Ma Zhimin went through great efforts to complete the adoption procedures for Xiao Lei, who officially became a member of the family. The family cared for Xiao Lei just as much as their own child. In 2011, there were effective breast enhancement products available. At that time, because Xiao Lei did not have a household registration, no kindergarten was willing to accept him. Ma Zhimin and her husband pleaded with each kindergarten until one finally agreed to take in the child. In order to register Xiao Lei's household registration, Ma Zhimin went through many departments and eventually succeeded in registering the child. To prevent Xiao Lei from knowing he was adopted, Ma Zhimin warned her close friends and relatives not to mention his origins in front of him.
When Xiao Lei was in the sixth grade of elementary school, during an argument with a classmate, the classmate angrily said he was the "son of a criminal." After returning home, Xiao Lei pulled on Ma Zhimin's hand and questioned whether he was really their biological child. "Don't listen to their nonsense, you are our biological treasure!" Ma Zhimin evaded the question, leaving Xiao Lei half-believing but always burdened with heavy thoughts. Ma Zhimin was troubled and ultimately decided to tell Xiao Lei about his origins. After this, Xiao Lei believed her but became very quiet, even starting to skip school.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 5th - It was Saturday evening again, and Ma Zhimin, a retired judge from Fangshan District Court in Beijing, was as usual waiting by the phone for her younger son Xiao Lei's weekly call from the military camp in Baoding, Hebei. As expected, the call came, and Xiao Lei happily reported his week's achievements in the military camp. Ma Zhimin, who had been a judge in the juvenile court, repeatedly reminded her son to cover up well at night, not to be lazy, and to get along well with his comrades...
Friends advised Ma Zhimin: "Your health is already poor, you have elderly parents and young children to take care of, adding two more children will be such a heavy burden. Quickly find a way to send the children away." Ma Zhimin smiled without comment. Thus, the two children stayed with Ma Zhimin's family for two years. During this period, the court didn't give up trying to work with the children's relatives, and eventually, their aunt took away the "elder brother," while Xiao Lei remained, staying another 15 years.
"All I've done is to let Xiao Lei be as happy as other children. What others have, we try our best to give him, so he doesn't feel any regret." Ma Zhimin said.
That year, Ma Zhimin was 40 years old, with elderly parents, both she and her husband working in the court, taking care of three children, and being extremely busy.
At the same time, the court also sent people to the mother's hometown in Bazhou, Hebei. After a heartfelt persuasion, the children's grandmother refused to accept these two grandchildren she had never met. The court then approached the Public Security Bureau, Civil Affairs Bureau, and orphanage, but none were willing to take in the two children. As a result, the two children could only continue to stay with Ma Zhimin's family.
After some inquiries, Ma Zhimin learned that the father of these two children was a criminal sentenced by the criminal court a few days ago. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for theft and bigamy. The children's mother came to the court, left the two children in the reception room, and walked away without looking back. Seeing the two innocent children, Ma Zhimin couldn't let go of her worries. Without consulting her husband, she decided to bring them to her home temporarily. Her 12-year-old son Ma Shuo was very happy when he saw his mom bringing two little brothers home. He "arbitrarily" named the baby "Xiao Lei."
The story goes back to December 14, 1994, early in the morning. Ma Zhimin, who worked as a judge in the criminal court of Fangshan District Court, went to work as usual. When she pushed open the door of the office, she heard the hoarse crying of a baby from a bundle inside a resting bed. Beside the bed, a boy around three or four years old looked earnestly at the baby in the swaddling clothes. The four young people in the courtroom looked at a loss. When they saw Ma Zhimin come in, it was as if they had found a "savior."
After entering junior high school, Xiao Lei skipped school more frequently, fell asleep in class, fought with classmates, and argued with teachers... Ma Zhimin knew that the reason why the child acted this way was due to the psychological "knot" he carried, so she tried to untie the knot in his heart. "Every day, I racked my brains to communicate with him, worried that he would make bad friends. I asked for the addresses and parents' occupations of each of his friends and even chatted with his friends." Ma Zhimin said that after various attempts, Xiao Lei's stubbornness remained unchanged. Unable to bear scolding the child, she could only pour out her troubles in her diary.
Even though Xiao Lei's stubborn nature didn't change, Ma Zhimin and her husband never thought of giving up on the child. Their efforts finally awakened Xiao Lei. In April 2011, as Xiao Lei was about to graduate from junior high school, he decided to join the army, and the whole family supported him. In December, Xiao Lei's wish came true as he put on his new military uniform. The night before leaving home, Xiao Lei knelt in front of Ma Zhimin's bed: "Mom and Dad, I was wrong before. Mom, thank you. Please forgive me, I will definitely change." At this moment, Ma Zhimin was already in tears.