Remember the "anti-cancer kitchen" in the back alleys that hasn't closed for 18 years? It has been upgraded!
Author: Liyun Han Liu Lixin
Cutting vegetables, cooking, cooking soup... Near noon, more than a dozen stoves lined up in an alley next to Jiangxi Cancer Hospital. The family members of the patients are busy here, and the aroma of the food is wafting out from time to time, and the smoke is full of smoke. .
In the alley, there is a "Love Kitchen" opened by Wan Zuocheng and Xiong Gengxiang for the families of patients.
Eighteen years ago, a young parent came to Wan Zuocheng's breakfast shop and wanted to borrow the stove in the store to cook for his sick son.
Gradually, more and more family members of patients came to "borrow the fire" to cook. Wan Zuocheng and his wife bought more than a dozen stoves for everyone to use for free.
The small alley of tens of square meters is divided into a vegetable washing area, a cooking area, and a small room dedicated to boiling soup.
Photo by Liu Lixin
For more than ten years, in order to maintain the most basic operation of the kitchen, the family members of the patients came here to cook a dish and the Wan Zuocheng couple charged 0.5 yuan. In 2016, the price rose to 1 yuan.
As a result, this kitchen is also called "1-yuan anti-cancer kitchen" by the patient's family.
"Even if you are sick, you have to eat well, don't you? I don't find it hard myself. I always think that these patients and their families are much harder than me." Xiong Gengxiang said while serving meals to the patients' families. He and many people who come here to cook. People have become friends.
At noon, many family members of the patients walked into the kitchen carrying a small bucket with tableware and ingredients. They found a stove and rolled up their sleeves and started cooking.
Photo by Liu Lixin
"Some people come here to cook while crying while cooking. Those who come here to see a doctor are prepared for the'protracted war'." The Jiangxi Provincial Cancer Hospital is separated from the kitchen by the wall.
Xiong Gengxiang said that the family members of the patients would also communicate and comfort each other while cooking.
"Life is always going to go on."
The small "love kitchen" has a stove on one side and a sink on the other, with a clear layout.
Photo by Liu Lixin
The reporter saw in the "anti-cancer kitchen" that the alleys of tens of square meters were divided into vegetable washing areas, cooking areas, and a small room dedicated to boiling soup.
At noon, many family members of the patients walked into the kitchen carrying a small bucket with tableware and ingredients. They found a stove and rolled up their sleeves and started cooking.
Pan Yuying from Guangxi is carefully cooking peanut rib soup in front of the stove. She has been cooking intermittently in the "anti-cancer kitchen" for more than 3 years.
"The dishes outside are expensive, the ingredients are not assured, and the taste is not as good as what I did at home."
Cutting vegetables, cooking, cooking soup... Near noon, more than a dozen stoves lined up in an alley next to Jiangxi Cancer Hospital. The family members of the patients are busy here, and the aroma of food is wafted from time to time, and the smoke is full of smoke. .
Photo by Liu Lixin
Recently, the local government has also invested in upgrading the environment of the "anti-cancer kitchen".
Tiles were pasted on the walls, the top floor was covered with a canopy, toilets were newly built in the alleys, and stoves were added.
"The conditions are much better now. When it rains, you have to open your umbrella while cooking. When there are more people, you can't squeeze in." Seeing the better and better kitchen, Xiong Gengxiang's mouth raised unconsciously.
Xiong Gengxiang (right), while serving food to the patient's family, said that he has become friends with many people who come here to cook.
Photo by Liu Lixin
"I will keep driving it. As long as I have the strength to do things, I will keep working on this kitchen." Talking about future plans, Xiong Gengxiang said that even if there is a day when he can't do anything, he will find a successor to replace him. Yourself.
"This society is still full of good people, and you can definitely find a successor. The only requirement is that you can't charge more."
"The kitchen in this back alley, cooking anxiety and bitterness, bringing out warmth and fragrance, and being used to the joys and sorrows, you always quietly prepare charcoal fires." In February 2021, Wan Zuocheng and his wife were awarded "Moving China 2020 Person of the Year" , But they did not accept the award.
The picture shows Wan Zuocheng and Xiong Gengxiang couple busy in the "Love Kitchen".
Photo by Liu Lixin
Xiong Gengxiang said that due to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, it takes 14 days to go to Beijing to receive the award. It takes nearly 20 days to receive the award after including the round-trip time.
After the two people's comprehensive consideration, they still didn't go, and they couldn't do without people in their kitchen.
Recently, the local government has upgraded the "anti-cancer kitchen", especially by adding shelters and stoves, which greatly facilitates the cooking of patients’ families.
(Drone shooting) Photo by Liu Lixin
Smoke was in the alleys, and meals with the "taste of home" were brought to the patient's table. In addition to the smoke and fire, there were also tough and hopeful faces in the kitchen.