PETALING JAYA, June 9 (Sin Chew Daily) — The mother and daughter from Shanghai finally return to China after spending more than two months at a homestay near Kuala Lumpur International Airport as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.

56-year-old Xiang conveyed the message to Sin Chew Daily reporter through WeChat that she and her 86-year-old mother had safely arrived in Xiamen, China, with the assistance from the Embassy of China in Malaysia on June 5.

While they were stranded in Malaysia, AirBnB host Nani took care of them. Nani's family members–her parents and siblings–as well as neighbors also took care of them.

"We get to savor the Malay food cooked by Nani's mother and the Malay workers. We are grateful for the hospitality extended to us in a foreign country," said Xiang.

Malaysians who have extended a helping hand to assist them to return to China include David Cheang Siew Giap from the Malaysia Longyan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Asean-China Investment Association president Tang Ying Lik, Sin Chew Daily, Nani's family and many others.

Sin Chew Daily reported on May 25 that Xiang and her mother were traveling in Indonesia when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. They had planned to transit in Malaysia en route to China, but their flights for China were canceled on March 18 with the enforcement of Movement Control Order (MCO). They ended up staying in the country for more than two months.

During their stay here, many flights that they had bought were canceled. They had also drained their financial resources.

When their plight was highlighted in Sin Chew Daily, the Malaysian Chinese community and the Embassy of China stepped in to offer a hand, making it possible for them to finally go home on June 5.

Nani, the operator of PUDGI Homestay where Xiang and her mother stayed for 80 days, also posted news and pictures of them returning to China on Facebook.

Nani told Astro Awani the mother and daughter from Shanghai were visiting Bali in Indonesia and Langkawi in Malaysia. They planned to return to Shanghai on March 18 but ended up staying at her homestay during the MCO.

"We were afraid to accept Chinese nationals initially for fear of COVID-19 infection. But I finally agreed as Xiang's mother is more than 80 years old," she said.

Despite language barrier, the mother and daughter became Nani's friends after staying together for close to three months.

"Google Translate may not be accurate but it has helped us understand one another," she added.

Nani shared their joy of returning home and said she would miss them.

"We have done many things together such as playing golf and badminton before Hari Raya. We also watched the sunset together and screamed at the sudden appearance of plane flying across the sky," she said.

Nani said she would miss the Chinese opera songs Xiang's mother sang every morning.