The Story of the Abandoned Babies (II)
Category: Essays Added Time: March 31, 2011, 15:30:17 Source: Admin Clicks: 24
Among these abandoned babies, some were left by their parents out of poverty and helplessness, while others were abandoned for other reasons. Among the children here, many have no other problems except for a cleft lip. In earlier years, some female infants who had no issues at all were also abandoned. Among the children adopted by Elder Sister Yuan, there are several such cases, and they have now grown up. Looking at the beautiful young woman washing clothes and the abandoned baby before your eyes, it's hard to associate them together. It's also hard to believe that those once desperate and painful abandoned babies could have such a beautiful appearance today. If their parents could see them today, I believe they would surely regret it to the point of banging their heads against the wall. Such examples are not uncommon.
When we were there, there was a five-year-old boy who was mischievous and troublesome. He would sometimes cling to his dad asking to be held, and other times cry for toys. He was no different from ordinary children. The cleft on his lip was barely noticeable now, though he still spoke a little unclearly, but it didn't affect anything major. Seeing his mischievous behavior, I wanted to hold him. The parents of this child, after abandoning him, could no longer have more children. Later, when they heard that the child was living well with the Yuan family, they came to take him back. The Yuan family told them: "If you knew you'd want him back today, why didn't you take better care of him in the first place? Like the 'Superman with Pickles - Five - Pickles and Roses,' irresponsible people like you, if the child goes back with you, what kind of person will you turn him into?" That couple went back shamefully and never dared to come back for the child again. They just secretly visited from time to time, but the child neither recognized them nor paid attention to them.
There was also a pair of sisters. When they were sent here, the elder sister was just over a year old, and the younger one was only a few months old. Their mother personally brought them here because of divorce. Perhaps she was unable to raise them or needed to seek another happiness. In any case, she placed the children at Yuan's doorstep, cried bitterly, and then left without any further news. Now the elder sister is seven years old, and the younger one is over five. Both are chubby and very understanding. The elder sister is especially diligent. After school, she often helps her mom feed the abandoned babies milk powder and change diapers. She rarely has idle time and studies diligently.
At that time, we had an eighteen-year-old boy who was six feet tall, strong and sturdy. We thought he was Elder Sister Yuan's biological son, but upon asking, we learned he was the fifth adopted child. When he was young, his chest bone was high, and his stomach was sunken, but as he grew, he gradually improved. Now, not only does he have no issues, but he is as sturdy as a bull, eating as much as two adults in one meal. He has two tiger teeth when he smiles, looking like a gentle and good-natured child. Looking at this tall and sturdy child, I truly feel proud for Elder Sister Yuan. We ordinary people find raising one child tiring and worrying, yet Elder Sister Yuan has raised dozens of children over twenty years, and they were all problematic children. Just looking at them makes us worried, but she has taken care of them year-round. Not only does she take care of their eating and toileting, but she also provides them with schooling. Dozens of disabled children! For us, even providing food would be unaffordable, but Sister Yuan not only provided for them but did so well. She not only raised the children well but also became quite plump herself, a typical big fat lady. Looking at her, I always think of the laughing Buddha, thinking of his magnanimity, kindness, and compassion.
Of course, you might say that she received donations, but the donations only started in recent years and were very limited. More importantly, Sister Yuan made her own living. In the early years, she often didn't know where her next meal would come from. Thanks to the help of the people around her, she managed to make it to today. She also did some small businesses, setting up a tin house near the hospital to sell tobacco and alcohol, but the income was too limited. Any money earned in the morning was spent in the afternoon due to the large number of children and high expenses. No matter who it was, they couldn't keep up. While trying to earn money to support the family, she also had to take care of so many children. Her parents initially didn't support her, but out of concern for their daughter, they voluntarily helped her take care of the children. This help lasted for many years and seemed endless. Other people, when raising children, look forward to their children growing up so they can be free, but at Sister Yuan's place, children were constantly being sent every few days. Not only ordinary people send them, but also civil affairs departments and police stations. Some children even the welfare institute can't handle. As the number of children sent increased, they felt embarrassed and began giving Sister Yuan a few bags of flour and a few hundred yuan annually as a gesture of goodwill. Gradually, because of adopting so many children, Sister Yuan became famous. Newspapers wrote about her, and TV stations covered her stories. Once, someone donated a thousand yuan on live television, but after various taxes, only a few hundred yuan reached Sister Yuan. Donations are taxed, which was the first time I heard of it, and I don't quite understand the country's tax policy.
The children sent to Sister Yuan may be materially poor, but each one is clever. Although some cannot speak and some have difficulty walking, when a few five or six-year-olds go out to play and get lost, they actually know to call 110 and let the police send them back. There are two mute girls here. The older mute girl, around ten years old, is very diligent and often takes the initiative to feed milk and change diapers for the smaller infants. The younger mute girl is lazy and refuses to do anything despite being called upon. Therefore, the white-haired snow misty children aged seven or eight and two other children looked down on her. Once, when Sister Yuan wasn't around, four or five children ganged up to beat the younger mute girl, but she turned out to be very tough and actually beat all four or five of them away. There was also a lame boy around ten years old who once stole a bicycle from outside and brought it back. When Sister Yuan found out, she severely beat him and told him: "We may be poor, but our spirit isn't." Since then, he never dared to steal again. There was also the white-haired snow misty, only seven or eight years old, but very clean. She often washed her own clothes and neatly folded them on her bedside, behaving very much like a girl. Sister Yuan loved her very much, so when she was around, she was very confident, and the other mutes and the lame children listened to her. But if Sister Yuan wasn't there, the mutes and the lame ones became confident and started ordering her around.
Looking at these children and listening to Sister Yuan tell their stories, I experienced a lot about the ordinary and the great, the plain and the noble...