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On the eve of the Spring Festival in 2005, migrant worker Li Shaowei returned to his hometown with the body of his deceased friend.
After returning to his hometown, Zuo's family not only did not appreciate his decision to bring his relatives home for burial, but instead accused Li Shaowei of not informing them in time, and even doubted whether his motives were pure.
All this happened to Li Shaowei's heart full of doubts and pain: why did he try his best to do his best, but in exchange for misunderstandings and accusations?
On December 31, 2004, on the edge of a foreign land, Li Shaowei and his colleagues finished a day's work.
As the sun sets, the machines on the construction site gradually stop roaring, leaving a dead silence. Despite the cold wind, the coming New Year fills the air with a hint of anticipation.
In the corner of the construction site, Li Shaowei and several colleagues sat around a mottled wooden board on which five catties of bulk liquor he had just purchased from a nearby small shop were placed.
It's a common cheap liquor that comes in unlabeled plastic bottles, and the pungent smell of alcohol is especially prominent in the cold air.
They poured wine from disposable plastic cups, each with a small glass in front of them.
The liquor in the cup was clear and transparent, Li Shaowei raised his hand to signal, and everyone raised their glasses to wish each other.
Although there are no grandiose words, the simple words "Happy New Year" are passed through this group of people, bringing a touch of warmth.
The glasses collided with a crisp sound, breaking the silence around them.
The pungent taste of alcohol rushes to the throat after the first sip of the wine, but for these physically exhausted laborers, the stimulus brings a hint of relief.
They talked briefly, about New Year's resolutions, about their loved ones back home, although the conversation was often interrupted because everyone was drawn by their own thoughts.
Then, a worker took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to the person next to him. Lit cigarette butts flickered in the night, and the smoke mixed with the cold air to form layers of light drifting mist.
This simple assembly is especially precious in the usual busyness and monotony, and their laughter and conversation gradually fill this small space.
In the cold wind of the early morning of New Year's Day in 2005, Li Shaowei and his colleagues were urged by their boss to return to the construction site early.
The sky was gray, the cold wind carried a sharp chill, and the machines on the construction site resumed their monotonous roar, and the day's work began reluctantly.
Shortly after the work began, Zuo Jiabing suddenly stopped while carrying heavy objects, the expression on his face became distorted, and he grabbed his left leg with his hand, looking very painful.
The surrounding workers noticed this scene and hurriedly stepped forward to inquire about the situation. Zuo Jiabing tried to move his leg, but found that his left leg was completely unconscious and weak, unable to support his body.
Li Shaowei and several other workers hurriedly helped Zuo Jiabing to the side, and then decided to call the emergency number.
The ambulance traveled through the cold morning and arrived at the construction site soon after, and the medical staff quickly carried Zuo Jiabing onto a stretcher, and after a preliminary examination, he was rushed to the First Hospital of Longyan City.
After arriving at the hospital, the doctor made a detailed diagnosis of Zuo Jiabing.
Through CT scans and other necessary medical examinations, doctors found that Zuo Jiabing had a blood accumulation in his brain and diagnosed him with a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.
The situation was critical, and the doctor immediately notified Li Shaowei and other workers who were anxiously waiting on the side, explaining Zuo Jiabing's condition and possible consequences.
Soon, the hospital issued a critical illness notice. When Li Shaowei and other workers received the news, they were shocked and felt an unspeakable helplessness and grief.
Many of them are feeling overwhelmed by such a serious medical emergency for the first time.
In the corridor of the hospital, Li Shaowei and his colleagues exchanged heads and discussed their next actions. Doctors recommend contacting Zuo's family as soon as possible and being prepared to face the worst that could come.
The workers comforted each other, and at the same time tried to contact Zuo Jiabing's family, trying to explain the situation as much as possible, hoping that the family would come as soon as possible.
Since most of the workers are out-of-towners and do not have much financial reserves, they feel extremely financially pressured in the face of high medical costs and an uncertain future.
They discussed whether to raise money to help Zuo's treatment, but also realized that the uncertainty between the cost and effectiveness of the treatment made every decision difficult.
Outside the hospital ward, Li Shaowei and several colleagues gathered in a small circle to discuss Zuo Jiabing's condition.
After some heavy deliberations, they reached a difficult decision: unable to afford the high medical costs and uncertainty about the outcome of the treatment, they decided to stop the treatment and let Zuo Jiabing return to his hometown in the most dignified way possible.
They began to prepare to transfer the Zuo Jiabing out of the hospital. Due to the limited conditions, they purchased some basic wrapping materials, including cloth sheets and ropes, to safely wrap the body of Zuo Jiabing and carry Zuo Jiabing back to his hometown.
In the wee hours of the morning, the corridors of the hospital were silent, save for their whispered conversations and the occasional sound of footsteps.
On the morning of January 2, 2005, they boarded a pre-arranged train to the Guangzhou railway station, hoping to catch the train to Hunan as soon as possible.
On the way, the atmosphere in the car was heavy, everyone sat silently, and the scenery outside the window flashed in the morning light, as if it was out of place with their mood.
