During the period of family planning (1970-1990), the Chinese Communist Party implemented measures, such as forced abortions and fines for parents with more than one child, to control population growth. The one-child policy, introduced in 1979, was stringent in its enforcement. Due to the traditional Chinese preference for sons over daughters, many families sought to have male children, leading to the abortion or abandonment of countless female infants, resulting in profound tragedies for many families.
An unlikely savior
A young couple lived in a town in Xiaogan County, Hubei Province. The husband, Xiao Chongyang, worked in a cotton spinning factory, while his wife, Qi Chunlan, was too weak and sickly to have children.
In the winter of 1987, Qi Chunlan went to the hospital to see a doctor. On the way home, she heard cries beside a garbage can along the roadside. To her surprise, she discovered that the cries were coming from an abandoned baby girl no more than a few days old. Out of pity, she gathered the nearly-frozen baby and took her home.
After the couple revived the baby girl with warm rice soup, they asked around to find out whose family had abandoned the child, but to no avail. They adopted the baby and went to the local government department to undergo the adoption procedures. They named the baby Jingjing, symbolizing purity, kindness, and wisdom. Despite their financial struggles, the couple frugally bought baby formula for Jingjing, a costly expense for them at the time.
Sacrifices and struggles
In the 1990s, as China underwent economic reforms, Xiao Chongyang lost his job. To make ends meet, he worked as a porter. After 1995, when many city dwellers began using gas tanks for cooking, Xiao Chongyang found work at a local gas station. He used a tricycle to transport the gas tanks from households to the gas station, a distance of seven to eight miles. After refilling the tanks, he would carry the 100 kg tanks on his shoulders and climb up the stairs to deliver them to residents’ homes. In addition, he took on various other manual labor jobs, but despite his hard work, he earned only a few dollars each day.
That year, Jingjing started school. Knowing how much her parents loved her and how hard they worked, she was motivated by their sacrifice and studied diligently, earning excellent grades.
In May 2001, Qi Chunlan, gravely ill and in the hospital, realized she had little time left. When Xiao Chongyang brought their daughter to visit, she took Jingjing’s hand and revealed the secret she had kept for 14 years: “Jingjing, you’re not our biological daughter. You are our adopted daughter.” She also told Xiao Chongyang that, no matter how complex their circumstances were, he had to ensure that Jingjing received an education and learned fundamental skills. Jingjing, filled with love and gratitude, responded: “You will always be my real parents.”
In August 2005, Xiao Jingjing was admitted to Huazhong Agricultural University. Determined to lessen the financial burden on her father, who had suffered from numerous illnesses due to years of hard labor, she took on several part-time jobs, including tutoring, selling newspapers, and organizing bikes on campus. Despite her busy schedule, she excelled academically and even earned a scholarship.
In 2011, Xiao Jingjing graduated with a master’s degree from Huazhong Agricultural University. The university, impressed by her achievements, recommended her for doctoral studies in Canada. She told her adoptive father, “When I return with my degree and secure a job, you will be able to enjoy life.”
A shocking reunion
One day, a middle-aged couple knocked on the door as Xiao Jingjing was preparing for her trip abroad. When she opened it, they hesitated for a moment before gently taking her hand and revealing that they were her biological parents. They offered to pay Xiao Chongyang 3.7 million yuan (approx. US$500,000) as compensation for raising her, insisting that they wanted to reclaim her as their daughter.
The sudden appearance of her biological parents shocked Jingjing. After a moment of consideration, faced with the choice between her adoptive parents, who had rescued, loved, and cared for her, and the parents who had abandoned her, Xiao Jingjing calmly replied: “I don’t know you. Please don’t bother us again.”
It turned out that the couple who had abandoned Xiao Jingjing lived in the same town as Xiao Chongyang, a mere few hundred meters away. Twenty-four years had passed since they left their baby that fateful day in 1987, and in all that time, they had never come to claim her. Instead, they appeared only when Xiao Jingjing had become successful in her studies and was about to go abroad for further education.
Even after being rejected by Xiao Jingjing, the couple refused to give up. Eventually, a sister born to the same parents reached out to Xiao Jingjing, and after some time, Xiao Jingjing agreed to recognize her as a sister.
Xiao Jingjing moved abroad to Canada, where she completed her studies and earned a doctorate. After returning to China, she began working in Shanghai, where she married and had a son. She brought Xiao Chongyang to live with them, and the family of four lived in harmony.
A test of loyalty
In 2015, the crew of Zhejiang Satellite TV’s China Dream Show organized a live broadcast in a theater, arranging for Xiao Jingjing and her biological sister to appear together on the same stage. The host asked the sister to dance and then inquired about her wish. She replied: “My wish is to make my mom’s wish come true.” Unbeknownst to Xiao Jingjing, the crew had secretly arranged for her biological mother to be present.
The host asked Xiao Jingjing and her sister to stand back to back, and in a dramatic moment, Xiao Jingjing’s biological mother appeared on stage. The host asked her: “What is your wish?” The woman wished Xiao Jingjing would call her mother and take a family photo. The crew had orchestrated this moment, hoping to use the pressure of public opinion to convince Jingjing to recognize her biological parents.
As the host asked them to turn around, Xiao Jingjing’s biological mother rushed to her side and called out “Daughter,” but Xiao Jingjing remained unfazed by the sudden turn of events. The host, visibly shocked, criticized her: “Do you want your children to see a mother’s love and tolerance or her narrow-mindedness and indifference? Don’t let them think you are a cold, harsh woman.”
With a calm smile, Xiao Jingjing responded: “If I betray my commitment to my adoptive parents, would I not be unfilial?” Her composed answer left the host speechless. She then asked her biological mother: “Why did you abandon me?” The woman explained that she had an older daughter then, and their life was complicated. Overcome with guilt, she knelt and apologized, offering compensation of 2.2 million yuan (approx. US$300,000). Xiao Jingjing refused the money.
After the show aired, the public was divided — some praised her decision, while others criticized it.
A love that cannot be bought
When faced with the choice between repaying kindness and honoring blood ties, Xiao Jingjing chose to repay the kindness of those who had raised her. During her most difficult times, it was her adoptive parents who nurtured and cared for her with all their strength. As she emerged from hardship and found success, her biological parents, who had abandoned her as a baby, sought to claim the fruits of her adoptive parents’ hard work.
In the cold of winter, her biological parents abandoned her by a trash can as a newborn, severing all ties with her. Though they gave her life, their actions symbolized a deliberate attempt to end it. In that moment, they effectively severed their biological bond with Xiao Jingjing.
By the grace of fate, Xiao Chongyang and his wife became her guardians, raising her as their own with unwavering love. Xiao Jingjing understood that her adoptive parents had given her life. She held deep gratitude for their noble character and selflessness and remained resolute in her desire to repay the love and care they had given her.
No amount of money could ever measure the depth of the bond they shared.
Translated by Cecilia and edited by Tatiana Denning
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