Not bad to be happy with people. Century-old man Fang Cheng (private album)

Author: Ji Xia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Fang Cheng's second wife was also a capable and beautiful woman, about two decades younger than Fang Cheng. Mr. Fang said, "Marriage, indeed, cannot have a significant age gap, as this can sow seeds of disharmony from the start. But these are not the main reasons; the main issue is the difference in ideological concepts, that is, a different worldview. For example, when I paint for others, she wouldn’t do it. She said, ‘Why waste time for nothing?’ When I write articles, she said, ‘It’s exhausting and a waste of effort to earn so little.’ Sometimes, when I couldn’t sleep at night and got up to paint, she would say, ‘Lie down,’ and I had to ‘lie down.’ Later, though, I also had a trick up my sleeve. I told her I was going to the bathroom, and she had no choice but to let me. I still painted my own thing." Fang Cheng and Ms. Su lived together for 16 years, and these 16 years of life brought not only marital happiness to Fang Cheng but also insights into a happy marriage. No matter what, although Fang Cheng and Ms. Su are now considered "divorced," Ms. Su sometimes still keeps in touch with Fang Cheng and calls him to celebrate his birthday. Occasionally, she invites Fang to dinner and introduces him to others as "my husband." After all, 16 years of feelings cannot be summed up in a few words. This is a photo of Fang Cheng and Ms. Su returning to their hometown, taken with the renowned Chinese painter Guan Shanyue. From left to right, the second person is Ms. Su, the third is Guan Shanyue, and the tall one is Fang Cheng. When Fang Cheng mentions Ms. Su, he feels both nostalgia and admiration. Ms. Su was quite capable, a native of Shandong, never sparing herself when it came to work—she was a strong woman. Shandong people place great importance on etiquette, and although she was only a few years older than Fang Cheng’s children, she once insisted that they call her "Mom" out of traditional courtesy, which was perfectly reasonable. However, influenced by Western customs, the children raised in Beijing were not accustomed to this address. Shandong people are stubborn, and they believed that not doing so was disrespectful to her. Thus, a small conflict arose. But this was not the main issue. Ms. Su had a daughter, whom Fang Cheng and the children loved very much. Mr. Fang said, "I didn’t have any daughters at home, so we really liked her and spoiled her, especially my youngest son Sun Xiaogang, who was particularly fond of her. He taught her how to do homework and played with her. Once, the two of them fought over a knife, and Xiaogang’s hand was cut, but they didn’t let on. Later, unfortunately, an accident occurred—the girl passed away. This was a great blow to Ms. Su, who said she wanted to leave this place that hurt her and found a connection through a acquaintance who introduced her to Shenzhen. She worked very hard and earned the nickname ‘The Daring Third Mother’ for her relentless efforts." After Ms. Su’s daughter passed away, Sun Xiaogang cried many times. This was not only Ms. Su’s grief but also the sorrow of the entire Fang family. How could others understand the heart of a mother? In this way, Fang Cheng resumed his single life and rode his bicycle again. P37-P39