A disabled boy writes an inspirational story about college life with his left hand

An inspirational story about a disabled boy writing his college life with his left hand

On a summer night, in an ordinary worker's family in Baoshan District, Shanghai, the son was practicing calligraphy in the small living room. Holding the pen in his left hand, he copied the inscriptions over and over again, shaking his head as the electric fan kept moving. After a few hours, sweat broke out on the little guy's head. Late at night, he turned off the lights and slept on the living room floor. His parents are ordinary workers. They have a two-bedroom house, and the living room is also his study and bedroom.

Mom saw from the inside that the light in the living room was out. The night in the suburbs was a bit cold, so she took a towel and blanket to cover her son. The half-asleep son turned over and stretched out his towel and blanket with his right hand. It was a shocking right hand. Due to congenital disability, the palm of the right hand was completely atrophied, and the fingers were only one-third of those of a normal person. The mother sighed, and when she turned back to the room, she accidentally saw the four words on the table that her son's ink had not dried on: "After all the hardships, the joy comes." Suddenly, a complex emotion came to my heart, and tears fell uncontrollably. .

The little guy’s name is Chen Lei, and he is just 20 years old this year. However, such a disabled person in the eyes of ordinary people can write beautiful calligraphy with his left hand. Not long ago, Chen Lei received an admission notice from the Shanghai College of Arts and Crafts. He was admitted to the university with a score of more than 20 points higher than the undergraduate score.

It is true that after all the hardships, Chen Lei used his left hand to write ink and ink, and put his melancholy childhood, the pain of disability, and the hardships of learning calligraphy into paper and pen, and wrote simple and touching calligraphy. But those calligraphy works are really an unforgettable memory for Chen Lei’s mother. My son's ups and downs were suddenly retrieved from the depths of my memory. Those unforgettable details, instead of being blurry, were as clear as yesterday.

Meet Lu Chunlong in disappointment

When Chen Lei was born, he was the most beautiful in the ward. Other babies’ eyes were just slits, but Chen Lei’s eyes were big, and It's obvious that he has double eyelids. Everyone who met him couldn't help but say, "I have never seen a postpartum baby look so upright." However, when everyone saw Chen Lei's small right hand, they all shook their heads helplessly and sighed: "What a sin. "Little Chen Lei has a congenital disability in his right hand.

Chen Lei’s mother is still unwilling to do so until now. "Your child is born with a disability in his right hand" made this happiness only last for a few seconds. After that, pain came to this ordinary family, and it was so sudden that it made people feel sad. I was at a loss.

Of course, if you are sick, you have to find a way to cure it. Although you are a working-class person, for the sake of your child, your family has to spend no amount of money to heal your child's hand, so the infant Chen Lei was sent to the hospital. Various examinations were performed. In order to prevent little Chen Lei from moving around, the doctor had to tie him up tightly during each examination. Because the child was not around for medical treatment, Chen Lei's mother had to live in confinement, and she was in tears. Continuous confinement.

During the examination, the doctor’s words plunged the whole family into despair: “Congenital disabilities are likely to be irreversible, so you must be mentally prepared. "Little Chen Lei stayed in the hospital for more than a month, and the family resolutely signed to take the child out. If it is impossible to recover, they don't want to let little Chen Lei suffer anymore.

Mom and Dad have borrowed a lot of information about the child. After reading medical books on muscle atrophy, they gradually became familiar with terms such as grasping ability and muscle tension. They asked Chen Lei to do some grasping movements according to what was said in the book, but in the end, Chen Lei's right palm was not connected. The basic grasping reaction has also disappeared.

Looking at the little Chen Lei who is growing up, my mother sometimes says to my father: "If I had known that this was the case, we would not have wanted this child." "Although it was a casual complaint, at this time, this ordinary couple still understood the truth. It is really difficult for healthy people to accept a disabled child, even if it is their own child. Sometimes, the mother will have random thoughts, If you jump down from the building with little Chen Lei in your arms, it will be over and you won’t have to suffer anymore. At this moment, little Chen Lei’s uncle and aunt came, and they could understand the conflicting mood of little Chen Lei’s parents. “It’s so good. If you don't want my child, just give it to me.

