Last weekend marked the "seven sevens" (49th day) since the passing of Mr. Zhu Jiang (a pseudonym), a 73-year-old man from Xinhé Community in Jiyuqiáo Street. The only person who remembered this day and offered paper money as a tribute was his ex-wife, Ms. Luó Dōngróng, aged 57.
On August 8, Ms. Luó told reporters that although she had always harbored resentment towards Zhu Jiang, seeing him ill made her heart ache. "If I had taken better care of him earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have passed away so soon!" she said sorrowfully.
Fourteen years ago, Ms. Luó ended her marriage with Zhu Jiang due to constant abuse and arguments. However, during Zhu Jiang's final days, Ms. Luó resolutely returned to his side, providing unwavering care around the clock. She even borrowed money to arrange his funeral, giving him warmth in his final moments.
In 1984, Ms. Luó and Zhu Jiang were introduced by a mutual acquaintance and got married. At the time, both worked odd jobs, living in very strained circumstances. Zhu Jiang enjoyed drinking and would secretly borrow money when short on cash, borrowing from almost every neighbor in the vicinity. Ms. Luó constantly followed up to repay these debts, which eventually led to frequent quarrels between them. When provoked, Zhu Jiang sometimes resorted to physical violence against Ms. Luó. In 1997, Ms. Luó filed for divorce. Helpless, Zhu Jiang agreed. At the time, their son was only seven years old.
After the divorce, Ms. Luó lived with their son in their previous home, while Zhu Jiang rented a place in the same neighborhood. Occasionally, they would greet each other if they met. For fourteen years, Ms. Luó raised their son alone, never asking Zhu Jiang for child support. They interacted like ordinary neighbors and neither remarried.
In early May this year, Ms. Luó suddenly received a call from the community informing her that Zhu Jiang had fallen and suffered intracranial bleeding, requiring hospitalization. His relatives were all elderly and unable to provide care. Without hesitation, Ms. Luó quickly went to the hospital with her son, taking turns day and night to attend to him. In a semi-comatose state, Zhu Jiang, upon seeing Ms. Luó, asked with slight surprise, "Why are you here?" Five days later, Zhu Jiang was discharged from the hospital and was brought back to their former home by Ms. Luó.
Every day, Ms. Luó fed Zhu Jiang and helped him bathe, turning him over every two hours. Occasionally, when Zhu Jiang regained consciousness, he would suddenly become angry: "We're divorced, why do you still bother with me?" He would then knock over the food in Ms. Luó’s hands or kick her with his only mobile leg. Despite this, Ms. Luó remained silent and continued feeding him without complaint.
By mid-May, Zhu Jiang's health deteriorated further. On May 15, under the company of Ms. Luó and their son, Zhu Jiang peacefully passed away. Although already burdened with debt from her cleaning job, Ms. Luó borrowed an additional 13,000 yuan from relatives and neighbors to arrange a simple funeral for Zhu Jiang and purchase a plot for his burial. (Reported by Hu Caili, communicated by Wu Yuhua, intern Zhao Feng)
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