This is indeed a heartbreaking true story. An 11-year-old girl is responsible to take care of her old granny and young brother at home.

Wearing a pair of glasses, Ye Liwen is a standard five student studying in S.R.J.K (C) Phooi Yong, Teluk Intan.

She is young but sensible.Unlike other children, she is required to get up early in the morning to take care of her family members.

Due to her impoverished family background, she usually goes to school with an empty stomach and moreover, she needs to worry about her granny and younger brother.

She has only a few family members, including a 61-year-old granny, Huang Liyun, a 38-year-old father, Ye Guojin and a 7-year-old younger brother, Ye Zhishen. Her mother has divorced with her father years ago and is not living in Teluk Intan currently.

Having an empty stomach

Liwen and her family live just in front of her school and because of the close distance, she is able to take care of her granny, who is on a wheelchair.

Her father, who works as a lorry driver, is usually out of work early in the morning. Therefore, she has no choice but to wake up early to wash her granny’s dirty clothes with excrement. She then changes into her school uniform and makes a big glass of “Milo” for her granny before rushing to school with her brother.

If she is given pocket money by her father, she will bring along her brother to have breakfast at the school canteen. Or, she and her brother will have to go to school with empty stomachs if pocket money is not provided due to her father's financial constraint.

During recess time, both of them are provided with free meal by the Education Ministry, but Liwen has rejected the offer as she always losses her appetite. However, she always suffers from stomachache. After a checkup, she was said to be temporarily fine.

Rushing home from school

Students are allowed to take a break for lunch before the tuition class.

Liwen and her brother have to hurriedly finish their lunch at school and rush to buy their granny lunch in the short break of half an hour (1pm to 1.30pm).

Since her granny is served with a glass of "Milo" for breakfast, she needs rice for her lunch. Sometimes, Liwen has to look for food at home for her granny when she has no enough money to buy.

Absent to take care of her granny
There was once due to her granny’s poor health, she had no choice but to absent from her school lessons so that she could take care of her granny. Her form teacher Xu Baoying found out her condition only when she came to look for her.

The deputy headmasters then discussed and agreed to allow Liwen to return home during recess time and after school so that she could take care or buy food for her granny.

Liwen will sometimes have to take care of the daily needs of her family when her father is required to travel far and stay outside overnight.

Her granny refuses to stay in an old-folk house as she is worried about her grandchildren. She said that the children are well-behaved despite their poor fate.

Li Wen also helps to bathe her granny and prepare the medicine. Her granny sees them as the best present from God. Luckily, their situation has been concerned by the Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merits Society. The society provides them dinner every night although most of the time, three of them have instant noodle for their lunch.

The happiest moment

The happiest moment for them is to dine with their father at food stall during weekends. During the recent Chinese New Year, they received many "ang pao" from their relatives and Liwen’s new year wish was hoping that her granny would get well soon.

Li Wen does not only study hard herself, she also guides her younger brother as she hopes that it will please her granny, father and teachers.

Her teachers are also gratified with her good academic results and the school has promised to provide her some free reference books so that her study will not be affected.

During the recent Chinese New Year, her a director from the board of directors of her school has suggested to set up a a foundation to help them, as well as other children who need help. (Translated by Lim Liy Ee/ Sin Chew Daily)