Xiao Qinlan said that the income she earned every day from scavenging and begging could barely support the lives of her and her son. She would also go to the surrounding supermarkets to pick up vegetable leaves. In the past week, Xiao Qinlan felt like she was on a roller coaster. From being a beggar who lived in a garbage room and was ignored by everyone, she suddenly became a "famous person" in everyone's eyes. The 47-year-old admitted that she found it hard to believe the events that had recently occurred.
During this time, on a street in Bao'an District of Shenzhen, there was often a paralyzed mother who would slide around on a homemade skateboard to scavenge. Apart from making a living, she also had to support her ten-year-old son's education. She is Xiao Qinlan from Taihe County in our province.
Contact: Xiao Qinlan relies on scavenging for a living (picture provided by a reporter from Shenzhen's Jingbao newspaper). Due to having no special skills and being paralyzed, Xiao Qinlan relied on scavenging for a living. Starting at 6 o'clock every day, she would appear on several streets near the community to collect scraps. At 7 o'clock, she would secretly follow behind her son to send him to school. "Every day when I see my son enter the school gate, I feel very happy." However, she never dared to get close to her son's school because she was afraid of being recognized by others.
The journalist learned during the interview: Her eldest daughter feared being looked down upon by others, and after getting married, almost cut off all contact with her family.
"I'm really sorry to mom, I haven't been able to repay her," said Lifen on the phone on March 28th. She told the reporter that out of their family of five, only she and Xiaokai were fully healthy. Her father had hearing problems in his ears, her mother was paralyzed, and her younger sister Lirong (a pseudonym) had a fourth-level disability, with her legs being different lengths since birth. "After I got married, I rarely went back to my parents' home. Now that I know how hard my mom works in Shenzhen, I hope she can forgive me." As she spoke, Lifen couldn't help but sob on the other end of the phone.
Along the way, there have been some kind-hearted people helping them. A responsible person from Shenzhen Bao'an Waterworks Group said that he once saw Xiao Qinlan scavenging on the street, so he specially provided her with a mobile phone so she could stay in touch with her family.
The touching story of the mother and son has garnered widespread attention from local citizens. Strangers came forward to bring them daily necessities and school supplies.
However, what made her feel comforted was that her son was very understanding and never asked her for a single cent. "Xiaokai often scavenges with me at noon, and in the evening, he helps me wash my body and clothes..."
A 22-year-old daughter named Lirong (a pseudonym) told the reporter that with the help of relatives, she was studying at a vocational college in Hefei. She had just received the National Inspiration Scholarship at the beginning of the year. Now, she was interning at a disabled persons' association in Fuyang, helping intellectually disabled and cerebral palsy children with rehabilitation activities. She would graduate smoothly in July. "I hope that after I graduate and find a stable job, I can make my mom live better."
Recalling the incident where her mom was hit by a small truck while scavenging, Xiaokai wrote in her diary: "Mom, I want to tell you: You've worked so hard!" For a meal costing just a few yuan, the mother and son would humbly give way to each other.
In the humble garbage room in the Buxin Community of Xinyuan Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, lived a poor mother and son from Taihe County. The mother, Xiao Qinlan, was 47 years old, with gray hair, and due to paralysis in her lower limbs, she could only move with the help of a skateboard. Her ten-year-old son, Xiaokai, was in the fourth grade at a private primary school.
In fact, in her hometown in Anhui, Xiao Qinlan had two daughters. After giving birth to Xiaokai, her eldest daughter Lifen (a pseudonym) got married. Because she was afraid of being looked down upon by others, she almost cut off all contact with her family.
The strong mother attracted the attention of enthusiastic local citizens, and their love gathered together, moving the mother and son. Meanwhile, in her hometown in Taihe, her eldest daughter rarely returned home after getting married. Upon learning how hard her mom worked in Shenzhen, she felt deeply guilty.
Moved by the paralyzed mother who scavenged to send her son to school, the school Xiaokai attended expressed that they would help Xiaokai improve his academic performance and assist him in finishing elementary school. Some kind-hearted people offered to cover the cost of housing for the mother and son, hoping that they could have a warm home. However, she outright refused, as her son had a strong sense of self-respect and didn't want too many people paying attention to them.