I recently stumbled upon a video that tells the story of an elderly man with high-level paraplegia who lives with a Chinese rural dog named Heizi. They are the real-life inspiration for the 2017 film "Loyalty Without Words," which moved countless people, but their story is even more heart-wrenching than the movie.
A gentle and loyal black dog, a disabled but determined old man, a bare house, and a dilapidated cart make up the whole story.
The old man's name is Yu Xueshu, and he is now over sixty years old. At the age of 18, he contracted severe septicemia due to prolonged exposure to the cold reeds while cutting them, resulting in high-level paraplegia. Despite his disability, Yu Xueshu is determined. He used the money he earned from braiding straw to buy a radio to learn, and gradually learned to repair clocks, televisions, and other household appliances. He didn't want to spend his life bedridden and cared for; he wanted to go out and earn money to support himself. He designed and built a low, simple cart for himself, but who would pull it? He couldn't afford large livestock, so he thought of dogs.
Yu Xueshu raised Heizi, a Chinese rural dog, by his own hands, and Heizi became Yu Xueshu's legs. They went to eight markets every ten days, the shortest distance being five kilometers, the longest over ten kilometers. Heizi, with its not-so-large body, pulled Yu Xueshu, who lay sprawled on the cart, day after day, tirelessly working through harsh winters and scorching summers. Yu Xueshu was an honest man; he wouldn't charge for repairs without replacing parts, and his daily income was pitifully meager, barely enough to make ends meet. Yet, no matter how harsh the living conditions or how arduous the pulling of the cart, Heizi remained inseparable from the old man, clinging to him through thick and thin. After closing up shop at the market, the old man would buy two sesame cakes, one for himself and one for the dog. Occasionally, if there was something good to eat, even just a bite, he would share half with Heizi. One sesame cake might not be enough for Heizi, but it remained devoted and selfless, pulling the cart between home and the market every day.
In Heizi's eyes, the person on the cart is everything to it; but in Yu Xueshu's eyes, Heizi is not a dog, but his "four-legged companion".
Because of Yu Xueshu's physical limitations, Heizi became his guardian angel and savior. On their journeys to make a living, vicious dogs often blocked their way, and Heizi would always step forward to protect its master, ensuring Yu Xueshu was safe from harm. In July 2000, on their way home from the market, Yu Xueshu and Heizi were caught in a sudden storm. Heizi struggled to pull the cart through the muddy road, but the cart eventually overturned into a deep ditch beside the road. After failing to rescue it on its own, Heizi desperately broke the thick iron chain holding the cart (no one knows how it did it), and ran to Yu Xueshu's older brother's house for help, ultimately saving Yu Xueshu's life. From then on, the bond between the man and the dog grew stronger, and they became inseparable.
Every time Yu Xueshu returned home from the market, he would use his own comb to brush Heizi's fur and talk to it. That bare house was their warmest home.
Hei Zi lived for 12 years, but spent 11 of them pulling a cart for Yu Xueshu. The daily toil took its toll, and the elderly Hei Zi fell ill and passed away three days later. Yu Xueshu was devastated, weeping for days on end, refusing to eat or drink. He buried Hei Zi under a tree at the village entrance, building a small mound of bricks and stones. That was his daily route to the market, so they could see each other every day.
Now, Yu Xueshu, an elderly man, has replaced his dog Heizi with a modified motor vehicle. Although heartbroken, life must go on. When the old man misses Heizi, he goes to its grave to stay for a while and talk to it; their bond did not end with Heizi's death.
Dogs have been humanity's most loyal companions since ancient times. No matter how difficult or impoverished their owners' lives may be, they will never abandon them. A dog's lifespan is relatively short, only a little over ten years. Please treat them kindly, and as they treat us, never abandon them!
