高位截瘫鞋匠培养出博士生女儿
a shoemaker with high paraplegia raises a doctoral candidate daughter
苏婉娟（应本人要求作特殊处理） 当事人供图 su wanjuan (the picture was provided by su herself who requested to stay anonymous)
苏中进在做鞋 （通讯员供图） su zhongjin making shoes (picture provided by correspondent)
楚天都市报极目新闻记者 蔡青 周萍英 张盼
通讯员 王乐
翻译 张洲亚 徐思 吴术驰 （湖北大学）
jimu news reporters: cai qing, zhou pingying, zhang pan
correspondent: wang le
translators: zhang zhouya, xu si, wu shuchi (hubei university)
在仙桃市通海口镇的汽车桥桥头，鞋匠苏中进守着他不到十平方米的小鞋店已有34年。因小儿麻痹症高位截瘫，妻子患有智障，苏中进靠一门修鞋手艺养活一家人，还培养出一对优秀儿女：一个华中科技大学的在读女博士生和一个现役空降兵士官。
there is a small shoe booth of no more than 10 square meters at the bridgehead of qiche bridge in tonghai kou town, xiantao city. su zhongjin, a shoe maker with high paraplegia caused by infantile paralysis, has been managing this booth for 34 years. as his wife is intellectually disabled, su has to raise his family by his handicraft of making and mending shoes. it is in such difficult living conditions that he brought up an intelligent daughter, a doctoral candidate at huazhong university of science and technology, and a brave son, an airborne force commissioned officer.
多年来，自强不息的苏中进靠诚信和乐于助人赢得好口碑。他不仅荣获2018年“仙桃楷模”，2019年“第五届感动仙桃十大道德模范”，2020年“仙桃市第二届文明家庭”，2021年还荣登“湖北好人”榜。
over the years, su zhongjin has won good praise because of his integrity and warmheartedness. his persevering spirit earned him many honors—“xiantao role model” in 2018, “xiantao top 10 moral model” in 2019 and “hubei excellent model” in 2021. his family was also honored as “xiantao civilized family” in 2020.
桥头修鞋摊点是博士生女儿起点
where it all started for the now doctoral candidate daughter—the shoe booth
11月10日，一个晴好的日子。刚进入仙桃市通海口集镇，打听苏中进的店铺，路边的环卫工人就向极目新闻记者热情指路：苏师傅的店啊，过了汽车桥左拐50米即到。
it was a fine day on november 10th. upon arriving in tonghai kou, xiantao city, the reporter asked a sanitation worker by the roadside the way to su zhongjin' booth. the worker answered warmly that “his booth is on the left side of qiche bridge, only 50 meters away from here.”
汽车桥是该镇的标志性地名，桥下有一条通州河，也是小镇的母亲河。据说这条小河流入长江，汇入大海，故称通海口。
qiche bridge is a landmark in tonghaikou town. there is a river running under the bridge, which is the mother river of the town. it is said that the reason behind the town’s name tonghai kou is that the river merges into the yangtze river before flowing into the pacific ocean. the phrase tonghai kou means the entrance to the sea in chinese.
34年前，21岁的苏中进来到桥头，搭个窝棚开始修鞋。
thirty four years ago, the 21-year-old su zhongjin came to the bridge and set up a shed to start his shoe repairing business.
因1岁时患小儿麻痹症而导致高位截瘫，有人指点苏中进“当个鞋匠”谋生。从邻镇学到做鞋手艺后，他摆的鞋摊渐渐有了名气。
given his poor physical conditions as a result of the crippling poliomyelitis he contracted in the first year of his life, he was advised to work as a shoemaker. he went on to acquire the required skills in a neighboring town and gradually came to be known by others.
苏中进遗憾自己没念过书，只有一边干活一边听收音机，学说普通话。等弟弟妹妹放学后他也跟着背课文，学会了认字。
however, he often regreted that he didn't have a chance to receive education. so he found time to learn from the radio while working, learning mandarin from the presenters. he also learned how to read by reciting texts after his younger brother and sister returned home from school.
