On the eastern Henan plain, in the poor and backward village of Linjia, there lived a family like this. The protagonist endured one misfortune after another from childhood. His grandfather was a heavy drinker and gambler, with a violent temper. His grandmother suffered abuse while she was alive, then fell ill and died. His father was idle and also took up gambling. He abused the protagonist's mother, the protagonist, and his younger sister, and eventually landed in prison for a crime he committed elsewhere. The mother bore everything in silence and shouldered the family's burdens, falling so ill at one point that she nearly died.
The protagonist was mature beyond his years. He helped his mother wherever he could, studied hard, and consistently ranked near the top of his class. While boarding at middle school, he suffered bullying, yet still earned a place at the county's top high school. His grades declined in high school, and he did poorly on the college entrance exam. Determined to try again, he repeated a year and eventually got into college, went on to graduate school, and found a job at a state-owned enterprise.
This is a true story that happened close to home. Perhaps ordinary people like this can be found in every village lane, but this story is undeniably heartwarming and inspiring.
