The Light of Candle Burning Is Hope

"Hope" is a short narrative work unfolded from the first-person perspective of her mother, Li Xiuying. Through a simple and affectionate self-narration, it outlines the tenacious and dedicated life of an ordinary Chinese woman. The story begins with Li Xiuying (Yingzi)'s distant marriage. She married her honest and honest husband Lao Liu and welcomed a daughter. The pressure of life ensued. Yingzi, who lost his job, relied on his sewing skills to supplement the family's income, while her husband Lao Liu worked hard for the family and her daughter's "singer dream" until she became ill from overwork and died unfortunately. After her husband died, Yingzi took on the responsibility of raising her daughter alone. She places all her love and hope on her daughter, and her daughter's academic progress is her greatest comfort. Despite living in poverty and being looked down upon by others (such as her daughter's classmates), Yingzi still works hard silently, even borrowing debts. She just wants to buy a fashionable "Adidas" dress for her daughter who has finished her high school entrance examination, and does not want her daughter to bow down because of her mother's "dirtyness". The core conflict and emotional climax of the work is that when Yingzi, holding the new clothes she had bought with her hard-earned money, happily wanted to witness the important moment of her daughter's life, a sudden car accident froze all her efforts and expectations at that moment. The ending of the story is extremely shocking - under the scratched new dress, what is exposed is the old lining that her husband, Lao Liu, had mended for her many years ago. This detail closely connects the love and sacrifice of the two generations, profoundly revealing the depth and selflessness of maternal love, as well as the brilliance of humanity and the undying "hope" of the little people at the bottom who still shine in the midst of suffering.