sometimes angrily how depressed she is and how her patience has reached its limit, and Akio's task is to listen without saying a word and never make any rebuttals.Even a few words to deny her point of view will make the situation worse. He has to stay in the unit and work overtime even if there is no important matter. This is precisely because he doesn't want to go home early.Even if you go home, your tired body will not be able to rest, not only physically, but also mentally.

Although sometimes I regret living with the elderly, but every time I look back on the whole process, I will only realize once again that I really had to do this at the beginning. How can the relationship between mother and child be broken? But why did it become like this?Inadvertently, there will still be complaints like this in my heart.However, these words have no one to confide in. Akio and Yaeko have been married for eighteen years.They got to know each other through the introduction of their superiors, and after dating for a year, they completed this major event in life naturally.The two parties did not experience any passionate love, but neither of them had any other more suitable partners, and there was no reason to break up, so they chose to get together when the woman had not missed the age of marriage.

Akio lived alone when he was single, and the two had discussed housing issues after marriage.Yaeko said that it doesn't matter, but in the end they lived a newly married life in the house rented by Akio.Akio's idea is that there are elderly parents at home, and one day they will live together, and before that, try to make life easier for his wife. Three years later they had a son, whom Yaeko named Naomi, a name she said she had thought up while she was pregnant. After Naomi was born, the living conditions of the Maehara family changed in seconds.Yaeko began to consider issues centered on raising children. Although Akio had no objection to this, he still felt dissatisfied with his wife's indifference to other housework.The formerly tidy room has become a mess, and dinner is often settled with a bento bought from the supermarket.

And when he reminded his wife of this, she glared at him. "Do you know how difficult it is to take care of a child? What's wrong with the room being a bit dirty? If it's not pleasing to the eye, you can just clean it yourself." Akio knew that he hadn't done much in parenting, so he couldn't answer her rebuttal.He also knows the hard work of raising a child, and sometimes feels that Yaeko is good enough to persevere. After the eldest grandson was born, the two elders were naturally very happy, and it became a habit to bring the child to them once a month.Yaeko was not displeased by this at first.

But once Zhenghui's words annoyed her, because the old man's advice on the child's diet after weaning was completely opposite to her policy.Yaeko rushed out of the room with Naomi in her arms, hailed a taxi and went home. She made the following declaration to her husband who came home after her. "I won't be going there again in the future." She even cried and said that she had had enough of complaining about parenting and housework, and the situation was like a river breaking its embankment.No matter how much Akio tried to persuade her, she refused to accept it.

In desperation, Akio could only agree that she could not go to her in-laws' house for the time being.He thought that with the passage of time, his wife should calm down.However, once the emotional rift appears, it cannot be easily eliminated. In the next few years, Zhaofu failed to let the elders see his grandson.Even if he has to go back to his parents' house for something, he is always alone every time.Naturally, his parents had questioned him and kept asking him to take his grandson there. "I also know that no daughter-in-law in the world would be willing to go to her in-laws' house. In-laws are always annoying, so you don't have to force Yaeko. Maybe you can't bring Naomi to us? Your father misses his grandson very much."