1995年5月，女儿出生后，他非常郑重地带着礼物，请镇里的一位老师取名。苏婉娟，温婉娟秀，他听了老师的解释，高兴得合不拢嘴。
when his daughter was born in may 1995, he and his wife went to a teacher with some gifts earnestly seeking assistance in selecting good name for their daughter. the teacher named her wanjuan, meaning gentle and graceful in chinese. he was pleased with the name and laughed happily.
患智障的妻子看着他，也一个劲地笑。苏中进笑着笑着，忍不住落下了泪。
his wife who has an intellectual disability looked at him, equally as happy. after a while, he couldn't help but shed tears.
“我为女儿流了两次泪。”苏中进向极目新闻记者回忆，还有一次，是收到女儿大学录取通知书的那天。
“i cried for my daughter two times.” according to su, the other time was when his daughter recieved her acceptance letter to university.
那是2013年，他正在店里做鞋，邮递员送来女儿的录取通知书，苏婉娟被中国地质大学（武汉）录取。
it was 2013, when he was making shoes in his booth, a postman delivered the admission letter of his daughter from china university of geosciences (wuhan) to him and her.
“爸爸你没有念过书，我帮你去读大学喽！”看着女儿欢快地拆开邮件，苏中进一时没忍住，热泪盈眶。
“dad, you always feel sorry that you had no chance to attend school. i am going to university to fufill your dream!” said his daughter. seeing her joyfully open the letter, su eyes filled with tears.
女儿上学前夕，苏中进用一只手按着低矮的板凳“行走”，另一只手一件件地收拾行李，还不停地念叨：“在学校不要担心钱，没钱了就打电话回家，平时要多吃水果……”
on that day when his daughter left for school, he “walked” with one hand placed on stool, while his other hand was busy with packing up as he nagged: “don't be worried about money. just call us if you are in need. remember to eat fruits often…”
苏中进目送女儿离家。汽车桥头，是他修鞋的摊点，也是女儿就读大学、攻读博士的新起点。
su watched his daughter leave. the bridgehead is now not only the site of his shoe booth, but also the new start of his daughter's academic career.
“父亲的代步车是我童年的小摇车”
“dad's hand-operated scooter was my bassinet”
苏婉娟说，她是在父亲的怀里长大的。
su wanjuan said that she was brought up in a family filled with paternal love and protection.
苏中进则说，幼时的苏婉娟很黏人，晚上必须要抱着他的胳膊才能入睡。
su zhongjin said little su wanjuan was very clingy and had to hold his arms to fall asleep.
因为妻子的病情，照顾两个孩子的重任就落到苏中进一个人头上。每天早上六点多钟，苏中进会先起床，将自己收拾整齐，再叫醒孩子。
su zhongjin had to take care of his two children alone, because of his wife's illness. at 6 o’clock every morning, he would get up first to tidy himself up and then to wake up the children.
刚上幼儿园的苏婉娟喜欢赖床，把她从床上拉起来时，眼睛还闭着。苏中进总是宠溺地看着女儿，替她穿好衣服、穿上鞋子，再送她上学。
in the early days when su wanjuan went to kindergarten, she was reluctant to get out of the bed every morning. every time when she was pulled out of bed with her eyes still closed, su zhongjin always, with fond eyes, helped put on the clothes and shoes for his daughter before taking her to school.
幼儿园在一公里之外，苏中进的手摇代步车就成了苏婉娟上学的“专车”。为了让五六岁的苏婉娟坐得安全舒适，他把女儿放在座椅后面，用背紧紧贴住她，并一再嘱咐她“抱紧爸爸的腰”。
since the kindergarten was a kilometer away, su zhongjin had to take su wanjuan to school on a hand-operated scooter, which became her “tailored scooter” to school. to make younger su wanjuan safe and comfortable, he repeatedly reminded his daughter sitting behind the seat to “hold dad's waist tightly”, while keeping his back tightly against her.