"This half-joking reassurance dispelled Chen Lei's mother's idea of ??giving up her child.

As Chen Lei grew up day by day, the child who lost the function of his right hand was accustomed to using his left hand to deal with everything he encountered in life. Starting from tying his shoes, brushing his teeth, and washing his face, Chen Lei gradually discovered that he was so incompatible with the two opposite worlds. He often imagined himself as a one-armed hero, fighting alone with his left hand. He is holding a group of monsters with weapons in his right hands. But in real life, he is like a monster. Children don't play with him or talk to him.

Chen Lei is going to school, no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter. Chen Lei always likes to wear long-sleeved clothes. Sitting in the corner of the classroom, Chen Lei is used to covering his incomplete right hand with a wide cuff. The last thing Chen Lei wants to do is to take a writing class. All the students in the classroom use their right hands. When writing, he had to use his left hand. The classmates in the class looked at him curiously. At this time, Chen Lei would glare at each other fiercely, as if he was using his eyes to protect his self-esteem, which was already too fragile to withstand any blow. The school was full of fear for Chen Lei.

When my uncle and aunt learned about this situation, they suggested that Chen Lei should learn calligraphy and use the opportunity of learning calligraphy to let Chen Lei communicate more with his peers. In fact, my uncle and aunt came up with this idea with the intention of giving it a try, because they knew a very good calligraphy teacher, Lu Chunlong.

Lu Chunlong is a well-known calligrapher in Shanghai and Chen Lei’s uncle. My uncle and aunt also studied calligraphy with Teacher Lu, so the two families have a close relationship. Teacher Lu often heard a lot about Chen Lei from his uncle and aunt. Once, Teacher Lu told Uncle Chen Lei. My uncle said that he should let his children learn calligraphy from him. Teacher Lu had a calligraphy class on Saturday, and letting Chen Lei attend would at least give him more exposure to children of the same age.

In this way, Chen Lei is in the first grade of junior high school. It was a hot day when he came to Lu Chunlong's house for the first time. Chen Lei was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and the wide cuffs covered his mutilated right hand. Chen Lei was brought to Teacher Lu without saying a word. Lowering his head, he kept pulling on his sleeve with his left hand. Teacher Lu looked at Chen Lei, smiled and touched his head, "Is it hot?" "While speaking, Teacher Lu neatly rolled up Chen Lei's sleeves. The other children studying calligraphy looked at Chen Lei in surprise. At this time, Teacher Lu said to everyone: "Chen Lei is your new classmate, and his right hand is injured. , can only write with his left hand, you should take more care of him. "In fact, from that moment on, Lu Chunlong secretly made up his mind: He must help Chen Lei build up his self-confidence. He gently touched Chen Lei's right hand that he never wanted to show, and said kindly like a grandfather: "My child, You are great, you can do it. "Since that day, this sentence has appeared countless times in the conversations between Lu Chunlong and Chen Lei.

It is not just Chen Lei who is tested by writing with his left hand

In Lu Chunlong's view, it is necessary to The most effective way for Chen Lei to regain his confidence is to let him prove his ability. However, the fact is that Chen Lei cannot hold a pen with his right hand, so if he wants to write calligraphy, he can only use his left hand.

< p> Writing with the left hand is not easy. Lu Chunlong thought of one person - the famous left-stroke calligrapher Fei Xinwo. In fact, when the calligraphy skills are basically the same, seeking innovation and change has been a very wise way since ancient times. Since then, the world of Chinese calligraphy has been full of wonders, including those who write calligraphy while standing upside down, those who write calligraphy under a microscope, those who write calligraphy with their mouths holding a brush, and those who write calligraphy with their fingers dipped in ink. Fei Xin Before I was 60 years old. Like ordinary people, he writes with his right hand. After the age of 60, due to an injury to his right hand, he had to practice calligraphy with his left hand. Unexpectedly, Chen Lei was born to write with his left hand. Perhaps this was a gift from God. After he closed one door, another window opened for him.

