"I know many people are influenced by the internet nowadays, and family ties seem to be weakening, but I believe our family should still get along. Cordelia, you're a good girl. You wouldn't be the kind of person who forgets about family as soon as you become an adult and start working, would you?"
Just as I finished listening to my grandfather's voice message, I received another voice message from my grandmother.
With a choked voice, my grandmother said, "Cordelia, you know Sherman has had a hard life. When Whitney was just born, her mom ran off with another man. Now that you're working, you should help Sherman's family more. Your grandparents will always remember your contributions...
"If you really don't want to, then just give Whitney eighty thousand dollars, and I can help cover the remaining twenty thousand."
My grandparents' words made me feel sick.
I wanted to retort, but considering Rosalind, I had to swallow my anger.
When I was young, my father passed away from overwork.
My mother was depressed every day and even had thoughts of ending her life.
I studied hard and eventually got into university.
I took my mother to the city where I was studying.
My mother was in poor health and could only do some light work.
While going to school, I worked part-time.
I worked so hard just to earn enough money for tuition to continue my studies.
When I finally graduated, I had managed to save up some money and was ready to buy my own house.
I thought I could take good care of both myself and my mother.
I wanted to work hard to provide my mother with a worry-free life.
But my mother was getting older and couldn't adapt to the fast pace of the big city.
Moreover, my grandparents were also aging and needed care.
So, my mother returned to our hometown.
She placed a high value on family. She often said that without relatives, it would be difficult to do anything in the future.
Besides, Rosalind lost her parents when I was very young.
In the years since my mother returned home, she became closer to my grandparents.
Sometimes, I would encourage my mother to remarry.
But my mother was too soft-hearted.
Whenever she thought about remarrying, my grandparents would cry and beg her to stay.
They said they had already lost their eldest son and couldn't bear to lose their daughter-in-law.
They said their younger son was useless, and if my mother left, they would just be waiting to die at home.