Lucky orphan now has four 'fathers'
Du Haiying became an orphan after her father died after being ill for some time.
The girl, now nine, has no idea what her mother is like, because her mum left home when she was only six months old.
More than three years later, her father passed away, leaving behind Haiying and her 78-year-old grandfather.
The pair were living in a makeshift house in Buyei.
In 2009, Haiying bumped into Tian Weichun – a person who changed her life forever.
Tian - an officer at the local traffic police brigade – was sending water to villagers suffering from drought.
"How can a small girl be left with such a heavy burden?" This was the first thing on Tian's mind after learning of Haiying's story.
Tian began taking care of her.
As he worked irregular hours, Tian invited his three colleagues – Chen Xun, Cui Jianyong and Jian Xing – to take turns to visit Haiying and help her.
Haiying and her 'fathers'
They also subsidised the girl’s studies and bought her new clothes for the Chinese New Year.
"We will always treat her like our own daughter," Tian said.
The 'fathers' also withdrew money from their savings to renovate Haiying's house so that she could have a better environment to live and study in.
They bought electrical appliances such as a television set and washing machine for the new house.
With their encouragement, Haiying is now a confident and active girl, and has also obtained good academic results.
Source: China News Service / Xinhua
Images: Xinhua
Published May 16, 2012
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