Besides supervising the kids while they do their homework andhousehold chores， Jiang， like all mothers， has a lot of more to mind，like stitching and sewing. It goes without saying that it is strenuous to raise so many kids at the same time. But each and every day she learnssomething surprising from the kids. Day after day， she uses her love，hard work and patience to bring up the new family， which， in return，makes her life full and happy. “God sent me here， gave me nine childrenand brought me a happy life，” she often says.
Friends
In the last four years， Jiang has gotten to know many neighbors.
She chats with them when they drop in on occasionally. This morning，after the kids have left for school， two friends she made not long agohave dropped by for a chat.
“I have a big family in Finland and my mother gave birth to ninechildren. You see， I have nine children too，” Jiang said proudly. “Mymother would be very happy to know this if she is still alive. “I think our Mom needs to find a Dad for the family，” said Ms.
He， the family tutor， smiling.
“Yes， why not，” the friends chimed in with the tutor.
“I feel more free being single，” she answered. “If I was marriedI would have to go with my husband and wouldn’t be able to be herewith these kids. “Yes， our kids need a Dad. Ms. He is going to get married andthey will be the parents，” Jiang rejoiced.
“Anyway， you have to have a Dad for the kids，” her friends emphasized.
“Let God decide for me.” Jiang， though approaching her sixties，still remains single. She has dedicated most of her life to philanthropyand will dedicate the rest of her life to the Chinese children.
“My mind will be at rest when the kids grow up， get jobs and canrely on themselves.” She tells her friends that she will stay in Lijiangfor the rest of her life if nothing goes wrong.
156 Through frequentcontact with the localresidents， Jiang hasquickly immersed herselfin the local life， becoming，in her words，“a true member” of thelocal Naxi ethnic group.
A friend from Finland paid her a visit a little while ago. Visitsfrom old friends has more or less relieved her of her homesickness.
Over the last four years， stitch by stitch， Jiang has embedded her lovefor her country into a piece of embroidery， a national flag of Finland.
The visit from a fellow countryman has brought the warmth of homeback into her mind again. She joyfully displayed to her friend theembroidered national flag and some old photos. “This one was takenwhen I was three，” she told her friend， pointing to a time-weatheredphoto. “My parents have nine children. By God’s blessing， I have ninekids too. The friend has specially brought some tree twigs from Finland.
Holding the twigs， she could almost smell the fragrance of her hometown.
Jiang uses these twigs for massage in a Finnish-style sauna shehas set up at home. This traditional Finnish bathing method is effectivein alleviating her pressure when she feels unwell.
Family Parties
The family would hold occasional parties with different themes.
At today’s evening party the kids act out small skits. They are encouragedto give free rein to their imagination for an impromptu performance.
Now the kids are confident and a little older， quite different fromwhat they used to be. Their performance is full of surprising wit andhumor. He Yuan plays the role of a pregnant woman. He uses a napkinas a scarf， puts on a lady’s blouse for a costume and stuffs a cushionin front of his belly. Everybody is laughing their head off even beforehe’s begun. He Yuan， now a lively， cheerful youngster， is no longer thesheepish and shy boy from Zhugu Village.
After the party， the children sit around Mommy and tell her theirdreams for the future.
“I want to make tons of money and buy a camera and record allthese plays，” Huiqin dreams.
“Mom， I want to buy you a fancy car，” Xiaojun boasts.
“I want to buy you a house，” Yingying says. “And I also want tobe a professional hairdresser and make Mommy look like a princess. These words give Jiang a great sense of pride， and drive away allher fatigue. The kids are the most cherished treasures in her life. Shetold children， she needed no presents but to see them grow up in goodhealth and become useful people. There is a close bond between herand the children， and her love has led them toward their bright future.
Postscript
Jiang Enli was my neighbor in Lijiang. She is not interested ininterviews with journalists. I was allowed to take some snapshots ofthe family only after I had known her for a long period of time. As aclose friend， I finally persuaded her to sit down for an interview. Shepromised that she would allow me to record the everyday life of thesekids with my video camera until they are fully grown. For the sake ofher children， she had turned down many requests for news coverage.
Asked why， she said she didn’t want her children to feel they were differentfrom others， and she hoped they would grow up like other kidsdid. Since I had mingled with them for quite a long time， the kids neverregarded me as a stranger and they looked very natural when facingmy camera. After I was transferred to Kunming， I didn’t see them asoften. Fortunately my mother is also a friend of Jiang’s， so when I wasnot there， my Mom would drop by the house on my behalf. In fact， mymother loves this family too. I will continue with this story to the veryend.
By Feng Xiaohua
Translated by Yang YaohuaPhotographs provided by Feng Xiaohua