Lu Chunlong knew that when teaching Chen Lei Zuobi calligraphy, he had to solve some problems in Zuobi calligraphy for a month. , Lu Chunlong did not think about food and tea. Every night, he locked himself in the study, held the brush with his left hand, stroked it, and personally experienced every difficulty he encountered when writing calligraphy with his right hand. The person suddenly started writing left-hand calligraphy. You can imagine the awkwardness. At the beginning, Lu Chunlong couldn't even place his center of gravity when writing. He had to lean his whole body on the desk in order to be quiet in the hot weather. Lu Chunlong practiced calligraphy on the ground, with the doors and windows closed. He wrote left-hand calligraphy for several hours, and his whole body was soaked in sweat.

Lu Chunlong’s daughter felt distressed. She opened the door and advised the old man not to fight like this. Lu Chunlong is a well-known calligrapher. There is an endless stream of people coming to his door to ask for calligraphy. His daughter persuaded her father not to teach calligraphy to children anymore. "Why do you have to work so hard, even to teach a student who writes with his left hand?" Lu Chunlong stared. The daughter took one look and said: "If someone is in trouble, please come to us. We must help him. Since I have accepted Chen Lei as a student, I must teach him well." After that, he closed the door and began to study left-stroke calligraphy. Teacher Lu wrote down a series of questions one by one while practicing Zuobi calligraphy. He studied them repeatedly in three large notebooks. In this way, in order to teach Chen Lei to write in a targeted manner, Lu Chunlong became left-handed.

After a month, Teacher Lu felt that he had a lot of perceptual understanding of Zuobi calligraphy and could start teaching Chen Lei to write. That day, Lu Chunlong, who usually didn't drink, had a few drinks. Taking advantage of the drunkenness, he wrote a picture with the words "The winding path seeks the secluded road without end" and gave it to Chen Lei. This is an encouragement to him, and I hope he can know that on the road of calligraphy, he must have the courage and perseverance to endure hardships.

Chen Lei began to practice left-stroke calligraphy. Every week, he takes calligraphy classes at Teacher Lu's home. According to Teacher Lu's requirements, he learns how to use the left pen and how to control the strength of the brush. Teacher Lu wrote many copybooks for Chen Lei with his left hand for him to copy. However, Chen Lei, who was only 13 years old at the time, was less than 1.6 meters tall and had no way to control his strength, so his handwriting was crooked. Teacher Lu never criticized him and always encouraged him to keep working hard. Chen Lei could also understand the teacher's painstaking efforts and went home to practice calligraphy hard every day.

My mother has never seen Chen Lei do something so seriously. Ever since Chen Lei went to school, he has always been depressed. When he came home from school, he would stay alone in his room and watch TV. His parents would ignore him when they asked him anything. Ever since I learned calligraphy from Teacher Lu, I started practicing calligraphy every day when I went home to complete my homework. I couldn’t move within an hour. In the living room of his home, Chen Lei spread out rice paper and picked up a brush for the first time. Even his favorite cartoons couldn't attract him.

The first assignment Lu Chunlong assigned to Chen Lei was to write the word "book". The traditional Chinese character "书" has many strokes, which is very helpful for practicing the basic skills of calligraphy. Chen Lei took the calligraphy written by the teacher home and read it over and over again. Where did the teacher's "one horizontal stroke" start and where did he stop the pen? After understanding it, he slowly wrote the text. Chen Lei copied the word "book" thousands of times. Practice on the newspaper first, and then write on rice paper when you are proficient in writing. My left hand feels a little numb when I write, so I shake it hard and continue practicing. The newspaper and rice paper filled with "books" slowly piled up. My mother picked up the top one and felt that it was already written very well. "Chen Lei, you can rest now. You can write decently now." "No, It's far from Teacher Lu's requirements." Chen Lei shook his head and continued to practice calligraphy.

On the weekend, Chen Lei went to Teacher Lu’s house for a calligraphy class. Chen Lei used the brush tightly held in his left hand to vigorously write an angular "book" on the rice paper. Chen Lei smiled, knowing that he had lived up to the teacher's hope. At this time, Teacher Lu turned his back. When Teacher Lu turned around again, Chen Lei found that the teacher was crying. Every teacher feels joy from the bottom of his heart when he sees his students achieve something. Lu Chunlong is no exception. But in Chen Lei's opinion, Teacher Lu's tears of joy were something he would never forget.

