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That night, the wind howled, the rain poured like a pour, the lightning streaked across the sky with dazzling light, the thrilling thunder shook people's hearts, and the downpour was like a downpour. Perched atop a mountain at an altitude of 1,700 meters, this remote village of Paradise Ping is shrouded in darkness, except for a long-abandoned old roof, which still shimmers faintly.
This light is like a candle flame at dusk, still burning tenaciously under the raging storm, telling the owner's endless desire and firm belief in life.
The light came from the inside of the house, a scrawny figure clinging to the beams, clutching a few large leaves in his hands, trying his best to tuck them into the cracks in the roof.
"Rongfa, what the hell are you doing?" a childish voice came from the room.
"I'm using these leaves to mend our house. The boy named Rongfa replied.
His name was Mao Rongfa, he was only eight years old, and he was born on the barren land at the top of this high mountain. Despite the difficult family conditions and poor living environment, he always carried a seed full of hope in his heart, and with his own hands, he built a solid haven for the future step by step.
The rain was pouring down, the rocks were bare, and there was little life to be seen in the darkness. However, the lonely light is doing its best to resist the invasion of wind and rain, releasing an incomparably resilient force.
This light is like the stubbornness in Rongfa's heart, no matter how difficult life is, he has never given up his vision and expectation for a better future.
The wind roared, tearing the house relentlessly, as if to swallow the last shred of light once and for all. However, Rongfa did not back down because of this, but tried his best to stuff more leaves into the gaps, swearing to protect this insignificant light.
Mao Rongfa is from a small village called Tiantianping in Leye County, Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Although the name of the village is poetic, it cannot hide the poverty of Rongfa's family.
Rongfa's father is the only descendant of the Mao family, but due to congenital heart disease, he is unable to engage in heavy manual labor for the rest of his life and needs to be carefully cared for by his family. However, when Rongfa was only three years old, his mother couldn't bear the pressure of the family and chose to leave him and find another wife.
Soon after, his father, who was sick and had no money for medical treatment, also died, and Rongfa became an orphan.
The grandfather and grandson survived the hardships together, and had to endure living in a dilapidated old grass house. According to her elderly grandmother, the thatched house has been spent for decades, with mottled walls, broken doors and windows, and countless leaks on the roof.
Because of the lack of middle-aged labor at home, the problem of daily food and clothing has become a huge problem. The grandparents had to survive on a rudimentary vegetable garden dug out of the wasteland in front of their home, growing small amounts of corn and miscellaneous grains to survive.
The elderly and frail grandmother suffers from severe back and leg pain and is extremely unable to move. Seeing this situation, Xiao Rongfa's heart was full of deep regret, and he always took the initiative to comfort his grandmother: "You rest for a while, and leave the rest of the work to me to complete, so as not to aggravate your back injury."
However, even so, the grandparents and grandchildren often fell into the predicament of hunger and cold. Although the neighbors were also living in poverty, they all had a kind heart and often gave them some food with frugality.
Sometimes, when someone gives some glutinous rice, Rongfa and his grandmother will be ecstatic, grinding it into powder, mashing it with a stone mortar, and making it into glutinous rice for storage. This precious food is a treasure to them and can only be enjoyed on important festivals.
As time passed, the rice gradually fermented and turned sour, but the grandparents did not mind, for them, as long as there was food to fill their stomachs, it was enough.
Faced with such a harsh living environment, Xiao Rongfa learned the skill of finding food in the wild. At the end of the harvest season, he would go to the finished vegetable field to pick up the discarded vegetable leaves and take them home for his grandmother to pickle and serve as a meal throughout the year.
When spring comes, wild vegetables bloom everywhere in the mountains, and he picks them home and mixes them with coarse grains to make all kinds of paste, barely satisfying his hunger.
For the rest of the village's children, it's a fun time to play after school. However, for Mao Rongfa, it was the hardest time of his day.
As soon as the school bell rings, he impatiently carries a large bamboo basket and travels to the distant mountains in search of food. Leaves and weeds that are discarded on the side of the road are precious food rations for them.
After countless hard work, Mao Rongfa skillfully loaded them all into the back basket, and the speed was jaw-dropping!
The basket was loaded not only with vegetable leaves, but also with the livelihood and hope of their whole family, so heavy that it almost swallowed the vitality of that thin body. In order to be able to carry this basket easily, Mao Rongfa did not hesitate to squat down and insert his arms deeply into the tether of the basket, so that the basket fit firmly on his back.
So, we see a crumbling big basket moving lonely but determined on a rugged mountain road.
Due to the bumpy road, the items in the basket were constantly tilting, and many vegetable leaves slipped from the mouth of the basket. At this time, Mao Rongfa always got up quickly, regardless of the dust on his body, and immediately went to pick up the vegetable leaves scattered on the ground, because he knew that these were valuable assets to make a living.
Sometimes, he even took two steps before he fell once. However, even if he fell and was covered in injuries, he would grit his teeth, struggle to his feet, and move on. Because he knows that the bitterness of this journey is all in exchange for a few days of food and clothing at home.
After a long and arduous journey, Mao Rongfa finally returned home. He carefully washes the wild herbs he has picked and places them in different vessels.
