Willing to Return to His Hometown to Farm for the Sake of Filial Piety: The Choice of Kang Liqiang of Pingshan

In Lizhuang Village, Pingshan County, when people talk about 30-year-old Kang Liqiang, they all praise him: "He is a filial son." Whether visiting relatives and friends, plowing and farming, or going to town for the market or shopping, he always takes his mother along on his tricycle. Because his mother has epilepsy, she cannot be left alone for even a moment. This 30-year-old man is still unmarried, and he says he would rather not marry than fail to take good care of his mother, and he believes his own two hands can change his fate.

Kang Liqiang's mother is named Tan Huahua. She is 60 years old this year and has had epilepsy for more than 50 years. Whenever it strikes, she suddenly faints and loses consciousness, and sometimes even bites her tongue until it bleeds. Kang Liqiang, 30, is one of three brothers. Their father died of liver cancer in 2012. On his deathbed, his only worry was his wife. At that moment he held Kang Liqiang's hand and said: "Liqiang, after I go, my only worry is your mother. I know that among the three brothers you are the most filial. You must take good care of your mother and not let her suffer." Kang Liqiang tearfully made a promise to his father.

A promise is a promise, especially when it comes to caring for one's own mother. Kang Liqiang once worked at a chemical plant in Shijiazhuang for 8 years. In order to care for his mother, he "switched jobs" at that time to Pingshan Sanhuan Manganese Silicon Technology Co., Ltd. When his leaders heard that he had resigned and returned home to care for his mother, they felt great regret, and his colleagues also advised him: "Send your mother to a nursing home, and then you can keep working, right?" But Kang Liqiang said: "That won't do. When my mother needs me, how can a son fail to fulfill his duty of filial piety to her? By caring for my mother myself, I can also let my older brother work with peace of mind in Shijiazhuang and let my younger brother work well in Beijing. This is my bounden duty."

At first, his mother Tan Huahua's epileptic seizures were very frequent and irregular. Her mind was sometimes clear and sometimes muddled. The elderly woman also had gastric ulcers and would wet the bed at night. Over the years, Kang Liqiang has stayed by her side almost every moment to care for her, doing his utmost to cook the meals she likes, and helping his mother with massages and laundry every day...

To help his mother recover as soon as possible, Kang Liqiang sought medical treatment and medicine everywhere. In 2014, he heard that a certain therapeutic device in the county seat was quite effective for treating epilepsy, so he took his mother to the county seat for treatment by tricycle every day, going continuously for 3 months. The results were good, and Kang Liqiang wanted to buy one, but he did not have enough money. When the shop owner learned of his situation, he was deeply moved and let him take the therapeutic device home to use first. Kang Liqiang did not want to owe a debt, so he sold a piece of homestead land left by his father. After more than a year of treatment, his mother's condition improved greatly, with seizures reduced from once a day to once every one or two months or even longer.

Over the years, in order to earn money to care for his mother, in addition to farming the family's 3 mu of land well, Kang Liqiang also ran a chicken farm and worked as a power-leveling player for online games. Due to overwork, he became ill from exhaustion. Because he has to care for his mother, he is still single. In recent years, people have introduced friends to him, and he has dated 3 times, but none worked out because his family burden was too heavy. Yet Kang Liqiang never takes these things to heart. "If a hardworking, kind, and reasonable girl is willing to partner with me, of course I would welcome it. But if the other party dislikes my mother, I would rather not marry than fail to take good care of my mother."

Now, Kang Liqiang still takes his mother wherever he goes. He says: "I am still young, and I believe that through the hard work of my own two hands, I can change my fate and welcome the dawn."