Lou Xiaoying
In 2018, a post titled "When Do You Suddenly Remember Something and Feel Particularly Sad" went viral online, causing many memories.
Below the post, a netizen told the story of Lou Xiaoying.
A scavenger old man, who can not guarantee his own life, relies on picking up garbage to feed 35 abandoned babies, and Lou Xiaoying has used his life to explain what is boundless love.
The family has several children, and life is poor
In the 1950s, Lou Xiaoying and her husband originally opened a small shop in the countryside of Jinhua and lived a quiet and comfortable life.
In 1958, famine ensued, and Lou Xiaoying's life also underwent earth-shaking changes.
Jinhua fell into the predicament of having no food to eat, and Lou Xiaoying's husband also died of illness. In desperation, she could only wander all the way to Andy.
One afternoon, Lou Xiaoying was still wandering the streets as before, seeking food from passers-by. Everyone shook their heads one after another, lou Xiaoying had become accustomed to it.
At this time, Zhang Hongbin, who had been observing the noodle restaurant for a long time, walked toward Lou Xiaoying and gave the noodles in his bowl to Lou Xiaoying. Lou Xiaoying was very surprised, and as soon as he looked up, what he saw was Zhang Hongbin's face that had experienced vicissitudes.
In fact, in the economic difficult period, Zhang Hongbin's life was not smooth. He has been working in the quarry of Andy, with a meager income.
Zhang Hongbin
Zhang Hongbin also made great determination to give this bowl of noodles to Lou Xiaoying, who was begging on the side of the road.
Later, Zhang Hongbin lost his job at the quarry and lived in poverty. Just when he was desperate, Lou Xiaoying appeared. It turned out that lou Xiaoying, the love of that bowl of noodles, had always been in mind, and she had also looked for Zhang Hongbin in many ways.
At that time, Zhang Hongbin had nothing, but Lou Xiaoying still married him without hesitation, and the two of them formed a stormy home.
After marriage, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin had nowhere to go, and could only go to Wuli Pavilion to live. During the Qing Dynasty, Wuli Pavilion was once a pavilion for passers-by to rest, but it has been abandoned due to its disrepair.
Lou Xiaoying and her husband lived in, weaving the door with bamboo and plugging the leaky place with rags and plastic.
In the cold winter, Lou Xiaoying and her husband could only light the garbage they picked up and sit around for warmth.
Dimly lit rooms, suffocating smell... Looking around, the Wuli Pavilion was already a broken wall, but Lou Xiaoying and her husband were already very satisfied.
In this way, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin relied on picking up garbage for a living and barely made ends meet.
Soon after, Lou Xiaoying gave birth to her first child, and Zhang Hongbin was overjoyed and named him Zhang Futian, pinning his hopes on the family's future life.
Zhang Futian's arrival brought more pressure to the lives of Lou Xiaoying and her husband, who could only leave early and return late, rummaging through the garbage heap for food.
In the winter of 1972, Zhang Hongbin braved the cold wind to go out to pick up the rags, and near the railway station, he suddenly heard the sound of babies crying.
Following the sound, Zhang Hongbin found a swaddled baby girl in the crowd of onlookers. The baby girl cried loudly, and everyone present was heartbroken, but none of them was willing to lend a helping hand.
Zhang Hongbin said: "You can't watch the child freeze to death!" With that, he picked up the little girl, took her into his arms, and walked home.
Seeing that her husband had returned with a child, Lou Xiaoying hurriedly took it over, and instead of blaming her husband, she patiently coaxed it.
To her surprise, the little girl actually showed a smile. Suddenly, Lou Xiaoying's heart was quite touched: "Poor child, it seems that we have a relationship between the two of us!" ”
After consulting with Zhang Hongbin, Lou Xiaoying decided to adopt the child and named her Zhang Meixian. Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin treat Zhang Meixian as their own children and take good care of them.
