Image: INQUIRER.net
While not all fathers are created equal, some go beyond the call of duty to provide for their child. One Chinese man took to eating only noodles and steamed buns to help his daughter become a gymnast.
Forty-nine-year-old Hou Yanwei makes a modest living as a street cleaner from Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province, reports Chutian Metropolis Daily via South China Morning Post.
Hou was divorced from his wife several years ago and now lives with his 11-year-old daughter in a tiny flat that costs 300 yuan a month.
“It is not easy, but I promised I would support her,” the report quotes Hou. “I hope she will have a better life than me.”
Sweeping the streets earns Hou 2,000 yuan (roughly P15,500) a month which is barely enough to sustain his daughter’s tuition of 14,000 yuan (around P100,000) at the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education. Apart from rent, he also has to deal with daily expenses which amounts to 3,000 yuan (roughly P23,000) a year. His personal daily expenses are kept at strictly 10 yuan (roughly P77) per day.
He estimates that he has already eaten around two tons of noodles over the past five years.
Hou added, “I am not a capable man, and am unable to give my daughter a wealthy family life, but I am willing to carry more bitterness to pay for a good education for her.”
This single dad hopes that his daughter will become good enough to join the national team someday and thus have a shot at a better life. Alfred Bayle/JB
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