Retired old friends in Wuhan go to the mountains to help each other for the elderly. There are old and young, and they sigh that they are a little selfish.
Deng Chao gradually integrated into the local life.
Deng Chao has finally become a true "farmer". This is his dream in recent years.
A year ago, at the age of 57, he retired from Wuhan Iron and Steel and entered the retirement stage early.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs "2016 Social Service Development Statistical Bulletin" data, as of the end of 2016, the elderly population aged 60 and above 230.86 million, accounting for 16.7% of the total population.
Although Deng Chao is not among the 16.7%, he told the Red Star News that he has long been aware of the arrival of an aging society, so more than a decade ago, he began to consider the issue of retirement.
In 2012, at the urging of several old friends, he followed him up the mountain and became a "supernumerary villager" in Hanzishan Village, Xinzhou District, Wuhan City. Occasionally, he went up the mountain to recuperate.
Today, more than 30 households of "city dwellers" are scattered in the village of Hanzi, leading a pastoral life. In Deng Chao’s words, "We are helping each other to support the elderly."
After a number of media reports, this remote mountain village 90 kilometers away from Wuhan City has become lively, with visitors gathering, and at most more than 200 people come a day.
Deng Chao and his old friend told the Red Star News reporter that at their age, there were old and young, and they were involved too much. Therefore, under normal circumstances, only Deng Chao was in the mountain.
A group of people’s dreams
"I like mountain life" Old friends form a group, go to the mountains to retire, old friends of 20 or 30 years, "know the roots"
In Hanzi Mountain Village, it was hard to see strong young people. "The old, the weak, the sick and the disabled" became the companions of this land.
Local farmers told Red Star News that there are 222 villagers in Hanzi Mountain, but 102 houses are vacant. Villagers rushed to live in buildings in the city, and as a result, the old houses in their homes were increasingly deserted and left unattended.
But in Wuhan, 90 kilometers away, some people are tired of the hustle and bustle of the city and want to find a quiet place to retire.
They are workers of WISCO, and in the eyes of the villagers, they used to be city people holding "iron rice bowls".
One day in 2011, Deng Chao chatted with Chen Exiang and Lu Sihuang – they were approaching retirement age and had "worries".
Deng Chao said that the few of them are old friends of at least 20 or 30 years, and they "know the basics." Before the hunting ban, they had hunted together in the mountains within a few hundred kilometers. "I liked the mountain life. So I decided to find a village and retire together."
Chen Exiang became the "leading big brother". During that time, they traveled to Huangpi, Xiaogan and other places. A few months later, Chen Exiang took a fancy to Hanzi Mountain, "The environment is good, the villagers are simple, and it is not far from Wuhan. It took seven or eight trips back and forth before they settled down."
Deng Chao recalled that at first, he raised chickens in the mountains of Huangpi, but as a result, "a lot of chickens were stolen."
Knowing that Chen Exiang had already chosen a place at Hanzi Mountain, Deng Chao also followed.
However, he was shocked by the dilapidated old house in front of him, "It looks like a haunted house, overgrown with weeds and dilapidated." However, this relatively independent old house still won the favor of several elderly people.
In July 2012, the contract was signed, and the annual rent of the two old houses was only 2,000 yuan. "Moreover, the landlord also gave away a few acres of land for planting."
Next, we will engage in infrastructure, "weeding, repairing tiles, and then doing the kitchen and bathroom. It took more than 2 years before and after, and cost 100,000 yuan."
Luce Huang recalled to the Red Star News reporter that in 2013, they rented an old house next to it. The team of group pensions is gradually expanding.
Deng Chao came to the "headquarters" at noon and had dinner with two old friends.
Retirement life
From one kind of busyness to another
Now, Deng Chao lives alone among the villagers and occasionally eats with old friends. But more often, he is busy.
Every day at 6 o’clock, he would get up, and under normal circumstances, he would be busy until after 9 o’clock in the evening.
Deng Chao was so busy every day that he didn’t have time to think too much. Three dogs, six geese, 20 big white ducks, more than 150 Chinese court chickens… and two acres of land, these became his whole life. Occasionally, he would go fishing or shrimp fishing, surf the Internet, and check the stock market. "I’m relatively young and can’t be idle. I want to provide some healthy things for my relatives and friends and sell them at a cost. Now I only sleep four or five hours a day. But I won’t get tired of doing things I’m willing to do."
Deng Chao joked that compared with before retirement, he went from one kind of busyness to another. "Before, it was dominated by others, but now, I am busy but unrestrained." Most urbanites who retire in the mountains live another busy life like Deng Chao.
Not clean
"Do as the Romans do" is somewhat difficult
Around 2014, the news of several old friends of Wuhan Iron and Steel, Shenshan Mutual Care, attracted the attention of the outside world. With the media reports, Hanzishan seemed to become a business card of Wuhan Xinzhou District. One day in April this year, more than 200 people flocked to the team. Recently, people who came to seek rent spontaneously have been constantly.
Chen Exiang, 63, was overwhelmed and fell ill.
