BEIJING: A retired woman in eastern China has spent 14 years caring for a former colleague with cancer, brushing off gossip to stand by him.
According to Jinan Daily, the story began in 2012, when Zhang Ji, now 76, reconnected with her former supervisor, Zhang Hongquan, after years without contact.
Widowed, estranged from his adult children and battling rectal cancer, the 82-year-old was living in squalid conditions in a flat in Jinan, Shandong province.
The illness had left his left leg blackened and swollen. With no central heating, his only source of warmth was a small coal stove.
Heartbroken by what she saw, Zhang Ji told him: “Come live with me. I will take care of you.”
Her husband had died shortly before, and neighbours cautioned her against inviting scandal into her home.
She dismissed the warnings as trivial in the face of a matter of life and death, convinced that “leaving him behind would kill him.”
Zhang Hongquan initially refused, fearing gossip, but she kept visiting until he agreed to move in during the summer of 2012.
She prepared a separate room for him, took him to acupuncture sessions, encouraged him to stay positive and helped him with daily exercises.
In 2017, complications caused the skin around his ankles to peel away, leaving open wounds that needed to be cleaned every day.
Zhang improvised a drainage basin from a flowerpot to wash his wounds and prevent contaminated water from aggravating the infections.
Her care eventually stabilised his condition. She also managed his finances, placing his pension in separate fixed-term accounts on his behalf.
“These days, he insists on doing the cooking and greets each day with a smile,” Zhang told the media.
But her kindness was not universally welcomed.
One relative urged her to charge him back rent to cut her losses, while a friend argued that she should be spending his money instead.
A neighbour even sneered that she had taken in a sick old man before her late husband was even cold in the ground.
Zhang paid little attention, holding firm to her motto: “An upright soul fears no slander.”
“Every extra day that Zhang Hongquan lives gives me a great sense of fulfilment,” she said.
Her devotion also won over his family. When his sister-in-law called to ask him to return home, Zhang turned down the request on his behalf, showing through her tireless care that he was already in the best possible hands.
His daughter said Zhang was better than their mother, while his elder sister praised her integrity.
Zhang Hongquan said he would never forget what she had done for him, describing her heart as spotless and her character as broad-minded.
Their story has struck a chord across mainland social media.
“Zhang stood by her colleague for 14 years. What ties them together is not romance, but genuine friendship and profound humanity,” one online commenter wrote.
“Her goodness comes without a shred of self-interest,” added another. - South China Morning Post