Putting on a short-sleeved T-shirt for the first time, showing off his cute right hand

Starting from writing the word "书", Chen Lei wrote calligraphy for seven years, and Lu Chunlong also taught him free of charge His seven years. For Chen Lei, calligraphy has become a part of his study and life. From Teacher Lu, he learned to write with his left hand and regained his confidence.

Chen Lei still remembers the first award he received for calligraphy. It was a year after Chen Lei learned calligraphy. It was still a hot day and the school held a cultural and art festival for the first time. The class teacher mobilized everyone to sign up, and the students looked at each other. At this moment, Chen Lei raised his right hand and said, "I participate." At this time, everyone suddenly realized that Chen Lei, who had been wearing a long-sleeved shirt every day last year, had suddenly put on a short-sleeved sports T-shirt. He did not shy away from raising his disabled right hand in front of his classmates because he had gotten rid of his psychological disability. Chen Lei used his calligraphy to win the second prize in the school culture and arts festival for his class. The students were surprised. They did not expect that Chen Lei, who has a disability in his right hand, could write such beautiful calligraphy with his left hand.

Many parents began to use Chen Lei as an example to educate their children. "Look at Chen Lei, as long as you work half as hard, we will recite Amitabha." Many students also used Chen Lei as an example. Some students even wrote in their essays: "The person I admire most is Chen Lei. Although he has a Although he is disabled, his hard-working spirit puts us normal people to shame. In terms of study, I must emulate him."

After several years of calligraphy study, Chen Lei, who is only 17 years old, has achieved the goal of becoming a master of calligraphy. Obtained the 6th Dan National Calligraphy Youth Group Certificate. There are countless awards, big and small. After seeing Chen Lei's calligraphy works, many judges called Lu Chunlong and asked if Chen Lei really wrote calligraphy with his left hand? How did he practice so hard? After listening to Chen Lei's story, the judges were all moved by this child with a disabled right hand. One judge told Lu Chunlong that from Chen Lei's calligraphy, he could read a tortured and affectionate soul.

Chen Lei was about to take the high school entrance examination. Lu Chunlong told Chen Lei, "I think you have expertise in art, so go to the Arts and Crafts College." Teacher Lu hoped that Chen Lei would pursue art as his lifelong career. In fact, Teacher Lu has thought a lot about Chen Lei. If he goes to high school and college like ordinary children, Chen Lei's disability in his right hand will bring him a lot of inconvenience. If he takes the artistic path that he is good at and creates a unique path, he might be able to become a talent. However, Chen Lei's parents felt that their family's conditions were not good, and they did not understand art at all. Moreover, their child was still disabled. Is it okay to compete with children who had received good art education since childhood? Their concerns are also justified, so they have been undecided about Chen Lei's choice of high school.

When Lu Chunlong found out about this, he made an appointment with Chen Lei’s parents for a long talk. That day, Teacher Lu didn't say anything more. He just found out the calligraphy work that Chen Lei completed for the first time and the recent award-winning work. Looking at their son's works, from the childish strokes to the free and easy splashes of ink, Chen Lei's parents made up their minds to send their son to an art school even if they were trying to sell everything.

After entering the Arts and Crafts College, Chen Lei continued to take classes with Lu Chunlong, rain or shine. Lu Chunlong still teaches Chen Lei, who has long been regarded as his "grandson", for free. Three years later, Chen Lei told "Grandpa" that he decided to enter college, an art university. Lu Chunlong smiled and nodded. Teacher Lu brought Chen Lei a lot of professional examination materials needed to enter art universities. The 71-year-old man even wrote a copybook himself for Chen Lei to copy. Chen Lei easily ranked among the top 1,000 in the city for his art major examination. How difficult it is for a child with a disabled right hand. There is no extra points, no care, and he takes the same exam as normal people and accepts the same harsh grading from professional teachers. In the end, Chen Lei was admitted to the university with a score that exceeded the admission score by nearly 20 points.

That afternoon, Chen Lei came to the home of his teacher Lu Chunlong on time to practice calligraphy. "Grandpa," Chen Lei shouted affectionately as he walked in, waving the pink college entrance examination transcript in his hand. Looking at the confident young man in front of him, Lu Chunlong smiled happily and said, "My child, you are great." ;