Every day, his wife gives Wu Chuansheng physical therapy and massage, hoping for a miracle that he will recover. Photo by reporter Shaog Xiaoxin: A family portrait of Wu Chuansheng, Hu Cuilan, and their youngest son.
In Yongding Village, Jiajiazhen Town, Junjiayacun Village in Zhangjiajie, the couple Hu Cuilan and Wu Chuansheng have become a symbol in the village.
Wu Chuansheng has been paralyzed for nearly 20 years, and Hu Cuilan has taken care of him for 20 years without leaving or abandoning him. "It may look unremarkable to outsiders, but I know how hard it is," said Wu Chuansheng. Unwilling to see his wife suffer, he proposed divorce more than ten times, but his wife laughed at him, saying, "I will take care of you until the last moment of my life."
At this moment, affection and love intertwine. In the quiet little village, people often see such a pair of figures: Hu Cuilan pushing Wu Chuansheng for a walk around the village, slowly step by step along the winding paths...
Reported by Tong Hui, a reporter from Hunan Daily, with correspondents Xie Xiangyou and Zhou Lu from Zhangjiajie.
Husband became paralyzed the second year after marriage
The Wu Chuansheng couple ran a grocery store in the village. Wu Chuansheng sat on a wheelchair every day, leaning his head against the door. His whole body, including his head, could not move. Day after day, the door was marked by his constant leaning. Above the doorframe in his home, four words were written: "Self-improvement." Below them, it read, "Self-motivation for Wu Chuansheng."
Wu Chuansheng is 44 years old this year. He served in a certain field army in Menghai County, Yunnan Province. During a military exercise, he fell and injured his head, which led to damage to his neck and nervous system. Later, he retired due to illness and returned to his hometown.
In March 1990, Wu Chuansheng met Hu Cuilan, a Tujia woman from a neighboring county through a matchmaker. Hu Cuilan knew about Wu Chuansheng's injury at the time.
"He is upright, an expert in writing and accounting, articulate, and considered a talented person back then. Moreover, he was full of confidence in curing his own illness," said Hu Cuilan. She believed that since Wu Chuansheng's condition was acquired later in life, it should be curable. Therefore, they officially got married in November of that year.
In 1991, Wu Chuansheng went to a hospital in Jishou for treatment. The newlyweds were financially strained, and the 1500 yuan surgery fee was pieced together from various sources.
This surgery failed. Wu Chuansheng lay in bed for 45 days unable to turn his head. Pregnant at the time, Hu Cuilan busied herself taking care of Wu Chuansheng—washing him, feeding him, cleaning up after him.
Wu Chuansheng recalled that for three months, Hu Cuilan stayed by his bedside. Due to lack of money, she ate porridge daily while sparing no expense to buy him nutritious food.
"As long as I'm here, you don't need to fear anything"
In the first few years, Wu Chuansheng could still take care of himself, but his condition worsened over time. By the fifth year of their marriage, he was completely paralyzed. Feeling pessimistic, Wu Chuansheng's temper grew increasingly irritable, whereas Hu Cuilan treated him even more gently.
"Better than before the marriage," Wu Chuansheng said. At that time, he first proposed divorce to his wife, but Hu Cuilan replied, "As long as I'm here, you don't need to fear anything. I will take care of you until the last moment of my life."
Her warmth reignited Wu Chuansheng's hope for life. For a period, when bored, Wu Chuansheng took up playing cards. Unable to pick up the cards himself, he asked others to play on his behalf while he gave directions from the sidelines. Despite Hu Cuilan's repeated persuasion, he continued.
In a fit of anger, Hu Cuilan took her son and returned to her parents' home. Regretting deeply, Wu Chuansheng chose to fast for a week until he passed out and was sent to the town hospital for emergency treatment. The family had no choice but to ask someone to find Hu Cuilan. Eventually, Hu Cuilan rushed to the town hospital upon hearing the news.
Since then, the couple has never quarreled again. Hu Cuilan discussed with her husband and decided to open a sundries shop in the village. With his hands and feet inconvenient to use, Wu Chuansheng could neither help customers nor handle money transactions. The couple placed a basket in the supermarket where customers could find change and goods themselves. Wu Chuansheng only helped with the accounts, making it a truly "unmanned supermarket." Since Hu Cuilan had good relations with the villagers, most were willing to shop at her store, which has now become the main source of income for the Wu family.
"In the next life, we will still be husband and wife"
"We've been married for 20 years, I've been paralyzed for 20 years, and my wife has taken care of me for 20 years. It's really not easy," said Wu Chuansheng. His words sound simple, but the difficulties are unimaginable for ordinary people.
When getting up, Hu Cuilan has to first support her husband, who weighs almost twice as much as herself, then struggle to get up and help him slide into the wheelchair. When sleeping, Hu Cuilan also uses herself as a cushion to prevent her husband from falling.
From morning till night, Wu Chuansheng rarely sees his wife idle. In the morning, she helps him wash his face and feed him. After arranging him properly, she goes out to do farm work. At noon, she returns home to cook lunch, feeds him, and cleans him. In the evening, she prepares the next day's meals and washes clothes so that her son can focus on studying and school.
Day by day, Hu Cuilan has never complained and continues to seek medical treatment for Wu Chuansheng. Wu Chuansheng said that seeing all this, he feels guilty every moment. He doesn't want to burden her, so he has proposed divorce multiple times, but Hu Cuilan firmly disagrees. He hopes that in the next life, they can still be husband and wife, so that he can compensate her for everything she has done for him.
Villager Xiong Hongqiang often witnesses such a scene: Hu Cuilan carefully wipes Wu Chuansheng with a towel, treating him like a newlywed couple, which often gets teased by the villagers, saying that although they are an old married couple, they act like they're still dating.
[Interview with Wu Chuansheng]
"I always feel guilty"
Xiangxiang Morning Post: Your wife treats you so well, why do you still propose divorce?
Wu Chuansheng: The better she treats me, the more guilty I feel, all the time. Seeing her work so hard every day, I don't want to drag her down.
Xiangxiang Morning Post: You've proposed divorce so many times, aren't you afraid your wife will be hurt?
Wu Chuansheng: If I can't give her happiness, why should I drag her along?
Xiangxiang Morning Post: If your wife really leaves, aren't you worried about no one taking care of you?
Wu Chuansheng: (Pauses for a moment) I didn't think about that at the time. I would hire someone to take care of me.
[Interview with Hu Cuilan]
"I will not abandon this family"
Xiangxiang Morning Post: Does your husband's frequent talk of divorce make you angry?
Hu Cuilan: (Laughs) He likes talking about divorce, but we're an old married couple now, why divorce?
Xiangxiang Morning Post: Your husband is completely paralyzed, have you ever thought of giving up?
Hu Cuilan: Never. I always believe his condition can still be cured, and we're still raising funds.
Xiangxiang Morning Post: What if his condition cannot be cured?
Hu Cuilan: When he couldn't move, I consoled him by saying, as long as I'm here, you don't need to fear anything. I will take care of him until the last moment of my life. I will not abandon this family.
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