When most children are enjoying a happy childhood, a 5-year-old boy nicknamed Yangyang has to bear the brunt of the housework and help his aging grandfather in Huanan county, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. 

The boy has had a tough life. He was abandoned by his mother shortly following his birth and his father also left home soon after that in Hongcheng village.

"His father seldom comes back and only we two live together," Xu Wenchang, 55, Yangyang's grandfather, told local media. "Unfortunately, I am in poor health and unable to take care of him." 

After his grandfather suffered severe rheumatism and became paralyzed and confined to bed in 2017, Yangyang began to learn how to do housework at only 3 years of age.

"I can only stay in bed and tell him how to do it," said Xu. "He is quite clever and learns everything quickly, from operating the washing machine to cooking some easy dishes."