After arriving at the Guangzhou Railway Station, Li Shaowei and his colleagues carefully removed the wrapped body from the car and used a trolley to transport it to the waiting area of the platform.
Since it was a weekend morning, there was a lot of traffic in the station, and passengers were in a hurry, so they tried to keep a low profile to avoid attracting too much attention.
As they attempted to pack the body into their luggage, a patrol officer noticed the anomaly. He approached and inquired, and found several people surrounding an object that was apparently tightly wrapped in a sheet.
The police asked them to open it for inspection, and Li Shaowei had to explain that it was a body and that they were planning to transport it back to their hometown for burial.
The police immediately asked all those involved to go to the police station for investigation.
At the police station, Li Shaowei and his colleagues gave a detailed account of the entire incident, including Zuo's condition, the reasons for the decision to stop treatment, and their movement arrangements.
They produced hospital documents and death certificates to prove that they acted out of desperation and respect for the deceased.
After several hours of investigation and waiting, the police finally confirmed their statements and learned that they were acting out of a last sign of respect for the deceased.
The police agreed that they would continue their journey, but reminded them that when dealing with such matters in the future, they must communicate with the relevant authorities beforehand to avoid similar misunderstandings and legal problems.
After receiving the police notice, Zuo's family, relatives and friends, including his two sons, rushed to Guangzhou from their hometown in Hunan.
After a long bumpy ride, they finally arrived at the Guangzhou Railway Station with mixed feelings. Li Shaowei and several workers were waiting outside the station, and when they saw Zuo Jiabing's family, they greeted them.
In a corner of the station, Li Shaowei took out an envelope containing cash and handed it to Zuo Jiabing's eldest son, which was all the savings Zuo Jiabing's hard work earned, totaling 1,400.5 yuan.
However, after the sons of Zuo Jiabing took the money, they did not show the expected gratitude. On the contrary, there is a palpable anger and dissatisfaction in their expressions.
The eldest son looked at the crowd around him, raised his voice a few points, and questioned Li Shaowei for not informing them of Zuo Jiabing's illness and death in time.
They thought that if they had known earlier, they might have had the opportunity to do more for their father, at least to get him to leave with his family by his side.
They are even more concerned that the bodies have been removed from the scene of the incident, which in their view means that it will be difficult to trace the exact cause of death and that it will be impossible to hold anyone responsible accountable.
Another relative even suspected that Li Shaowei might have been driven by some kind of interest from Party A's boss and was eager to bring the body back to his hometown.
In the face of such accusations, Li Shaowei seemed very helpless. He tried to explain that his decision was based on respect for Zuo's soldiers and the friendship between his co-workers, hoping to let him rest in peace in his hometown.
Zuo's family apparently struggled to accept this explanation, and they were very emotional, believing that this behavior deprived them of their right to make a choice.
After the fluctuations caused by the Zuo Jiabing incident gradually subsided, the incident was reported by the media, which attracted the attention and sympathy of the society.
Among them, a gentleman surnamed Pan in Shenzhen was touched by Li Shaowei's situation after seeing the report and decided to lend a hand.
Mr. Pan found Li Shaowei through his contact information and offered him a job in Shenzhen, hoping that he could have a comfortable environment to spend his old age.
Mr. Poon's job was mainly to look after a small private estate, and his duties included simple janitorial work, as well as taking care of the flowers and plants on the estate and some poultry.
Li Shaowei was surprised by this sudden kindness, but after many communications, he decided to try this job in Shenzhen, hoping to find peace in a new environment.
After arriving in Shenzhen, Li Shaowei found it difficult to adapt to the pace of life and environment in the city. Although the work was not heavy, the loneliness of being away from home and the hustle and bustle of the city made him feel uncomfortable.
Despite the kindness of Mr. Pan and the rest of the staff, Li Shaowei decided to end the experience and return to his hometown after just a few days.
Before leaving Shenzhen, Mr. Pan donated 1,000 yuan to help him with his travel home and future living expenses in order to express his concern for Li Shaowei. With this intention, Li Shaowei stepped on the train home.
Unexpectedly, during the train journey, his wallet was stolen by thieves, and the 1,000 yuan was also lost. When Li Shaowei arrived in his hometown, he was empty-handed and had no donations during the journey.
After returning to his hometown, Li Shaowei briefly worked on the farm of a boss in Changde in order to make ends meet.
This job is mainly to take care of the animals on the farm and help with the daily maintenance of the farm, but as he gets older, the physical burden makes him feel overwhelmed.
The frequent use of tricycles to transport produce and tools at work is a challenge for the elderly Li Shaowei.
In the end, Li Shaowei decided to stop doing manual labor in consideration of his health and age. He chose to stay in his hometown and live a more stable and quiet life.
Although life is still full of challenges, he can find peace in a familiar environment.
Although Li Shaowei's life is not rich, he accepts his current situation and decides to spend the rest of his life in his hometown and no longer work in other places.
During his time in his hometown, he was able to gather with old friends and share the past and present, which brought him a lot of comfort and joy.
Reference: Clip of the movie "Falling Leaves Return to the Roots": Lao Zhao is ready to send Lao Liu back to his hometown