Not having to live with children, this is the best place for my wife and I to retire.
*Below is an article shared by author Vuong Luc Nghien, posted on Toutiao page (China).
My wife and I have two children, both of whom are married and live in Kunming City, Yunnan, China.
However, because we did not want to live dependently and wanted our children to have their own private lives, my husband and I decided to stay in our hometown to retire.
At the age of over 80 with a pension of 10,000 NDT (more than 34 million VND), we have a pretty full life.
7 years ago, my wife unfortunately suffered a stroke, so it was difficult for her to move around, she had to use crutches or a wheelchair to go far. Although old age has many inconveniences, and our children are not around, we still maintain a cheerful attitude and are proactive in everything.
Until 2022, the Covid pandemic hit, causing our health to gradually weaken. At this time, my husband and I discussed and decided to hire a live-in housekeeper to take care of meals and help with housework. Unexpectedly, this became a problem that made my husband and I "lose sleep" for the next half year.
Illustration: Internet
Having someone to help, thought to be comfortable but turned into anxiety
Introduced by relatives, my husband and I hired a woman from the neighboring village to be our maid. Seeing that she was lazy and negligent, we fired her after 2 months.
We also found and hired a second maid soon after. She was a young girl about 22 years old, very hard-working and honest, right in the village.
But because she was useless, often broke things in the house, and was a terrible cook, we couldn't keep her for long.
The third maid was even worse, not only did she not work hard, she also couldn't put her phone down all day.
Despite my repeated reminders, she continued to do this frequently. Finally, my husband and I had to let her quit her job.
The fourth maid I found through a broker. This one is active, hard-working and gets the job done.
Just when we thought we had found our "true love", my husband and I were disappointed when she told all our family secrets to outsiders.
After this incident, I realized that living with strangers required my husband and I to adjust and adapt.
However, this is not easy for people of our age. In the end, to avoid trouble, my husband and I no longer want to hire a maid and try to solve everything in the house ourselves.
Finding a peaceful place in old age
Last year, I had a bad cough and was taken to the hospital by a neighbor. The doctor said I had a lung infection and needed to be hospitalized and monitored for a month. When they heard that I was hospitalized, my two children in the city immediately returned to their hometown that same day. The older one took care of me at the hospital, while the younger one stayed home to cook for their mother.
Illustration: Internet
Because of the concern for my parents' old age, the day I was able to return home, my two children sat down together to discuss my husband and I's retirement. After the discussion, they gave us two options: one was to go to the city to live with their eldest son, the other was to go to retirement.
After careful consideration, my husband and I have decided to live out our final years in a nursing home. It is not that we do not miss our children, but rather that we both want to have our own lives and our children’s. Therefore, this is the best arrangement.
The next day, the children chose a nursing home for us near our house for convenient monthly visits. The scenery there is beautiful, the air is fresh, so my husband and I really like it.
Our monthly pension is over 10,000 yuan, after deducting all expenses, there is still 5,000 yuan (over 17 million VND). We do not keep this money but divide it equally among our children, telling them to buy gifts for the staff, doctors and other elderly people in the nursing home every time they visit.
At 80 years old, money has lost its meaning to my wife and I, so we want to turn it into joy for ourselves.
Indeed, every time my children come to the nursing home, not only my husband and I but also everyone else is very happy. Everyone praises my children for being filial and thoughtful. My husband and I's life here has therefore become much happier.
For many people, a nursing home may not be the best place to retire, but for my husband and I, our old age is fulfilling and happy.
Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/luong-huu-34-trieu-dong-doi-4-nguoi-giup-viec-trong-nua-nam-toi-tim-ra-noi-nghi-huu-tuyet-voi-nhat-khi-ve-gia-172250108150116778.htm
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