Xiao Qinlan supports herself by scavenging. (Photo provided by Shenzhen's Jingbao newspaper reporter)
■ Xiao Qinlan from Taihe County is paralyzed and, despite struggling in Shenzhen, still sends her ten-year-old son to school.
■ The reporter learned that her eldest daughter fears being looked down upon by others and has almost cut off contact with her family after getting married.
Recently, on a road in Bao'an District of Shenzhen, there is often a paralyzed mother seen moving around on a homemade skateboard collecting scraps. Besides supporting her living, she also needs to support her ten-year-old son's education. She is Xiao Qinlan from Taihe County in our province. Her strong spirit has drawn the attention of local caring citizens, and in her hometown of Taihe, her eldest daughter rarely returns home after marriage and feels very guilty knowing how hard her mother works in Shenzhen.
The story of the paralyzed mother who collects scraps to send her son to school moved many people.
In the unassuming garbage room of the Budxin Community in Xinan Street of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, lives a poor mother and son from Taihe County. Mother Xiao Qinlan is 47 years old, with gray hair and paralyzed lower limbs, only able to move with the help of a skateboard. Her ten-year-old son, Xiao Kai, is in the fourth grade at a private elementary school.
Due to having no special skills and being paralyzed, Xiao Qinlan relies on scavenging for a living. Starting at 6 am every day, she appears on several streets near the community to collect scraps and secretly follows behind her son at 7 am to send him to school, "Every day when I see my son enter the school gate, I feel very happy." However, she never dares to get close to her son's school because she is afraid of being recognized.
Xiao Qinlan said that the income she earns daily from scavenging and begging can barely sustain the lives of her and her son, and she usually picks up vegetable leaves from nearby supermarkets.
What makes her feel comforted is that her son is very understanding and never asks her for a single cent, "Xiao Kai often scavenges with me at noon and opens water for me in the evening to help wash my body and clothes..."
Recalling the incident where his mother was hit by a small truck while scavenging recently, Xiao Kai wrote in his diary: "Mom, I really want to say to you: You've worked so hard!"
A meal costing just a few yuan will be humbly passed back and forth between mother and son.
Help: Love gathers from all sides
On this journey, some kind-hearted people have helped them. A responsible person from Shenzhen Bao'an Waterworks Group said he once saw Xiao Qinlan scavenging on the street and specially equipped her with a mobile phone so she could stay in touch with her family.
The touching story of the mother and son has drawn widespread attention from local citizens, and strangers have come to deliver daily necessities and study materials to the mother and son.
In the past week, Xiao Qinlan felt like she was on a roller coaster. From being an ignored beggar and scavenger living in a garbage room, she suddenly became a "celebrity" in everyone's eyes. At 47, she admitted it was hard to believe everything that had happened recently.
Xiao Kai's school expressed that they would help improve Xiao Kai's academic performance and sponsor him through primary school. Some kind-hearted people offered to cover the housing costs for the mother and son, hoping they could have a warm home, but were politely declined by her. Because her son has a strong sense of self-respect and doesn't want too much attention from others.
Connection: Younger daughter disabled, elder daughter cut ties with family
Actually, in her hometown in Anhui, Xiao Qinlan has two daughters. Her elder daughter, Lifa (a pseudonym), got married after Xiao Qinlan gave birth to Xiao Kai. Because she feared being looked down upon by others, she almost cut off ties with her family.
"I'm very sorry to mom, I couldn't repay her," Lifa told reporters over the phone on March 28th. In their family of five, only she and Xiao Kai are healthy. Their father has hearing problems and their mother is paralyzed. Her younger sister, Lirong (a pseudonym), suffers from a Grade 4 disability, with naturally uneven legs. "After I got married, I rarely returned home. Now I know how hard my mom works in Shenzhen, I hope mom can forgive me." Saying this, Lifa couldn't help but sob on the other end of the phone.
Lirong (a pseudonym), the 22-year-old younger daughter, told reporters that she studies at a vocational college in Hefei with the help of relatives. She just received the National Aspiration Scholarship at the beginning of the year. Now she interns at a Disability Association in Fuyang, helping intellectually disabled and cerebral palsy children with rehabilitation exercises. She will graduate smoothly in July. "I hope after I graduate and find a stable job, I can make my mom live better."
Reported by Fang Jiawei of our newspaper