Because of the three stepdaughters who are studying in college and graduate school, Li Xiangzhi, a farmer who has been facing the loess with his back to the sky for most of his life, has inexplicably become the focus of discussion among netizens.
Many people say that he is stupid, he has worked so hard to raise 3 stepdaughters, and he is not making wedding dresses for others; His own 3 children have only finished junior high school and are working outside the home.
Some people think that he has ulterior motives, but he just looks stupid, but in fact, not only has he won a good name, but his stepdaughter will also appreciate his hard work and become his hope and reliance in the future.
But what is the truth? Is Li Xiangzhi really so complicated? Let's go back to 1999.
One day around the Qingming Festival in 1999, Li Xiangzhi, who lived in Guangfa Township, Jiahe County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, walked home tired and happy after finishing farm work from the field as usual.
He thought that he would be greeted by his wife Li Shuiying's warm smiling face and a table of steaming food, but before he approached the door, he saw his wife wiping tears and walking towards him from a distance.
Li Xiangzhi was wondering in his heart, and when he looked at it again, his wife was followed by three people, an old man and two little girls. Suddenly, Li Xiangzhi understood that the person who came should be the two daughters Li Xiaoling and Li Xiaoyu born to his wife and ex-husband, as well as their grandfather.
After the two sides met and said hello, the atmosphere fell into a short silence, Li Xiangzhi saw that the old man opposite was full of embarrassment, and his wife wanted to speak and stopped, so he had to take the initiative to ask: "Did you encounter any difficulties?" ”
Only then did the old man say hesitantly: "Alas, if there is really no way, I don't want to be cheeky and trouble you ......."It's all to blame for my son who is not angry, he has never done his job, he is lazy and lazy, who knows that he is still addicted to gambling, the family has no money to gamble for him, he simply does not even let the children study, and he can't get the money for food, and the two children can't eat enough every day, and they are frightened, I really see them pitiful, and there is no other way......”
The old man said as he lifted his sleeve to wipe away his tears. And the wife on the side was even more distressed and entangled, she was obviously very distressed about these two children, but she couldn't make her own decision to keep them, so she could only be silent and wipe away her tears over and over again.
Li Xiangzhi turned his gaze to the two skinny little girls again, the two palm-sized faces, both of which were the same sallow, and the two of them stood side by side tightly, their bodies so thin that they seemed to be blown down by any gust of wind.
Who could bear to refuse such a poor two children? Li Xiangzhi couldn't do it anyway. But the difficulties at home are also clearly laid out in front of him, preventing him from saying the word "good" neatly.
Li Xiangzhi's living situation is not easy, his wife died of illness in his early years, leaving him alone to pull three children, and take care of his deaf and dumb eldest brother, and his life is only barely passable. In 1993, after being introduced, he met Li Shuiying, who was divorced and lived alone with his youngest daughter Li Dongdong.
Such a halfway family just makes two helpless hard-working people a companion for each other, as for the pressure of life, it is still amazingly big, how can there be spare energy to raise two children again?
When he was worried, his youngest daughter Li Dongdong came home from school, and when he saw his two sisters standing there, Li Dongdong stood over without thinking.
After figuring out what happened, Li Dongdong and his two sisters looked at Li Xiangzhi pitifully. Perhaps seeing the pity and hesitation that Li Xiangzhi couldn't hide in his eyes, Li Dongdong couldn't help but whisper: "Dad......."”
This "Dad" almost broke Li Xiangzhi's heart, and an impulse surged in his heart instantly-let's raise these two daughters first! No matter how difficult life is and how heavy the burden on his shoulders is, he must shoulder this task. Since he chose to marry Li Shuiying at the beginning, his daughter, that is, his own daughter, he couldn't ignore it!
Li Xiangzhi put aside the worries in his head, stepped forward, and hugged the three poor children. He told himself in his heart that from today, the family has officially expanded from a family of seven to a family of nine.
And what he didn't know was that at the same time, the heart of his eldest stepdaughter Li Xiaoling was also difficult to calm down for a long time. She couldn't believe that her life and her sister's life had ushered in the long-awaited redemption.
Prior to this, because of the divorce of their parents and the departure of their mother, Li Xiaoling and Li Xiaoyu suddenly lost the discipline of their parents, and were called "wild children" by the children in the village, and were bullied by them.
