■People's Livelihood Story □ By Wang Zhao-feng Our Correspondents Sun Wei-hua and Luo Xiao-jie "Little Two! Little Two..." At around 11 a.m. on February 7, 85-year-old Kang Zong-cheng was lying in bed and kept shouting with his hoarse voice. "Little Two" is the nickname Kang Zong-cheng used for his 78-year-old younger brother Kang Zong-yi. However, Sun Hong-lan, the wife of Kang Zong-yi, knew that he was calling her. She immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed over. It turned out that Kang Zong-cheng wanted to eat something. Sun Hong-lan quickly returned to the kitchen, fried two eggs, and then fed him bite by bite next to his bedside. After feeding Kang Zong-cheng the eggs, Sun Hong-lan helped him turn over and tidied up his bedding. After all this effort, the kang (a traditional heated bed) had cooled down, so she brought firewood to heat it again. "There shouldn't be too much smoke when heating the kang; otherwise, he (Kang Zong-cheng) wouldn't like it," said 71-year-old Sun Hong-lan.
In 1996, Kang Zong-cheng, who lived in Zhangzhuang Village, Songlin Town, Linqing City, suffered from cerebral thrombosis and became paralyzed in bed. He had no family or children and was a member of the village's welfare program. His only support came from his younger brother Kang Zong-yi and sister-in-law Sun Hong-lan.
Without hesitation, Sun Hong-lan took on the responsibility of taking care of Kang Zong-cheng. However, misfortune struck again the following year when her husband, Kang Zong-yi, also contracted the same illness, which made walking difficult, increasing her burden significantly.
"When the weather was clear, I would help him (Kang Zong-cheng) go outside and sit in the sun. Later, when he could no longer take care of himself, cleaning him after he soiled himself and helping him use the bathroom were all done by Sun Hong-lan alone, and she never complained," said Zhang Ming-lan, Sun Hong-lan's neighbor.
Kang Zong-cheng has a very bad temper and will shout for someone at the slightest issue. If someone doesn't come quickly enough, he gets angry. As soon as Sun Hong-lan hears him shouting, she rushes over. During winter nights, Sun Hong-lan sleeps fully clothed because she has to get up frequently during the night to attend to Kang Zong-cheng, so she simply sleeps in her clothes.
"Two years ago, he lived in the inner room while we lived in the outer room, making it more convenient to take care of him. Later, he insisted on moving to this adjacent room. Since we couldn't persuade him otherwise, we cleaned it up and helped him move," said Sun Hong-lan.
Sun Hong-lan explained that when Kang Zong-cheng knocks on the wall or shouts loudly at night, there isn't necessarily anything he needs help with; he just wants someone to check on him. This provides him with psychological comfort since elderly people generally hope for attention.
In previous years, the local government had planned to arrange for Kang Zong-cheng to live in a nursing home, but Sun Hong-lan felt reluctant. "If we can take care of him, why should we send him to a nursing home and cause trouble for others? It doesn't feel right from my heart."
Sun Hong-lan frankly admitted that after all these years, she has become accustomed to her current life. "I don't mind the dirt, nor do I feel tired. I think everything is fine. As long as he lives one more day, I will take care of him for one more day, ensuring he lives well."
Although Kang Zong-cheng is now completely unable to take care of himself, his mind remains relatively clear. "There aren't many people like her in the whole country. If it weren't for her, I would have died long ago," said Kang Zong-cheng.
"The four elders—her father-in-law, mother-in-law, father, and mother—all had their later years cared for by her. For several years, she simultaneously cared for three sick people: her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and father. It wasn't easy," said Wang Yan-zhen, Sun Hong-lan's neighbor.
"As the saying goes, 'Even filial children cannot endure prolonged sickness.' She has endured a lot of hardship and suffering while taking care of her elder brother-in-law for so many years. I have personally witnessed all of this, yet she still refuses to bother her own children. I am deeply moved," said Shan Zhong-ren, Sun Hong-lan's former neighbor.
Sun Hong-lan is one of seven siblings and has two sons and three daughters. The relationships within her large family are very harmonious. "This is all thanks to Sun Hong-lan's integrity and kindness, which is recognized throughout the entire village," said Hou Ju-peng, the Secretary of the Zhangzhuang Village Branch Committee. He added that Sun Hong-lan's actions serve as an excellent moral education resource that should be strongly promoted, especially for today's youth. Therefore, before the Spring Festival, he and several officials delivered a bag of flour, a bucket of cooking oil, and 300 yuan in cash to Sun Hong-lan's home.
"These New Year gifts are rewards from the Zhangzhuang Village Party Branch and Village Committee on behalf of the more than 600 villagers for Sun Hong-lan. They also express the admiration of all the villagers for her noble virtues," said Hou Ju-peng. Everyone in the village gives her a thumbs-up when mentioning her name. Share: Welcome to post comments and reviews. Weibo Recommendation | Today's Hot Topics on Weibo