In December 2019, Li Yuankang, a 61-year-old uncle in Luoyang, Henan Province, followed a CCTV program group to Moscow, the capital of Russia.
At the thought of finally meeting his 55-year-old mother, Valenkina, Li Yuankang was excited, and if it were not for the help of the program team, he did not know whether he would be able to see his mother again in his lifetime.
With the help of the TV programs of the two countries, on the afternoon of December 18, 2009, Li Yuankang was reunited with his mother, whom he had not seen for many years.
At the scene of the show, Valenkina, a mother in her 80s, also cried bitterly and said in her Chinese:
"I've been looking for you too!"
The mother and son, who have been separated for many years, hugged and cried at the scene of the show, which touched countless audiences. What exactly caused a mother and son to be separated for 55 years?
- A happy family
On January 23, 1948, the crisp cry of a baby was heard in a hospital in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, and the newborn child was Li Huaiyu and Valenkina's second child.
Since Valenkina was Soviet, the couple decided to give the newborn baby two names, one Chinese name: Li Yuankang, and one Soviet name: Boris.
Why would Li Huaiyu marry Valentina, a Soviet woman? The story begins in 1945.
Originally from Sichuan, Li Huaiyu went to Xinjiang in 1945 to work, where he met Valenkina, a nurse from the Soviet Union who was 14 years younger.
Valenkina came to China with her parents, who were doctors, and at that time the Soviet Union and China were very close, and many Soviets came to China to support construction.
Valentina followed her parents to work in a hospital in Xinjiang because of her dedication and kindness to patients, which won the love of patients and colleagues.
One day in 1946, Li Huaiyu came to the hospital for treatment because of his physical discomfort, and it was Valenkina who accompanied him.
Valenkina took care of Li Huaiyu meticulously, the two fell in love at first sight, falling in love across nationality and age, and married.
Although many people are not optimistic about this marriage, a Soviet woman, a Chinese, and a teenager, how many gaps are difficult to cross.
But other people's opinions do not affect the couple.
The sweet and loving two people soon gave birth to their first child, also taking two names, Chinese named Li Yuanli and the Soviet name Ala Alexandrovna.
The next year, Li Yuankang was born in Jiuquan, Gansu, a family of four, happy and harmonious, although life is hard but warm.
After the founding of New China, the state vigorously called on young talents to build in the northeast, and Li Huaiyu came to the northeast with his wife and children in response to the state's call.
When she first arrived in the northeast, Li Huaiyu worked at the Shenyang airport, while Valenkina settled in Changchun with her children and worked as a Russian teacher at a local school.
At first, Li Huaiyu still had a lot of time to go home to visit his wife and children, but with the transfer of work, he was assigned to the Shenyang Mining Machinery Factory, where his workload was much larger, and he was busy until late at night.
Even rest became a luxury, let alone rushing to Changchun to visit his wife and two children.
Li Huaiyu can only look forward to the New Year's Festival, and only then can he go back to visit his beloved wife and lovely children.
Without her husband around, Valentina took on the responsibility of educating her children and hated not being able to give them all her love.
Winter in Changchun is extremely cold, with minus tens of degrees Celsius, splashing water into ice.
The three of them lived in a dormitory without heating, the only thing they could rely on was the stove in the dormitory, and fearing that the children would not be able to sleep in the middle of the night because of the cold, Valenkina often got up in the middle of the night to buy briquettes.
Worried that the briquettes burn too slowly and there is too much cold air in the house, she often adds some wooden oranges first, and then adds briquettes after burning the flames with fans.
Sometimes the burning of the wooden fir produces a large amount of smoke, choking people's tears, and constantly coughing, but Valenkina is very patient, worried that the movement will wake up the two children too quickly.
Although Valenkina herself was frozen and her hands were red and she kept sneezing, she insisted on doing so without complaint.
Every morning Li Yuankang woke up to see his mother adding briquettes, holding his and his sister's clothes and roasting them by the fire, and the clothes were baked and baked on the floor before they were used to put them on for the two of them.
Dressed in warm clothes, and eating the hot milk, bread and fragrant grilled sausages prepared by his mother, Li Yuankang felt that his happy life was nothing more than that.
At first, Li Yuankang and his sister would complain about why their father always didn't come back to visit them, whether they didn't want them anymore.
