Zhou Zhengyin's face was filled with sorrow as he stood at the front of the funeral procession. (Reported by Lei Jia)
Central Note: Paralyzed and bedridden for exactly 12 years due to illness, 66-year-old Liang Yingxia from the Feng-Wei New District passed away peacefully. Yesterday, her funeral drew many villagers from nearby areas. People spontaneously came not only to express their condolences for the deceased but also to visit and comfort the old man who had been tirelessly caring for his wife without complaint for 12 years.
The local folks have turned Teacher Zhou’s story into a catchy rhyme:
"The road in Zhongzhai is wide and broad, the couple walks hand in hand on it, admired by the young and envied by the old, their love has accompanied each day."
Paralyzed and bedridden for exactly 12 years due to illness, 66-year-old Liang Yingxia from the Feng-Wei New District passed away peacefully. Yesterday, her funeral attracted a large number of villagers from nearby areas. They came not only to mourn the deceased but also to visit and comfort the old man who had cared for his wife day and night without any complaints for 12 years.
"She took care of me for more than thirty years, now it's my turn."
At noon yesterday, in the home of Zhou Zhengyin in Zhongzhai Village, Doumen Street Office, Feng-Wei New District, people gathered from all directions to attend the funeral. Villager Zhang Zhilin was busy helping around Zhou's house, but Zhou's relatives didn't know who he was. Taking the opportunity to offer Zhang Zhilin a drink, Zhou's family chatted with him for a few minutes. Zhang Zhilin said that he had heard about Zhou Zhengyin and his wife Liang Yingxia five or six years ago and had always wanted to come visit but never had the chance. When he heard about the passing of Elder Liang two days ago, he decided to come no matter what to pay his respects and do his part.
Both Zhou Zhengyin, aged 70, and his wife Liang Yingxia were former teachers, with Zhou having served as the principal of the village primary school. Twelve years ago, shortly after Zhou retired, his wife suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Although her life was saved through emergency treatment, she became paralyzed and unable to take care of herself.
"When my wife was healthy, she contributed a lot to our family. She took care of everything related to my personal needs, and raised our four children by herself. After she fell ill, I thought, she took care of me for more than thirty years, and now it's my turn," Zhou Zhengyin said yesterday.
From never entering the kitchen to cooking every day
When his wife was healthy, Zhou Zhengyin never entered the kitchen nor did he buy groceries or cook meals. He didn't know how to wash or fold clothes, nor which clothes to wear for different seasons—all arranged by his wife. "Back then, I had a bad temper, and quarrels were a daily occurrence; I don’t know how many times I broke the glass mirrors at home," recalled Zhou Zhengyin. However, since his wife fell ill, his transformation astonished everyone in the village. Not only did he start buying groceries, cooking, and washing clothes, but his fiery temper completely changed. Helping his wife change clothes, washing her face, combing her hair—these trivial tasks never made Zhou Zhengyin feel embarrassed. "After mother fell ill, we often saw our parents laughing and chatting. Mother often told father that his cooking was better than restaurant food, and father would laughingly say that mother said this to save money for the family," said Zhou Zhengyin's daughter yesterday.
Villagers turned their story into a rhyme
For many years in the past, the elders and juniors of Zhongzhai Village often saw such a scene: on the village road, Zhou Zhengyin slowly walked while supporting Liang Yingxia. His wife needed appropriate exercise, so unless there was bad weather, walking with his wife became an unshakable task for Zhou Zhengyin. "The road in Zhongzhai is wide and broad, the couple walks hand in hand in the middle, admired by the young and envied by the old, their love accompanies each day." To express their respect for the couple, the villagers turned their story into rhymes.
Around the Spring Festival in 2011, Liang Yingxia's condition worsened. Zhou Zhengyin helped his wife turn over every night, hardly getting a full night's sleep, and lost much weight. Several times, Liang Yingxia shed tears while telling Zhou Zhengyin: "I have had good fortune in this life to meet you, I owe you, and I will repay you in the next life. I hope in the next life, I am still your wife..." When asked whether he felt it was worth doing all these things, Zhou Zhengyin always said that married couples are companions in old age, they should take care of each other, and he felt it was his duty, something he couldn't shirk.
Presenting the plaque is to educate the younger generation to care more for their parents
Under the influence of their parents, all four of the Zhou family's children have very harmonious relationships after marriage. The eldest daughter never argued with her in-laws after marriage and was named as part of a five-good family and a good daughter-in-law. Often, villagers from other villages came to their home saying they had heard about their affairs and specially sent representatives to the Zhou family to learn about how to get along between couples, how to respect the elderly, and how to educate the younger generation, intending to promote it in their own village.
On February 19th, Liang Yingxia unfortunately passed away. Yesterday, more than 500 villagers from the same village and neighboring villages spontaneously came to participate in the elder's funeral. On behalf of all the villagers, the two committees of Zhongzhai Village presented Zhou Zhengyin with a plaque reading "Deep marital affection, learning model." Chen Xuanhu, the village party secretary of Zhongzhai Village, said that presenting the plaque to Teacher Zhou was the wish of all the villagers, not only to teach the villagers to love each other in marriage but also to educate the younger generation to care more for their parents, hoping that all villagers could learn from Zhou Zhengyin and not abandon each other when one spouse encounters difficulties, and families should care for each other even more. Reported by our reporter Yao Luyi, Yang Chenggong, Song Lulu.