Every evening, Duo's essential ritual was to gaze eastward from the cliff behind her home. She thought of her mother and hoped for her return. In the distance, that small figure, though indistinct, appeared incredibly firm, like a small life burning with resilience, radiating a power of unwavering perseverance and trembling endurance.
Every few months, Liu Sanwa would return home to bring good news, reporting how much money had arrived. Those brief days were Duo's happiest times. Snuggled in her mother's arms, her little mouth chattered non-stop with stories meant to please her mother. Additionally, she had secretly learned many characters by following the schoolchildren. Duo said she wanted to be the best child who could bring honor to her parents.
In March 2010, Liu Sanwa took Duo to an orthopedic hospital to treat her foot condition. When the doctor saw Duo's foot, his eyes widened in shock. The foot was swollen and split, four times the size of a normal foot, while the leg had become thin and discolored. That terrible pain had long since penetrated from the skin and flesh into the bone marrow. Yet Duo chided him, saying: "Uncle, please don't scare my mother! I don't hurt at all!"
The surgery was a great success. After four months of post-operative care, Duo was discharged from the hospital. In another year or two, Duo would be able to grow up as a normal girl.