Determined to look ahead(2)

Hu Fenglian, who lost the lower part of her legs, works at a stone factory in Longsheng county, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Huo Yan/China Daily)

"I like this job, because I don't have to move while polishing these stones," she said.

Hu can make 600 yuan ($98) a month from the job. The company also provides her with free lunches and a room to sleep in.

She also does some other odd jobs, such as embroidery, for extra money.

In 2006, Hu left Weizi to work in Longsheng after her daughter got married and moved to her husband's home in Hezhou, about 300 kilometers away.

"At that time, volunteers from Longsheng Disabled Persons' Association came to my village and asked whether I would like to work, and they would provide training," Hu said.

Hu said she had held a number of jobs in towns, such as selecting mining stones and gathering wood pieces at a furniture factory.

"I like working in towns," she said." I can make more money, and factory work is much less hard than working on farms."

Since July, Hu has been receiving a monthly disability allowance of 200 yuan from the local government. It is not enough for her to survive on because she has to buy medicine to relieve the pain in her legs.

"I want to work like others and to earn a little money to support myself," she said.

She had the idea of helping her daughter and son-in-law run their small grocery store in Hezhou and made several visits.

"I soon realized I could not be much help because I cannot understand the dialect," she said.

Hu said she feels sorry for her daughter.