Speaking of Xie Yanxin, the most commonly used sentence by neighbors and colleagues is: "Liang'er (Xie Yanxin's nickname) is a good man."

Xie Yanxin's surname was Liu, and he later changed it to his father-in-law. Xie is an ordinary miner at Xinzhuchun Company of Henan Coking Coal Group.

The neighbors did not know Lao Xie's original name for a long time, and they regarded him as the son of the Xie family rather than the son-in-law. After all, even sons, not many can take care of the elderly like him.

Neighbor Yu Naixiu recalled how Lao Xie took care of his father-in-law: in summer, he carried the old man outside the house to a cool place to get some air, and then carried him back home. In winter, carry it to the sun to bask in the sun, and then carry it back to the house. "Even my own son would not carry him back and forth like this all day long."

My father-in-law has been paralyzed in bed for nearly 18 years, and he has taken care of his mother-in-law and silly brother-in-law for more than 30 years. Lao Xie has endured more hardship than his neighbors can see. Much more arrived.

Thirty-three years ago, my newlywed wife Xie Lan'e suffered from postpartum rheumatic syndrome 40 days after giving birth to her daughter. The incomplete medical and health conditions at that time could not save his wife's life. As the eldest daughter, his wife entrusted her parents and younger brother to Xie Yanxin before she died.

The situation of the father-in-law’s family is not optimistic: the mother-in-law is basically incapable of working due to emphysema and other diseases, the only brother-in-law is congenitally stupid and has difficulty taking care of himself, and only the father-in-law lives more than 300 miles away. Work in Jiaozuo Coal Mine. Coupled with the infant daughter, you can imagine how heavy the burden is on taking care of this family.

In order to comfort his mother-in-law who lost his beloved daughter, Xie Yanxin, who was holding back his grief, promised the old man in tears: "Mom, I will never leave you, take care of you, and take care of your family."

< p>My mother-in-law, who is now over 80 years old, said frankly: "At that time, I was always afraid of Liang'er. If Liang'er left one day, our family would be nowhere to be found."

In order to make the elderly Don’t worry, Xie Yanxin changed his last name from Liu to Xie. Changing one's surname is a big deal in rural areas. The family members held a family meeting and discussed it for most of the night. "You have changed your surname and you are still married to me?" - The family disagreed for the sake of Lao Xie's future.

"Let's talk about it later. I can't let go of their family's current situation." Lao Xie didn't talk much, but he was a person with ideas. In the end, everyone couldn't defeat him.

Changing your surname is only the first step, the more difficult things come later.

In 1979, my father-in-law suddenly suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Xie Yanxin did his best to take care of his father-in-law. Other patients had to be replaced, but Xie Yanxin could only bear the burden alone. I slept on the cold concrete floor of the ward at night.

Now talking about this, mother-in-law Feng Jihua's eyes were full of tears, "In the twelfth lunar month of winter, Liang'er lay alone on the cold floor in the ward every night for three months." < /p>

My father-in-law’s life was saved, but he will have to stay with his bed from now on. In the past, even though I was in trouble, my father-in-law helped to support me; now, this pillar has also fallen! He needs to take care of the four people in the family, and all the burden of life falls on Lao Xie.

Lao Xie reluctantly sent his 5-year-old daughter to his hometown to be taken care of by his mother and brother.

The mother in her hometown couldn't bear to see her 20-year-old son living like this, so she asked Lao Xie's third brother to persuade him to return to his hometown, "Go and call Liang'er back. He can't always be like this. He will have to do it in the future." Marry another wife."

The third brother Liu Yansheng said: "I went to the city to find where my brother lived, and saw that they lived in a broken house not far from the public toilet. I cried, even if I was farming at home, my life would be better than that."

Lao Xie did not go back with his third brother. "Brother, you've seen it too. Who cares if I go back here? People have to have a conscience. If I go back, it would be too heartless." Xie Yanxin's words left the third brother speechless.

My father-in-law was paralyzed in bed with his limbs stiff. Following the doctor's advice, Xie Yanxin had to move his limbs for him every day. At first, when the old man couldn't bear the pain, he would scold Xie Yanxin. Xie Yanxin always smiled and said: "Dad, what do you think you are talking about?"

Under Lao Xie's careful care, his father-in-law was able to move the stool in the yard after more than four months. Stepped. Xie Yanxin kept in mind the doctor's instructions, turning the old man over frequently and applying talcum powder. The old man was carried out every day to bask in the sun for several hours.

