One day in April 1992, Xu Xiangshun came to the Italian Consulate in Beijing again with the help of his folks and asked to return to China to visit his relatives. Because he has lived in China for 55 years and has been away from Italy for too long. After more than fifty years, the information about his relatives in Italy has changed, especially the exact address of his mother’s family. Therefore, just like the previous times, the embassy has not found him in Italy. Relatives.
Xu Xiangshun’s mother, Qiandi, was born in an ordinary family in Venice, Italy. She went to work in Milan at the age of 18. The young Qiandi bumped into a handsome young sergeant in the ballroom. The two young people fell in love at first sight. The love burned brightly, and Qiandi gave birth to her son Avige the next year. Soon she became pregnant again, and the noncommissioned officer was drafted to participate in the Normandy landings in World War II. He was never seen again, and his life and death are unknown. After the end of the Second World War, Qiandi was an orphan and a widowed mother. She was pregnant and had a child. She had no money to pay the rent and was too embarrassed to take the child back to her parents' home. She could only ask kind people to find a job for her to support herself. On the way, Avige and his son met the enthusiastic Chinese boss Xu Dingfu.
Xu Dingfu, whose hometown is Ruian, Zhejiang, China, was saddened by the death of his good wife in childbirth. He was heartbroken and moved across the ocean to Italy to make a living. Soon he opened his own wallet and tie processing factory in Milan. Xu Dingfu arranged for Aviger and his son to work in his factory, and the two young people of different nationalities fell in love over time. In the spring of 1946, Qiandi held the wedding of 3-year-old Avige and Xu Dingfu in the MAMIA church in Milan. From then on, Avige had a Chinese stepfather. Unexpectedly, three months after the marriage, the family, still immersed in happiness, received an urgent message from China: Xu's father was critically ill. Like a bolt from the blue, Xu Dingfu returned home like an arrow. Qiandi, who values ????love, suffered greatly from World War II. She did not want to lose her lover again, so she decided to come to China with her husband regardless of the opposition of her family.
In the early winter of 1947, as World War II refugees, Xu Dingfu and Qiandi took a cruise ship from Venice for 41 days at sea. When they returned to their hometown in China, Xu Dingfu discovered that his father had not died of illness, but was just an excuse to go abroad for 10 years. son comes home. Now that they have returned home, Xu Dingfu and Qiandi have no choice but to stay with the old man and wait for a suitable opportunity before returning to Italy.
Qiandi, who is well-proportioned and petite, with stylish curly hair, often takes little Avire to do laundry by the river, and often delivers meals to the fields for Xu Dingfu. Sometimes she is hurt by the waterwheel in the field. Xu Dingfu didn't want her to give away her feet, but she still insisted on giving them away. Qiandi won the love of the villagers and the Xu family with her kindness and hard work. Both her and her son's names were included in the Xu family tree. The Xu family also changed Aviger's Chinese name to Xu Xiangshun. Two years after arriving in China, Qiandi gave birth to another daughter for the Xu family.
In 1950, a group of remnants of the Kuomintang bandits entrenched in Dongtou Island along the coast suddenly came to the village to steal money and food. The bandit soldiers saw Qiandi, a foreigner, holding Qiandi's mother and son at gunpoint to demand money and food. Qiandi, who was frightened during World War II, could not withstand another torture. She was frightened and fainted, and she fell into the world. She had a heart ailment, and when she saw any signs of trouble, she would feel chest tightness and palpitations, sweat profusely, and become thinner day by day; just when she was about to return to Venice, her condition worsened and she died. Before she died, Qiandi held her husband's hand tightly and said, "I am satisfied with our six-year relationship as husband and wife. After my death, whether you marry or not, you must care about your children, especially Avire." Xu Dingfu nodded with tears. . Qiandi struggled again, grabbed Xiangshun's little hand with both hands, and repeatedly warned, "Don't forget your Italian relatives. When you grow up, go back early, find your grandma and aunt, and tell your mother that she misses them and loves them. All the certificates are yours." Dad keeps it." In the countryside of Jiangnan in China, like all Chinese children, Xu Xiangshun, who is of Italian descent, grew up and could do any farm work such as tending sheep and cattle, farming, and carrying yellow mud. During the Qingming rainy season in 1993, Xu Xiangshun, who was working as a mason drilling rocks in the mountains, encountered an unexpected incident.
