"I hope she will be able to live independently in the future, have the ability to protect herself, and learn to love herself and ......others," Jiang Liping, a 63-year-old retired teacher in the corridor, said lovingly as she looked at the girl dozing off with her chin in the last corner of the classroom recently.
Walking out of the gate of Shuxun Junior High School, Jiang Liping took the reporter all the way west, crossed the road, and stopped in front of a six-story residential building built in the 70s of the last century, which was the first small building built in the town, and her home was also located in it. This is not only her home, but also the "second home" of many left-behind children in the surrounding area......
"Teacher, can you take this child in?"
In mid-September 2016, a middle-aged man in his 50s knocked on the door of Jiang Liping's house with a little uneasiness. After opening the door, a weathered face and a girl who looked like eight or nine years old appeared in front of Jiang Liping's eyes for the first time. The middle-aged man is a janitor in the town, and his wife suffers from mental illness. "Teacher Jiang, her name is Xiaoyu and she is my daughter. I heard that you can 'teach children' here, but our family really doesn't have this ......ability," the middle-aged man said crampedly, "I didn't want her to be smart, as long as she could understand a little 'truth'." ”
In the past, whenever parents had similar requests, Jiang Liping would immediately agree. But this time, she was a little hesitant, because the little girl in front of her seemed to be different from children of the same age, although she was born with clear eyebrows, she didn't greet people, and kept looking around and running around by herself, as if adults were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.
"Okay, then stay with me for a while. Jiang Liping recalled the scene at the time and told reporters, "I agreed to come down as soon as I was soft-hearted." But in the face of her father's 'arrangement', Xiao Yu obviously couldn't accept it for a while, and wanted to leave noisily. Under the coaxing and deception of his father, Xiao Yu finally stayed.
"Teacher, can I stay here?"
The sky is unpredictable. In the spring of 2017, Xiaoyu's father was hospitalized with a bile duct tumor, and Jiang Liping actively mobilized her relatives and caring people to donate 3,000 yuan to him.
Later, Xiao Yu's father failed to heal and died in just a few months, leaving behind a wife who could not take care of himself and Xiao Yu, who had no one to take care of. Jiang Liping also actively contacted relevant departments to help Xiaoyu's mother live in the Yudong Town Nursing Home, while Xiaoyu temporarily lived in a relative's house.
I thought everything was arranged, but late at night on the Chinese New Year's Eve that year, Xiao Yu walked several kilometers alone to the downstairs of Jiang Liping's house, looking at Xiao Yu, whose face was red from the cold, Jiang Liping couldn't help but ask: "Silly child, why don't you stay at home so late?" Xiao Yu threw herself into her arms and cried, "Teacher Jiang, I miss you, do you miss me?" I miss you so much, when I think of you, it hurts so much here. Xiao Yu covered her heart and said. At that moment, Jiang Liping said that her heart was about to "melt", and tears almost flowed.
"Teacher Jiang, can I live with you in the future? Looking at Xiao Yu, who was less than 10 years old in front of her, Jiang Liping immediately made up her mind to raise this child to grow up and give her a warm home.
Later, because Xiaoyu's relatives repeatedly expressed their inability to take care of her, and Xiaoyu's dependence on Jiang Liping, under the coordination of the village committee, after completing the adoption procedures, Xiaoyu officially moved into Jiang Liping's house.
"Take your time, you can all learn"
In 2022, on an afternoon near the Spring Festival, the sun shone into the balcony, Jiang Liping and Xiaoyu sat face to face and cut their nails, and they were like a mother and daughter in the picture. "Teacher Jiang, I can cut the nails of my left hand with my right hand, but I can't cut my right hand with my left hand. Xiao Yu looked innocent. "I'll cut it for you, but then you'll have to start learning to use your left hand on your own, take your time, you can learn it." Jiang Liping said softly.
Perhaps because of heredity, Xiaoyu has congenital intellectual defects, and her Xi learning ability is worse than that of children of the same age. Starting from scratch, Jiang Liping patiently taught her simple numbers and Chinese characters, taught her to learn to write her own name, guided her to take the initiative to greet others, and cultivated her basic life skills such as brushing her teeth, washing her face, eating, putting on and taking off clothes, and walking to school independently. "She can now write her name and send it to school, also in the hope that she will be able to integrate into society, because she will have to face life alone one day. Standing on the balcony of her home, Jiang Liping pointed to the opposite road and told reporters, "I watch her walk into the school gate every day, so I buy her brightly colored clothes so that I can easily identify her." ”
Under Jiang Liping's careful teaching, Xiaoyu became lively and cheerful, and gradually mastered basic life skills, and could even buy groceries, cook, and pick up couriers alone. "She just has poor Xi ability and has difficulty concentrating. At school, even if she couldn't understand the teacher's lectures, she never bothered others. Jiang Liping said.
I hope she can "make a living and make love" in the future
6 years is not a long time, but it is not a short time. The two are almost inseparable, and they have gone through the trivialities, difficulties, and joys of life together...... During the period of Xiaoyu's tooth change, her toothache was too bad, Jiang Liping braved the cold wind and rode a battery car for dozens of kilometers to take her to the clinic for treatment; Xiaoyu had a cyst in her eye, Jiang Liping did not hesitate to take out her pension and take her to the hospital for surgery......
"I slept with her every night, took her everywhere, went grocery shopping, went to classes at the university for the elderly, sang Peking Opera, visited my son in the army, and went to Shanghai to see my grandson...... A lot of people said that I had brought a 'drag oil bottle', and my family didn't support it at first. Speaking of this, Jiang Liping choked up a little. Indeed, she poured too much love, too much energy and time into Xiao Yu, and sometimes, even made her family feel incomprehensible. Once, when her little grandson who was under the age of one was sick and hospitalized, Jiang Liping wanted to entrust Xiaoyu to her relatives to take care of her for a few days, but when she turned her head and saw Xiaoyu standing there helpless, she was still relieved, so she took her on the shuttle bus to Shanghai...... At Jiang Liping's insistence, the family finally chose support and understanding, and jointly regarded Xiaoyu as a member of the family.
"Some well-wishers sent clothes, and some people offered to sponsor them. Actually, I don't need it, my financial conditions are okay, and I can raise her to adulthood. Jiang Liping said, "What I need help is how to plan for this child's future." Now I will do my best to let her learn to earn a living. I hope that in the future, there will be caring and capable people in the society who can provide Xiaoyu with a self-supporting job and a warm home......"
Correspondents: Peng Weifeng, Chen Yang, Qian Jiayuan
Proofreading Tao Shangong