Shengjie Jin

A 92-year-old elderly empty-nester in a village, who lost her husband early in life, has four children. However, her second daughter passed away at a young age, her eldest daughter, who lives in the county town, is battling cancer, her eldest son works as a migrant laborer away from home, and her youngest son suffers from mental illness—not only does his elderly mother have to cook for him every day, but he also frequently subjects her to verbal and physical abuse.

During the interview with this family, they showed me a family portrait taken ten years ago. Back then, the two children were just newborns, and both parents were still present in their lives. Now, the parents have left to work in cities, leaving the children solely in the care of their grandparents.

An elderly grandmother, who relies solely on her son for support, waits for him to return home to prepare her meals. She suffers from a severe spinal condition that prevents her from standing upright and makes walking extremely difficult. As she now lives in constant pain every day, she expressed profound weariness and resignation toward her life during our conversation.

The elderly woman and her husband rely solely on each other in the village. Their granddaughter's visit brought them exceptional joy, as their children have all left to work as migrant laborers in cities, leaving them with only this old house. In her youth, the grandmother came from a wealthy family but was displaced due to war, eventually settling here where she married and raised children. She has now found contentment in her present life, having let go of past resentments.