Preface
Eighteen years ago, a young rural boy ushered in a highlight moment of his life on the awards stage that moved China. He took his abandoned sister to college, supported the whole family by himself, and finally won the Touching Chinese Character Award. However, this laureate was the youngest at the time.
In an interview with the award, he expressed sad emotions and bluntly said: "If I can, I want to be a child." Behind this sentence carries years of sad experience. He has been the breadwinner since he was 13 years old, as his father is mentally ill, his mother can't afford to run away from home, and his sister is still waiting to be fed.
This rural boy worked several jobs on his own, struggling to carry a piece of the sky for the whole family. After five years of high school, he successfully finished it, and he had to take his sister with him on the way to college.
His deeds are moving, and people can't help but wonder, what kind of predicament has created such a strong man? What kind of life experience did he have, and even touched countless Chinese?
Hell is coming, and where is he going?
However, the good times did not last long, and in 1995, a sudden change plunged the supposed peaceful family into a hellish situation.
That year, Hong Zhanhui was 13 years old, which was the age when he needed the care of his parents. After his father was injured at work and suffered a severe head injury, his temperament changed dramatically, and he often made loud noises for no reason, was extremely emotionally unstable, and often beat his mother. The mother endured the humiliation, but after all, it was difficult to bear such torture.
Once, my mother decided to take my father to the hospital for treatment, but she left her 1-year-old sister at home when she went out. By the time the two returned, the out-of-control father had already thrown his sister to the ground and died. The tragic news of her sister's tragic death made her mother desperate and chose to run away from home.
Faced with this sudden change, 13-year-old Hong Zhanhui was in a trance. He was not yet old enough to fully comprehend things, but he was forced to bear such a heavy blow, which made his heart tormented.
He couldn't understand what he had done wrong, why God would trample on a home that was supposed to be happy. He was at a loss, and for a moment he didn't know what to do. All the happiness and beauty in this child's heart fell apart at this moment, and he had to take on the responsibility of this shattered home alone.
Picking up a glimmer of hope, he chose to persevere
One day in 1996, the mentally disturbed father suddenly brought back a baby girl. Seeing this helpless little life, Hong Zhanhui rekindled hope in his heart. Maybe God didn't completely abandon him after all, and the mysterious power gave him the motivation to continue to support him.
Although the family was already poor, Hong Zhanhui resolutely decided to adopt the baby girl, regarded her as his own, and named her Hong Mengxue. In order to fill his sister's belly, he went from house to house begging for nursing mothers; In order to go to school on his own, he herded cattle and planted rice to earn money; For the sake of his family's livelihood, he took on heavy responsibilities that he should not have undertaken at this age.
In 1997, Hong Zhanhui was successfully admitted to a key middle school in Henan by virtue of his tenacious will and good academic performance. It should be happy, but the high tuition fees will be a big burden.
In order not to be forced to interrupt his studies and for the livelihood of his family, Hong Zhanhui resolutely chose to give up the summer vacation, attend classes during the day and work part-time at night, so as to study Xi and earn money at the same time.
The classmates all thought that this tall and thin boy was mysterious, always leaving early and arriving late, endlessly. In fact, they don't know that Hong Zhanhui is racing against time every day, he is busy and running, but he never complains.
At the end of the first year of high school, life hit this stubborn teenager hard
In 2000, near the end of his first year of high school, his father's condition, which had been treated in the hospital, suddenly deteriorated and required a large amount of medical expenses. This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury, making the already stretched Hong Zhanhui even worse.
In order to raise money for his father's medical expenses, he had to drop out of school and work in other places. His father's illness and the family's troubles have once again hit this tenacious teenager, who is forced to face such a difficult choice at a critical time when he needs to learn Xi and grow up the most.
Hong Zhanhui did not want to give up his studies, but he had no choice but to make the painful decision to leave school. In order to earn more money, Hong Zhanhui did not hesitate to sacrifice sleep and worked until late at night every day. This hard work brought his father's hope for treatment, and also sharpened his proud perseverance and resilience.
In 2003, with the help of a teacher, Hong Zhanhui returned to school and completed his secondary school studies. When he held the notice of admission to the university, Hong Zhanhui was so excited that he couldn't speak.
Years of waiting and persistence have finally brought the dawn of hope. On the day of the college entrance examination, Hong Zhanhui's nearly ten years of hard work and struggle in the examination room turned into every word in his pen, and finally he got his wish and was admitted to Huaihua University in Hunan with excellent results.
During college, Hong Zhanhui continued to take care of his young sister, and at the same time, he was also working hard to learn Xi. In order to make a living, he is still working diligently in various part-time jobs. Because his sister is still young, Hong Zhanhui has to take care of her daily life, so in the eyes of his classmates, he always looks like he is not doing his job.
But Hong Zhanhui knows very well in his heart that he can't give up these two things Xi working hard and studying hard. Despite such difficult circumstances, he still achieved excellent academic results and was admitted to the graduate school of Central South University before graduating from university.
For Hong Zhanhui, this is not only his personal victory, but also the beginning of this shattered family coming out of the haze and seeing the light.
At the peak of his life, he chose to watch the afterlife
In 2007, Hong Zhanhui graduated from graduate school and could have shown his talents in his career, but he resolutely chose to return to his hometown and work as a middle school teacher. Hong Zhanhui has not forgotten that it was a teacher who helped him return to school, which ultimately changed the fate of him and his family.
Now when he stood on the podium and looked at the students who were struggling in the past, Hong Zhanhui was full of feelings. Later, he also opened a secondary vocational school to provide free education opportunities for students from disadvantaged families.
Hong Zhanhui hopes that they will no longer lose their fighting spirit and hope in the face of poverty like their former selves. As a teacher, Hong Zhanhui has always watched the growth of the younger students, hoping that they can all ignite their own flames in their hearts.
Today's Hong Zhanhui is a middle-aged man at the peak of his life, and his career and family are all down-to-earth. Every time I think of the past, the ups and downs of those years are vivid.
The dark night of life has passed, and Hong Zhanhui uses his own story to tell every teenager who is facing difficulties that there will always be a miracle. You will also be able to overcome the darkness and usher in your own light.