Zhang Qingbo, who has treated his father-in-law, said: "Lao Xie (Xie Yanxin's father-in-law) has been lying in bed for 18 years without getting bedsores. It is really rare, thanks to his son-in-law."

Patients who are bedridden and inactive often have dry stools. Xie Yanxin puts on gloves and helps the old man to dig out bit by bit. Hearing that winter melon peels and thatch roots can diuretic and laxative, he goes to dig in the fields and boils water for the old man every day. drink.

My father-in-law’s monthly sick leave salary of more than 60 yuan could not support the family of four, so Lao Xie found time to do odd jobs in brick kilns in nearby rural areas to earn money to supplement the family income. In order to save a few yuan on vegetables, he also planted rapeseed on the garbage dump. When it was young, it was eaten cold, when it was older, it was stir-fried, and the rapeseed was harvested and squeezed into oil.

One of the traditional Chinese medicines my father-in-law takes is scorpion. In order to save money, Xie Yanxin followed the doctor's advice and went to the mountains more than 40 miles away from home to search for dry food. On the first day, he actually found more than half a catty.

In 1983, Xie Yanxin replaced his father-in-law and became a worker in the first mining area of ??Zhucun.

After his first month’s salary, Xie Yanxin, who was never willing to spend money randomly, bought a radio for his father-in-law to relieve his boredom.

The most unbearable thing for people who have been bedridden for a long time is loneliness. His father-in-law liked to listen to martial arts novels, so Xie Yanxin borrowed them from the library and read them to his father-in-law when he had time to relieve his boredom. Over the past 18 years, he has read hundreds of novels to his father-in-law.

In 1989, my father-in-law suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and was terminally ill. Knowing that the family was in trouble, his mother-in-law advised Xie Yanxin not to send her husband to the hospital: "How long a person lives is enough!"

Xie Yanxin, who was usually obedient to his mother-in-law, firmly disagreed: "No matter how you say it, This is life. No matter how poor we are, we can't wait to die at home. If word spreads, who will I become?" Xie Yanxin borrowed 1,000 yuan from a fellow villager and sent his father-in-law to the hospital.

In August 1996, my father-in-law passed away. Xie Yanxin told his father-in-law: "Don't worry, Dad, as long as I have food to eat, my mother and Yanniu (brother-in-law) will not be hungry."

"Lao Xie will look for Yanniu as soon as he comes to eat. He traveled a lot for this, but he never bothered Yanniu." His silly brother-in-law, who is about the same age as Lao Xie, often runs around alone, and Lao Xie always looks for him before eating. The neighbors all witnessed this, and they also helped Lao Xie a lot, which saved him a lot of worry.

My brother-in-law cannot take care of himself, so Lao Xie takes care of him patiently. My brother-in-law's nails are always neatly trimmed. Although my brother-in-law is stupid, when asked, he will still say: "Brother An Liang is the best."

My father-in-law left with peace of mind. My 82-year-old mother-in-law is also in good health, but Lao Xie's health is deteriorating. Xie Yanxin suffered from severe hypertension. In order to save money, he heard that peanuts soaked in vinegar can lower blood pressure. He ate them for 13 years. It was not until 2003 that he had to be hospitalized for treatment due to cerebral hemorrhage.

The old mother-in-law looked at her white-haired son-in-law with affection and said: "This family is like an egg standing on a pole. Without him, it would have been broken long ago."

< p>My mother-in-law said that she had a bad temper and would sometimes quarrel with her son-in-law, but he would always smile and forget about it. "He never made me angry, and he never even said an awkward word. Back then, some people also gossiped and said that they could not be counted on." Son-in-law, but I rely on son-in-law!”

●A poor father is also rich

Lao Xie said that the person he felt most sorry for was his daughter Liu Bianying. Speaking of his daughter's almost blind right eye, Lao Xie, who was always cheerful, fell silent...

Whether they are poor or rich, all parents in the world have the same feelings for their children. In order to take care of his father-in-law, Xie Yanxin left his five-year-old daughter in his hometown. It's not that he is cruel, it's that he really has no choice.

In Bianying’s memory, she did not wear a new piece of clothing before she was 16 years old. Before the Spring Festival when Panying was 16 years old, his father went home to run errands. For the first time in her life, she asked her father for money and wanted to go to the countryside with her sisters. Her father took out 5 yuan from his pocket.

