This orphaned toddler labours so she could provide for her grandparents

Because her grandfather suffers from a chronic skin disease, and her grandmother is mentally disabled, both are unable to work. As a result, Yi Miaomiao does all the cooking and cleaning and looking after her ailing grandparents

Seven-year-old Yi Miaomiao is an orphaned toddler; she only has her grandparents in Yichang municipality in Hubei Province, central China.

Because her grandfather suffers from a chronic skin disease, and her grandmother is mentally disabled, both are unable to work.

As a result, Yi Miaomiao, on top of going to school, does all the cooking and cleaning and looking after her ailing grandparents.

“Because of her size, she cooks by standing on a bench to reach the stove,” reports said. “She pulls weeds on her family’s plot of 6 mu, or about one acre. They grow and sell potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes. The better part of their income comes from the end-of-year pig sale.”

In their humble abode, Miaomiao said that her most valuable possession is an old television set.

Photo credit: Sina Weibo

Her grandfather Yi Renkuan said that she is good child. “It’s a shame she doesn’t have a good destiny.”

As his illness gets worse by the day, which will ultimately leave him unable to move, he wonders who will take care of his granddaughter.

Life is tough in Yi Miaomiao’s household, but despite this harsh reality, the child is unwilling to leave her grandparents behind.

At one point her mother tried to get her, but she refused.

“It’s no fun over there,” she said. “I want to be with my grandma and grandpa. I want to earn a lot of money for them to spend.”

Miaomioa’s predicament was quick to earn Chinese locals’ sympathy; following her story’s news coverage, readers raised 5,500 yuan (about SGD$1163.92)—a sum is to be donated to the elementary school that she attends.

Miaomiao is only one of millions of children which suffer throughout rural China, but she is unwilling to let her situation stop her from rising to the challenge.

“Miaomiao likes school, since she can spend time with classmates,” said reports. “She likes math the best, with a score of 95 out of 100 in the final exam.”

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