Valenkina will always patiently tell the two children that their father is working hard for the family, and it is helpless not to come back for a long time, so that they can be more considerate.
When night fell, Valentina would hold both children in her arms and tell them fairy tales and her childhood experiences in the Soviet Union, and the two children would always sleep sweetly in her arms.
After putting the children to sleep, Valenkina gently put them back on the bed, covered them with quilts, washed their clothes, and prepared the content of tomorrow's lecture.
It was hard for a person to take care of two children and prepare for class, but Valenkina never complained about her husband.
In the summer, the weather is hot, the dormitory is also like a steamer, Valenkina's salary is used to take care of two children, and can not afford to buy a fan, can only coax the children to sleep, while fanning the wind for them, repelling mosquitoes.
She believes that as long as she survives the current difficulties, everything will slowly get better, so no matter how hard life is, she is willing to eat.
But the arrangements were always disrupted by the plan, and the good life was not yet expected, but a big thing happened in the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union's four-year-long Great Patriotic War caused them to suffer huge losses, and the Soviet Union, which was so badly injured, was even short of food.
In order to solve the livelihood problems of the people, the Soviet Union reclaimed wasteland in Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Volga River and many other places to invest in farming.
Although they had land, they lacked laborers, so the Soviet Union decided to withdraw the expatriates who worked and lived in China to the Soviet Union and let them make up for the shortage of labor.
Valenkina's name was included in the first list to return to the Soviet Union.
Although she was a Soviet, she had been in China for so long, and she had long considered herself a part of China, not to mention her husband and children.
But the country needed her, and she gave such an order, how could she refuse?
Eventually, Valenkina thought twice and proposed to Li Huaiyu that he would return to the Soviet Union with his parents.
The Soviet Union is his hometown, and since he was a child, relatives and friends will take good care of his husband, and he can get a better job and life in the Soviet Union.
But this offer was rejected by Li Huaiyu, after all, he is Chinese, and this is also the place where he grew up, as the saying goes: "Parents are here, not far away." ”
What's more, now that his mother is old and needs to be cared for by her side, he doesn't know when he will be able to return to China.
The most important point is that China has just been established for a long time, it needs a lot of talent construction, and it cannot leave for its own selfish interests, which will cause huge losses to the country.
Where is there no home without a country? As a person who has experienced war, it is natural to hope that the country can prosper and no longer be bullied by other countries.
Both sides have their own inseparable family affection, and there are things that are difficult to give up.
In the end, after consultation, the two people decided to break up peacefully, but where should the two children go?
Li Huaiyu said:
"Let the kids make their own choices."
Valenkina hugged her two children tightly and asked them:
"Mom's leaving, are you two going to follow me back to Grandma, or are you going to follow your father?"
The two children were not yet ten years old, and where they understood the meaning of Valentina, nor did they know that she would not be seen for decades when she left.
Sister Li Yuanli offered to follow her mother back to the Soviet Union, But Li Yuankang had no choice, and Valenkina also felt that taking both children away was too cruel for Li Huaiyu.
She didn't say much, reluctantly packed her bags and prepared to leave China.
Although he didn't understand what was happening, but seeing them pack their bags, Li Yuankang realized that he might never see his mother and sister again, and he cried and knelt down in front of his mother: "Don't go, I don't want you to go." ”
Looking at Li Yuankang, who was born in October, Valentina felt that her heart was dripping blood, after all, it was a piece of flesh that fell from her body, how could she say that she gave up and gave up?
It didn't take long for Valenkina to regret it, and she decided to take her children to the Soviet Union behind her husband's back.
In the autumn of 1955, While her husband was busy with work, Valenkina secretly took her two children by train to a border town of Manzhouli, from where she had planned to change to an international train back to the Soviet Union.
However, after Li Huaiyu returned home, he did not see his son everywhere, even his clothes disappeared, and he guessed that Valentina must have taken away the two children.
After all, Li Huaiyu worked in the state organs and departments, knew many people in the railway department, and he stopped his ex-wife and children who were about to pass through the customs through the relevant departments.
A family of four meets in Manchuria in this unexpected way, obviously a sweet and loving family of four, but they have to be separated.
Li Huaiyu hugged Valenkina and took her and the children home to enjoy this last reunion time.