But what chilled the sisters the most was the indifference and cruelty of their biological father. Although they are already very obedient and sensible, and they never let people worry about studying, their biological father will still beat and scold them wantonly because they lost money playing cards, slap them, punish them for kneeling, and use a bamboo broom to draw a bloodstained ...... on their bodiesAnd what hurts more than these is the indelible scars left on the soul.
Li Xiaoling once felt that she would grow into a person full of hatred in her heart, but the appearance of Li Xiangzhi and the dedication and love for the three sisters later, made their fate change dramatically.
So much so that many years later, Li Xiaoling sighed affectionately in an article praising her father's love:"We just felt like we were saved! Without my father, my sister and I would never have grown up normally, and it would have been impossible for me to go to university, graduate school, or study abroad. ”
Raising two more children, even the process of agreeing is so difficult, not to mention the real pressure that falls on Li Xiangzhi's shoulders.
His wife has always been in poor health, and she also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, her knees are swollen and can be as thick as her thighs, and she can hardly do any farm work, so she can only do housework at home, and is responsible for raising pigs and chickens.
The survival pressure of a family of 9 is all on Li Xiangzhi's shoulders, but it is not enough to be full, the problem of 6 children studying has to be solved.
Li Xiangzhi made a rough calculation, and the tuition and miscellaneous expenses of the six children added up to nearly 6,000 yuan a year, which is already the family's income for a whole year. But the book must be read, Li Xiangzhi can only desperately compress the family's expenses, and do his best to work, struggling to support the life of this family.
Because he was originally an agricultural technician in the township, he had excellent skills and could endure hardships, so Li Xiangzhi simply contracted 12 acres of land by himself to grow crops such as rice, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and corn.
Every day before dawn, Li Xiangzhi went out in the dark, leaving only a short free time for himself to go home for breakfast and lunch. When encountering "double robbery", I am often busy until more than 9 o'clock in the evening before I can have dinner.
Because of strict throttling at home, the family often only eats simple sweet potato bibimbap to survive, and only dares to open meat once a month, but when it is said to open meat, it is just to pick up the cheapest pig's head meat on the market to take one or two.
Seeing that Li Xiangzhi's life was so hard, the people in the same village couldn't stand it anymore, and persuaded him one after another: "You are so financially difficult, it is enough to take in a few children, and it is enough to be righteous, as for whether they can read or not, I think it will be okay." You can also reduce some expenses and reduce some of the burden. ”
At first, Li Xiangzhi always didn't care about this kind of rhetoric. But after listening to it a lot, his psychology has also quietly changed, and the pressure at home does need to be shared, but he is reluctant to let any child drop out of school and go home to work.
After thinking about it, Li Xiangzhi could only turn these thoughts into a sigh, and made up his mind in his heart: "Either I won't take them in, since I have decided to stay, I will be a cow and a horse, and I will also provide them with good books." ”
Originally, these children were also very sensible, and they would take the initiative to help with housework and farm work after school and holidays, but Li Xiangzhi told them that nothing is more important than studying. He also set a special "family rule", as long as every child is in the second year of junior high school, he is not allowed to work anymore, and he is only allowed to focus all his attention on studying.
When the family was in the most difficult time, Li Xiangzhi never suffered his children in learning, as long as he bought study-related supplies, Li Xiangzhi always paid for it without saying a word, and refused to buy new clothes for himself for several years. Once, his wife secretly bought fabric to make him a new dress, but he insisted on returning the fabric so that the money could be saved for the children's school fees.
The three stepdaughters didn't say anything, but they all silently saw Li Xiangzhi's hard work and dedication in their eyes. Like their fathers, they never spend every penny of the family's money, do not ask for a new dress, and always wear old clothes sent by relatives and friends.
When they were in high school, Li Xiangzhi gave their daughters 100 yuan per month for food, but Li Xiaoling and Li Xiaoyu still insisted on saving money, and the two sisters often ate a plate of vegetables in the cafeteria, and they could save one-third of the money at the end of each month.
Perhaps it was the ups and downs of childhood that created the character of the three stepdaughters who did not admit defeat, and they competed to study hard and were rated as "three good students" every year. After going to college, the three children relied on scholarships and work-study to support their studies and lives, without adding a little trouble and pressure to their parents.
