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A family lying under the covers
In 2006, Li Xianghong returned to her hometown with a son and a daughter from other places to work. It was supposed to be a scene of warm reunion, but I didn't expect the reality to be completely different from what we thought.
When she got home, she closed the door and refused to let anyone in, not even her closest family. Inside the house, Li Xianghong and her two children curled up in the quilt, spending day after day like this.
Every day, Li Xianghong only allows herself and her children to eat one simple meal. They hardly go out and spend most of their time in bed.
The once bright eyes have become dull, and the once hearty laughter has disappeared. As a result, the two young children lost the opportunity to go to school, and their childhood and future were clouded in this enclosed space.
Li Xianghong's father and brother live next door, and they leave food and daily necessities at the door every day. The old father's trembling hands and the anxious eyes of his brother silently told their helplessness and worry.
They tried various methods to persuade Li Xianghong, but each time they failed. In this way, Li Xianghong and her two children lived in the bed for nine years.
Whenever Li Xianghong was mentioned, his brother was full of disappointment, and said cruel words: "I don't have a sister, I'll treat her as dead!" ”
Village cadres also visited the door many times to persuade them, but each time they could only work in vain outside the closed door. They handled the subsistence allowance for Li Xianghong's family, and their father received it on their behalf, hoping to give some financial help.
However, this meager aid does not seem to solve the problem at its root.
It wasn't until the local charity association heard about the incident that they decided to organize volunteers to visit Li Xianghong and find out what was going on.
The help of volunteers
On a cold winter day in December 2017, volunteers from the Hengyang County Micro Charity Association in Hunan Province set out on their way to Meikai Village.
When the volunteers arrived at the hut where Li Xianghong lived, they found that the outside was overgrown with weeds and the doors and windows were closed. They knocked lightly on the door and called for Li Xianghong's name, but received no response.
There was silence in the house, as if no one was inhabited. The volunteers began to worry about the situation of the mother and son in the house.
After much trying, the volunteers finally got a glimpse of what was going on inside the house through an unlocked window. The sight was shocking: the house was littered with all kinds of garbage and emitted a foul smell.
Li Xianghong and her two children curled up on a dirty bed, deaf to the call of the outside world.
Volunteer Huang Xiaoman decided to communicate with Li Xianghong in a different way. She stood by the window and told Li Xianghong in a gentle tone that she understood her difficulties as a single mother, and praised her children.
This way of empathy seemed to touch Li Xianghong, and she finally sat up and looked warily at the stranger outside the window.
After patient conversation, Li Xianghong gradually let down her guard and allowed Huang Xiaoman and another female volunteer to enter the house.
Walking inside, the volunteers saw an even more heart-wrenching scene: two children were pale, skinny, and visibly malnourished. There was almost no furniture in the room, just a worn-out bed and a crumbling chair.
During their conversation with Li Xianghong, the volunteers learned that the family lived on a subsistence allowance.
Children have never been to school, have been isolated from the outside world for a long time, and may have psychological problems. The youngest son showed obvious autistic tendencies and was afraid to contact people, while the daughter was both curious and afraid of the outside world, secretly looking at the volunteers from time to time.
Huang Xiaoman noticed that although Li Xianghong was very defensive of the outside world, her ability to express herself was not affected.
She is able to answer questions clearly and thinks logically. This discovery made Huang Xiaoman realize that Li Xianghong may not be mentally ill, but because of some reason that caused autism.
Over the next few days, volunteers took turns coming to Li Xianghong's home to bring them food and daily necessities.
Gradually, Li Xianghong began to accept the presence of volunteers, and even allowed them to help clean up the house.
During the cleanup, the volunteers found many discarded old newspapers and magazines, suggesting that Li Xianghong is not completely isolated from the rest of the world, and that she may have been learning about the outside world through these means.
As trust was established, Li Xianghong began to pour out her concerns to the volunteers. Her biggest knot is the education of her children.
Due to the lack of formal education for a long time, the two children are almost illiterate, which makes Li Xianghong feel deep self-reproach.
In order to learn more about Li Xianghong's situation, Huang Xiaoman decided to spend more time talking to her.
She found that Li Xianghong was reluctant to talk about her past experiences, but when she talked about her children, her eyes showed deep love and worry. This ambivalence reinforces Mr. Huang's belief that Ms. Li's problems may stem from some traumatic experience.
Finally, after Li Xianghong let down her guard again, she told the volunteers the story of what happened to her.
Li Chunhong's tragic life
Since childhood, Li Xianghong has shown a unique personality. She always has her own ideas for doing things, and she is so stubborn that it is difficult to control. People in the village often say that this girl has grown up very much, and she must have a future.
However, life did not become easier because of Li Xianghong's strength. The poverty of her family was like a boulder, weighing her down.
Every day before dawn, Li Xianghong followed her parents to work in the fields. Her thin figure shuttled through the fields, her little hands holding a hoe, sweat soaking the placket of her clothes.
Despite this, Li Xianghong insisted on going to school. Her eyes always sparkled with a thirst for knowledge.
Unfortunately, this desire came to an abrupt end in junior high school. The family really couldn't afford the tuition, so Li Xianghong had to drop out of school and stay at home. She stood at the entrance of the village, watching her classmates go away with their schoolbags on their backs, and her heart was sour.
