Couple remembered for devotion in poverty relief

Ten people were awarded as role models in China's poverty alleviation fight on Thursday, but Wu Yingpu and Fan Zhenzi, who were on the nomination list, were unable to witness it.

The couple born in the 1990s, who were village officials involved in the poverty alleviation fight in East China's Jiangxi province, died in a car accident on their way back from a visit to a poor villager three years ago, Xinhua reported.

On Dec 16, 2018, Wu Yingpu accompanied Fan Zhenzi to visit villager You Chengzi in Chuancang village, Dachun township.

You Chengzi was nearly 80 years old. The first time Fan Zhenzi met him, she called him grandpa. "From now on, I will help you get out of poverty," she told him. Since then, she would visit him once a month. You's children work in cities far away so he grew close to her and talked a lot with her.

After the visit, they drove back but their car plunged into a river. When villagers found them, the car was upside down in the river. In the twisted trunk, there were three chicken they would help sell for You Chengzi.

Three years have passed. While You has forgotten many things, he remembered clearly the day Fan died. Once he dreamed of her calling him grandpa and he woke up in tears. "I miss my granddaughter. Does she miss me too?"

Fan was born into a well-off family. Her friend once asked her why she chose to be a civil servant in a remote village and worked so hard. She said that she wanted to live an easy life previously, but after she saw the lives of poor villagers, she changed her mind. She thought she should work hard and "grow into a big tree".

"I visited many villagers, some of whom are impoverished people. They told me how hard life was and it was the Party and government who never abandoned them and encouraged them...Since I have chosen to be a civil servant, I should go ahead and shoulder my responsibility to serve the people," she wrote in her application to be a Party member.

Fan's father was devastated but still eager to help fulfill her dream. He set up a fund with his savings to help impoverished children finish their schooling.

Wu Yingpu was the Party secretary of Yayang village, Fuyuan township. In less than one year after he became the Party secretary, he stepped on every corner of the 14 natural villages under the management of Yayang village and wrote eight notebooks of working logs. In less than one month after he was stationed in the village, Wu had visited half of the villagers and all the 59 impoverished households. He set a goal for himself to live in every impoverished household for one night to know their detailed living conditions.

The 61-year-old villager Gu Heping was stubborn and couldn't get along with village officials. Wu visited him frequently. One night, there was a thunderstorm. Wu worried about the safety of Gu's family living in a mud house, so he rushed to check on them on his electric bike. Gu was deeply moved.

"He was like my relative rather than a village official," said Gu, who had moved to a brick house for the first time in his life with the help of Wu. "He even lent me money to do interior decoration of my new house."

At the end of 2017, the two village officials met for the first time and fell in love. The villages they worked in were the two most remote villages in Xiushui county. Most of the time, they chatted through video.

On May 20, Wu proposed to Fan. "We spent more time apart than we did together, but I promise to spend more time with you and love you more," said Wu.

They held a wedding on Nov 7. But 40 days later, they died at the respective ages of 28 and 23.

On April 26, 2020, Xiushui county was lifted out of poverty. The impoverished people they once helped were living a better life.