After leaving the hospital, he realized that he might not be able to continue his studies. □ Fast报记者 Wang Yingfei □ Last year, after leaving school, Sun Xiaosong began his self-study journey. A brand new Chinese textbook had already been flipped through with creases; he used a pencil to underline the idioms he didn't recognize in the text, planning to ask his neighbor's older sister later. For the new characters after class, he also looked them up in the dictionary, formed words with them, and marked them at the back of the article. The same was true for his English book. However, he regretted not having received the next semester's English cassette tape, as he couldn't pronounce the unfamiliar words.
But this money was only enough for their living expenses, and there wasn't enough left to pay for Xiaosong's schooling. Thinking about this, his grandmother felt sorry for her grandson, "Just don't study anymore, stop reading!" After saying these harsh words, she immediately regretted them, "In the future, any job will require a diploma." Sun Xiaosong's aunt decided that no matter how difficult it would be, they must continue to support his education. She said that once she got paid this month, she would let Xiaosong pay the tuition fee. With 6 days until payday, Sun Xiaosong anxiously awaited.
He entrusted a neighbor familiar with typing to post a Weibo plea: "I want to go to school!"
Sun Xiaosong’s ancestral home is in Tonghe County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. His father suffered from mental illness before Sun Xiaosong was even born and was sent to the hospital. Soon after, his pregnant mother divorced his father and returned to her hometown in Changzhou. Knowing she couldn't raise her son alone, she left the half-year-old Sun Xiaosong at a Shenyang hotel near Huangjiawei in Nanjing. After notifying Sun Xiaosong's grandmother, she left and never came back. Upon hearing the news, the grandmother, who was selling popsicles in the north, immediately traveled a long distance to stay in a rented room near the Shenyang hotel, thus settling down in Nanjing. She earned a living by steaming buns, making pancakes, and washing dishes.
Although Sun Xiaosong studied diligently on his own, he still had many questions he wanted to ask his teacher. To attend school, Sun Xiaosong even asked a neighbor who could type to post a Weibo message: "I hope kind uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters can help me, I want to go to school!"
The radio in Sun Xiaosong's house is the most valuable item they have, besides a small TV, and both were gifts from others who no longer needed them. There is no refrigerator or washing machine in the house; they mainly eat pickled vegetables made by his grandmother. In the past, his grandmother washed clothes, but after her hands were frostbitten in winter, Sun Xiaosong took over the task.
The day before yesterday was the start of the school term; he specifically went to school hoping to negotiate with the teacher, asking if he could delay paying the tuition fee and start classes with other students first. However, the principal politely refused him: paying a 600 yuan tuition fee was necessary to return to class.
"It's all because I played too much," Sun Xiaosong attributed the responsibility to himself, feeling guilty every time he thought about it. From the day he was discharged from the hospital, Sun Xiaosong understood that he might not be able to continue his studies.
Having never seen his parents, Sun Xiaosong grew into an understanding child under the guidance of his grandmother and elder sister. At the age of 8, with the help of kind-hearted people, Sun Xiaosong attended the Yucai Migrant Children School. The school was far from home, requiring more than half an hour of travel each day, but Sun Xiaosong was very happy; he enjoyed being with peers.
This room consists of a few low tables, stools, and a large bunk bed. Every night, Sun Xiaosong and his aunt sleep side by side, while his grandmother sleeps at their feet. In the middle of the room is a coal stove, which the family uses for cooking, and when not cooking, they use it for heating, "We'll take it out at night," his grandmother said, "I know it's dangerous, but this house leaks wind everywhere, it's too cold." They also opened a "skylight" on the wooden ceiling above their heads, covered with transparent plastic boards, thus creating a natural "light bulb."
600 yuan is 50% of this family's monthly income. From 2005 to 2006, Sun Xiaosong's grandmother was involved in three traffic accidents, resulting in wrist and pelvic fractures. The health condition of this 72-year-old woman has significantly deteriorated, and she can no longer work as a steamed bun maker, now relying on occasional scrap collection for income. This struggling family has received much help from the streets and neighbors, receiving food and clothing donations. A nurse manager from a hospital even found a cleaning job for Sun Xiaosong's aunt, earning her a monthly salary of 1240 yuan. This almost became the entire economic source for the family.
Pushing open a thin wooden door, 14-year-old Sun Xiaosong was bent over his homework at the table. Although he has been away from school for a year, he still studies on his own with sixth-grade Chinese and English textbooks, carefully circling unfamiliar idioms and words to ask his neighbor's older sister. His grandmother sits by the bed, warming herself by a small coal stove in the room and occasionally chasing away hungry stray cats lingering at the door, "We barely have anything to eat ourselves, so we beg from others."
Sun Xiaosong left school in January last year, pointing to his ankle, "It's all because I played too much, and I hurt my foot." In late January 2011, he fell while climbing Mount Mufu, exposing a large piece of bone, and the doctor stitched 24 stitches on his ankle. He rested for half a year before he could walk again.
This injury not only delayed his studies for half a year but also caused a kind-hearted person who had been helping him long-term to mysteriously stop funding his education from then on.
Sun Xiaosong said that in the past, he wanted to be a bus driver when he grew up, but now with his injured foot, this dream is hard to achieve, "If I can't be a bus driver, I can do something else. Only with knowledge can I find a good job and support my grandmother and aunt."
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A photo of Sun Xiaosong with his 72-year-old grandmother taken by Fast Journalist Gu Wei.
In second grade, the Yucai School closed, and Sun Xiaosong transferred to Mingguang Jindu Migrant Children School. Due to the demolition of their original residence and to save on daily commuting costs for his grandson, Sun Xiaosong's grandmother moved the family to Yaoshangcun in Xiaguan District. In a small house less than 10 square meters, the family settled down.