Dear Auntie Wei,

How are you! I don't know what 100 Yuan means for other students. For me, it's the living expense for more than a week. Please forgive me for not telling you the whole truth. As a matter of fact, there is somebody in my family who is working in the city. It is my beloved father! My father is 37 years old. He is short, less than 1.5 meter tall. He doesn't even stand up to my shoulder. He weighs less than 40 kg. But he has on his shoulders the burden of the whole family. The most worrying thing is that he is not in good health. My mother tells me: "your dad has kidney stones. It hurts so much in the night that your dad can't even speak. I feel so sad when I see your dad suffering like that!" We have tried to take him to a hospital several times but he always refuses, telling us it is not a big deal. I cried when my mother told me this. Father is reluctant to spend money on him. I hate it that my family is so poor. I keep asking why! I understand that hatred cannot solve any problem, cannot bring my father good health. Hatred is useless! I often cry at night. But I refuse to let anybody know my sufferings.

All four children in our family are in school and need support for living expense. My living expense is undoubtedly the highest, more than 400 Yuan a month. My dad does not have any education and can only work in a mine as a labor. There is little safety measures and guarantee in the mine and accidents happen often, causing many injuries and even death. The 1000 Yuan my dad makes every month is truly blood money. I am really worried about my father, but what can I do? I can only pray to God for my father's safety, that's all. I feel so fortunate to have such a good father. I love him dearly. He is the greatest father in the world.

I just called my father. I was going to ask him to send me some money for my living expense. But I heard his weak voice. My father was ill! He told me he did not go to work these days. Now he was lying in bed and resting. He still owed the boss 800 Yuan for medicine. He wanted me to borrow some money from my classmates to get by for now. I replied to my father, "Dad, don’t worry. I can manage." I asked him why he didn't go to see a doctor. He told me he could deal with it himself and hung up. I was so sad and almost cried,. But I did not. I was using the school public phone. I was afraid that I would be seen by other students when I went out. This has happened more than once. I always say to myself: It doesn't matter; it will get better! But every time this happens, I wonder if I should quit school and go out to work to lighten the burden on my family. But I would be letting a lot of people down if I quit school. So I shut this idea out of my mind. I'm afraid that I will have nothing to live on and need to call my father again. So I think of you. I really don't know what else to do this time, so I just start writing you. I don't know when this will end. Please tell me what to do! Thank you Auntie!

Gao Wen Jian (Justin)

Postscript

Auntie Wei received this letter and was deeply concerned about Gao Wen Jian' wellbeing. She immediately forwarded the letter to PEACH office. Aunt Jeng wrote Gao Wen Jian back to encourage him. PEACH provided a small loan for Gao Wen Jian's living expense so that he can concentrate on his study. The loan also helps to relieve his father's burden and encourages him to seek medical help. We would like all the PEACH kids to know that, when you encounter difficulties, you can do what Gao Wen Jian did, contact PEACH. We will help you get through the difficulty times.