Longxin Jin, Year 12
‘It was another black day’, the young boy said, in a melancholy mood. He looked around, no one was there except himself. The young boy lived in a poor house, with a low standard of living. He had had an unfortunate childhood. His dad died when he was 16, his mom had an incurable disease, and she now lived in a poor area of the countryside. How this happened is a long story. When his mom was young, she donated blood to a young girl who also lived in the same village, because they have the same blood type. The young girl’s family knew the boy’s mother had the same blood type. So the family had pleaded with his mom every day. The mom hesitated for a long time because she already had anaemia. If she donated her blood, she probably would die or have an incurable disease. But finally, because the boy’s mom was full of benevolence, knowing she would get nothing in return, she still helped the patient. However, after the girl recovered, she didn’t thank her. But the boy’s mom was now contaminated with several diseases, and she had to have lots of treatment.
The young boy didn’t understand why this could happen. His father was a soldier when the boy was growing up, though as he became older, he started to work in a porcelain factory. His father was a good person; always helping his neighbours and his workmates. However, he was a drunk, and as a result, died when his son was only 16 years old.
They had a poor life, sometimes the young boy would scavenge for some vaguely valuable trash, such as copper wire or empty bottles, which he usually gave to his dad, and then his dad could go to the rubbish station to exchange them for money. Life was tough for him, but he had a strong heart, and he never gave up. Because he was from a poor background, and his father had died, everyone who lived near the boy mocked him, they didn’t empathise with him, and they laughed over him losing his father.
The boy is a hero, he never gave up. His mother had an incurable disease, and his father died. He had to work early and abandon his studies. He had no support, and he had to find a decent job on his own. But it was hard, hard to find a job, no employer would give a job to such a young boy. So he started to do some laborious part-time jobs. In the daytime , he would go to a restaurant as a waiter, and at night, he would work as a cleaner at a car wash shop. However, through his dauntless efforts, he finally found a respectable job, got married, and had a son.
The young boy had become a weathered middle-aged man, everything had become better now, and he finally had a normal life like others. But he must have had many dark experiences in the back of his mind, moments that made him feel vulnerable, and we will never know how hard he suffered.
Everyone’s a hero in their own story, and we are the main characters in that story. Not everyone’s life is dazzling, many people are just ordinary people. Sometimes life might be tough, but just like the boy, if you believe in yourself, you can make your own life better.
