Xiaosun Kai, the note left by Sun Wenhui to his wife
By Dai Qing, stationed in Cangzhou correspondent for this newspaper (words and photos)
Key points:
On one side is a son with worsening illness, on the other side is a heavily indebted family. On March 31st, 36-year-old villager Sun Wenhui from Guosi Village, Guoziwawa Township, Hejian City went to Beijing to apply for relief funds for his son. After being unable to achieve his goal due to non-compliance with regulations, he lost control of his emotions, held a knife to the staff of the China Red Cross Foundation, and was detained in the detention center of Dongcheng District, Beijing. As a result, the already suffering family fell into even greater distress. On April 19th, after our station reporter in Beijing reported on the plight of Sun Wenhui's family, our station reporter in Cangzhou once again visited Sun Wenhui's home, visiting the seriously ill Xiaosun Kai and interviewing the hardships and helplessness of this suffering family.
■Villagers' discussion: He really had no choice.
"Sun Wenhui is actually a very honest person." "He really had no choice, that's why he did such a foolish thing."
...
On the afternoon of April 19th, when the reporter came to Sun Wenhui's home in Guosi Village, Guoziwawa Township, Hejian City for an interview, many villagers surrounded the reporter and talked incessantly.
Neighbors told reporters that Sun Wenhui usually makes a living by collecting sheep to supply barbecue skewers, while his wife Liu Wenfang works in a restaurant. The couple are very hardworking. They just managed to pay off the debts they accumulated from their wedding when unfortunately, their child fell seriously ill. "In order to treat their child, the couple even sold blood, it was so pitiful." "Little Sun Kai is such a lovable child. When we learned about his illness, all the villagers donated money to him." One sister said. Many villagers expressed that rural people rely on farming for survival, and facing such a serious illness, no family could come up with hundreds of thousands of yuan. "Wenhui just felt as a father, without money to treat his child, he felt sorry for his child, so he had to take such an extreme path. Although he broke the law, we all understand him."
■Failed attempt at seeking funds: A family cries together in despair
At Sun Wenhui's house, the reporter met the sick Sun Kai and his mother Liu Wenfang. Compared to the photos taken before he got sick, Sun Kai's face was noticeably swollen. Due to having a persistent high fever for several days, the child looked listless.
Talking about her son's experience over the past year and her application for relief from the China Red Cross Foundation, Liu Wenfang choked up multiple times.
Upon learning that the Red Cross had no specific relief fund for acute aplastic anemia, Liu Wenfang said, "We slowly walked out with our child, crying bitterly at the entrance of the Red Cross. We felt like our last ray of hope was shattered." More touching still, seeing the pain and despair on their parents' faces, 11-year-old Sun Kai comforted them saying, "It's too hard to ask for help. You don't need to beg for me anymore. Just buy me some good food, even if I die, I won't feel wronged."
■Poor Child: Solemnly uttering three "last wishes"
Liu Wenfang choked up as she recounted how last December 25th or 26th, she and her husband took their son who had been running a persistent high fever back to Tianjin for treatment with the 6000 yuan they had borrowed with great difficulty. The doctor shook his head, indicating "the hope was not great." Right there in the ward, Sun Kai called his parents over and insisted they agree to his three conditions.
Liu Wenfang said that at the time, her son solemnly stated, "First, after I die, don't do any funeral arrangements, don't spend any more money on me; Second, after I die, you must have a little brother or little sister. I will bless your happiness and health from heaven; Third, after I die, Mom and Dad, please don't argue anymore. It's not easy for either of you."
After hearing these words from her son, Liu Wenfang said, not only were they moved to tears, but also the patients and doctors in the same ward cried. Seeing how understanding his son was, Sun Wenhui became even more heartbroken. He repeatedly told Liu Wenfang that if one day his son were gone, he wouldn't want to live anymore. "The relationship between my husband and the child was especially close," Liu Wenfang said. From birth until now, her husband has never hit him. Sometimes when she gets angry and hits the child twice, her husband always speaks well on behalf of the child. "The child is already 11 years old, yet he still likes sleeping with his dad, often asking his dad to carry or hold him, showing affection, making me, the mother, feel neglected."
In Sun Kai's medical record book, the reporter saw a long passage of text: "Wenfang, I'm sorry, I have to leave again. I can't bear to be away from our son. I must find a way to save our son."
Liu Wenfang said that after the Spring Festival, when the child urgently needed money for blood transfusions and platelets, her husband left this message preparing to go out and raise funds, but she discovered it in time and stopped him. Unexpectedly, on March 31st, her husband left again without saying goodbye, and it wasn't until that evening when she received a call from the China Red Cross Foundation that she learned her husband had used a knife to hold a staff member hostage in order to get money for the child's treatment.
■Deep Father-Son Bond: Promising to be father and son in the next life
Liu Wenfang told the reporter that after Sun Wenhui's incident, the Guoziwawa Township government sent someone to Beijing, paying ten thousand yuan to help the child see a doctor. At the same time, the local area of Hejian City also helped issue proof materials, finally gaining the understanding of the staff member who was held hostage. "On April 7th, when accompanying my husband for a mental evaluation, I saw him. He only asked one question: 'How is the child?' Then he fell silent." Liu Wenfang said, looking at her haggard husband made her extremely upset.
On April 15th, in order to fulfill her son's wish to see his father, Liu Wenfang carried her son to Beijing again, but the police officers at the detention center would not accommodate their request for a visit under any circumstances. "When the child heard he couldn't see his father, he suddenly rushed inside, shouting 'Dad!' towards the big iron gate. Two police officers caught up with us and pulled us out," Liu Wenfang said. The child's physical condition was too weak, normally lacking the strength to walk, after running like that, he started vomiting profusely. She could do nothing but silently shed tears.
After returning home, Sun Kai wrote in his diary: "Dad, on April 15th, I followed mom to the Dongcheng Detention Center to see you, but they didn't let me see you. So I rushed inside and shouted 'Dad!' several times, but you didn't hear me. Dad, I'm sorry, it was my mistake, please forgive me."
Throughout the entire interview process, Sun Kai quietly listened nearby, without any avoidance. Taking advantage of his mother being absent, he quietly told the reporter: "Auntie, I know my illness is very serious, it means death to me. Now, I just want to see my dad. If I see my dad, I won't feel so bad. Seeing him, what I most want to say is, Dad, you've sacrificed too much for me. In the next life, you will still be my dad, and I will still be your son." (Editor: SN026)