In addition to ensuring the learning of his three stepdaughters, Li Xiangzhi gave them the fatherly love they craved the most, as well as a complete and warm home.
Unlike his biological father's ruthlessness, Li Xiangzhi never beats and scolds his children, he treats his six children equally, and rarely says anything serious to them. Even if any child made a mistake, he always patiently reasoned with them and told them stories to enlighten them.
It may seem like nothing to other children, but in the hearts of the three sisters, this kind of treatment is undoubtedly an incomparable healing, allowing them to understand what it is like to be loved and deeply grateful.
Once, his wife Li Shuiying's foot pain attacked, and it happened to be the day to send living expenses to his eldest stepdaughter Li Xiaoling, Li Xiangzhi had to stop half a day's farm work and rushed to the school to send her money. He called Li Xiaoling to the door of the classroom, took out the only 100 yuan from his tattered trouser pocket and handed it to her, briefly explained a few words, and hurried home to work.
After returning to the classroom, Li Xiaoling met the eyes of the classmates around her, and had to explain with a red face: My father was in too much of a hurry, and he didn't change his clothes, so he went out wearing farm clothes.
But she knew clearly in her heart that in fact, the white-washed and patched clothes Li Xiangzhi was wearing were already his most decent outfit.
This kind of moment that touched Li Xiaoling happened far more than once during her school years.
She still remembers that when the three sisters were in junior high school in Guangfa Township Middle School in Jiahe County, one day it suddenly rained heavily, and none of them brought umbrellas.
After returning home, the three sisters only wet their trouser legs, and Li Xiangzhi's whole body was soaked, and he had a fever that night. But he still held on, refusing to go to the hospital for injections, and couldn't let go of the farm work in the field, so he didn't get better for half a month.
At the beginning of 2008, when Chenzhou was hit by an ice disaster, the youngest daughter, Li Dongdong, was repeating her studies at a school in Chenzhou. Li Xiangzhi was very concerned and called her a few times, but she couldn't be contacted.
After tossing and turning all night, at 6 o'clock in the morning the next day, Li Xiangzhi went out to take the car, wanting to go to school to see his daughter quickly. However, due to the ice disaster, the bus from Guangfa Township to Jiahe was suspended, and Li Xiangzhi had to walk more than 20 miles to Jiahe County, and spent 300 yuan to stop a car, so he arrived at Li Dongdong's school at 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day.
At this time, Li Dongdong was trapped in school alone. In the past two days, she watched her classmates being picked up by their families one by one, but she couldn't even contact her family, so she had to eat cold food for two days to survive.
At the most desperate time, his father came like a god, Li Dongdong didn't even have time to be surprised, the grievances and fears in his heart broke out first, and he cried when he hugged Li Xiangzhi.
The way back was more difficult than when he came, Li Xiangzhi tied the shoes of the two with straw, held his daughter's hand, and walked home step by step. Li Dongdong still clearly remembers that although his face hurt at that time, his heart was unprecedentedly warm.
That year, because of the cost of 300 yuan for the car, the family couldn't afford to buy five catties of meat for the New Year. But Li Xiangzhi told the children that it was the best year for the family to be together peacefully.
If it is Li Xiangzhi's persistence and responsibility, the three sisters have established the belief in reading, and finally achieved their dreams and changed their lives; Li Xiangzhi's optimistic spirit is the best words and deeds, he never said much, but led the growth of children with actions, guided them to embark on a better life path, and grew into better people.
Although Li Xiangzhi has been a farmer for most of his life, he is not without education, he is a high Chinese certificate. After graduating from high school in 1975, he worked as a clerk, village director, deputy village director, and deputy to the township people's congress.
He always believes that "knowledge changes fate", not only teaches children in this way, but also retains the habit of reading books and newspapers in addition to hard farming, and has also made detailed plans and imaginations for the future of his three stepdaughters.
In his opinion, the eldest stepdaughter is simple and down-to-earth, suitable for studying medicine, and her mother is not in good health, so she will have a good care in the future; The second daughter is meticulous, tall, in good health, and has high ideological and political awareness, and is the most suitable to go to a military school; The youngest daughter is lively and cheerful and can work in education.
Based on their own considerations and their father's suggestions, although the final direction of the three stepdaughters was not completely according to their father's vision, they were all successful.
