290 The Power of Mothers

The rare cheerful parts of the film was when the young Guan Jintao started winning some minor competitions in his teenage years. His proud mother was happy, but deep inside she was hurting because her beloved husband couldn't celebrate their son's achievements together with them.

She continued to work hard to support her son's increasing expenses. Guan Jintao wanted to help earn some money, suggesting that he work part-time but she rejected his idea. She wanted him to focus on his training and leave all the money worries to her.

This was also around the time Guan Jintao finally noticed that his mother was suffering from depression, though she tried hard to keep it to herself. However, she just dismissed his concerns, telling him not to worry about her.

"It's a mother's job to worry about her child, not the other way around," she told him.