Soon after, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin went out again to pick up garbage and met a second baby girl: Jingjing. In the ice and snow, Jingjing was hungry and cold, and her cries were earth-shattering.
The passing beggar opened the quilt wrapped around her, but only took the banknotes left by her biological parents and never looked back.
Zhang Hongbin stood quietly not far away, his heart very entangled. At this time, there were already several children in the family, and he was also hungry, and he was really unable to adopt this child.
The snow outside was getting heavier, the temperature was getting colder, and the cries of the children were getting weaker. Zhang Hongbin stood up at once, seemed to have made up his mind, he walked towards the child, and finally carried her back home.
In order to commemorate the snow on that day, Zhang Hongbin named her "Jingjing".
Soon after Jingjing came to the house, she developed a high fever, and soon after, she had bad sores on her face. However, life at home is difficult, and it is still difficult to solve the problem of food and clothing, and there is really no money to see Jingjing.
Lou Xiaoying sighed and said to her husband: "Hong Bin, give me the 10 yuan that bought oil, Jingjing's treatment is important." ”
Zhang Hongbin took out the ten yuan that had been pinched and crumpled, and Lou Xiaoying quickly led the child to the hospital.
After 8 shots of penicillin, Jingjing finally recovered as before, and Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin also breathed a sigh of relief. After Zhang Meixian and Jingjing's life in Wuli Ting stabilized, the third adopted child Juju also arrived.
While solving the economic difficulties, Lou Xiaoying and her husband also take care of the children's daily life.
Although life is hard, the children are very sensible, and their company also makes the husband and wife warm in their hearts.
Zhang Hongbin often wondered why Jingjing was originally very healthy, and after only living with them for a week, she suffered from an acute illness?
Later, he finally found the reason, the living environment of Wuli pavilion was harsh, and all the water they drank was drawn from the stinky pond.
At the same time, they often eat food that has been spoiled, and the children's resistance is weak and naturally cannot bear it.
After much deliberation, Zhang Hongbin decided to dig a well to ensure the safety of the water source.
The family said to do it, Zhang Hongbin worked hard to plan the soil, Zhang Meixian handed the tool to the side, Jingjing and Juju also shouted eagerly: "I want to move the stone, I want to move the soil." ”
The family worked for 8 days and finally saw the spring water. Jingjing clapped her hands happily and shouted loudly: "My family's well is out of the water!" ”
The sun shone on the children's bodies, and Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin felt that no matter how hard they worked, it was worth it.
Later, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin picked up two children from outside and named them Fang Fang and Yuanyuan. In this way, the life of the already poor family is even more stressful.
Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin's biological son Zhang Futian was growing up and could not bear hunger, so he snatched the food from Zhang Meixian's bowl.
Zhang Hongbin saw the situation, loudly reprimanded his son, and raised his hand to slap him.
Since then, Zhang Futian has known that no matter how difficult it is, he must also take care of his sister with all his heart, because they are a family.
The deeds of Zhang Hongbin and Lou Xiaoying reached the ears of the neighbors, and everyone laughed at them for being too stupid.
It is not understood that biological children cannot be taken care of, but they adopt children for others.
In the face of outside rumors, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin always insisted on being themselves. Jingjing later recalled that the happiest thing for the children at that time was to lie on the mountain and wait for their parents to come home.
Children know that the basket on Lou Xiaoying's body always has a variety of "delicacies".
Lou Xiaoying smiled and distributed the food he had picked up to the children, while he sat by and sorted out the garbage, with a bright smile.
In order to buy milk powder for the children, Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin saved money, they often found something from the garbage heap, even if the food was rotten and black, they never cared.
In front of the children, Lou Xiaoying was always incredibly strong, as Ju Ju said: "She never told us a word about the pain of picking up rags." ”
However, when Juju grew up a little and went out with her mother, she realized that she was accused and insulted by others almost every day.
"People thought we were stealing things, and the one who watched the gate took a broom and drove us away," Mr. Lou said.
Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin left early and returned late, and the two of them earned three or four yuan a day by picking up rags. When the days were at their most difficult, the couple could not support themselves and once wanted to send their children away.
They specially bathed the children, changed their clean clothes, and put them on the street, waiting for the rich to pick them up.
However, after waiting for a long time, no one was willing to come, the child cried incessantly, and Lou Xiaoying was distressed, or took the child back home.
Bodhisattvas on earth have no remorse
In 1987, the story of Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin's adopted children spread. In order to find valuable first-hand information, reporter Hong Jiaxiang came to Wuli Pavilion.
Just when Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin were out, Zhang Meixian, who was already more than ten years old, brought clean water from the well outside to entertain reporters, like the master of the home.
The reporter looked around, and his heart was desolate. The Wuli Pavilion leaked air everywhere, the family huddled together, and the children's black faces were covered with snot.
Their house was surrounded by walls, only some tattered baskets, square and round, still young, and stayed inside, covered with cotton clothes they had picked up.
It wasn't until 9:30 p.m. that Lou Xiaoying hurried back from outside. She had just finished picking up the rags, while Zhang Hongbin was still in the garbage dump, haggling with the boss.
Seeing such a dilapidated scene, the reporter could not control his emotions and asked: "You even have difficulty supporting yourself, why do you want to raise so many children?" ”
Lou Xiaoying was a little confused, so he said loudly: "We even pick up garbage, let alone people!" ”
Later, Ju Ju recalled that because of a throat disease, Lou Xiaoying rarely spoke loudly with other people, which was the first time that her mother had such a tough attitude.
Later, people learned that Lou Xiaoying mistakenly thought that the reporter wanted to take back the Wuli Pavilion. Even though Lou Xiaoying is very poor, she has never been timid or ambiguous when it comes to protecting her children.
Later, the story of Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin spread more and more widely, and they became famous celebrities.
At the same time, more and more abandoned babies appeared in Wuli Pavilion. Early one morning, Lou Xiaoying even found three babies at the door.
Wuliting's children reached more than a dozen at most, and Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin needed to take care of each child, and they were already exhausted.
Later, the neighbors no longer laughed at Lou Xiaoying and his wife, but did their best to provide them with some clothes and food.
Most of the abandoned babies that Lou Xiaoying picked up were baby girls, and some were still sick.
The neighbor praised Lou Xiaoying gratefully: "The child is sick, your family is in this situation, if you can support yourself, you are a bodhisattva." Lou Xiaoying smiled slightly at this: "If you can save one, even if you can save one." ”
Wuliting is like a big family, the children rely on each other to keep warm, and the children who grow up here have become very sensible.
In 1987, Zhang Futian apprenticed with a carpenter, promising to give his sister a better life.
In order to reduce lou Xiaoying's burden, Zhang Meixian, who was thin and weak, went to work in the brick and tile factory. Every day, she braved the scorching sun, pulling hundreds of pounds of cars, and her shoulders were already covered in blood.
Lou Xiaoying was distressed to learn of this matter, and comforted Meixian not to be wronged, but Meixian said: "It's okay, I can move, the worker said to pull for a while, wait for the shoulder to grind out the calluses, it will not hurt." ”
When Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin raised themselves with hard work and hardships in the case of their own difficulties, Mei Xian always remembered firmly: "Now that I have grown up, I don't want you to be too tired." ”
The older brother and sister went out to work, and Jingjing and Juju were responsible for taking care of the younger siblings at home. They fed pigs and herded sheep and never complained.
The children have reached the age of reading, and Lou Xiaoying cannot afford to pay the high tuition fees, so she can only ask for people everywhere and teach them to read and write.
Despite the difficult situation, Lou Xiaoying always taught the children: "We don't steal or rob, we can pick it up." ”
The children of Wuli Ting supported each other and walked through the best childhood together.
