■People's Livelihood Stories □ By Wang Zhaofeng, Correspondent Sun Weihua and Luo Xiaoqian. "Xiao Er! Xiao Er..." At around 11 a.m. on February 7th, 85-year-old Kang Zongcheng, lying in bed, kept calling out with his hoarse voice.
"Xiao Er" is what Kang Zongcheng calls his 78-year-old brother Kang Zongyi, but Sun Honglan knows that he is actually calling her, the sister-in-law, so she immediately stops what she is doing and rushes over. It turns out that Kang Zongcheng wants to eat something.
Sun Honglan quickly returns to the kitchen, deftly fries two eggs, and brings them to Kang Zongcheng's bedside, feeding him bite by bite.
After feeding Kang Zongcheng the eggs, Sun Honglan helps him turn over and tidies up his bedding. After all this effort, the kang (heated brick bed) has become less warm, so she fetches firewood to heat it up again. "There shouldn't be too much smoke when heating the kang, because he (Kang Zongcheng) doesn't like it," says Sun Honglan, who is 71 years old this year.
In 1996, Kang Zongcheng, who lived in Zhangzhuang Village, Songlin Town, Linqing City, suffered from a stroke and became bedridden. He had no family or children and was one of the village's five-guarantee beneficiaries. His only support came from his younger brother Kang Zongyi and sister-in-law Sun Honglan.
Without hesitation, Sun Honglan took on the responsibility of caring for Kang Zongcheng. However, misfortunes never come singly; the following year, her husband Kang Zongyi also fell ill with the same disease, which impaired his mobility, making her burden even heavier.
"When it's sunny, I help him (Kang Zongcheng) sit outside to bask in the sun. Later, when he became completely unable to take care of himself, wiping and cleaning up after him was all done by Sun Honglan alone, and she never complained," says Sun Honglan's neighbor Zhang Minglan.
Kang Zongcheng has a big temper and will call for someone at the slightest provocation. If someone comes late, he gets angry. As soon as Sun Honglan hears his call, she immediately rushes over. In winter, she sleeps without undressing because she needs to get up frequently during the night to take care of Kang Zongcheng, so she simply sleeps in her clothes.
"Two years ago, he lived in the inner room while we lived in the outer room, which made it more convenient to take care of him. Later, he insisted on moving to this adjacent room. Since we couldn't argue with him, we tidied it up and helped him move over," says Sun Honglan.
Sun Honglan explains that Kang Zongcheng knocking on the wall and loudly calling for people at night doesn't necessarily mean he needs help. He just wants someone to check on him, which provides him with psychological comfort. As people grow older, they all hope for attention.
A few years ago, the local government planned to arrange for Kang Zongcheng to live in a nursing home, but Sun Honglan was reluctant. "If we can take care of him, why should we send him to a nursing home and trouble others? It just doesn't feel right inside."
Sun Honglan frankly admits that after so many years, she has already gotten used to her current life. "I don't mind the dirt or the fatigue. I feel fine. As long as he lives one more day, I will take care of him one more day and make sure he lives well."
Even though Kang Zongcheng is now completely unable to take care of himself, his mind remains relatively clear. "There are not many people like her in the whole country. If it weren't for her, I would have died a long time ago," says Kang Zongcheng.
"Her father-in-law, mother-in-law, father, and mother—all four elders were taken care of by her in their later years. For several years, she simultaneously cared for three sick people: her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and father. It wasn't easy," says Sun Honglan's neighbor Wang Yan zhen.
"As the saying goes, 'There are no filial children by the bedside of a long-term patient.' She has taken care of her elder brother for so many years, enduring a lot of hardship and suffering. I have seen all of this with my own eyes, yet she still doesn't want to trouble her own children. I am deeply moved by her," says Sun Honglan's former neighbor Shan Zhongren.
Sun Honglan has six siblings and two sons and three daughters, maintaining a harmonious relationship within the large family. "This is all due to Sun Honglan's honesty and kindness, which is universally recognized in the entire village," says Hou Jupeng, the secretary of the Zhangzhuang Village Party Branch. He adds that Sun Honglan's actions provide excellent moral education material, which should be strongly advocated, especially with educational significance for today's young people. Therefore, before the Spring Festival, he and several cadres delivered a bag of flour, a bucket of cooking oil, and 300 yuan in cash to Sun Honglan's home.
"These New Year gifts are rewards from the Zhangzhuang Village Party Branch and Village Committee on behalf of more than 600 villagers in the village to Sun Honglan. They also express the respect of all the villagers for her noble virtues," says Hou Jupeng. Whenever villagers mention her, there isn't a single person who doesn't give her a thumbs-up.
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