"Half a month ago, I met Jiang Qiong in Qiantang town. I greeted her and invited her to have some tofu pudding rice at my place. She smiled and said that she was busy with work, but she would definitely come next time she had time. I never expected that it would be the last time I saw her." Citizen Liu Jun said tearfully.
The girl affectionately called her "Mom Jiang". Even on her sickbed, she still mentioned going back to attend a meeting.
On December 4th, at the Hechuan Funeral Home, the memorial service for Jiang Qiong, Party Secretary of Shaya Town, Hechuan District, Chongqing, was held there. All departments of the Hechuan government sent wreaths and expressed condolences to Jiang Qiong's family. Thousands of residents came spontaneously to bid Jiang Qiong farewell.
During the Spring Festival of 2010, Jiang Qiong and her husband Yang Jianfu once again invited Tang Qianqian to their home for the New Year's Eve dinner. Jiang Qiong often called to check on Tang Qianqian. In October this year, while she was ill, Jiang Qiong still thought about Tang Qianqian. She called and said: "This might be the last time I call you. Take care of yourself and your family in the future..."
"I didn't expect her to leave so quickly. I thought she could hold on for a few more years," Jiang Qiong's husband Yang Jianfu said. In early 2007, after being examined by the hospital, Jiang Qiong was diagnosed with thyroid cancer with metastasis to both lungs, and the cancer cells had already spread to her lungs. Jiang Qiong underwent a thyroidectomy, but she returned to Shitan Town before starting chemotherapy.
Female secretary concealed her cancer diagnosis for five years and still talked about attending meetings before she passed away.
She wore high-necked sweaters to cover up her surgical scars.
On November 28th, Jiang Qiong's condition deteriorated, and she had to be hospitalized again. "Upon examination, it was found that cancer cells were all over her body. There was no way to save her," Yang Jianfu sobbed. Professor Pang Hua, the chief doctor, sighed and said: "Stop treatment. It is beyond help now. Further treatment will only increase her suffering."
"She insisted that she had pharyngitis and asked us to give her some antibiotics," Yan Yonghong from the Sha Fish Branch of Qiantang Central Hospital said. In recent months, she became a regular visitor to Jiang Qiong's office. "I often went there to give her intravenous fluids, sometimes every few days, sometimes continuously for several days. She received more than 20 infusions in three months," Yan Yonghong said. "She coughed so badly, I didn't know what disease she had, so I advised her to go to a big hospital for an examination. But she always said, 'I'm too busy with work. I'll go when I finish this busy period.' At that time, Jiang Qiong was thinking about making sure the sewage treatment plant in Sha Fish passed inspection and started operation soon."
"Mom Jiang let me feel the warmth of home. She was as close as my own mother," Tang Qianqian sobbed. Her father was blinded by a stone, and her real mother left home. She lived with her grandmother. In 2007, Jiang Qiong, then the mayor of Shitan Town in Hechuan District, learned about her situation and provided her with long-term support, not only covering her education expenses but also giving her 100 yuan per month for living expenses.
Starting from September this year, Jiang Qiong's condition worsened day by day, and her coughing never stopped. When the coughing became unbearable, Jiang Qiong worked in her office while receiving intravenous therapy.
At 8:19 PM on December 2nd, she left the world she deeply loved, at the young age of 48.
She worked while receiving intravenous therapy.
At this point, although Jiang Qiong was still conscious, her physical strength had severely weakened, and even her coughing was weak. She struggled to take off her oxygen mask and told the doctor: "I am not afraid of pain. I want to continue treatment. There are still things in the town... I haven't finished them yet. I need to go back and attend the party congress..."
Yesterday, Jiang Qiong was cremated at the Hechuan Funeral Home, and the Hechuan District Committee posthumously awarded Jiang Qiong the title of "Outstanding Township Party Secretary."
From the surface, she was still the energetic and vibrant female mayor. However, careful colleagues noticed some clues: Director Jiang started wearing only high-necked sweaters from then on. A colleague joked half-heartedly: "Director Jiang, you're keeping up with fashion." Jiang Qiong responded with a joke: "This is the most popular style this year, following the trend." In fact, she did not want others to know about her condition, so she deliberately wore high-necked sweaters to cover up her surgical scars.
Thousands wept to send off the "Smiling Secretary."