Yesterday, Ms. Liu pushed her cigarette stall out of the neighborhood with her disabled leg - Photo by reporter Li Hui
When her son was two years old, Liu Juan and her husband both lost their jobs. Despite her disabled legs, she tenaciously took on the heavy burden of life, setting up a cigarette stall at a bus stop to make ends meet. She has been doing this for 22 years. Over these 22 years, Liu Juan overcame numerous difficulties, selling 400,000 boxes of cigarettes, and managed to support her son from kindergarten all the way through to his master's degree.
Sour -
Never bought books for her son who is now a graduate student
Liu Juan is 50 years old this year. She is the familiar "cigarette-selling auntie" to those who often take the bus near Zhangjiabu. Everyone knows that this cigarette-selling auntie is always cheerful, but few know about the hardships she has endured.
"I contracted polio when I was one year old, which left my lower limbs paralyzed. In my twenties, in order to take care of my grandmother who lived alone in Xi'an, I transferred from Hanzhong to Xi'an. I hadn't worked for long when the factory went bankrupt, and I was laid off. At that time, my son had just been born." Liu Juan recalled, saying that it was the hardest time then, with elderly family members to take care of and a young child at home. To make ends meet, she set up a cigarette stall at the Zhangjiabu bus stop outside the Xi'an Wool Textile Factory residential area to earn some pocket money.
Liu Juan said that looking back on those days, she feels very sorry for her son. As her son grew older and started school, tuition and book fees became a problem. However, her son was very sensible, "He never bought new books. He would spend a little money to buy used books from older students, and after he finished using them, he would sell them to the younger students at the end of the semester. This habit continued even when he was in graduate school."
Sweet -
The three of us watching TV and chatting together
Even as she recalls the tough times, tears welling up in her eyes, she still smiles because she knows how to be content. "When I got married, it was to quickly find someone who could take care of my grandmother. From being introduced by others to getting married, we only spent 15 days together, what people nowadays call a 'flash marriage'." Liu Juan joked that her husband is very honest and has always been good to her and their family. For Liu Juan, the happiest moments are when, after finishing setting up the stall in the evening, the three of them would squeeze into their small house, watch TV, and chat together.
Bitter -
Water froze on her body, too busy to change clothes
In 1988, when her son was more than two years old and attending kindergarten, Liu Juan, who was unemployed at home, began setting up her cigarette stall. "At first, I just wanted to earn a little pocket money. After selling for a while, I thought this business could work, so I decided to stick with it," Liu Juan said. When she first started setting up the stall, she endured a lot of hardship. What stood out most in her memory was an incident from a winter more than ten years ago. "That winter, there was a heavy snowfall. My husband found a job where being late meant losing pay. To save time, he would always push the cigarette stall out to the door for me first before rushing off to work. I remember one time, we woke up a bit late, and in a hurry, I didn't want him to be late, so I let him push the stall to the door while I followed behind. Unfortunately, I accidentally spilled half a kettle of water on my clothes. Afraid of wasting time, I didn't dare go back to change. I also fell several times on the snowy ground. The temperature was so low that the clothes froze, and I couldn't help but cry uncontrollably..."
With her disability, Liu Juan needs to rest three times just to get the cigarette stall to the bus stop, a distance of 200 meters. Yesterday, like usual, she braved the cold wind, limping as she pushed the cart, "Even during the hardest times, I never thought of giving up. I just kept thinking that with my strength, like pushing this cart, I can push my family forward, push our lives forward."
Happy -
Her son has been sensible since childhood, no need to worry about his studies
"On my way home from school, I saw my mother pushing the cigarette stall, limping and disappearing into the vast snow. At that moment, my eyes blurred. Mother is the cutest, strongest, and most capable person in my heart..." This is a sentence from an essay titled "The Cutest Person" written by Liu Juan's son, Zhang Qiang, when he was in the fourth grade, "When I wrote that article, I was only 10 years old. Now, 14 years later, I am already a graduate student. All of this is thanks to my mother selling cigarettes to support my education. The image of my mother in my mind becomes greater and greater." Zhang Qiang said.
Liu Juan's son, Zhang Qiang, is currently a graduate student at Xidian University and is Liu Juan's greatest pride. "My son has been very sensible since childhood, never spending money recklessly, and his studies have never been something we needed to worry about. Thinking of my son, I feel that no matter how much hardship I endure, it is worth it," Liu Juan said, "Since my son excels academically, I should let him further his studies step by step. No matter how poor we are, he must continue his education."
A rough calculation shows that over the past 22 years, Liu Juan has sold approximately 401,500 boxes of cigarettes. It is through the meager profits of each box of cigarettes that this determined mother, despite her physical disability, managed to support her son all the way through to his master's degree.
During the interview, Liu Juan kept saying that she is just an ordinary person, and everything she has done is what she should do... Though ordinary, she reminds one of the lyrics from the song "True Hero": In the brilliant starry sky, who is the real hero? Ordinary people give me the most touching feelings. By reporter Mao Minna