The happy time is always short-lived, and the day of Valentina's return to the Soviet Union has arrived, and Li Huaiyu took his wife's hand and sent them to the train station.
On the platform, Valenkina hugged Li Huaiyu and did not let go, a thousand words choked in her throat and finally turned into one drop after another of tears.
A couple who love each other deeply, but because of the reasons of the state, they cannot stay together for life, and can only be forced to separate.
At the thought of losing their beloved other half in the future, the pain in the hearts of the two people cannot be expressed in words.
Valentina did not want to let go of this warm embrace, but seeing the train from far and near, Li Huaiyu said lightly:
"The car is going to drive, it's time to go." Take care of yourself, we'll have another day to meet again. ”
Although Li Huaiyu had a lot of reluctance in his heart, he was also helpless. And he knew that if he showed his unwilling feelings at this time, Valentina would definitely be even more uncomfortable.
Since he was powerless to change reality, he accepted it, and he comforted his wife and dried her tears so that she could leave with peace of mind.
The whistle of the train kept ringing, as if urging the couple to separate as soon as possible, and Valenkina looked at Li Huaiyu's father and son reluctantly, stroking their faces with her fingers over and over again, trying to imprint the appearance of the two of them in her mind.
Eventually, Valentina took her daughter on the train, and Li Yuankang did not know where her mother and sister were going, nor how far away they were.
"Mom, don't you cry, I'll go to you with my dad in a week, no matter how far away we will find you, mom rest assured."
After saying that, he also said goodbye to his mother and sister with his young hands.
Although the train is gone, the faces and tears of her mother and sister are forever fixed in Li Yuankang's heart.
- Missing my mother
After returning home, Li Yuankang was very uncomfortable, used to living with his mother and sister, and now there was nothing but an empty room.
Even at night, when he dreamed, his mother coaxed him to sleep and told him stories, and everything in the dream was so beautiful.
Especially when his mother stroked his head and asked him how he had been doing lately, if he had enough to eat and wear?
Such a scene is so dreamy, so kind, but the dream wakes up, the mother is gone, leaving only endless tears and sorrow.
Li Yuankang held the group photo left by his mother and carefully placed it in the frame of the mirror and placed it in the most conspicuous position at the head of the bed.
Every time he missed his mother, he took it out to look at it, and he would remember the day every day, hoping that in a week his father would take him to find his mother.
However, a week passed, Li Huaiyu had no intention of going to the Soviet Union, Li Yuankang asked his father why, but his father only said that the time had not yet arrived, and so on.
Li Yuankang looked at his father in disappointment, and waited week after week, and his mother and sister gradually drifted apart in his life, gradually becoming a thing of the past.
"Children with mothers are like treasures, and children without mothers are like grass."
Even if his father cares about his diet and living, he still can't replace his mother.
Life without a mother was bitter and hard, and in the autumn of 1956, Li Huaiyu was transferred to work at the Mining Machinery Factory in Luoyang, Henan Province, and Li Yuankang also settled in Luoyang.
Originally, Luoyang was a strange environment for him, with no relatives and family, no confidants and friends, and the loneliness in his heart could only be told to the photo.
His father was busy at work and couldn't take care of him, Li Yuankang was often bullied at school because of this matter, and after each bullying, he would cry out to the photo with tears in his eyes, hoping that his mother could come back to visit him.
When he was 8 years old, his shoes were torn, but neither he nor his father noticed that the children at school were laughing at him.
This incident caused Li Yuankang's self-esteem to be greatly hurt, and when he returned home at night, he deliberately walked around in front of his father with his feet and fingers exposed, and said:
"If mom is still around, how nice it would be!"
The father looked down at his worn-out shoes, and also learned about it from the teacher, silently shed tears, he knew that he was sorry for his son.
When Li Yuankang woke up in the middle of the night, he saw his father sitting at the head of the bed, holding the soles of his shoes in the dim light, and he rubbed his sleepy eyes: "Dad, what are you doing?" ”
Li Huaiyu looked at his son and said guiltily:
"I'm not good, I didn't take good care of you, I'm an incompetent father, your shoes are broken, I'll make you a new pair, you save some wear." 」
Li Yuankang looked at his father's hands full of wounds pierced by awls, still with blood, and he shook his father's hand and said, "Let's go find my mother, so that my mother can make me shoes to wear." ”
Hearing this, Li Huaiyu sighed and said in silence for a moment: "You are still young, and when you grow up in the future, you may have the opportunity to meet them." ”
From his father's words, Li Yuankang read out two meanings: one is that there is no way to find his mother at present; the other is not to forget to look for his mother.
