The deep mother-daughter bond between a sunny mother and her intellectually disabled daughter
Tianshan Net News (Xinjiang City Daily, reported by Qin Peng and Wei Hongping with photographs) - 22 years ago, a baby girl abandoned by the roadside captured the compassionate heart of a mother who brought this fragile life home. When she learned that the baby was a child with cerebral palsy, the mother shed tears but decided with her family to keep the child. Since then, in this warm home, the baby girl has grown up quickly while the mother has slowly aged...
Now, under the help of her parents, this once-abandoned intellectually disabled girl operates a small tea and cigarette shop. On February 14th, I visited Northwest Road South Community in Urumqi and met Zuo Lihua, the sunny mother, and her youngest daughter, Zuo Lu.
A loving mother finds an intellectually disabled infant
Zuo Lihua, 64, exudes kindness as she smiles gently and says, "Our current life is pretty good. Although my daughter has intellectual disabilities, we don't feel too much burden." Throughout our conversation, the mother's eyes, filled with love, never left her beloved youngest daughter. Zuo Lu listens quietly beside her, occasionally smiling at her mother.
In October 1988, after finding the baby, Zuo Lihua's husband bought formula for the child. "We continuously took turns feeding her from two bottles. As soon as we stopped, she would cry loudly—she was truly starving," Zuo Lihua recounts with emotion.
Zuo Lihua told the reporter, "I have three children, only LuLu shares my surname. Her name is a homophone of my and my husband's surnames, where 'Lu' means beautiful jade." While speaking, Zuo Lihua gently stroked her daughter's ponytail. Her husband, Lu Mingxian, added nearby, "We found her on the road; calling her 'Lu Zuo' didn't sound good, so we decided to call her 'Zuo Lu.'"
When Zuo Lu came to their home, Zuo Lihua and her husband already had a 14-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son. The arrival of this new member brought joy to the family. Upon learning that Zuo Lu had congenital cerebellar developmental insufficiency, the family went through intense deliberations but ultimately decided to keep her and set her birthday as October 1st.
Thoughts of sending the child to an orphanage
Zuo Lihua said, "This child might be a gift from heaven. Her father is AB blood type, and both biological children are also AB type. Unexpectedly, she is AB blood type too." Lu Mingxian said, "After picking her up, we initially planned to send her to an orphanage, but no one would take her after we asked around."
A friend suggested, "One day, you can quietly leave the child at the doorstep of the orphanage and just walk away." Lu Mingxian shook his head and said, "We originally picked her up because we felt sorry for her. How could we do such a thing?"
Lu Mingxian continued, "Fortunately, I was driving for the company at the time, and Zuo Lihua was teaching at a school. We had no heavy burdens back then. If we had food, there was no way we could deny it to the child."
In the blink of an eye, little Zuo Lu turned four. She couldn't be left alone, and Zuo Lihua and her husband were very busy with work. Considering the need for future rehabilitation exercises, they contacted an orphanage willing to accept Zuo Lu.
On the eve of the family's plan to send Zuo Lu away the next day, Zuo Lu seemed to sense something and cried incessantly, unwilling to leave Zuo Lihua's embrace. Only when placed down by Zuo Lihua did she wail loudly.
Later, Zuo Lihua's mother-in-law said, "Forget it. If there's no time, I'll take care of her for you." Little Zuo Lu seemed to understand and smiled again. With the help of the elder, their work and life returned to normal.
No matter how hard, the family must stay together
However, a few years later, life tested Zuo Lihua's love for her daughter once again.
Zuo Lihua had been a teacher for 24 years in a jointly operated school, always being an advanced teacher. However, her official relationship was still with the enterprise. In 1996, during the enterprise reform, Zuo Lihua returned to the company and soon faced unemployment.
"Those years were really tough. I only earned about 200 yuan per month, and my husband worked in the same unit but often had no work. Our household suddenly became tight financially," Zuo Lihua said. At that time, living conditions were extremely difficult, and many people suggested they give the child away, but she shook her head and said "no." She said, "No matter how hard life gets, the family must stay together."
To maintain the household and provide a window for Zuo Lu to interact with the outside world, in 2000, they opened the balcony facing the street and started a small tea and cigarette shop named after Zuo Lu.
In 2002, at the age of 55, Zuo Lihua retired and devoted herself fully to accompanying her daughter. She taught Zuo Lu to recognize words and do simple arithmetic. Gradually, Zuo Lu could lend a helping hand.
During these 11 years of operation, Zuo Lihua taught Zuo Lu how to interact with people and sell simple goods. The reporter noticed that the shop only sold two types of products: cigarettes and plastic-bottle beverages.
The reporter asked curiously, "Why only sell these two items in such a prime location on Northwest Road?" Zuo Lihua smiled and revealed the secret: "Anything made of glass could potentially be dangerous, and I cannot let the child be harmed."
Desiring rehabilitation and employment opportunities for Zuo Lu
Zuo Lihua informed the reporter that now things are better. Both she and her husband have retired, with a combined pension of over 3,000 yuan. Their eldest daughter and son also have their own jobs, leading a relatively comfortable life. In this house of more than 50 square meters, she and her husband live together with their youngest daughter, maintaining a warm family atmosphere.
Zuo Lihua told the reporter that the community currently cares deeply about her and is doing everything possible to plan for Zuo Lu's future. During the Spring Festival, they even came to visit her personally, filling her heart with gratitude.
Zuo Lihua said, "I don't have any other wishes now except to find a future for Zuo Lu." She explained that her two children have their own lives, and it would be difficult for them to also take care of Zuo Lu. After she and her husband pass away, how Zuo Lu will live becomes her concern. She hopes to find an opportunity to secure a path for Zuo Lu's rehabilitation and employment.