In 2004, the eldest stepdaughter Li Xiaoling was first admitted to Xiangtan University with excellent results, and in 2010, she was admitted to the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences for a master's degree.
In 2005, her second daughter Li Xiaoyu was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages of Wuhan University, and in 2010, she was admitted to the University of Lincoln for a master's degree in preschool education.
In 2008, the youngest daughter Li Dongdong was admitted to Beijing Normal University, and later studied as an on-the-job graduate student at her alma mater.
Seeing that his daughters were so good one by one, Li Xiangzhi was very pleased, and at the same time he was not far behind. In 2011, 52-year-old Li Xiangzhi participated in the recruitment examination, stood out from more than 200 people, and was admitted to the post of director of the township agricultural technology station.
With his own actions, he once again told his children, "I can still be like this at my age, and young people should not be afraid of experience." ”
And the follow-up development of the three stepdaughters also proved their efforts to the father once again.
Li Xiaoling was admitted to a public institution and became a civil servant.
Li Xiaoyu stayed in the United States to develop and is now a software engineer in Silicon Valley.
After graduating from graduate school, Li Dongdong entered Yueyang No. 1 Middle School and became a teacher.
But it is precisely because of the excellence of the three stepdaughters that after being written as news by reporters, Li Xiangzhi was also pushed to the forefront of the **. People questioned him: "Why do you teach your stepdaughter so well, but your own children only finish junior high school?" ”
As everyone knows, this problem was also Li Xiangzhi's heart disease, which has plagued him for many years. At that time, he did provide education for his six children, but his own daughter and two sons were not reading materials, so they all dropped out of school after only finishing junior high school.
Seeing that the cultural gap between his stepdaughter and his three biological children is getting bigger and bigger, Li Xiangzhi inevitably has regrets in his heart, and he also thought over and over again: If it weren't for so many children to study, then his three biological children would be able to provide for a higher education even if they studied poorly.
Especially seeing the hardships of his three biological children going out to work and doing business early, Li Xiangzhi was tormented in his heart. He always couldn't help but say: If only I let you study for a few more years, it wouldn't be so hard.
But the three children who were born to him all told Li Xiangzhi with their own actions that they didn't blame him. The eldest daughter, Li Haiying, said that when she was a child, she did hate her father for a while and married a stepmother with so many children.
The whole family couldn't get enough to eat, but later this mood was melted by his father's kindness and love. She once asked her father why he was raising three unrelated sisters, and he told her that this was a responsibility and an obligation, and that every child who could read needed to be supported and encouraged.
After learning that Li Xiangzhi had hidden a heart disease for so many years, Li Haiying couldn't help crying and told her father: She always knew that he didn't favor one over the other, and he didn't treat all children in school equally, but she and her younger brother really couldn't read, not that piece of material, and there was no way to change this.
And when Li Xiangzhi was scolded by a large number of netizens for being too stupid, Li Haiying was the first to stand up and speak: "Our 6 brothers and sisters love each other, no different from our own children, I don't think my father is stupid at all." ”
As for the two biological sons, although they are both doing business in Guangzhou and usually have no time to come back, they are also concerned about Li Xiangzhi's life in his hometown, and they jointly contributed money to build a two-story house for Li Xiangzhi.
So gradually, Li Xiangzhi's heart knot also opened little by little, even if he was questioned by netizens, he could respond calmly: "Every child has his own creation, if my three children were willing to read back then and insisted on reading, I would have provided for it anyway." ”
Now Li Xiangzhi has his own six children, all of whom have their own backgrounds, and they are all married and live their own lives, but their feelings for each other have always been close and in constant contact.
In the middle of last year, the three stepdaughters also made an appointment to return to their hometown together, reunited with Li Xiangzhi, recalled their childhood together, and lamented that Li Xiangzhi's three biological children felt sorry for the three of them like their fathers, and they also carried adults behind their backs and used their pocket money to buy buns for them to eat.
And after Li Xiangzhi's eldest son had a child, his stepdaughter Li Xiaoyu sent back milk powder from the United States in a warm mood even if she couldn't arrive in person.
In the final analysis, family affection may be the most difficult relationship in the world to define. It can be complex, but it can be pure. It should never be judged only by blood, but more importantly, everyone can get love and know how to reciprocate in family affection.