Seeing that the old house of my parents-in-law was dilapidated, the youngest son and daughter-in-law decided to spend money to build a two-story house. But on the housewarming day, when I went to the kitchen to get more salt and rice, I accidentally picked up a piece of A4 paper that fell out of the drawer – after reading it, I was shocked to the point of being speechless…

My husband and I live on farming in the countryside of Pampanga, “working our faces on the ground and our backs on the sky” all year round, with only a few fields to raise three children. The old house was dilapidated, sweltering hot in the summer, and leaking in the rainy season. For years, patching one place would only result in another leak. Sometimes when I looked at the neighbors who had spacious two- or three-story houses, I felt sad, but knowing my poor status, I didn’t dare to dream.

One day, my youngest son Marco and his wife came back from Manila, daughter-in-law Liza hesitantly said:

– “Just let us take care of it. The house is too old, let us build you a new house.”

So, less than half a year later, a spacious two-story house stood tall on the family’s old land. Red brick walls, brown wooden doors, blue tiled roof. Looking at it, it seemed like a dream.

On the housewarming day, the neighbors filled the yard. My husband and I were so happy that we cried. After a lifetime of hard work, we finally had a day to show our faces to the village.

A4 paper in the kitchen

When it was time to worship the ancestors, the food tray was set up, except for a plate of salt and rice. My daughter-in-law immediately asked me to go to the kitchen to get it.

I flipped open the drawer. Suddenly, a folded A4 paper fell at my feet. I bent down to pick it up and conveniently opened it to read. Just a few lines of text, my heart suddenly stopped, my whole body froze

“Bank loan contract: 2.5 million pesos. Borrower: Liza Santos. Collateral: land title in the name of the husband’s parents.”

I was stunned. So this house was not the money the couple had saved up as they said. The daughter-in-law mortgaged the land left by her ancestors to the bank!

Sweat covered my forehead, I tremblingly stuffed the paper into my pocket, walked up to the altar, my heart pounding. Outside, the feast was bustling, the guests were bustling. My daughter-in-law was smiling and pouring water, my son was bragging to his friends: “The house my wife built for my parents!”

In my heart, a conflict arose: on one side was the radiant happiness of the housewarming day, on the other side was the harsh truth that had just been revealed.

The daughter-in-law’s confession

That night, I told my wife about the matter. She sat silently, then sighed:
– “She dared to borrow the red book without permission? If this goes on, we will lose our land and fields in no time…”

I growled:
– “But she didn’t do it for herself. She borrowed it to build this very house for us to live in.”

The next morning, I called Liza aside to ask. When I mentioned the paper, her face turned pale. Then suddenly, tears welled up:
– “I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. I know you’ve worked hard all your life and haven’t been able to live in a decent house. My husband and I have meager salaries, and who knows when we’ll be able to save up. I’m just taking the risk of borrowing from the bank. I’ve calculated it, my husband and I will work hard to pay it back, don’t worry.”

I was speechless. That concealment… turned out to be out of love.

Family turmoil

Soon, the news reached the other children. My siblings in Quezon City immediately called to reproach me:
– “Youngest uncle and wife are foolish! Mom and Dad are old, why do we need a big house? Mortgaging the house title, what if one day we lose everything?”

The atmosphere in the house was as tense as a bowstring. My wife could only sit and sigh.

That night, I called Marco and Liza back and spoke slowly:
– “We appreciate your kindness. But the land is the blood and flesh of our ancestors. We don’t want to lose it one day just because of recklessness. If you love us, then try to pay off the debt. Your siblings know about this and they are right to blame you. But that’s it, the whole family has to bear it together, not let you two suffer alone.”

Liza burst into tears and held my hand tightly.

Sweet fruit after three years

The new house was no longer as joyful as it was at first. Every time I looked at it, I was both happy and worried. But that incident made the children in the family closer together.

The siblings voluntarily contributed more money to help pay the interest. Marco and Liza worked hard and didn’t dare to spend anything more.

Three years later, the debt was finally paid off. The day the bank returned the red book, I held it with trembling hands and tears streaming down my face.

I turned to my daughter-in-law, smiling and choking:

“You were foolish once and made it big. Thanks to you, Mom and Dad have this roof over their heads.”

Liza smiled through her tears:

“I just hope Mom and Dad can live a little more happily…”

Conclusion

Now, the two-story house still stands firmly in the middle of the Pampanga countryside, lit up every night. Outsiders keep praising my parents for their good fortune and filial daughter-in-law.

But for me, every time I remember the A4 piece of paper that fell out on the housewarming day, I still shiver. Because it was not just a loan contract, but a contract… testing the trust and love between family members.

And I understand that the most spacious roof is not only built with bricks and stones, but also built from the sharing and tolerance of people of the same bloodline.