That day, a dumb bomb appeared in the quarry. In order to save others, Xu Xiangshun's hands were blown off and disabled. But with his tenacious perseverance, he developed the ability to use his remaining hand to eat, dress, and hold a hoe in the fields, and he also found a good wife.
For 55 years, this big family from different countries and with different bloodlines has become famous far and wide. Xu Xiangshun's stepfather Xu Dingfu was both pleased and guilty about this. When he was dying at the age of 84, he told Xu Xiangshun: Those passports and other materials were hidden in the walls of the old house, and it was time for Xu Xiangshun to take them out and go to Italy to find his relatives.
Following his stepfather’s last wish, Xu Xiangshun came to the Italian Consulate in Shanghai several times and requested to return to Italy to find his relatives. However, he was refused a visa because he could not provide information about his Italian mother’s family.
Just when Xu Xiangshun was at a loss what to do, several friends came to his home, which gave his family search a major turn for the better.
One of my friends, Mr. Zheng Yaoting, was the president of an overseas Chinese association in Italy. He accidentally heard about Xu Xiangshun's legendary life experience, and took the initiative to help Xu Xiangshun find a relative. He started with the marriage certificate of Xu Xiangshun's parents and found some important information. Xu Xiangshun's story was also published in Italian Chinese newspapers.
With the marriage certificate, Mr. Zheng went to the church where Qiandi was married and found out that Qiandi’s birthplace was Portonone. From this, we learned that Qiandi’s family has never stopped looking for her since she left home. The people looking for her were mainly her five sisters, Xu Xiangshun's aunts. Unfortunately, 55 years later, Qiandi's five biological sisters are no longer alive. The only ones who can be found are Qiandi's cousins, and one is Xu Xiangshun's aunt. The clan aunts all attach great importance to the love that blood is thicker than water, and eagerly hope that Xu Xiangshun can return to Italy. Mr. Zheng did not meet with Xu Xiangshun's cousins, but only told Qiandi's children about the cousins' situation over the phone.
Suddenly there was news about his relatives in Italy. After Xu Xiangshun was briefly happy, he had new concerns: going to see the long-awaited relatives meant huge costs. The daughter had just added a grandson and the son had just built a new house, and the Xu family already owed tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Xu Xiangshun had no other financial income except farming and working as a ranger. He really could not afford the expenses required to find his relatives, so he decided to postpone his trip to Italy to find his relatives until he could raise enough expenses.
Autumn is here in the blink of an eye. Relatives in Italy urged Xu Xiangshun to visit relatives as soon as possible, and President Zheng also helped him go through the procedures at the consulate. In order for Xu Xiangshun to make the trip as soon as possible, her daughter went to work as soon as her child was one month old, and her son also worked overtime every day. However, the Xu family's financial situation still did not improve, and Xu Xiangshun wanted to give up going back to Italy to visit his relatives. But the son hopes that his father will go to Italy to find his relatives as soon as possible. At his son's repeated insistence, Xu Xiangshun and several friends who were eager to help came to a joint venture for help. The boss of this company had heard Xu Xiangshun’s story a long time ago. In addition, Xu Xiangshun was well-known in the local area. The boss not only agreed to provide him with family visit expenses, but also asked his brother in Italy to help Xu Xiangshun. Soon, the father and son completed the visa and procedures for going to Italy, but Xu Xiangshun was still not happy: he didn't know how to face his wife Su Fengyuan.
When Xu Xiangshun was 27 years old and could not be called a wife, Su Fengyuan married him despite the prejudice and pressure of many people. Xu Xiangshun was moved and also learned how to take care of his wife. He and his wife had treated her like guests for decades. He never quarreled with his wife, and the same was true with his children.
Before departure, Xu Xiangshun took his son and half-sister to go to his parents' tombs and place flowers. According to local custom: to pay homage to deceased relatives before traveling and pray for their blessing and safety. .
Ten days later, the Carlo couple, President Zheng and other overseas Chinese who had been helping Xu Xiangshun find his relatives successfully received Xu Xiangshun and his son in Italy. After 55 years, Xu Xiangshun finally returned to his hometown in Italy. Putting down their luggage, they went straight to the largest church in Milan, which Italians are proud of. In the church, Xu Xiangshun shed tears of excitement: At home in China since he was a child, he saw his mother praying in front of the pictures of this church that she brought from Italy on the wall every day. Today, she finally came to this church.