颠簸着走完一公里的路程，苏中进要手摇十来分钟，天热时会大汗淋漓，天冷时要不停搓手。每天，他会在学校附近的餐馆给女儿点一碗带肉的汤粉，看着女儿吃饱了抹抹小嘴走进幼儿园后才离开。
it would take about 10 minutes to drive a one-kilometer bumpy road by shaking the wheel disc of the scooter constantly with his hands to produce power. when it was hot, he would be drenched in sweat; when it was cold, he had to rub his hands at times to keep warm. every morning, he would order a bowl of rice noodles with meat for his daughter at a restaurant near the kindergarten. he would not leave until his daughter ate her breakfast after which he would walk her to school.
“爸爸的代步车就像是我童年的小摇车。”苏婉娟告诉极目新闻记者，有一年的端午节，父亲带她和弟弟出了趟“远门”。那是离通海口镇七八公里的沔城回族镇，莲花池上有龙舟比赛。
“dad's scooter was like my bassinet” said su wanjuan. she told the jimu news reporter that during one dragon boat festival, her father took her and her brother on “a long trip” to miancheng, a town for hui nationality, located seven or eight kilometers away from tonghai kou. they then watched the dragon boat races held on a lotus pond there.
“当时现场人山人海，很多小孩骑在爸爸脖子上。”苏婉娟回忆，尽管她只能坐在低矮的代步车上，但有父亲在身边，他们姐弟俩一样踏实、开心，笑得前仰后合。
“there was a huge crowd of people with many kids propped up on their father’s neck.” even though they could only sit on the low scooter, su wanjuan recalled, with their father by their side, they were still grounded and joyful, laughing their heads off.
成长路上，一锥一线不能缝错
in one's life-course, every step is counts
苏中进对女儿从小就要求很严。他说，管教女儿就像拿着这手中穿梭的线头，“一根都不能缝错”。
su zhongjin was strict with his daughter from her childhood. “disciplining my daughter is like holding the thread in my hand,” he said, “i can't sew any stitch wrong.”
苏婉娟上小学二年级时，有一天回到家没有伏在小板凳上写作业，而是已经上床睡觉。
one day when su wanjuan was in grade two, su zhongjin found his daughter had gone to bed instead of doing her homework on a small stool as usual after coming home from school.
苏中进追问，原来是小婉娟因为迟到被老师批评，心情有些低落，想要早点睡，明天争取第一个到校。
under her father's detailed inquiry, su wanjuan told her father that she was criticized by her teacher because she was late for school. so, she went to bed early so that she could get up early and try to be the first to get to school tomorrow.
他不由得责怪自己“摇车速度慢”，拖累了孩子。
after hearing this, he could not help but blame himself for being the reason behind her lateness owing to the “slow speed of his scooter”.
凌晨三点钟，苏中进听到一阵窸窸窣窣的声音，随即又听到开窗声。原来是小婉娟悄悄爬起来站在窗边看天。他赶紧劝慰女儿：“放心睡吧，到点了我叫你。”
at three o’clock a.m the following day, su zhongjin heard a rustling sound and then a window creak. seeing little wanjuan was standing by the window and peeking out to the sky, he hastened to console his daughter: “go to sleep. i ensure you that i will wake you up on time.”
苏中进再也没有睡着。到了凌晨5点，他看到女儿又爬起床看窗外，天还是没亮，倔强的小婉娟再也不肯睡。苏中进干脆爬起床，陪女儿一起坐到天亮。
su zhongjin never fell asleep again. at 5 a.m., he saw his daughter get up and look out of the window. it was still dark outside, but little wanjuan refused to sleep. so su zhongjin got up and sat beside her until the dawn.
苏中进依稀记得，那个夜晚天很黑，但星星闪闪烁烁，晶亮晶亮的。
though su had a dim recollection of that dark night, he remembers the stars where glittering and shining.
父女俩一边看天一边谈心。苏中进说，你看爸爸的手有很多老茧，那是被鞋锥扎的。一锥子只能扎一个孔，但一锥一锥扎下去，就做成了鞋。
su and his daughter had a heart-to-heart talk while enjoying the night scene. “look here, there are many calluses on my hands, these are the results of being stabbed by the shoe cone. only one hole can be pierced by a cone, but overtime with multiple piercings a shoe is finally made.” su said.
