Even though his wife suffered from serious burns and disfigurement, he still held her hand tightly. Photographed by reporter Maolin Ye. Chutian Metropolis Daily News reporter Long Yan. What is love? What is marriage? What is happiness? These are three questions that countless people have pondered throughout their lives, and even those who find answers often feel dissatisfied. On the 17th of this month, we interviewed the experiences of Mr. Yang Li and Mr. Chen Xiaojun (due to personal privacy issues, both parties used pseudonyms), we will share their story, hoping everyone can gain some insights... The whole world in my eyes is divided into two halves: one half is her, where everything is joy, hope, and light; the other half is everything without her, where everything is melancholy and darkness. ――Leo Tolstoy This year, Yang Li, aged 39, and Chen Xiaojun, aged 43, are both residents of Huangpi District, Wuhan City. In 1990, the young and beautiful Yang Li graduated from a technical school in Xianning and was assigned to work at a local enterprise, where she met her colleague Chen Xiaojun, four years older than her. The two young hearts quickly sparked the flame of love. In 1993, they entered the temple of marriage and soon had a son, a family of three enjoying harmonious happiness, looking forward to a bright future. However, when this family entered its tenth year, misfortune suddenly struck. At around 12 noon on July 30, 2003, Yang Li went to work as usual. When she was checking the equipment, she suddenly lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes again, it was already four days later. She felt numb all over, with her hands and feet fixed to the bed, unable to move. "Where am I?" Yang Li asked weakly. Her husband, Chen Xiaojun, choked back tears and answered, "This is the Third Hospital." "How did I end up in the Third Hospital?" "Nothing serious, just a small incident." At that time, Yang Li didn't know she had been unconscious for four days and nights, nor did she know what had happened. Many days later, she learned that an accident occurred while she was checking the equipment. After being diagnosed by doctors, she had severe burns covering more than 90% of her body, her life hanging by a thread. You are like the rain from heaven, I am like the well under the house. There is no way for us to flow together, but I wish to be your shadow forever. ――Zhang Ji of the Tang Dynasty On January 17, at their home in Huangpi District, recalling the situation at the time, the couple Chen Xiaojun and Yang Li were overwhelmed with emotion. That day at noon, just after lunch, Chen Xiaojun suddenly received a call from his unit's leader saying that his wife had an accident. When he rushed to the emergency room of the Third Hospital of Wuhan, he saw his unconscious wife with tubes all over her body, her head swollen almost twice as large, her mouth deformed, her entire body red. "In that instant, I couldn't believe this was happening," said Chen Xiaojun. His mind went blank at the sight of his wife's severe injuries, and his only thought was to save her life. During the four days Yang Li was unconscious, Chen Xiaojun never left her bedside, calling her name countless times. During the rescue period, Yang Li had to hang more than 20 IV drips daily, each medication having different drip rates per minute: some 20 drops, some 15 drops, some 3 drops. Chen Xiaojun stared intently, ready to call the doctor if anything unusual happened. Due to severe respiratory burns, large amounts of phlegm constantly overflowed from Yang Li's mouth corners. To prevent airway obstruction, Chen Xiaojun wiped her every twenty to thirty seconds with paper towels, using more than ten thousand pieces in just three days. "If it weren't for Chen Xiaojun, Yang Li might not have made it," recalled Hanmei Ding, the head nurse of the burn department at the Third Hospital of Wuhan, still deeply moved by the scene. She said that Yang Li's survival through the critical stage was not only due to the doctors' efforts but also owed to Chen Xiaojun's meticulous care. Chen Xiaojun's actions and attitude gave Yang Li immense psychological comfort and encouragement. After Yang Li woke up, her body could still not move. Chen Xiaojun fed her water and food bit by bit every day. When Yang Li's blood vessels burst and bled, Chen Xiaojun pressed the bleeding spots tightly to stop the bleeding, sometimes for hours. When pus flowed from Yang Li's wounds, Chen Xiaojun wiped her continuously... At the time, there were labels hanging at the nurses' station indicating the conditions of patients: red for critical, green for stable. Every day, Chen Xiaojun would run to the nurses' station to check the color of his wife's label. More than 30 days later, the doctors announced that Yang Li had passed the danger phase, and he excitedly held her hand, saying, "You won't die!" By the end of December, Yang Li was discharged from the hospital. By then, Chen Xiaojun had lost more than 20 jin (about 10 kg). For convenient continued treatment and rehabilitation training, the couple rented a house near Shouyi Road. At the time, Yang Li was covered in bandages and needed medication changes daily. Every day, Chen Xiaojun first helped Yang Li untie the bandages, then bathed her, applied ointments, massaged her to help absorb the medicine, and finally carefully rewrapped the bandages, taking more than three hours each time. Since Yang Li was lying in bed, during the entire medication change process, Chen Xiaojun had to bend over. Each time after changing the medication, he felt as if his waist had broken, needing to lie down for about an hour to relieve the pain. Burn patients require 'one-third treatment and two-thirds care,' and rehabilitation training is very important. When first discharged, Yang Li's limbs could not bend, and she could not walk. Chen Xiaojun supported her every day, moving inch by inch, then step by step. After a year and a half, Yang Li could walk for a mile or so. "My husband is a very detailed person. To make my recovery better, he thought of many ideas," said Yang Li. To suppress facial scars, she needed to wear an elastic face mask, but the masks available did not fully match her face shape. After noticing this, Chen Xiaojun dismantled the mask and sewed it anew according to her face shape. Besides the face mask, Chen Xiaojun also improved the elastic bandages used on her neck and trunk, eventually directly obtaining raw materials from the hospital to make them himself. Over the years, he made more than a hundred. Chen Xiaojun also found that the elastic bandages used on the neck easily rolled up, so he cut the bandages into small pieces and