“Life is so miserable. Why should I rescue her?” thought seven-year-old Liu Hui as he watched his five-year-old sister drowning in the river. What kind of miserable life has made such a little boy so indifferent to death. Why death rather than life?
As reported by the China Economic Times, Liu Hui’s sister accidentally fell into a river while playing on their family fishing boat with her brother. The little girl cried for help while she was struggling in the river. However, her brother did not offer any help though he could reach her. He did not call for the adults nearby to rescue her, either. Instead, he continued to play alone while his sister drowned.
Later, Liu Hui’s grandmother asked him his sister’s whereabouts and he said, “My sister fell into the river.” Right away the family reported the case to the police. Unfortunately, the police did not find the girl after several searches. On the morning of April 23, the girl’s body was found floating on the surface of the river.
Afterward, people asked Liu Hui why he didn’t call for help when his sister fell into the river so that she could still be saved. This seven-year-old innocent boy surprisingly responded, “Life is so miserable. Why should I rescue her?”
Lui Hui and his family, a few years ago, relocated from Shangdong Province to Miaogang Town of Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province and lived by fishing in Tai Lake. His mother left the two young children behind when she divorced their father and married another man. His father started to drink a lot of alcohol to escape his sorrows and worries. The man was often sent to a labor camp when he got drunk and created a disturbance. Liu Hui and his sister had to live with their grandparents.
His grandparents were all approaching 60. They had no regular income, just some money from fishing. Hence they lived in utter poverty and misery with their grandchildren. Since this year, the poor family has been inadequately fed and clothed. Liu Hui and his sister often played on the street and ate what they could find. Sometimes, they stole fruits from local fruit stalls.
Some analysts think that the shocking story reveals not only the boy’s indifference and heartlessness, but a hidden societal problem in China. The polarization between the rich and poor has become worse. The poor families lose hope in life and in a society that does not enable them to even meet their most basic needs for daily life.
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