Originally, the overseas Chinese in Milan prepared a grand welcome ceremony for Xu Xiangshun and his son, but the father and son were eager to visit their relatives and requested to see their Italian relatives as early as possible. Their relatives chose the meeting place in Portonone, a city near Venice, which is the birthplace of the Chindi family and is more than 300 kilometers away from Milan. To welcome their arrival, the clan aunts sent representatives to wait at the entrance of the town.
Xu Xiangshun, who left Italy for China when he was 3 years old, is very unfamiliar with Italian. It is difficult to communicate with his fellow tribesmen, and he has to be translated when he drinks or eats. Before the relatives could talk enough about each other, the city government came to invite them. It turns out that the story of Aviger's search for his relatives and his return home has spread throughout the small town. The mayor also read the relevant reports, welcomed the return of Aviger and his son on behalf of the city government, and was happy for their return.
The relatives who had been separated for 55 years were finally reunited. They all took out old photos and recalled their life experiences over the past 55 years. There was an aunt who was only 12 years old during World War II. She still clearly remembered Avige’s mother Qiandi crying goodbye to the whole family when she was taking Avige and her husband to China. Unexpectedly, Qiandi died of illness in China four years after the correspondence.
The relatives were very sad when they heard the news: the hateful war caused Qiandi to leave her hometown and die in a foreign country. They decided to take Avige back to live in Italy in accordance with Qiandi's instructions before her death. At this time, Qiandi's biological parents had passed away, and the clan aunts took on this responsibility. Unexpectedly, Aviger had changed his name to Chinese, and they lost contact with him since then.
Although 55 years have passed, the cousins ??still want to do something for the Avigers and his son. They said they would always remember Avige's parents. They could care less about Avige's nationality, but they would care about the nationality of Avige's son and whether he came to work or live in Italy. The cousins ??proposed to the mayor on the spot, hoping to restore the nationality and treatment of Avige and his son. The mayor's reply: Relevant departments need to make a decision after investigation and study. After the heaviest rain in autumn, relatives wanted to stay with Avige and his son for two days. Considering the language barrier, the father and son politely declined. Just when the father and son wanted to return to Milan after spending a day with their relatives, their aunt Yolanda invited them to her home and said she had something important to give them.
She took Avige and his son to the church where Avige's mother was born, handed the relevant certificates to the father and son, and once again asked them to stay at her place for one night and have a good chat. Avige politely declined. They found a hotel in the town to stay, and early the next morning, without asking their aunts to see them off, they left their hometown, which they had missed for 55 years.
Just a few days after arriving in Italy, the Avigers and his son already missed their home in China: the life in their own home where they leave in the morning and return home in the evening is so cordial and real! Avige is old, physically weak, and his hands are disabled. If he stays in Italy, he may not be able to survive. Chairman Zheng’s second daughter, who likes Italy and grew up in Italy, opened a restaurant in Italy. She also persuaded Avige and his son to stay in Italy. But the father and son said: Although Italy is beautiful, they still like the home where they have lived for decades. President Zheng’s second daughter advised: Stay here first, and you will get used to it slowly. How can any Italian not like Italy? The father and son said: We are already Chinese. At home I was running around and getting nowhere; here I don’t understand the language and I don’t even know the road.
Avige was very happy to see his relatives, but he didn’t know what to say when he saw so many Italians who looked like him. He couldn't help crying when he thought about his experience in China and that his mother had been dead for many years.
Although relatives in Italy persuaded the Avige family to move to Italy. But he still feels more accustomed to it in China. Avige's visa period is only two months, but he is always eager to return to China. The overseas Chinese in Milan kindly asked him to stay in his hometown in Italy for a longer period of time. The overseas Chinese specifically discussed Avige's situation and learned that his family owed tens of thousands of yuan in debt, so they organized overseas Chinese to raise funds for him; the Chinese Ambassador to Milan also Visited him. On the one hand, Avige was excited by the warm love, but on the other hand, his desire to return to China as soon as possible remained unabated. 20 days later, he still left Italy. Before leaving, Avige's biggest wish was to take another look at Milan Cathedral - a place that he would never forget in his memory. He took pictures in front of the church accompanied by white doves.
After realizing his wish, Avige left his hometown of Italy, where he had been dreaming for 55 years, and returned to China, where he had lived for more than half a century. He still lives in the Chinese village where he stayed for 55 years. His greatest joy every day is taking care of his granddaughter. The granddaughter’s father, Avige’s son, stayed in Italy. Avige said: He will not leave China, and he will pray and bless his relatives in Italy in China.