The son is 42 years old, an age when he should be taking care of his parents; the parents are nearly seventy, an age when they should be enjoying their twilight years. But for Wu Dejun's family in Huzhuang Village, Litianlou Township, Shanxian County, such a scenario has become a luxury. Wu Dejun’s son, Wu Fuming, cannot take care of himself; Wu Dejun and his wife Yang Aiyun, nearing seventy, have been meticulously caring for him without any slack or rest. This child who was once predicted not to live past eighteen has survived until now under forty-two years of parental care.
This unwavering family bond has sung a song of life's perseverance.
"For 42 years, he's had to be fed three times a day."
A low earthen house, dim rooms, drafty windows... On the afternoon of December 12th, with snowflakes drifting and cold winds blowing tightly, I arrived at Wu Dejun's home in Huzhuang Village, Litianlou Township, Shanxian County. The whole family was gathered around the table eating.
By the table, Wu Dejun's son Wu Fuming sat on a specially-made stool, his arms dangling loosely. Seeing the reporter, his head kept shaking towards the pot, while he kept saying something like "ah ah."
"She wants you to eat," Wu Fuming's mother Yang Aiyun explained to the reporter.
"From the moment he was born, we could tell he was different from other children—his arms and legs were all limp, making it hard even to dress him," Yang Aiyun recalled. "When our son was six or seven months old, he still hadn’t learned how to sit like other children, and we didn't know what was wrong with him."
The elderly couple always believed that their son would get better, seeking medical advice and folk remedies everywhere, "but none of them worked."
"Now he can barely take care of himself, he can't walk a single step. For 42 years, every meal has had to be fed to him," Yang Aiyun said helplessly.
"Hungry as we were, we still had to treat his illness."
"To treat our son's disease, we spent a lot of money and couldn't do work at home or in the fields. Sometimes we went hungry ourselves to afford his treatments, but we never gave up," Yang Aiyun recalled past events. Wu Dejun sat silently on the bed facing away from the reporter, head bowed without a word.
Now, Wu Dejun and Yang Aiyun, already 67 and 66 years old respectively, feed their son first each day before they themselves eat.
Ten years ago, Wu Fuming picked up a packet of rat poison from the window sill of their home. Due to his weak hands, the rat poison spilled all over the floor, and Wu Fuming licked the paper that wrapped the poison, but fortunately nothing serious happened. Since then, Yang Aiyun no longer dared to buy rat poison and placed pesticides high out of reach.
No matter how bitter or tiring it got, for more than forty years, the Yang couple has never scolded or beaten Wu Fuming. Every night, they waited until their son fell asleep before they could rest themselves.
"As long as we're alive, we'll take care of him for one more day."
Speaking about their son's future, wrinkles filled with helplessness covered Wu Dejun and Yang Aiyun's faces.
It's often said that raising a son is for old-age security, but the current Wu Fuming has never even served his parents a glass of water. Many people have asked them, "You've raised him for over forty years, let alone living comfortably, he hasn't even called you mom or dad once. Don't you feel it's not worth it?" Yang Aiyun replied, "As long as we're alive, we'll take care of him for one more day."
"When he was little, some doctors said he wouldn't live past eighteen, but now he's forty-two!" Yang Aiyun choked up, her eyes moistening, "Even though he can't speak, he understands everything in his heart. We want him to continue living happily like this."
"Now we just worry, if we pass away, what will happen to him? Who will take care of him?" The Yang couple worried greatly about their son's future, "Now we just hope we can live one more day than him, so we can see him off peacefully before we go."