The age of 16 is the time when girls love beauty. Some of the sisters who went with her bought new clothes for the festival, and some went to buy various cosmetics. However, Bianying held the sweaty 5 yuan in her hands and did not dare to buy anything. In the end, she spent 2 yuan to buy a box of rouge.

When I got home, my father was very angry. It was also the first time she saw her father angry. After dinner, her father called her over and said: "Ni, we can't compare with others. We should spend money on things that should be spent, and we should not spend money on things that shouldn't be spent."

Liu Bianying said: "I didn't spend the money at that time. I completely understand what my father said, but I still blame him in my heart. Other fathers who work outside always buy a few new clothes for their children during the Chinese New Year. Why is my father so stingy? ”

When Fanying was 18 years old, A group of children were playing in the village at night. A stone hit Bianying's right eye. It was dark and it was impossible to find out who had hurt him. Her mother, Xie Fenxiang (stepmother), took her to the countryside overnight for a checkup. The doctor said that the eye injury was too serious and she had to go to a large hospital for treatment. The next day, he was examined at the Jiaozuo Mining Bureau's facial features hospital, and the doctor said he needed to be hospitalized.

Lao Xie told the doctor that he didn’t bring enough money and he would come back tomorrow to go through the hospitalization procedures.

In the evening, when he returned home, the smile that often hung on Lao Xie's face disappeared. After dinner, he locked himself in his room. Bianying could hear her father sighing from outside. In Bianying's memory, no matter how difficult it was, his father always faced it with a smile. This time, it was really too difficult for him.

The next day, his father sent Bianying home. Before getting into the car, her father suddenly asked her: "Ni, do you hate me?" Bianying shook her head in disbelief. It was because of the hospitalization deposit that Banying lost the best opportunity for treatment. Today, Banying is almost blind in her right eye.

In Jiaozuo, eating my father’s extremely simple meals, looking at the furniture given to my father by the mine, and feeling the dilemma of living in the same room with an old man, a paralyzed man, and a stupid man, Bian Ying said: "I know it's not that my father doesn't want to treat me, but he really can't afford the several thousand yuan hospitalization deposit!"

From then on, Banying began to understand her father. Now that she has become a mother, she has gradually understood her father's difficulties.

"It's too difficult for him. He has never enjoyed any blessings." Liu Bianying's eyes turned red when she talked about her father.

My father did not give Bianying much material satisfaction, but more spiritual guidance through words and deeds.

The 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month in 1994 was the day when Panying got married, and her mother Xie Fenxiang prepared the dowry early.

On the afternoon of the 21st of the twelfth lunar month, my father came back. He called Bianying to him and said to her: "Ni, a good girl doesn't compete for dowry clothes. When you get married, I don't have anything to give you. I will give you a knitting book." , which contains two poems I copied."

Bianying took the book without a cover from his father's hand, and saw neatly written words on it: "Although coptis is bitter, it will stick to your tongue after drinking it. But it has a sweet aftertaste; saccharin water is sweet, but if it is used too much, it becomes bitter water, which fully shows that only when there is bitterness can there be sweetness, and sweetness is connected with bitterness. Only by being willing to endure bitterness can you always be sweet." Another poem said. : "Thrift is the foundation of happiness, and waste is the seedling of poverty; production is like a money tree, and thrift is like a cornucopia; hard work and frugality fill the warehouse, while extravagance has nothing at the bottom; hard work is kept in mind, and diligence and thrift lead to water."

The simple and simple principles of life in the two paragraphs are Lao Xie’s experience in a difficult life. Bianying said that these two passages were heirlooms of their family.

Love experienced with heart

After his wife passed away, relatives introduced Xie Yanxin to a partner. When the other parties heard about his family situation, they either thought it was too heavy a burden or did not understand. In this way, Xie Yanxin took his father-in-law's family alone for 10 years, until Xie Fenxiang, a fellow villager, appeared.

"Everyone in the village knows about him. He is so good to my parents-in-law, and he must be just as good to me. You must first feel comfortable in your life." This is how Xie Fenxiang explained why she married Lao Xie. Marrying a reliable and conscientious person makes Xie Fenxiang feel at ease.

After getting married, Xie Fenxiang took care of children, served the elderly, and farmed in her hometown in Huaxian County. Lao Xie took care of her father-in-law's family in Jiaozuo. Every once in a while, Fenxiang went to Jiaozuo's home to unpack and wash the family's bedding.

Looking back, from the time Fenxiang got married in 2003 to when she took care of her sick husband in Jiaozuo, Fenxiang said she stayed with her husband for less than a year. Mr. Lao Xie told her: "I take good care of my parents-in-law, you take good care of my parents and set an example for your children."

