Young sisters turn to farming, sheep raising to help cancer-stricken father (3)

Photo taken on March 3 shows Shi Yue (L) and Shi Lu herding sheep. (Photo/Xinhua)

Shi Yue, born after 1995, and her younger sister Shi Lu signed contracts to rent more than 133.33 hectares of land for farming this year, a substantial increase from about 4.67 hectares, in a village in Shangdu county, Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The elder sister had previously worked outside her hometown after graduating. In 2018, she returned home to take care of her father as he suffered from cancer. To pay for the expensive medical fees, the young woman had to learn how to farm from scratch from her father and nearby villagers.

A year later, her younger sister also returned to join her. Since then, they have run a cooperative, expanded the planting area, and shifted to mechanized farming.

In addition to wheat, they have also planted crops with higher economic value, such as sunflowers and quinoa, and raised more than 300 sheep. In 2020, their annual income exceeded 400,000 yuan (about $62,899).

“As long as you work hard, you can make your life worthwhile in the countryside. More importantly, we can take care of our family members,” said Shi Lu.