In 1961, Wang Xiuzhu confided in her sister that she lacked education and feared being looked down upon by her husband in the future. She began self-studying and sought employment in Beijing. After several attempts, the local office arranged for her to work at a sewing factory. She resolutely brought her parents-in-law to Beijing to better care for them and her husband.
However, at this time, Zhang Hongchi applied for a job in Qinghai, leading to the couple living apart. In 1962, Wang Xiuzhu returned to her parents’ home and cried bitterly. She told her little sister that he refused to go home and encouraged his parents to live separately from her. Then, she realized that her humble efforts and selfless dedication could no longer sustain this marriage.
In the summer of 1965, Wang Xiuzhu and Wang Pei’e went to Qinghai to see Zhang Hongchi. He expressed his unhappiness and declared that there was no longer any affection between them, also citing that marriage between relatives was illegal. After some thought, Wang Xiuzhu told her sister: “Whatever he wants, let it be. I cannot be a burden to him.” And so the two peacefully went through divorce proceedings in Qinghai.
She had devoted the best years of her life to Zhang Hongchi without a trace of complaint. However, Wang Pei’e vividly remembered how her sister, upon returning to her parent’s home, cried endlessly for three days, refusing to eat. The entire town knew she had been abandoned by her husband, who went to study in college. She stayed home for two months, defending her husband whenever she went out: “It’s not that he has a bad character; it’s because we married as close relatives, which is against the law.”
Wang Xiuzhu developed severe rheumatoid arthritis
Shortly after this, she returned to work in Beijing. Due to years of washing clothes in cold water during her youth, she developed severe rheumatoid arthritis with enlarged joints, causing her legs to become immobile. Wang Pei’e went to Beijing to visit her sister, crying as she massaged her deformed legs. She felt deeply unfair to her sister: because she washed clothes to support her husband’s education, she ended up with arthritis. Was her sister’s life destiny to empower and fulfill Zhang Hongchi?
In 1967, Zhang Hongchi married Feng Hua, the mother of Zhang Cheng. Later, he was transferred to Beijing for work. Upon hearing news of her ex-husband’s marriage, Wang Xiuzhu finally, through the mediation of relatives and friends, married a divorced retiree. Zhang Cheng was shocked when Zhao Liang brought photos of his aunt and uncle! In the picture, Wang Xiuzhu’s husband was the person deeply etched in his childhood memories — Uncle Chen!
Showing deep affection through righteous action
The man in the photo was Uncle Chen, often referred to by his father as “the rural relative,” who often brought food and noodles to Zhang’s family. When Zhang Cheng and Zhang Gan were young, they knew that “the most delicious food in the world had arrived” whenever they saw Uncle Chen. In 1977, when their father went to study in the UK, the family faced financial difficulties, and Uncle Chen even brought them money.
Those fragmented memories were like black and white images that suddenly flashed through the colorful real life, both warming and heartbreaking. Zhang Cheng couldn’t believe that Uncle Chen, from his childhood memories, turned out to be Wang Xiuzhu’s husband! He immediately called his brother: “Do you remember when we were young, Uncle Chen visited our home often? He was Aunt Wang’s former husband.” Zhang Gan learned everything over the phone and remained silent for a long time, choked with tears.
It turned out that during the Cultural Revolution, Wang Xiuzhu heard that Zhang Hongchi had been labeled a capitalist, causing her to panic. She told her sister: “Zhang Hongchi has never experienced hardship since childhood. I fear he won’t be able to endure it! Without income, how will he feed the two children?” To avoid embarrassing Feng Hua, her equally kindhearted husband, Uncle Chen, visited Zhang Hongchi’s family on her behalf, bringing food every week. During Zhang Hongchi’s study abroad in the UK, Wang Xiuzhu and her husband firmly supported Zhang’s two children financially.
In 1990, Uncle Chen passed away due to illness. After that, Wang Xiuzhu returned to her hometown in Tianjin to take care of herself and live with her sister’s family. One day in early 2001, Zhao Liang received a surprising phone call from someone looking for Wang Xiuzhu. Seeing his aunt in the yard basking in the sun, Zhao Liang loudly called her: “Aunt, there’s a call for you!” Being in her 70s, she frailly walked into the room.
On the other end of the phone was 76-year-old Zhang Hongchi. He loudly told Wang Xiuzhu that his wife had passed away a few years ago, their two children had families of their own, and he felt lonely in life. He said: “Come to Beijing; we are both at the end of our lives; let’s spend the time together. Who knows if there’s another life after this?” Without hesitation, she said: “Okay!” With that, tears streamed down her face.
In March 2001, Zhang Hongchi personally went to Yangliuqing Town to pick up Wang Xiuzhu, and Zhao Liang escorted his aunt to Beijing. Because she had difficulty walking, Zhang Hongchi was afraid she would fall, so he held her hand all the way. Zhao Liang visited his aunt in Beijing every year. In the last two years, they both became a little confused, but Zhang Hongchi sometimes would lean over with great effort to kiss her, and she smiled like a young girl.
Zhang Cheng never imagined that he would discover such a poignant yet beautiful story. This ordinary woman traversed his father’s entire life journey. No one deserved it if even she wasn’t qualified to inherit the estate! With tears in his eyes, Zhang Cheng returned to Beijing and discussed with his brother submitting a withdrawal letter from the lawsuit he filed.
On the afternoon of June 10, 2010, after receiving the notice of withdrawal, Zhang Cheng immediately returned to his father’s home to visit his stepmother. Wang Xiuzhu was still sitting on the balcony as if she hadn’t moved for months. She quietly watched the world outside, squinting as if about to fall asleep. The sunlight cast a peaceful glow upon her.
Zhang Cheng’s tears gushed forth as he knelt, gently placing his face in Wang Xiuzhu’s deformed hands, calling out, Mommy. She was momentarily stunned, then reached out to stroke his hair. Zhang Cheng said affectionately: “Whether or not you understand these words, I want to tell you that I visited your hometown and learned about your past with my father. You are a great mother.”
If Wang Xiuzhu could understand these words, then her selfless dedication throughout her life finally received the most rewarding happiness in return. If Zhang Hongchi’s soul watched from Heaven, his lifelong remorse finally had the most beautiful conclusion.
See Part 1 here
Translate by Katy Liu