When she reached the marriageable age, Li Xianghong's life ushered in the first turning point. Under the arrangement of her parents, she married a man from a neighboring town.
On the day of the wedding, Li Xianghong was wearing a red wedding dress, but there was no joy on her face. She knew that this was not the marriage she wanted.
Sure enough, life after marriage was like a nightmare. Her husband often drank heavily and often punched and kicked her. Li Xianghong often hid in the corner, silently wiping the scars on her face, tears flowing silently.
Finally, after being beaten again, Li Xianghong made a bold decision.
In the spring of 1996, Li Xianghong stepped on the train to Guangdong alone. Outside the car window, the spring scenery flew by, but Li Xianghong's heart was pounding.
She didn't know what awaited her, but she knew she couldn't stand that anymore.
In Guangdong, Li Xianghong's life has a new beginning. She found a job in a factory, and although it was hard, she was able to get her own salary every month. This made her feel free and happy like never before.
Not long after, Li Xianghong met her true love. He was a gentle and considerate man who took great care of her.
Li Xianghong felt that she had finally waited for the person she was destined for. In order for the two of them to be better together, she resolutely returned to her hometown and went through the divorce procedures.
After returning to Guangdong, Li Xianghong's life was as beautiful as a fairy tale. Soon, she became pregnant.
Although she is not yet married, Li Xianghong decided to give birth to this child. She believes that with children, her relationship with her lover will be stronger.
However, fate played a joke on Li Xianghong again. Shortly after she gave birth to her second child, her lover was arrested for drug use and has not been heard from since.
Li Xianghong's world collapsed in an instant. She held her two babies waiting to be fed, and she didn't know where to go.
In 2006, Li Xianghong returned to Meikai Village with her two children. She hopes to find some solace in her hometown. However, what awaited her was the gossip of the villagers and the scolding of her father.
"Look at you, you came back with two fatherless children, and you lost the face of our family!" Father's words were like a sharp blade, deeply stabbing Li Xianghong's heart.
Every day, Li Xianghong has to face the strange eyes of her neighbors.
Gradually, Li Xianghong became silent. She began to lock herself and her children in the house, refusing to have contact with the outside world. The dilapidated old house became her haven and a cage.
Inside the house, Li Xianghong was lying on the bed day after day, her eyes empty. The two children curled up beside her, overwhelmed. Outside, the sun was shining and the birds were singing, but the beauty seemed to have nothing to do with them.
With the help of many parties, I finally got out of the haze of life
During the Spring Festival of 2017, volunteer Huang Xiaoman led a team composed of staff from the Public Security Bureau, the Civil Affairs Bureau and the township government to Li Xianghong's home.
They brought condolences and the determination to change the fate of a family.
Huang Xiaoman knocked lightly on the door and shouted, "Xianghong, it's me, Xiaoman." We have brought you a New Year's gift. Unexpectedly, Li Xianghong opened the door.
The room was dark and damp, and the two children were timidly hiding in the corner. Huang Xiaoman walked in with a smile and spread a brand-new quilt on the bed, and the room suddenly had a touch of brightness.
Next, the comrades of the Public Security Bureau also criticized Li Xianghong's father and asked him to drink less and care more about his daughter in the future.
The old man sincerely apologized and promised to support Li Xianghong to start her life again.
This scene touched the softest place in Li Xianghong's heart, she squatted on the ground and cried bitterly, and her years of grievances and depression finally found an outlet for catharsis.
In the days that followed, government departments sprang into action. The public security bureau registered the two children, and the education department arranged for them to attend school, and also provided subsidies for poor students.
Li Xianghong received systematic medical treatment under the arrangement of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
After half a year of treatment, Li Xianghong's mental state improved significantly. She no longer locked herself in the house, and began to take the initiative to help her father with household chores and work in the fields.
The two children have also gradually adapted to school life, and although their academic performance is not ideal, they have become cheerful and lively, and they are particularly fond of sports.
With the help of volunteers, this once-isolated family is gradually moving towards a new life.
Although the road ahead is still full of challenges, the seeds of hope have sprouted in this family. Li Xianghong and her children are slowly reintegrating into society and starting a new life.
Later, Li Xianghong also found a job, and she could also support her family by herself. In her spare time, Li Xianghong is most concerned about the children's learning.
"My daughter can score 70 points now, and my son has more than 50 points. It's not good enough, but they're trying. Li Xianghong's face was filled with a smile of relief.
Today's Li Xianghong has completely gotten rid of the haze of the past. Every holiday, she would bring her own dim sum to visit Huang Xiaoman and other volunteers.
Watching Li Xianghong's family regain their lives, Huang Xiaoman was full of emotion: "Our efforts are worth it." Everyone should have a chance to start over, and Li Xianghong did it, and her courage and strength are worth learning from all of us. "
This family, which was once closed to itself, has now reintegrated into society.
Li Xianghong's story is not only her personal rebirth, but also a testimony of love and hope, showing the brilliance of humanity and the warmth of society.
Resources
1. The "Wonderful Girl" in Hengyang, Hunan Province has been rescued and sent to medical treatment - Huasheng Online Hengyang Station, released on January 11, 2017
2. Unmarried mother takes her two children to live in the bed and only eats one meal a day - Chongqing Youth Daily, published on January 10, 2017