A nine-year-old boy in rural China who relies on his 73-year-old grandfather and brings him meat from his school canteen because he fears the old man might die without it has touched millions of internet users in the country.
The boy, who is nicknamed Zichen, is a primary school pupil who lives in a village in Taikang county, central Henan province.
His story has been viewed 46 million times on social media, sparking the local authorities to intervene with help.
According to a report by Henan TV, Zichen’s father died of an undisclosed illness several years ago and his mother left the family and remarried.
His grandmother also died many years ago, leaving his grandfather as his sole carer.
Despite his age, Zichen handles all the household chores, such as cooking, washing and hanging up clothes.
The boy is so sensible that his grandfather said he felt sorry for him.
“I feel I owe him for not providing my boy a good life,” the grandfather told the media.
When his school’s canteen arranges meals containing meat, Zichen always takes some home for his grandfather to eat.
“My grandpa does not eat expensive food like meat. I worry if he does not eat meat, he will die. So I bring meat for him as I hope my grandpa can live healthily,” the boy said.
His grandfather said on important festivals, seeing other children’s parents happily return home for family reunions makes Zichen feel sad and weep in silence.
“Sometimes he cries when sleeping. He said he has dreamed about his father,” the grandfather said.
“I hope I can live for a long time so that I can be with Zichen for many years and watch him grow up,” added the old man.
The boy’s teacher, surnamed Wang, was moved to tears.
She told his grandfather: “If one day you pass away, this boy will be my kid. I promise you that I will raise him until adulthood.”
The village’s committee and the local women and children’s federation said they are looking into policies to check if they can offer any aid for Zichen’s family.
The news ignited a wave of sympathy among online.
“How can I contact this boy? I would like to make a donation,” said one online observer.
Another person said: “I salute his teacher. She is really an angel.”
While a third person added: “How ruthless his mother is to abandon her son at such a young age.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
