The "password" of life at the big uncle's vegetable stall: understanding living better than making money

I once saw an elderly man at the vegetable market. His business looked quite ordinary, yet he diligently stayed at his stall every day. Someone curiously asked him, “Your business isn’t very busy, why do you come here every day to bother?”

The elderly man replied with a single sentence that enlightened everyone: “As long as I am running the stall outside, my daughter-in-law will bring lunch at noon, and my wife will prepare all the meals in the evening. If I stay at home idly all day, my daughter-in-law will find all sorts of reasons to look at me unfavorably, and my wife will nag from morning till night.”

This simple statement reveals how many people haven’t thought things through.

The truth about work is not just about making money

Many people think that work is just to earn money. But the elderly man showed us through his actions — work is also a form of “identity.” When you have something to do, you gain a “status” in the family: you are not just the target of your wife’s nagging, nor just a burden in your daughter-in-law’s eyes. You are the person working outside, the one who deserves concern and care.

Reaching middle age, the highest form of “risk avoidance”

Rather than saying the elderly man is doing business, it’s more accurate to say he is maintaining his position and dignity in the family through a simple job. This is more effective than any preaching. The daughter-in-law will proactively bring food, and the wife will take the initiative to cook, and the family atmosphere naturally improves.

This is not calculation; it’s the warmest understanding of human nature.

The elderly man’s way of living is worth learning from

Choosing between leisure and busyness, the elderly man chose the latter. Not to earn more money, but to maintain a sense of “value” in the eyes of his family. This kind of wisdom in living is more refreshing than any chicken soup.