TIANJIN－Surrounded by pink balloons and friends, Song Yunhan made a wish and cut her birthday cake with swan-shaped cream decorations during her eighth birthday party on July 27.

Instead of fancy Barbie dolls or ice cream, the little girl only wanted a big hug from her mother Xing Rui, 34, a nurse from Tianjin who had been dispatched to the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, which had been hit hard by COVID-19.

"Since I came back from Wuhan, my daughter has never asked for gifts like toys or candies, but has always wanted a hug," Xing said.

At the beginning of the year, when Song's school closed for the winter holiday, she encountered a Chinese word while doing her homework that she did not understand－wei nan. Xing pointed at the news about COVID-19 on television and explained.

"It means danger and disaster,"Xing said at the time."It can be used to describe the situation in Wuhan."

Xing applied to go to Wuhan just a few days later and soon departed for the city.

It wasn't long before Song Yunhan began writing to her.

"Mommy, you told me that when I finished drinking a box of milk, you would come back home. I finished a few boxes a long time ago, so why aren't you home yet? I miss you so much," Song wrote in a letter to Xing.

"I was touched and so happy when I saw the letter," Xing recalled."My daughter called out 'mom' three times before going to bed every night. She hoped to see me at home when she opened her eyes in the morning."

But Xing also knew that her daughter was brave.

"She understood what I was doing in Wuhan," she said. "As a parent, I must set a good example."

On March 31, Xing came back to Tianjin and completed a 14-day quarantine period. When she came back home, her daughter ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

"We had never been apart for such a long time, and I could feel my daughter's sense of insecurity," Xing explained. "I have really cherished the time with my daughter during the summer vacation. For kids, a parents' company is one of the most important aspects of their growth."

'My mom is a hero!'

During the summer break, many medics chose to spend more time with their children to make up for their absences during the winter holiday.

Since Tianjin has waived entrance fees to major scenic spots for medics who fought on the front lines during the COVID-19 outbreak, Lu Jia often takes her 6-year-old daughter to museums.

With pride, Lu's daughter always tells the staff:"My mom is a hero!"

Lu, a doctor in the nosocomial infection management department at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, was among the same batch of medics that served with Xing.

"My daughter was a source of power to me and supported me in bravely battling COVID-19. Every time she sang songs for me on video calls, my heart was filled with mixed feelings," said Lu, 35.

When Lu came home, she was pleased to find that her daughter had become taller with longer hair and had even lost a tooth.

Her family has had a good time together since her return and has tried many new activities such as playing jump rope, going camping, visiting a zoo and doing scientific experiments at home.

"In Wuhan, I saw separation and death. I really value the time with my family," Lu said.

A caring daughter

For 19-year-old Shi Huihua, the epidemic has taught her to take more responsibility and do chores for her mother Chen Guijun, a doctor with the infectious diseases department in a hospital located in the Jizhou district in Tianjin.

Shi has sharpened her cooking skills and has prepared different dishes for her mother every day this summer.

"I'm happy to have these delicious dishes, but I feel sorry on the other hand," said Chen, 55. "I have no time to take care of her. Instead, she takes good care of me."

Shi gave her mother much support.

"My mother might sometimes cry on video calls, and I would comfort and encourage her," Shi recalled."Love and dedication should be mutual. I have grown up now, so she can rely on me."

In Shi's eyes, her mother is a superwoman who has protected people's lives. As a medical student at Tianjin Medical University, Shi was taught an unforgettable lesson amid the epidemic and now better understands why her mother devoted herself to her beloved career.

Xinhua