Millions of netizens have been moved by the story of a Chinese man who has spent more than three decades taking care of his disabled Good Samaritan wife who suffered horrific injuries when she intervened to save others from a knife-wielding robber.
The selfless act of bravery by Xie Fang came when she was a migrant worker in Changsha in central China’s Hunan province in the 1980s. At that time she confronted an armed robber who had sneaked into the restaurant where she worked intent on stealing money.
After the boss of the restaurant and his wife disturbed the intruder he stabbed them both with a knife.
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To stop the robber killing them, the then 22-year-old Xie, who was working a night shift, fought bare-handed to disarm the thug and in the process was stabbed nine times, reports at the time said.
Xie survived the attack, but was seriously injured. In the years since, her injuries have caused her to suffer from serious muscle wastage.
In 1988, the Hunan Provincial Public Security Department awarded her the Good Samaritan award for her actions, Dami Video reported.
For Xie Haihua, a retired People’s Liberation Army soldier, Xie Fang’s bravery was something to behold. It’s not clear how the two met, but their relationship flourished and they were married in 1988, the same year she received the Good Samaritan award.
“He said I seemed such a small and weak girl, but did something courageous. He said he admired me,” Xie Fang was quoted as saying. “I think we just fell in love at first sight.”
After marrying, the wife was unable to work so Haihua took two jobs to support the family.
He also looked after his wife around the clock. Since 1993, Xie Fang’s ability to move was almost non-existent and her husband took her around the country seeking medical treatment to alleviate her suffering.
Now with children and grandchildren, the elderly couple live in a house on the outskirts of Changsha.
Haihua rises at 3am every day to tend to the crops he grows before returning home at 8am to prepare breakfast for Xie Fang and give her a massage to ease the pain she suffers.
“He has had no time to take a break for the past 34 years. But he never complains,” she said.
“He always says our home is complete only if I am there and he is there,” she said. “I feel that I acted bravely once, but he has acted bravely his whole life.”
The couple’s story has been read more than 70 million times on Weibo, sparking an outpouring of love and good wishes.
“What a good man! He is so responsible!” Wrote one netizen.
“I envy this woman. She is lucky and happy. I send my best wishes to them,” another said.
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