Some are pickled for the elderly grandmother to accompany the meal, while others are the staple of the evening.
In addition, Mao Rongfa also has to collect some herbs for his grandmother. Due to the family's financial constraints, my grandmother was never willing to spend money on medical treatment, so she could only bear the pain silently at home and use some local methods to heal herself.
Mao Rongfa knew the medicinal properties of various herbs well and could accurately describe their medicinal effects. There are two main types of collection he collected this time, one is for external application to relieve his grandmother's back pain, and the other is a good remedy for headaches.
After returning home, Mao Rongfa will carefully prepare for the grandmother's foot massage and foot soaking. As night fell, in the dim light, a small figure was toiling at work.
After completing the health care of his elderly grandmother, he was able to take a break and pick up school supplies to devote himself to his heavy studies.
Although life was difficult, Mao Rongfa never complained about the poor life. On the contrary, he always maintains a positive and optimistic attitude, and uses his practical actions to interpret a child's deep feelings for the family.
However, for the 8-year-old boy, those fond memories full of laughter are so vague. He rarely saw his grandmother smile brightly, and the joyful and carefree childhood he had spent was far away.
In the fragments he could remember, his father's figure rested on a blurred wooden plank, and his mother's silhouette seemed to be a lifeless stain of water, with little color and warmth.
While the other children frolicked in groups, Mao Rongfa's only companion was a two-year-old puppy. It was always by his side and spent those lonely and monotonous days together.
And the greatest joy and comfort he could get came from the simple and rough dinner moment he shared with his elderly grandmother.
In the dim light, the grandparents and grandchildren looked at each other and smiled, sharing the joys, sorrows and sorrows of their respective days. Rong Fat would constantly add home-pickled vegetables to his grandmother's bowl, thankfully at least there was enough food to satisfy his stomach.
Grandma often sighed: "My life is too difficult, other people's families have already enjoyed the joy of family at this age, but I am still suffering from the grief of white hair and black hair, first for my son to break my heart, and now I have to worry about my grandson's future."
Whenever I mentioned this, my grandmother couldn't hold back her tears. Mao Rongfa looked at all this, the pain in his heart was unbearable, and he hurriedly comforted: "Grandma, please take care of your health! I swear that I will study hard, and I will definitely be able to become a useful person in the future, so that you can spend your old age in peace."
The thing he fears most in his heart is to witness his grandmother die of illness one day. At that time, he will become isolated and lose the only loved one in this world.
Thinking of this, tears rolled in his eyes and eventually slid down his cheeks. He hugged his grandmother's legs tightly and wept loudly, as if trying to vent all his anxiety and fear.
Despite the hardships of life and the exhaustion after a long day's work, Mao Rongfa never slackened his studies. On the contrary, the thirst for knowledge is an endless force that motivates him to move forward.
While many children were still intoxicated by laughter, Rongfa had firmly lit the faint light and plunged into the vast and endless sea of books.
His obsession with his studies made the elders of the village all amazed, and they praised this tireless, sensitive and studious child for his great achievements in the future.
Whenever night falls and the house is quiet, Rongfa always resolutely lights the dim lamp and immerses himself in the nourishment of books. Through the faint light, you can clearly see his focused face, and the occasional wotherful gaze cast out the window.
Yes, Rongfa is looking forward to one day being able to turn the tide of fate. Despite the bumpy road ahead, he will not give up easily. On the contrary, he will carry a new blue sky on his shoulders and lead his elderly grandmother to a happy tomorrow.
Every word, Rongfa carefully scrutinized, and went all out to absorb the essence of knowledge.
Books are piled up around him, like a lonely castle, and Rongfa is the warrior in it, bravely forging ahead and opening the way to the future. A broken candlelight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the young boy's dream of pursuing knowledge.
For a child like Mao Rongfa who has gone through hardships, we often can't deeply understand the bitterness of his inner world. Some people even wonder and question his way of life of picking up leaves and herbs.
However, for him, these are all forced by his family's livelihood, and it is his unshirkable responsibility and filial piety. He never felt a burden, he just wanted his grandmother to be healthy and able to be by his side for a long time.
Although his life was full of hardships due to his impoverished environment, Mao Rongfa never complained about his fate. On the contrary, he has the ideals and ambition to change the status quo, and he is diligent and aggressive, hoping to make a difference in the future.
The elders of the village were impressed by the child and praised him for his diligence and optimism. We sincerely hope that this innocent and resilient character will not be worn away by the trials and tribulations of the world, and that he can bring happiness and hope to his family.
It is true that we earnestly hope that Mao Rongfa will be undaunted, forge ahead bravely, meet the baptism of wind and waves, and finally realize the magnificent turn of life! Let us pray for him to become that indomitable knight, and with incomparably firm faith, to open up a broad road to the paradise of happiness for our dear grandmother.
There is no doubt that it will be a journey full of challenges and hardships, but let us firmly believe that as long as we have the flame of dreams in our hearts, we will be able to resist the relentless blows of fate without fear of any difficulties.
Rongfa's diligent study figure is like a bright star in the night, illuminating our way forward and giving us endless strength and hope.