One-armed goatherd supports himself and walks a path out of poverty toward prosperity

Zhang Shijing's flock of goats keeps growing.

Watching the vehicle loaded with goats slowly drive out of Wanguo Mountain, the one-armed goatherd Zhang Shijing was beaming with joy. It was clear that this was another season of harvest.

Wanguo Mountain is part of the Qingliang Peak range, with dense forests and lush, fertile grass. Since 25 years ago, when Zhang Shijing drove 5 goats here to graze, the grassland, the flock of goats, and the one-armed goatherd have become a fixed scene at the foot of Wanguo Mountain.

Misfortunes came one after another

Zhang Shijing is a native of Houying Village in Changhua Town, Lin'an. In the early 1990s, one misfortune after another plunged Zhang Shijing's family into desperate straits: his seriously ill wife underwent two surgeries in succession and lost her ability to work; Zhang Shijing, who worked away from home, lost his right arm in an accident, and from then on the family was deeply in debt. What made Old Zhang even more despairing was that, with only one arm, he had lost his way of earning a living as a migrant worker, the family had no source of income, and his children in elementary school could not pay their tuition. Neighbors near and far all worried for Old Zhang, saying, "How will this family get by from now on?"

The plight of Old Zhang's family touched the hearts of local officials. The village and then the town came to his door one after another, telling Old Zhang to submit an application and seek some hardship allowance. Looking at the helpless gazes of his family, Old Zhang did not put pen to paper. He said, "The family really does need money now, even just to tide us over, but the country has too many people to take care of, so let's not add to the country's troubles."

Resolve dissolves hardship

Old Zhang decided to rekindle hope with his one remaining hand. With help from relatives and friends, Old Zhang bought 5 breeding goats and drove them to Wanguo Mountain, four li from home. From then on, no matter the scorching heat or severe cold, he insisted on getting up at 5 every day, finishing work on the family's contracted land, and at 10 o'clock going to Wanguo Mountain to graze the goats, not dragging his exhausted body home until 7 in the evening.

Once, when Old Zhang was finishing work, he found that one ram was missing. That ram was worth more than 1,000 yuan, and Old Zhang was more anxious than words could say. He immediately searched back along the route the goats had taken home, searching for several hours, and finally found it more than 12 li away. It turned out that the ram had had one leg broken by an iron trap set by a hunter and had become separated from the flock. That day, Old Zhang, dragging and carrying it among the cliffs, fell who knows how many times, and it was already 10 at night when he got home.

Another time, the flock scattered in snowy weather. Old Zhang searched in the deep mountains amid goose-feather-sized snow. The mountain roads were slippery in the snow, and climbing with both hands would have been difficult, let alone with one arm. While climbing, Old Zhang suddenly could not muster any strength and fell down a steep slope, tumbling more than 30 meters. Luckily, he was stopped by a small tree and survived, but his waist took a violent impact and hurt all night. That night, Old Zhang did not close his eyes for even a moment. At dawn the next day, he dragged his sore, exhausted body into the mountains to look for the goats, crossing four ridges, and finally found the 3 goats that had gone missing.

Another time, a large pit viper blocked the flock's path, and the frightened goats huddled together. In order to keep the pregnant does from being crushed, Old Zhang spent enormous effort isolating the does and, risking his life, drove off the venomous snake. After all that, he had already collapsed from exhaustion...

One hand regains the light

Seeing that his father often came back bruised and battered from herding goats, his son felt heartache and proposed dropping out of school to help his father herd goats. Old Zhang firmly opposed it: "What am I doing all this for?" He warned his children that they must not only study, but study well, and use knowledge to change the family's fate.

For 25 years, Old Zhang struggled against fate every day, working hard and living frugally as the family's pillar, resolutely bearing the responsibilities of a father and a husband with one arm.

Heaven does not fail the diligent. After 25 years of painstaking effort, Old Zhang's flock has grown from the initial 5 to more than 80. Because they are grazed in the wild, they are fat and strong with good meat quality, and Old Zhang's goats are famous far and wide, with both production and sales thriving.

Relying on one diligent and resolute hand, Old Zhang paid off his debts, married off both his son and daughter, and spent more than 300,000 yuan to build a three-story house. The villagers all praised him endlessly.

"Oo-oo-oo-"

In the thin morning mist came Old Zhang's clear call. The flock once again rushed out of the pen and headed for the broad road of the "goat" path, with Old Zhang shaking an empty sleeve as he followed close behind, disappearing into the mountain forest before long.