The New Neighbors Next Door

When Mr.

Chen retired, he thought his days would be quiet and slow.

His wife had passed away two years earlier, and his only son lived in another city.

Then, one morning in March, a moving truck stopped in front of the house next door.

A young couple got out, carrying boxes and a baby.

The woman smiled and introduced herself as Anna.

She explained that they had moved here because her father, who was seventy-eight, needed help with daily life.

Mr.

Chen was surprised, since he had never thought about care work before.

Over the next weeks, he often saw Anna's father, Mr.

Lee, sitting alone in the garden.

One afternoon, Mr.

Chen brought him some tea, and they began to talk.

Mr.

Lee said that moving to a new place was hard, but being close to family made it easier.

Hearing this, Mr.

Chen realized that old age does not have to mean loneliness.

Now the two men meet every morning to water the plants together, and Mr.

Chen no longer feels that his days are slow and empty.