A letter of a Goodwill scholarship awardee, translated by TANG Xiaoou (859) from Chinese to English. (original letter)

Coming from a rural village, I was admitted to USTC last year. Since then, I received numerous help from the school and public, especially from the USTC "Hand-in-Hand" project. In great gratitude to them, I'd like to share the following story with you.

In a rural village where few homes are rich, my family is among the poorest. For many years, my parents work over less than an acre of land to raise me and my brother. Life is hard yet simple. Unfortunately, five years ago, father lost working ability in a tragic accident. Mother has to take on all the work load besides taking care of father, me and my little brother. To cure father's illness, mother tried every possible way with all the money we had, however, still failed to get father any better.

In the summer of 1995, I was admitted to county key high school as the number one student in our whole county. To pay for my tuition, mom sold 500 pounds of rice, at a time when dad is greatly ill. Because of mom's strong support, I was able to attend the school I've long dreamed of.

I can never forget the night of June 23rd, 1995. While walking back home in the rainy night, I can't help to shiver in the cold wind. Loomed by a fateful thought, I could sense something very unfortunate was about to happen. When I got home, Dad was dying in bed. Mom, brother and I sat around father. Looking at father's pale face, I can't help to cry out.......

Dad left us without even a photo. Forever, I can only search for his face in my memory!

For father's funeral, mom had to borrow money. I can see her getting old in just a few days. For several days, I didn't go to school. Looking at mom, I thought about dropping out of school to help shoulder her burden. However, tears came to my eyes even when I just thought about leaving my be loved school. When mom heard about it, she scolded me, "How many kids have the great opportunity that you have to go to such a great school? Even if I have to break my back, have to sell everything we have, I still want you and your little brother to go to school, ... "

To pay debt and our tuition, mom asked for some more land from the village. Now, she has to work several people's load. Everyday, mom got up early, cook breakfast, then went to work in the field. My brother and I got up later, eat and went to school. We came back from school at noon before mom. I will prepare lunch. For the three daily meals, lunch is the only time three of us eat together. When we talk about things in school, mom is always amused. At night, we came back to eat dinner ourselves. Mom will work until very late. Day after day, year after year, we live a simple life like this.

During the summer and fall harvest, brother and I have to skip some school sessions to help mom in the field. Summer harvest is especially hard, since besides cropping wheat, we have to plant corn in time. June's whether is very rainy. To catch good weather to harvest wheat, mom has to wake us up three or four o'clock in the morning. She knows we are very tired, but she has no choice. We have to work until it's very dark to go home.

Last summer, in front of a mountain of harvested wheat crops, we worked none stop for a whole night to de-grain the wheat. I felt so completely drained after we finished the work that I felt down on the crops. Looking at the dark blue sky filled with stars, and the hill of wheat grains, I knew mom must felt happy and relieved.

Every summer, we have to pass this important step with several times more hardworking than most other families. It is so critical for my family since our livelihood depends on it. I don't know how my mother can bear such a heavy burden with energy and will beyond a regular person. After the harvest season, mom have to lay in bed for several days to recover. Mom has long had stomach disease. Poor living condition and hard labor worsened her illness. Every time the problem came up, she would get into a state of coma for several days without wanting to eat anything. I prayed for her at her bedside day and night.

For three years, she took care of everything at home, so that brother and I can concentrate on our study. When we proudly bring our transcripts to her, she always smile to us, but without any praising word. Mom Always thinks her children deserve to be excellent. She always use her simple words, her action, to push us, to encourage us.

Pressure is simply too much on mom. Her black hair turned to white in a hurry. Sometimes, she can no longer take the pressure, she would accuse us without good reason. Sometimes, she would wake up in a nightmare. I knew how hard life is to her.

Several years passed. I was able to attend USTC with helps from friends and neighbors. Brother also gets into the key high school. The burden on mom is even heavier now. However, I can no longer share a tiny bit of her burden from thousands miles away. All I can do is to work hard to repay her and the society. Whenever I face any problems, I gain strength and courage from her. Looking forward to a bright future, I'm ready for any challenge!

(This letter is by a brave USTC student. She does not wish to disclose her name.)