Uncle Guang visits his mother at the nursing home every day before work. This is a photo of the old mother standing up for the first time with Uncle Guang (provided by Uncle Guang). Uncle Guang's family shares a kitchen with another tenant, and they also bathe there; to use the toilet, they have to go to the public restroom.
■ Sun Yikya, Community Journalist, Intern Hu Yuanyuan
There is an old saying, "There are no filial children beside the sickbed for long." It sounds somewhat bleak, but the neighbors in Longjin East Road, Liwan District told the reporter that their neighborhood has a "filial son by the bedside," who has taken meticulous care of his 95-year-old mother with a broken leg, helping her stand up again. However, the "filial son" Uncle Guang and his family had to live separately from the elderly mother due to housing shortages.
Filial Son Visits His 95-Year-Old Mother Daily
"Mom, I've brought rabbit meat soup for you to drink." Yesterday, when the reporter arrived at the Liwan Qiaoyi Nursing Home on Longjin East Road, A, Sina Blog, Grandma Lin was seen eating lunch in big bites. Her sprightly actions made it hard to guess that she was already 95 years old and had fractured her leg two years ago. As soon as Uncle Guang reached Grandma's bed, he started working, wiping her mouth and sweat with a towel, tidying up the bed and clothes...
"Don't be fooled by how spirited Grandma looks now. Two years ago, when she moved into the nursing home, her leg fracture hadn't healed, and she couldn't even stand," the director of the nursing home, Mr. Deng, told the reporter. "It was all thanks to her filial son, Uncle Guang, who came every day to give Grandma massages and accompanied her during rehabilitation. She stood up again at the beginning of this year and can now walk normally."
During the conversation between the reporter and the director, Grandma Lin pouted and complained to Uncle Guang, who was free at the moment, saying, "The buttons on my shirt were tangled in the washing machine..." Uncle Guang leaned close to Grandma's ear and consoled her, saying, "I see it. I'll bring needle and thread tomorrow to mend it for you." At noon, before leaving, Uncle Guang bent down to comb Grandma's hair and whispered in her ear again, "I'm working the night shift today, I'll come back to see you later..." The director quietly told the reporter on the side, "Uncle Guang always does this when he leaves because Grandma is hard of hearing."
Housing Shortage Forces Separation from Elderly Mother
"I wouldn't want to live separately from my elderly mother if it weren't for the tight housing situation." Uncle Guang, who had been silent at the nursing home, finally revealed his inner feelings to the reporter. Originally, Uncle Guang lived with his wife and son in a small alley five minutes away from the nursing home. Over a decade ago, they used to live together with the elderly mother, "Back then, my 80-year-old mother still carried my grandson to school and walked several streets to buy groceries," Uncle Guang said, "Later, as my son grew up, our ten-square-meter loft room became too crowded, so the elderly mother had to move out, unfortunately falling and fracturing her leg." Heartbroken, Uncle Guang later sent his grandmother to the nursing home.
When the reporter visited Uncle Guang's home in Zhu Zi Li Alley, the living room was less than five square meters, and upstairs was a loft where the couple slept on a bunk bed, while the son slept on a ladder bed opposite. Such a layout made the house cold in winter and hot in summer, and during the rainy season, the roof leaked water. What embarrassed Uncle Guang and his wife most was that they only had a shared kitchen with two households and no toilet. In emergencies, they could only use the nearby public restroom, "My son sleeps right across from us, making me very awkward," Uncle Guang's wife said, "A few months ago, we rented him a small room of less than ten square meters nearby so he could rest well after work."
■ Uncle Guang's Pain
Most Worried About Scaring Away Future Daughter-in-Law
Born in 1950, Uncle Guang will retire in half a year. His family has lived in this public housing for over 20 years. He has worked hard all his life, but his income was just enough to make ends meet, unable to improve their environment. Now, he cannot live with and take care of his elderly mother, and his 26-year-old son is still unmarried. Although his son is diligent and enterprising, he frankly admitted, "Our family's situation would definitely scare away any girl," which is why his son hasn't dated yet.
Uncle Guang revealed his little wish to the reporter, "We don't qualify for low-rent housing, and affordable housing is too 'high-class' for us. If only they could give me one more small room or enlarge our current public housing a bit. As long as my son and future daughter-in-law have an independent room, I would be satisfied."
■ Residents' Committee Response
No Replacement Public Housing Policy, Only Assistance Grants Available
The reporter visited the residents' committee where Uncle Guang's family resides. Staff members stated that they applied for housing subsidies for Uncle Guang's family early last year, "Currently, they receive a monthly subsidy of 490 yuan," the staff member said. There is currently no policy for replacing public housing. If residents do not meet the conditions for low-rent housing, they can only receive subsidies according to regulations, rent other houses to alleviate housing difficulties, or apply for affordable housing.