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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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Ailing man gets help
By Xu Chi |
August 18, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NI Tongchang, the "half-dead" divorced man whose family turned their back on him and left him lying on a cane chair on the street outside their apartment for 20-plus days, was finally taken to hospital on Monday evening after his former wife's father offered to help him.
The man, admitted to Tongji Hospital, is now out of danger. The doctors said primary diagnosis showed the man was suffering from lung infections but they were still awaiting further reports.
"I helped that man only for the sake of his daughter, the poor 20-year-old girl who is still studying in junior college," said the 69-year-old man, surnamed Geng, who used to be Ni's father-in-law. "I don't want to have any connection with that man since my daughter divorced him five years ago."
Now lying on his hospital bed, Ni, 46, was able to speak in a very low voice after several bottles of nutrient fluids were injected into his frail body. "I made mistakes before and now fate has forced me to pay back."
"The word 'mistake' is too small to cover his 'crimes' against the family," said Geng. "An alcoholic and a gambler, he spent all his money leaving nothing for his wife and daughter."
Since Ni left Shanghai three years ago, the broken family has lived a tough life on Geng's retirement pension.
The "homeless" man was languishing on the street outside the family's apartment complex along Ganquan Road in Putuo District for such a long time because the neighborhood committee said they couldn't take him to hospital without permission from his family.
And no one from his family, which apart from his daughter and ex-wife includes his mother and three siblings, bothered about him until Geng came forward on Monday. None of them has visited Ni in hospital except Geng.
The man, admitted to Tongji Hospital, is now out of danger. The doctors said primary diagnosis showed the man was suffering from lung infections but they were still awaiting further reports.
"I helped that man only for the sake of his daughter, the poor 20-year-old girl who is still studying in junior college," said the 69-year-old man, surnamed Geng, who used to be Ni's father-in-law. "I don't want to have any connection with that man since my daughter divorced him five years ago."
Now lying on his hospital bed, Ni, 46, was able to speak in a very low voice after several bottles of nutrient fluids were injected into his frail body. "I made mistakes before and now fate has forced me to pay back."
"The word 'mistake' is too small to cover his 'crimes' against the family," said Geng. "An alcoholic and a gambler, he spent all his money leaving nothing for his wife and daughter."
Since Ni left Shanghai three years ago, the broken family has lived a tough life on Geng's retirement pension.
The "homeless" man was languishing on the street outside the family's apartment complex along Ganquan Road in Putuo District for such a long time because the neighborhood committee said they couldn't take him to hospital without permission from his family.
And no one from his family, which apart from his daughter and ex-wife includes his mother and three siblings, bothered about him until Geng came forward on Monday. None of them has visited Ni in hospital except Geng.
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