sewed them along the neck, increasing resilience and significantly enhancing the recovery effect. This improvement he made for his wife has now been adopted by the hospital, helping more burn patients. "Without my husband, there wouldn't be my today," said Yang Li gratefully and happily whenever mentioning Chen Xiaojun during the interview. After discharge, many people looked at Yang Li with shock, and some even screamed, which hurt her deeply. She didn't want to go out anymore. At the time, she even thought that if she became a burden, she would let go and allow Chen Xiaojun to seek his own happiness. However, Chen Xiaojun didn't give her any chance to think irrationally, continuing to take care of her and protect her without leaving her side. He told Yang Li, "Don't care how others look at you or treat you. My recognition of you is enough because you are the one I will spend my whole life with." To resolve Yang Li's mental knot, Chen Xiaojun first took her for walks around the neighborhood, then gradually brought her to supermarkets with heavy foot traffic. Whenever someone looked at them strangely, Chen Xiaojun said, "Don't be afraid. Once they get used to it, they won't look anymore." One day during treatment in Shanghai in 2006, the couple went to a pharmacy to buy medicine. The owner asked Yang Li, "Is this your son?" Yang Li replied, "That's my husband." "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the owner apologized repeatedly and sighed, "Your husband really doesn't have it easy." "When he is by my side, I feel safe and happy, unafraid of others' gazes, daring to lift my head and walk out," Yang Li told the reporter. Love is the ancient beacon tower that shines unwaveringly through storms. Love is a full life, like a wine-filled cup. ――Tagore "There wouldn't be my today without him," said Yang Li during the interview, filled with gratitude and happiness whenever mentioning Chen Xiaojun. After discharge, many people looked at Yang Li with fear, even screaming, which deeply hurt her. She didn't want to go out anymore. At the time, she even thought that if she became a burden, she would let go, allowing Chen Xiaojun to find his own happiness. However, Chen Xiaojun didn't give her any opportunity to think irrationally, continuing to care for her and protect her without leaving her side. He told Yang Li, "Don't care how others look at you or treat you. My recognition of you is enough because you are the one I will spend my whole life with." To resolve Yang Li's mental knot, Chen Xiaojun first took her for walks around the neighborhood, then gradually brought her to supermarkets with heavy foot traffic. Whenever someone looked at them strangely, Chen Xiaojun said, "Don't be afraid. Once they get used to it, they won't look anymore." One day during treatment in Shanghai in 2006, the couple went to a pharmacy to buy medicine. The owner asked Yang Li, "Is this your son?" Yang Li replied, "That's my husband." "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the owner apologized repeatedly and sighed, "Your husband really doesn't have it easy." "When he is by my side, I feel safe and happy, unafraid of others' gazes, daring to lift my head and walk out," Yang Li told the reporter. In 2008, after returning to Wuhan from treatment in Shanghai, Yang Li recuperated at home, while Chen Xiaojun returned to his original workplace. Because he had cared for his wife non-stop for six years, he had almost completely disconnected from society. Returning to his position, Chen Xiaojun found that the environment around him had changed, making it hard to adapt, leading to a period of low spirits. "During that time, I could sense the pressure he was bearing," said Yang Li. Chen Xiaojun was a capable and ambitious man who sacrificed his career and health for her but never complained. To help Chen Xiaojun overcome this low point, she often talked with him, and relatives and friends frequently came to console them. Gradually, both their mental states began to improve. The unwavering commitment of the couple moved many, especially among burn patients, making them admired by many. In reality, when men suffer from burns and disfigurement, many wives stay by their side, but when wives suffer from burns and disfigurement, few husbands remain unmarried. Yao Lei, honorary president of the Central China Burn Patient Friendship Association, remarked that some patient families start off well, but few persist. It is rare to see such enduring affection like theirs for eight years. "For my family, reaching this point has been extremely difficult. This hardship has also allowed me to grow and truly understand that true love is about supporting each other through hardships and remaining committed," said Chen Xiaojun. Disfigurement is painful for both his wife and him, but the pursuit of beauty is merely something cherished when young. As people grow old together, it is feelings that matter. In his heart, his wife has merely aged prematurely. Looking back on the eight challenging years they've walked together, like millions of happy families, Yang Li and Chen Xiaojun also inevitably had arguments and conflicts. But because of their deep love, shared trials, and understanding, communication, and tolerance, the couple believes they can hold hands and carry their love to the end. Thank you. How should I repay you, with what kind of heart should I thank you, It was you who snatched me from the hands of death when my life hung by a thread, It was you who called my name thousands of times while I lay unconscious, It was you who took meticulous care of me when my life was in peril multiple times, It was you who stayed by my side without fail during the darkest days of my life, It was you who gave me the deepest care when I was most desperate, Thank you, I sincerely thank you ... It was you who gave me a complete soul despite my incomplete body, It was you who truly made me feel that there is still sincere affection in this world, ... It was you who gave me the hope of rebirth and lit the second light of my life, It was you who made me believe I am worthy of love even at my worst, It was you who accompanied me through the roughest road of my life, Your kindness and goodness melted my cold heart, It was you who helped me regain the confidence I had almost lost entirely, The proud me can still hold my head high and say confidently that I am the happiest woman in the world (a poem written by Yang Li online for Chen Xiaojun) Related theme articles: Girl seeks public marriage proposal to raise money for mother's treatment Woman plans to conceive through in vitro fertilization for boyfriend suffering from terminal illness (with pictures)