In 1988, the Qianjiang Evening News reported the story of the elderly and abandoned babies, and more and more people came to bring them the necessities of life.
A large number of milk powder, clothes, and nutritional products were sent to Wuli Ting, and the lives of Lou Xiaoying's husband and wife and children were greatly improved.
In 1994, Wuli Pavilion was demolished due to urban planning. With the help of well-wishers and the government, Lou Xiaoying, a couple and children who have lived here for 30 years, moved into a spacious red-tiled house.
Lou Xiaoying and Zhang Hongbin also decided to start their own business, they bought a set of popcorn machines and set up a stall at the door.
While everyone is looking forward to the future, the unexpected has arrived. Because of the accumulation of labor, Zhang Hongbin unfortunately passed away.
Lou Xiaoying was devastated, it was the first time the children saw Lou Xiaoying so soulless.
Without the help of the hand-in-hand, Lou Xiaoying's life is more difficult, but she has no hesitation to shoulder the responsibility of single-handedly and continue to adopt and take care of the children.
Say goodbye with dignity and live on with spirit
Over the decades, Lou Xiaoying has picked up 35 children, most of whom are abandoned girls.
The only consolation is that most of them were adopted by well-wishers after being cared for by Lou Xiaoying for a while.
Later, Lou Xiaoying's 7 children grew up to adulthood, and she gradually grew old and slow to move...
In 2000, Mei Xian found her crush, and soon after, Ju Ju and Jing Jing also married one after another. Lou Xiaoying's biological son, Zhang Futian, has never been married because of poverty.
In 2006, Lou Xiaoying, who was already in his 80s, once again picked up a dying child from the garbage heap. Lou Xiaoying liked it very much and named him Xiao Qilin .
At that time, the child had a high fever and half of his face was black. Zhang Futian was very worried and took the child to the hospital the next day.
In order to treat his children, he sold his mobile phone at a low price. Lou Xiaoying went around looking for relatives to borrow money, but no one was willing to pay attention.
In the end, with the help of well-wishers, Xiao Qilin was able to escape from danger smoothly. In 2009, after learning that Zhang Futian could not pay Xiao Qilin's tuition, the kindergarten director took the initiative to help him exempt.
However, Zhang Futian always kept it in mind, and he quietly put the 1700 yuan he earned from his part-time job into the bank account, just as Lou Xiaoying taught him: do not steal, do not rob.
Today's little unicorn
In 2012, Lou Xiaoying was diagnosed with middle and advanced uremia. At the same time, due to long-term hard work, she also suffered from severe coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
After the children learned of this, they all rushed to the hospital and accompanied Lou Xiaoying.
Children who were once raised by Lou Xiaoying and have now grown up have also prayed for their "mothers" on the Internet.
With the help of caring people, Lou Xiaoying's condition is basically stable. However, she is old and can only rely on dialysis to survive.
At the last moment of his life, Xiao Qilin accompanied Lou Xiaoying almost every day.
Lou Xiaoying tried to pull out the tube on his body many times, and vaguely read to Xiao Qilin: "Discharge, don't spend money..."
In 2014, Lou Xiaoying was still killed by the god of death.
At the memorial service, Xiao Qilin held Lou Xiaoying's portrait in both hands. Lou Xiaoying's once adopted child came to say goodbye and cried uncontrollably.
Lou Xiaoying is gone, a distant paradise, kind and strong, she must have started a new happy life...
Resources
[1] "Integrity Lookout", No. 12, 2012, "Lou Xiaoying, "Scavenging Mother"
[2] Zhejiang News, July 20, 2012, "The Love Ledger of The Good Man's Life and Safety Lou Xiaoying""
[3] Jinhua Daily, July 11, 2012, ""Wuli Pavilion" Loving Elder lou Xiaoying was seriously ill and hospitalized"
[4] Xinhua Net, November 20, 2012, Zhejiang: "Wuli Ting" Mother Lou Xiaoying"