Selfie taken by Tian Mingming (right) and his wife Si Jingru (left)

Tian Mingming, Vice Director of the General Department of Qianzhan Wind Power Company, SPIC Guangdong Corporation, has refunded his homebound railway tickets to stay with his wife Si Jingru, a nurse of Guangzhou Xinzhao Hospital, in Guangzhou, and to support her work to fight against the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus.  

Living and working in Guangzhou, the couple realizes that nearly one year has elapsed since the last reunion with their three-year-old daughter Kexin. As early as half a month before the Spring Festival holiday, the couple has planned for a reunion with their family as early as possible, snapping up their homebound railway tickets, favorite toys for the child and sufficient nutritional products for their parents well in advance.

It was on the evening of January 23 when a Class I Response to the Major Public Health Emergency was activated in Guangdong Province. Si Jingruhad a phone conversation with her Chief Nurse, and during their discussion regarding duty assignments during the public health emergency, Si Jingru volunteered for shifts at the fever outpatient department.

Si Jingru wearing the medical protective clothing

The outpatient department Si Jingru is affiliated to has dedicated consultation rooms where they would need to be in close contact with fever patients. As part of her job to pre-examine and triage patients, she is mainly responsible for measuring body temperature, registering fever patients, filling up the novel coronavirus screening forms and disinfecting consultation rooms for fever patients.

When Tian Mingming asked his wife why she chose to work at the frontline, Si Jingru said, “I made a choice that would leave me with no regrets. And I believe that you will support me doing so.” To be able to offer her stronger support, Tian Mingming chose to have their homebound railway tickets refunded and stay with her in Guangzhou.

Every day, Tian Mingming gets up at five in the morning to make breakfast for his wife, escorts her all the way to the railway station at six and picks her up at the railway station exit at ten in the evening. Tian Mingming remarks that his wife is susceptible to the fear of darkness although appearing fearless.

Every day, Tian Mingming’s emotions are influenced by any change in the number of suspected cases. Whenever they talk about the epidemic, Si Jingru would say soothingly to him, “It will be gone. Everything will be fine.” However, there have been two confirmed cases now in her hospital, so she and her husband would be isolated from each other in case of exposure to the virus. .

Tian Mingming is convinced that everything will be fine and that his wife Si Jingru will return safe and sound after the epidemic is gone. “We have love in our hearts. There of millions of nurses as angels in white like Si Jingru battling in the fight along with millions of fearless and selfless doctors. We should stand in solidarity with them as they gain victory over the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus,” he remarks.