In my house, it seems like there's nothing that doesn't go through my wife's hands! - Photo: PXV
To be honest, I have never bought my wife a gift before, not even flowers. Decades ago, when we were in love, "You are poor, I am not rich either".
I am the eldest daughter in the family, had to drop out of school early to help my parents with business to raise my younger siblings. I am a student of education, hungry all year round, rarely have money in my pocket.
There were times when I ran to her shop at noon, knowing I was hungry, she took me to a cheap restaurant, ordered a plate of rice for me to eat, and she said she had just eaten and was still full. We had been married for decades before she told me the truth, at that time she only had enough money to feed me so she said that.
When they got married, both husband and wife were penniless and had difficult economic conditions. When his wife had just given birth to a daughter a month earlier, the couple ran around and borrowed a few taels of gold to build a temporary thatched house on the rice field.
Artists often poeticize everything, saying it's "a thatched roof, two golden hearts" or "an ideal hut". Life is not like a dream, so reality is not as romantic as literature.
On rainy days, water leaks from the roof and flows right into the mosquito net. We have to cover it with a raincoat. When it is full, we push the water down. The couple doesn't sleep all night, sitting with their knees drawn up in the mosquito net. Whenever a spot is wet, we move the baby to a dry spot.
Now that the children are grown up, grandparents, and the family's finances are stable, my wife never thinks about spending money on her husband and children, but when it comes to shopping for herself, she is always very frugal and thrifty.
At the end of the year, my wife and I went shopping at the supermarket. When it was time to pay, we saw that my wife had bought all the things for my father and I and none of her own. I asked her why she didn't buy some new clothes for herself. My wife said, I still have a few new clothes, but I rarely go anywhere, so why waste them by buying more!
When we were in love, no one knew what March 8th or Women's Day was. Even if they did, life was so difficult that no one thought of giving cards, flowers, or gifts.
Now, every time there is a women's holiday like International Women's Day, Vietnamese Women's Day, my wife's birthday... my daughter always suggests: "Dad, buy something for mom!". When I mention this to my wife, she always brushes it off: "Don't make a fuss, why buy it, just leave the money to me!".
That's it.
When I was a civil servant, every year the agency organized a vacation for the staff. Every year I invited my wife to go with me, but she rarely went with me because the agency only paid for one trip, and the person who went had to pay. My wife was stingy with the money, so almost every year it was just the two of us going together.
During the tour, near the return date, the group had a free day to go shopping. Almost everyone bought gifts for their relatives.
I called my wife and asked (I had to ask for her opinion on everything, just to be sure, otherwise things would get messy): Are you thinking of buying this or that for me? My wife waved me off: "Don't buy anything, there are plenty of supermarkets in Saigon, they sell everything from every country, and they're even cheaper. Just go out and have fun, just remember to keep an eye on the baby for me!"
That's it!
My family sometimes has problems, sometimes I get annoyed, I also grumble and get a little grumpy (but only mumble). Immediately my daughter speaks up: "Dad, don't argue with mom! The house must have a roof!". You and me, eat and shit talk!
But thinking back, she was right! In the house, big or small, there was nothing that didn't fall to her mother.
My wife, when she's happy, still says: "You two are really good, you're all educated, and I'm only in 6th or 7th grade, but every time it comes to money, you ask me why, am I an ATM, a bank? And it's not just about money, I'm a restaurant chef, a doctor, a nurse, and...!".
So a bunch of "just" things were listed. It's true, in this house, it seems like there's nothing that doesn't go through the wife's hands!
My wife refuses to give me flowers or gifts, so this year I suggest that the whole family go out and find a place to celebrate March 8th. I wonder if my wife will approve, or will she just "just leave the money to me"?
We invite readers to discuss and share on the topic: " Do women need to receive gifts and have gifts to be happy? " send to email [email protected] or comment below the article. Thank you for reading.
March 8: Fear of parties to look good!Source
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