Hearing what his mother said, Akio felt extremely embarrassed.He could understand the old man's mood, but he didn't think Yaeko would agree.Or he didn't have the courage to talk to his wife at all. If he told her that he would only take Naomi there, she would definitely be furious. He just fooled the old man and said that he would find a way. Of course, he never mentioned this matter to Yaeko once. In this way, seven years passed.One day he suddenly received a call from his mother, saying that his father had been hospitalized due to a cerebral infarction and was in danger of losing consciousness. Until then, Akio asked his wife to go with him. One of the reasons was that this might be the last time he saw the old man.Yaeko probably also felt that it was not good for her father-in-law not to be present when he was dying, so she did not refuse. Akio rushed to the hospital with his wife and children, and Zheng Hui, who was waiting in the waiting room, looked livid. She said that Zhang Yilang was receiving treatment to dissolve a cerebral thrombosis. "He came out of the shower and smoked a cigarette, and then fell to the ground." Zheng Hui said with a sad face. "I told him to quit smoking." "But this is your father's hobby." Zheng Hui said with a painful expression and looked at Yaeko. "It's been a long time, but I came here on purpose, I really trouble you." "Where, I'm so sorry I haven't come to see Mom and Dad for so long." Yaeko said with a blunt and polite expression. "It's okay, you're busy too." Masae looked away from Yaeko, and smiled at Naomi who seemed to be standing behind her mother, "I'm really grown up, do you still recognize me? I am Oh grandma." "Call me grandma." Akio urged Naomi, but Naomi just lowered his head. The younger sister and brother-in-law also rushed over, and after talking to Akio, Harumi went to comfort her mother, without even looking at Yaeko.It can be seen that she is very angry with this sister-in-law who does not let her in-laws see her grandson. In the tense atmosphere, Akio waited for the end of the treatment, he could only pray for a smooth rescue.On the other hand, he was also thinking about other issues - what to do if his father passed away.Who should be notified?How will the funeral be arranged?How to tell the company?Wait until it all comes to mind. These bad imaginations gradually expanded until they extended to things after the funeral.How to arrange for a single mother?There should be no problem in the short term, but I can't let her live alone in the long run. I have to take care of her in some way, but—— Yaeko and Naomi sat side by side on chairs not far away with expressionless faces.Naomi may not be quite clear about what happened, and looks bored. Living together is really impossible, Akio thought.Even if they live separately, meeting each other occasionally will create such a gap, let alone living under the same roof, God knows how much trouble will arise. For the time being, he can only hope that his father will be fine. Although he will have to face this problem sooner or later, it is always good to push it back. Perhaps because sincerity leads to wisdom, Zhang Yilang's life was saved.Although the left side of the body will be somewhat numb from now on, but this level of sequelae has not significantly affected daily life.Life in the hospital went smoothly. After being discharged from the hospital, Akio often called the elders to inquire about the situation, and Zheng Hui never said anything pessimistic to him. One day, Yaeko suddenly asked him: "I said, if your father had just left at that time, how would you arrange for your mother?" It was a tricky question, and he replied that he hadn't thought about it at all. "You didn't plan to have us live with your mother?" "How can I think so far? Why do you suddenly think of asking this?" "Because I was thinking, what would I do if you said that." Yaeko categorically told Akio that she did not want to live with her mother-in-law. "I'm sorry, I'm not confident that I can get along with your mother. Maybe someday we'll have to take care of her, but just don't think about it together." Now that his wife had said everything to this point, he had nothing to answer, and could only respond briefly that he knew.Later, he even thought that if Masae died first, it might be good for everyone. After all, Yaeko didn't seem to hate Zhang Yilang very much. But things didn't go as he hoped. Just a few months later, Masae called in a melancholy tone, saying that Shoichiro had become a little weird lately. "Weird? How strange?" Akio asked. "He, now he often repeats a sentence several times, but he will quickly forget what I just said." She then whispered, "Could it be dementia?" "No way." Akio replied reflexively.Although Zhang Yilang is small, his body is very strong, and he takes a walk every morning and carefully reads the newspaper of the day. He never thought that such a father would suffer from Alzheimer's.Although he also knew that this kind of thing could happen to any family, he still had no basis for believing that it would never happen to him. "Anyway, come and have a look first." Zheng Hui hung up the phone after finishing speaking. He told this to Yaeko, who stared straight in the face after listening. "So what does she want you to do?" "You have to let me check the situation?" "Then what if your dad is really demented?" "This... I haven't thought about it yet." "Don't promise anything easily." "promise?" "I know you have responsibilities as the eldest son, but we also have our lives, and Naomi is still young." He finally understood what Yaeko meant. She was afraid of taking care of the elderly with dementia. "I won't trouble you, I don't need you to tell me that." "That's good." Although Yaeko said so, there was still suspicion in his eyes.