Lucifer was a little helpless, "There are too many people this week. Usually at least three groups of people, up to seven or eight groups. Lao Chen took them around to see the house. The doctor said that he was mainly tired and his resistance had dropped." But he also admitted that if he was old and couldn’t move, he still had to go back to the city. Of course, "If the medical conditions here can be met, we can hire someone and give him labor fees. It’s over here." It is somewhat difficult for these city people to "do as the Romans do".
After all, the house is not his own, Mr. Deng said. "The landlord is too intrusive on us. He will come back during the holidays, and there are many of them, so the interference is great. It’s not the same as renting in the city."
Deng Chao felt that because of the differences in living habits and social cognition, there was still some distance between them and the villagers, and it was difficult to have any common topics. However, as time went by, Deng Chao slowly integrated into the local life, "You can go fishing with them and weed…"
Now, Deng Chao and the local villagers get along quite well.
A person’s happiness
How to make up for "leaving the family behind"? He fell into silence "This kind of pension is equivalent to a person’s happiness"
The real problem still lay in the hearts of several old friends. When they were having dinner together, they would talk about their children, grandchildren or parents. After all, at their age, there were old and young.
Look at children
Many parents are kidnapped by their children
For Deng Chao and others, children and grandchildren will not be the fetters of their own retirement, "At our age, we are usually a child. Everyone has worked hard, and when they are old, why are they still so hard? Children have children’s lives. In the past, we were all for that family, but now that we have raised him, we want him to experience it by himself."
"They check their phones every day, and you become their nanny. You have to give him a certain amount of pressure, and you can’t rely on you for everything," Mr. Deng said.
Treat parents
If you are not in good health, you have to go back
However, talking about his parents, Deng Chao was a little apologetic, "My wife only comes here occasionally for a few days, because there are still elderly people at home. They have to be arranged, otherwise they will have to go back every now and then."
Deng Chao bluntly said that his parents are both in their 80s and in good health. "Once you are not in good health, you have to go back. Now my sister is taking care of my parents, and I have to rush back when I am seriously ill. Let them take care of me here."
The road conditions in the mountains are not good, and medical conditions are limited, so Deng Chao and his old friends usually do not take the elderly into the mountains.
Lucifer’s father is 86 years old this year. This has become Lucifer’s biggest concern. "The daughter-in-law takes care of the grandson at home. The father is currently looking after the younger sister and brother-in-law."
Face the wife
I’ll try to make up for it when I get home
Of course, Lucifer discussed with his wife before entering the mountain, "She agreed. This is a big deal, and even if she has an opinion, she can understand it."
Lu Sihuang said that after five years, he has adapted to life in the mountains, and he will feel uncomfortable when he goes back. "My daughter-in-law has objections, but she also accepts them. She comes here as long as she has time, sometimes ten days and a half months, sometimes three or five months."
Lucifer paused for a moment. "She is basically responsible for all the things at home. When I get home, I will try my best to make up for it."
But when the reporter asked how to make up for it, Luce Huang was silent for a while. After that, he added, "She comes here once in a while, and she is full of praise. It feels good to be in the mountains. But remember home here, and remember here at home, and Lao Chen and I can only take turns going back."
In the end, after being torn several times, Lu Sihuang finally admitted that such a pension was equivalent to a person’s happiness, which made him somewhat torn, "It sounds bad, it’s a little selfish, I left it at home, and it’s all my daughter-in-law doing it, I’m a little sorry for her."
The lives of several people
"Too much complaining" Contradictions accumulate, friends separate "Money is nothing, it’s mainly character"
"I don’t like the city, it’s too noisy." Luce Huang said that several old friends are in a group to support each other, and they can get along day and night.
They ate together, lived together, and lived a quiet rural life. Now, five years later, this place has its own name – Senior Care Mountain Residence.
However, the first few old friends were unable to get together.
In the beginning, there were five households in the old-age mountain residence, but now only two households live there permanently. Others either move out or take occasional vacations.
In Deng Chao’s opinion, this is inevitable. He said that over time, conflicts will accumulate, and everyone’s living habits are different. "Friends are friends, after all, they don’t live together."
Deng Chao recalled that before 2016, he was still at work and only went up the mountain on weekends. "Someone made the decision to buy a group of sheep without authorization, but they didn’t care much when they bought it back. Some died, some got lost… In short, when he made the decision, he didn’t make a good plan and didn’t discuss it with us. In the end, everyone had to share it equally."
"Money is nothing, it’s mainly character," Deng Chao said bluntly. Living together, there will inevitably be conflicts, "I have a lot of complaints, but I haven’t broken out yet. I saw it, so I separated. Although we used to work together, we should still keep a certain distance."
In 2014, Deng Chao moved away. Although it was only a few hundred meters away, the pension mountain residence gradually became the "headquarters" of several old friends.
However, last year, Deng Chao’s pension plan was disrupted again. "The landlord broke the contract. It’s a widow, so I don’t care."
At the beginning of last year, Deng Chao retired and officially became a full-time "elderly person". He rented a two-story house a few hundred meters away from the headquarters and began to live permanently. "Sometimes, he doesn’t go back for a few months."
(The original title was "Unedited Villagers" It’s a bit selfish to say it doesn’t sound good ")