82-year-old Cai Lan has arranged the funeral, sold his assets to cash out and live in a hotel, and lived day by day without leaving his hand
Do you know the name Cai Lan? As one of the "Four Great Talents of Hong Kong", he has extraordinary achievements in literature, food, music and other fields. Now 82 years old, he has arranged his own funeral, sold most of his assets, left only Pu'er tea and his wife's old house, lived in a luxury hotel in the suburbs of Hong Kong, and lived a different life.
The vicissitudes of time, nostalgia for the past
Time flies, and the years are merciless. Among Cai Lan's friends, three of the "Four Great Talents" have passed away first. And he himself suffered a setback in his life last year - he went insane due to the death of his wife and accidentally fell at home and was hospitalized. This former literati is now able to walk on crutches and receive rehabilitation.
At that time, Cai Lan rushed into the room to find that his wife had passed away, and he did not fall carefully and fractured his bones, and this memory may forever become a pain in his heart. However, he didn't seem to be about to dwell too much on the pain. "Physical pain can be relieved by painkillers, but mental pain doesn't exist if you don't think about it. This is the teachings of his friend before his death, and Cai Lan is trying to implement it.
Turning around is a new life
After the death of his wife, Cai Lan decided to get rid of the shackles of the past. He resolutely sold or gave away most of the old things such as calligraphy, paintings, antiques and other old things in his family, leaving only the old house where he had lived with his wife for decades, temporarily retaining his last memories.
Cai Lan quit his old home and stayed in a luxury hotel in the heart of Hong Kong. Seven or eight full-time staff take care of daily life 360°, including secretaries, housekeepers, nurses, workers and personal doctors. He jokes that "the biggest pleasure is to gather three or five friends for a drink."
Cigarettes don't leave your hands and wine doesn't leave your body?
Regarding living habits, Cai Lan can be described as extremely "willful". He bluntly said that if someone advised him to quit smoking and drinking or to break the bad habit of going to bed late, "I would immediately get rid of that person." According to the report, he "never leaves his cigarette" every day without exception, and he is no stranger to the state of drunkenness - once he was drunk for two days and two nights in a row, and even when his brother visited, he wondered if he was "gone".
However, Cai Lan doesn't seem to care about this. He believes that he has lived to this age, and he should enjoy life to the fullest and be uninhibited. No wonder some people say, "He is now fulfilling the dreams of his youth".
Can life start all over again?
Talking about whether he still has any regrets in his life, Cai Lan got straight to the point: "Even if there is, no one can help if you say it." Knowing that his life has entered its final stage, he is ready for his "final journey" – buying a niche in Singapore, but he prefers to rest in Hong Kong at the end.
What is commendable is that although he expected that his death would not last long, Cai Lan did not lose his enthusiasm for life. "One day to live, one day" seems to have become his biggest life creed today.
Some people question Cai Lan's current "willful and indulgent" lifestyle, arguing that it is not good enough. But Cai Lan may respond to you and me like this:
"You didn't enjoy enough when you were young, and when you're like me, you can do whatever you want!"
Life is short for decades, and how to spend the rest of your life depends on your personal journey. Cai Lan chose to walk the last road happily in his own way, and this openness should be understood and respected by us. The last rhythm of his life may be the most wonderful tango in his life, and he should be allowed to shine.