Timid Boy
Before Timid Boy was born, his father, who was mentally unstable, vanished without a trace, leaving his pregnant wife to fend for herself. The shy woman fled to live with her widowed mother and her brother, who was the town bully. Two months later, Timid Boy was born.
Timid Boy's mother and grandmother never stood up to a man, so when Timid Boy's uncle wanted to throw them out of the family's new home and insisted they live in an older, dilapidated home, the women obediently did so. The villagers gossiped that the boy's mother must have been a bad wife to make her husband abandon them. They encouraged the grandmother to put her daughter and grandson out of her home and let them find their own way to survive. The boy was only another mouth for the poor widow to feed, the villagers argued.
But the grandmother loved the boy. She chose to move into the older home with her daughter and grandchild, rather than live with her son in the family's newer home.
The three are constantly worried that Timid Boy's uncle will throw the threesome out of their meager home at any time. The uncle often threatens and bullies, and they acquiesce and appease. They agree that he is the head of the family and has the authority to make decisions for them.
Timid Boy carries his mother's sensitivity and his grandmother's gentle love. He won't stand up to others even when they threaten his health or well-being. He is good-looking, but with delicate, almost-feminine features. Consequently, he is frequently bullied in school. Without childhood friends, he takes comfort with the many animal friends he has at home. His rabbits were originally intended to serve as protein for the boy and his mother and grandmother, but he could not bear to kill and eat them. He also cares for the family's ducks and has great difficulty when they need one of his "friends" for their dinner.
Now eight years old, Timid Boy knows his mother and grandmother are trying very hard to keep their family together, but he is concerned about their health. He works hard to make chores easier on them. When Timid Boy was given trinkets and food treats during a recent visit, he thanked Dr. Lu and his wife graciously and immediately tucked the treats away to give to his mother and grandmother. He was thrilled when Dr. Lu informed him that they had brought his mother and grandmother their own set of treats.
Golden Courage currently pays Timid Boy's school fees and is arranging for his mother's technical training. The uncle has agreed to allow them to stay in his home in exchange for learning activities for his son.