Jiang also met He Huiqin， a little girl from the same primaryschool. Just like most kids from the deep mountains， Huiqin alwayswore a sunny smile and a pure expression. The girl had lost her parentsduring a violent earthquake in 1996， when she was still too young to understand the world. So most of the memories she had enshrinedin her heart were related to her school teachers. She sang Jiang a song，“We are under the loving care of our teachers， though we have nomore hugs from mothers…” Deeply moved， Jiang came up and gaveHuiqin a big hug. The girl had been left in the care of her uncle sincethe earthquake. Her uncle’s home was far from the school and she hadto struggle for two days along the mountainous path to get to school.
Since she wouldn’t be able to go back to her uncle’s very often， shehad to live at school. The girl regarded the school as her second home.
“Would you like to live together with us in Lijiang?” Jiang asked Huiqin.
The bashful girl only smiled and gave no answer. This made Jianga bit worried. “We will have nine children in the family. You will betheir big sister and teach them how to write. Is that okay?” Jiang askedagain. This time the girl smiled with a nod. This delighted Jiang verymuch. Very soon these kids would become the lights of her eyes.
Like He Yuan and Huiqin， all the kids Jiang brought “home were from these isolated villages in the deep mountains. These youngsimple souls， just like their mountain folks， didn’t know anything of theoutside world. They didn’t know either what a kind of life they wouldhave in future. With the help from the charity foundation and friends，Jiang Enli rented a house with a courtyard in Lijiang and started hernew life in China.
New Home
Jiang Enli has another big family back in her home country. Originallyone of nine siblings， Jiang got along well with the family. Shehad never thought she would spend her life in an unknown country togetherwith nine unfamiliar kids. Already in her fifties， she was a littlebit reluctant at first to leave her sweet home for a new life in Lijiang.
But her strong maternal love for the kids chased away her hesitation.
150 She was deeply concerned about all the hapless kids， ranging in agefrom 5 to 13 ， and each with different heartbreaking stories of theiryoung lives. She was determined to stay. But no one was sure what theFinnish mother of nine might encounter.
The nine children were all from different families and had diversepersonalities. They spoke different dialects since they were from differentethnic groups such as Yi， Pumi， Naxi and Bai. They were accustomedto life in their particular groups before they joined the family.
But the disparity between the mother and the kids was even biggerthan that between the kids themselves. Jiang took these differencesnot as barriers between them but rather as opportunities to learn moreabout the ethnic cultures. Her deep maternal love for the kids has knittedstrong ties in the family.
Six months slipped by. Immersed in the loving care of their Mom，the once shy and lonely children grew into cheerful angels. BesidesMom， they also had grandparents from New Zealand to take care ofthem. The two grandparents worked as volunteers in the family， whichis named “Rainbow Home of Hopes” by the charity foundation.
Under the arrangement of Mom， the children have regular physicalcheckups and proper medical treatment if necessary. Before longthey were all in great health. But one day a boy， Guiyou by name，had a medical emergency and was hospitalized for surgery in LijiangHospital. After Guiyou was rushed to the operating room on a gurney，Mom and the grandparents kept praying outside until the boy wokeup from surgery. They took turns keeping watch by the little patient’
s bedside 24 hours a day and devoted painstaking care to him. Wardmates and the hospital staff were amazed and totally touched by theirdedication.
Little Guiyou made a quick recovery with the meticulous care ofMommy and grandparents. A week later， Guiyou called Mommy whenhe was ready to be discharged. Jiang Enli put aside her chores at handand rushed to the hospital immediately. Bringing the child home safeand sound made her happier than anything. She gave him a toy rabbitas a welcome-home gift， which was really exciting for the boy， andalso prepared a big dinner to celebrate his complete recovery. This unexpectedepisode brought the kids even closer to their Mom.
Spring Outing
Four years elapsed， and Jiang and the kids， now a harmoniouswhole， welcomed the spring of 2004. As they had in previous years，the family made a cross-country excursion one weekend， to enjoy thefresh air of spring.
Idyllic in the springtime， Naxi villages are decorated with brilliantcolors — pear trees flaunting snow white blossom， peach treesbursting into bloom with pink flowers， honey bees dancing amongflower clusters. Laughter accompanied the cheerful family as theywandered through the beautiful fields.
To Jiang’s delight， the family enjoys good health and happiness152 and is never without hearty laughter. After four years of sharing a commonlife with her children， Jiang couldn’t live without her kids. Thatis really beyond her own expectation. At the same time， these kids arealso very attached to their mother. As these little village children grewup into lively youngsters， Jiang has gradually assimilated into the localsociety.
At the end of the excursion， Jiang took her children to Mr. He， awell-known Naxi doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She hopedto further improve the kids’ health with Chinese food therapy. Now，as the kids were sitting around the doctor， she was concerned the mostabout He Xiaojun， a chronic bed-wetter.