Xie Fenxiang and her ex-husband have a son and a daughter, plus Lao Xie and his ex-wife's daughter , and a daughter of her and Lao Xie. The composition of this big family is very complicated in the eyes of others, but the whole family gets along well with each other and lives in harmony even when they are not rich.

Lao Xie owes his wife and children a lot, but Xie Fenxiang and the children don't care. Fenxiang took care of Lao Xie's parents at home with his brothers, performed her filial piety for Lao Xie, and lived a good life in the village.

"The folks all think that Lao Xie will always smile no matter how hard it is, and I can't embarrass him. I have to live a good life." Xie Fenxiang, like Lao Xie, is also a strong person. people.

"Lao Xie never says soothing words, but he has this family in his heart." Xie Fenxiang said. Every time he went back to his hometown, Lao Xie would do whatever he could as soon as he walked in, rushing to help his wife with work.

The new house had just been built. It had no doors or windows, and the walls were not dry. Xie Fenxiang moved in with her children. After Xie Yanxin heard about it from his neighbors who came into the city, he asked them to send a message to his wife: "Don't make the bed against the wall, so that adults and children will not get wet and get sick."

Simple language, simple love, the whole family is here Support each other in this love and understand it with your heart.

●There is joy in suffering

The days are bitter, but the heart is not bitter. After more than 30 years of hard life, Lao Xie found happiness in the midst of hardship.

Lao Xie is an ingenious person. Whenever he has free time, he helps his neighbors make baskets out of plastic strips. Neighbors praised him for making baskets that were better than those in the market.

Lao Xie likes Henan opera. When his father-in-law was alive, he would accompany him to listen to the radio when he had free time. In the evening, the sound of the two men humming Henan opera on the radio could often be heard from Xie's house.

Lao Xie loves calligraphy. In a notebook, he writes first with a blue pen and then with a red pen. One notebook is enough for two.

The poverty of life has been with Yanxin for more than 30 years. Although life improved after he started working in 1983, the combined retirement salary of Yanxin and his father-in-law was only more than 100 yuan, which was enough for the two elderly people to take medicines and injections and the family's living expenses. In order to save 10 yuan on vegetables every month, Yanxin digs wild vegetables, picks sweet potato leaves, sweet potato stems and cabbage sticks. More than 10 kinds of four-season side dishes pickled by himself have become his three daily meals.

In order to save some money for medical treatment for the two elderly people, Yanxin forgot what bananas, apples and even watermelons tasted like for more than ten years from his father-in-law's illness to his death. As for the clothes of Yanxin and his family, he had never bought them in a store. A pair of plastic sandals costing 4 yuan lasted six years. He wore a shirt for 10 years. If it got dirty during the day, he would wash it at night and wear it again the next day. In order to save a few yuan in fares, every time he went to see a doctor for his father-in-law, he used a truck to take his father-in-law to a hospital more than ten kilometers away.

In order to save money on buying vegetables, Lao Xie opened a vegetable field in the courtyard of the pump house he was looking at. He planted several kinds of vegetables in the small vegetable field. His wife looked at the densely planted rapeseeds he planted and said he planted them too densely. Lao Xie said with a smile: "You don't understand. When the seedlings are young, they can be picked and eaten; when they are bigger, they can be boiled and mixed with food; when the rapeseed blooms, it can be fried and eaten; when the rapeseed finally sets, it can be squeezed for oil. This is a green little bank!”

Workers learned about Xie Yanxin’s family situation from the side. Lao Xie never mentioned family matters in class, and he gave the impression that he was cheerful every day. Yanxin has been working for more than 20 years. No matter what position he is in, he does what he does, loves what he does, and is good at what he does. His work has never been affected by the burden of his family.

In the autumn of 1992, his father-in-law was hospitalized for a month. Yanxin went to work during the day and went to the hospital to serve his father-in-law at night, which did not affect his work day.

The unit union leader Zhao Shantong was surprised to see the situation in Lao Xie’s home during a home visit: a house of more than ten square meters, a bed made of two wooden boards... Zhao Shantong made up a jingle to describe that time The situation of the Xie family: "There are old and young, sick and disabled, and a fool looking at the sky will make a heart of stone soft."

After returning, the leader talked to Lao Xie and wanted to help him Relief was offered, but he declined. He said: "I live my own life. I don't compare with others, and I don't covet others. There are many people in difficulty, not just my family.

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