小婉娟似懂非懂地点头。这以后，她上学再也没有迟到过。
although little wanjuan did not fully understand, she nodded. and after that, she was never late for school.
2011年，苏婉娟到仙桃八中读高中。“这是个特别上进的学生。”时任八中校长叶道龙向极目新闻记者介绍，在全校五六千名学生中，苏婉娟是非常独立的一个。她品学兼优，年年被评为“三好学生”，印象中家长从没有到过学校。后来，班主任反映了她的家庭情况后，叶校长还号召同学们向她学习。
in 2011, su wanjuan went to xiantao no. 8 middle school for high school. “she is a diligent student.” ye daolong, the headmaster of xiantao no. 8 high school at that time, told the reporter. among the 5,000 to 6,000 students in the school, su wanjuan was highly independent. being excellent in both character and academics, she was rated as one of “the three best students” every year. according to the headmaster, su wanjuan's parents had never been asked to go to her school because of her poor grades or performance. after learning of her family background from her class teacher, the headmaster ye advocated other students to learn from her.
盼着见证女儿戴上博士帽
look forward to seeing his daughter wear her ph.d. cap
深秋的路灯下，华中科技大学的校园铺满梧桐树的影子。
in late autumn, illuminated by the street lamps, the shadows of buttonwood trees covered the roads in the campus of huazhong university of science and technology.
如今已经在读人工智能专业博士的苏婉娟说，每每想到父亲，眼前就浮现父亲蹒跚的背影。
su wanjuan, who is now studying for her doctorate degree majoring in artificial intelligence (ai), says that each time when she thinks of her father, his staggering figure will come into mind.
“我爸苦他自己，物质上从来不苦我们。”作为考上大学后的礼物，父亲送给她一部智能手机。让她难受的是，元旦时手机弄丢了，想起这部手机是父亲一针一线赚来的，她伤心不已。
“materially, my father is frugal with himself, but generous to us.” her father sent her a smart phone as the gift for being admitted to the university which was then lost on new year’s day. recalling her father had bought this gift with every penny he had earned, she was deeply heartbroken.
打电话时，她忍不住大哭。“我跟你再买一部。”父亲轻描淡写地说。过了几个月，父亲兑现诺言又给她买了一部新手机，这部手机陪伴了她大学四年的时光。
she burst into tears while calling her father. however, her father just said gently, “i will buy you another one.” after several months, her father fulfilled his promise and bought her a new cellphone, which accompanied her for four years during the university.
从小学到高中，父亲从未参加过苏婉娟的家长会。有时，她眼巴巴地望着教室门，既希望父亲来，又希望父亲不来。这份小纠结，长大成人后成了她的愧疚。
from primary school to high school, her father never attended the parents' meetings held by her school. sometimes, she looked longingly at the classroom door, hoping that her father would come but at the same time hoping he would not. once she became an adult, this subtle unsurety she experienced became a cause for guilty.
“父亲虽有残疾，但心地善良，乐于助人，在乡邻中口碑极好。”苏婉娟说，父亲的形象在她和弟弟心目中一直很高大。
“though being disabled, my father is kind-hearted and always ready to help others, which has earned him a good reputation among neighbors.” su wanjuan said that, their memory of their father in her and her younger brother's has always been of how great he is.
如今，苏中进已经把鞋摊建成了“老字号苏师傅皮鞋店”。店面虽小，但墙上挂满了他做的皮鞋，生意日渐红火。当年的手摇车，也换成了小三轮。
now, su zhongjin has already turned his shoes stall into “time-honored brand mr. su leather shoes store”. although small, the walls are covered with leather shoes and the business is booming. the hand-cranked bike he had used has also turned into the small pedicab.
苏中进告诉极目新闻记者，错过了女儿很多次家长会，但还有一次机会不能错过，那就是到武汉参加女儿的毕业典礼，亲眼看女儿戴上博士帽。
su zhongjin told the jimu news reporter that he has already missed many parents' meetings, but there is still one opportunity that awaits him. that is to attend his daughter's graduation ceremony in wuhan and witness the moment she wears her ph.d. cap.