Soon, Li Yuankang formed his own small family, and two children, and every time he heard that the two children were looking for their mother, he would think of his mother.
He said silently in his heart:
"Mom, you wait for me, I'll find you."
- The Path to Motherhood
Li Yuankang's impression of his mother only stayed in 1955 when the mother and son separated, and he did not know anything about what his mother had changed over the years and what her life was like.
But the more this happened, the more it inspired him to find his mother, and as soon as the New Year's Festival came, Li Yuankang put the chair where his mother had sat next to the table, hoping that one day, his mother could return home and reunite the family.
In 1982, Li Huaiyu suffered from lymphoma, and although he did not say it for so many years, Li Yuankang knew that he could not let go of his mother.
Looking at his emaciated father, he served at his father's bedside and said:
"Dad, you can rest assured, after Sino-Soviet relations eased, I went to the Soviet Union to find my mother and sister and told them that you missed them."
Although the terminally ill Li Huaiyu could not speak, he still responded to his son with tears, held his hand tightly, and said vaguely: "Find, find, she, they." ”
In 1983, Li Huaiyu died with concern for his ex-wife and daughter, and Li Yuankang always remembered his father's instructions and found his mother.
In 1988, when Sino-Soviet relations were gradually thawing, Li Yuankang looked at the photo with his mother, and every time he heard who was going to the Soviet Union, he asked someone to bring a letter to the Soviet Red Cross to find his mother.
However, after entrusting so many people, there is still no news, but Li Yuankang does not give up, and children without mothers are always like rootless duckweed.
After looking for many years, Li Yuankang did not find his mother, and his friends around him advised him to give up.
But he insisted on finding his mother, saying:
"No matter how long I go, no matter how long I look for, I will not give up."
- Blood is thicker than water affection
In 2007, Li Yuankang retired from the unit and had a lot of time to look for his mother, and by chance he knew that his teacher's child Zhang Fei was working in Russia and entrusted him to find his mother.
Zhang Fei also heard the story of Li Yuankang's search for his mother for many years from his father, and felt that his filial piety was precious, and published a post on the Russian website to find relatives.
Although the website is crowded, but there are still not many clues, Zhang Fei feels that he is on his own, his ability is limited, it is better to ask for the help of the media.
He sent Valenkina's information to the TV station's public welfare family search program "Waiting for Me" column group, hoping to use their influence to realize Li Yuankang's wish to find his mother.
Li Yuankang did not know, his mother has been looking for children and husbands, she also sent Li Yuankang's information to the Russian television station "Waiting for Me" column group.
The column group found that the mother information sent by Li Yuankang and the son information sent by Valenkina were highly consistent, so with the help of the CCTV "Leisurely Years" column group and the Russian TELEVISION "Waiting for Me" column group, Li Yuankang finally came to Moscow.
In the studio, Valenkina, who is in her 80s, saw her children and grandchildren, and although her mother's face had changed greatly after 55 years, those eyes were the same as they were separated.
Li Yuankang choked and knelt in front of his mother, holding his mother with his hands deadly, and tears fell like rain.
"Is this true? I'm not dreaming! ”
Although there was a warm embrace coming from her body and a familiar voice from her son, she still couldn't believe it.
Although Li Yuankang dreamed of reuniting with his mother, he also had an incredible feeling of reunion now.
"Boy, do you know that I've been looking for you for so many years?"
The two old men who had been separated for 55 years could not cry.
In 2010, Li Yuankang took his mother and sister to Luoyang to live, and the family was finally reunited, but unfortunately Li Huaiyu could not see it.
epilogue:
In life, there are always many entanglements and worries, especially the affection with parents and children is the most difficult to give up.
Because you never know which of tomorrow and accidents will come first, it is important to live the excitement of life, and the company of parents is indispensable.
Life is short, we must learn to cherish, do not wait until after the loss to regret it, cherish the moment of reunion with the family.
Often go home to see, spend more time with your parents. If you have any views on this, you may wish to share your views in the comments section
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