In order to express her gratitude for Mr. Bao's three years of selfless educational assistance, 13-year-old Shen Lingling gave a rooster raised by her family to Mr. Bao, who was sick. This photo was taken by our reporter Ning Feng. Although Shen Lingling from Chenjiagou Village in Gaoqiao Township, Ansai County had communicated frequently via phone calls and written many letters, she had never met Mr. Bao Deyeh, who had sponsored her education for over three years. Yesterday morning, the now seventh-grade student finally fulfilled her long-held wish and arrived at Mr. Bao Deyeh’s home in Yanliang District, Xi'an City.
For three years, she hadn't seen her "grandpa" in person. She often wrote letters reporting her academic progress and made phone calls during holidays to send her greetings. At 9:30 AM yesterday, in the Xifei Company residential area Zone Five in Yanliang District, 13-year-old Shen Lingling held a banner that read, “To Mr. Bao Deyeh: Your help with education is as deep as the ocean.” Her father and uncle carried local specialties from their hometown Chenjiagou Village—bean curd sticks, free-range eggs, millet, thick wine, and a big rooster they had raised themselves. Their destination was Mr. Bao Deyeh's home, Unit 2 West on the second floor of Building 543, No. 1 Unit in this neighborhood.
Shen Lingling's uncle said that their hometown was located in a relatively impoverished area, and life was quite hard. When Shen Lingling was in primary school, through a teacher volunteering there, she received support from a kind-hearted man named Guo Jianzhong from Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province. However, three years ago, Guo Jianzhong unfortunately contracted cancer (reported by our newspaper on July 6, 2008). At that time, retired Mr. Bao Deyeh from Xifei Company saw this news in the newspaper and got in touch with Shen Lingling's family, expressing his willingness to sponsor her subsequent education.
Since then, Shen Lingling has been receiving a timely monthly remittance of 200 yuan from Grandpa Bao for her living expenses, which has continued for over three years. During this period, Shen Lingling and Mr. Bao Deyeh have never met face-to-face; their only contact was through letters Shen Lingling wrote each month to express her gratitude and report her academic achievements. During festivals, Shen Lingling would also call Grandpa Bao to send her wishes. "I've always wanted to meet Grandpa Bao who helped me and thank him personally," Shen Lingling said. Especially after hearing that the 85-year-old Grandpa Bao was hospitalized recently, her and her family's desire to visit him became even stronger. On the evening of April 8th, Shen Lingling and her father and uncle traveled for over five hours from Ansai to Yanliang.
When the rooster was handed to Grandpa Bao
"This rooster will help you strengthen your body, grandpa, take care of yourself."
When the door of Mr. Bao Deyeh's house was opened, the old man was very surprised and delighted by the arrival of these guests. "You arrived last night? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" "Bringing so many gifts, it's too extravagant!"
Although they had spoken many times on the phone, it was still somewhat shy for Shen Lingling upon meeting her idolized "Grandpa Bao" for the first time. She picked up the rooster brought from home and handed it to Grandpa Bao: "This rooster will help you strengthen your body, grandpa, take care of yourself."
Afterward, Shen Lingling took out two pairs of shoe pads hand-sewn by her mother and handed them to Grandpa Bao. Seeing the girl he had helped grow up, Mr. Bao Deyeh happily patted her head, while Shen Lingling leaned against Mr. Bao Deyeh sitting on the sofa, listening to the adults chatting casually.
Shen Lingling's uncle mentioned that originally, they had prepared the banner last July and planned to visit Mr. Bao Deyeh during the winter when farming was idle. "We haven't made the trip yet, and later heard that you were sick, so we decided we must come and fulfill this wish." "I also thought about visiting your place to see the little girl," Mr. Bao Deyeh revealed, "but since last September, I've had heart problems." The elderly man disclosed that after being discharged from the hospital after more than a month, his condition recurred. "Now that I'm older, my waist and legs hurt, and it's inconvenient to travel."
Upon learning that Shen Lingling's academic performance ranked in the top ten in the entire school, the old man smiled contentedly. "This child is very ambitious!" He told the reporter that Shen Lingling would share everything with him in her letters, including her grievances when things went wrong. "As long as I am capable and have the conditions, I will continue to help her." Our reporter Libiao (Editor: SN034)