Chen Sikou resolutely refused to ingest food, closed his lips tightly, and did not want to try any of the food placed at the head of the bed. In the face of her daughter's attempt to spoon her feeding, she looked back firmly and shook her head vigorously.
The daughter immediately realized her mother's determination - she was planning to end her precious life by the extreme means of hunger strike.
Despite the painstaking persuasion of relatives and friends, Chen Sikou was still silent, stubborn and unmoved. For the first two days, she managed to take a few sips of water, and then she ruthlessly turned away even the little water.
Her lips were cracked with dryness, but there was a tenacity in her eyes. Chen Sikou knew that her physical condition could no longer bear more pain and suffering, so she chose to say goodbye to the world calmly and serenely without letting her relatives bear additional pressure and burden.
It was a sunny afternoon decades ago, and a young couple were gazing at each other affectionately. Zhao Baoxu was engrossed in reviewing the student's graduation thesis, while Chen Sikou smiled happily and obsessively admired the heroic demeanor on her husband's side face.
At that time, Professor Zhao was a brilliant professor who had already made a name for himself at Peking University and was hailed as the founder of China's emerging field of political science. Chen Sikou is proud to be his wife, shares weal and woe with him, and works together to pursue the ideal stage of life.
However, who would have predicted that only a few decades later, she would be alone to meet the final judgment of life in such a resolute and heartbreaking way.
That happened when Chen Sikou was 96 years old. In order to ensure that the mother was well cared for, the three children had made a concerted effort to propose the hiring of a professional caregiver, but this proposal was firmly opposed by Chan.
She sat upright on the chair, smiled at her children with a ruddy face and a calm expression, shook her head firmly and said: "Although I am old and living alone, my physical functions are still quite intact, my thinking is still clear and sharp, and I am fully capable of taking care of my own daily life.
Every morning, when the first rays of morning light break through the tulle curtains and fall into the house, Chen Sikou is ready to go, his face full of red light and ready to welcome the new day.
She always chooses to walk to the farmer's market a short distance away, hand-picks fresh ingredients, and then returns home with elaborate home-cooked food.
At noon, she would carefully inspect every inch of her clothes in the mirror, washing those that were wrinkled or stained, a process that might have been a little strenuous, but she never bothered it.
Indeed, although Chen Sikou lives alone at home, her inner world is colorful and she has never felt lonely. As a senior scholar, she is passionate about enriching her spiritual world in a variety of ways.
Every day, she regularly watches the news on TV to keep abreast of current events, and in the early morning, she actively reads newspapers and magazines to absorb the nectar of knowledge.
Chen Sikou always eagerly recorded those beautiful words and profound insights one by one, so that he could slowly savor and think about them in the future.
This elderly man is not only a learned scholar, but also an audience obsessed with theater. She likes to delve into the emotional world of her characters and discuss the rationality and excitement of the plot with her children.
Although he has entered his 90s, Chen Sikou's love for his three children is still so selfless and broad. They take time out to visit almost every week, and sometimes even bring a variety of food and wine as a sign of filial piety.
However, Chen Sikou, who lives alone at home, does not actually need too many material gifts. Whenever her children came to visit with large and small packages, she always waved to them cordially, with a warm smile on her face, and said euphemistically: "If you have been busy lately, you only need to make a brief phone call to greet me, and you really don't need to bring so many things over, so as not to cause unnecessary waste."
Chen Sikou has always adhered to a unique concept - the kindness of parents to their children should be selfless and do not need anything in return. Rather than enjoying the meticulous care of her children, she hopes that they can devote themselves to their careers, move forward bravely, and pursue higher achievements.
Whenever Chen Sikou's children's birthdays are approaching, she always feels heartfelt, writes affectionate birthday greetings by hand, and personally sends a 10,000 yuan cash red envelope full of heart to each of them, as a way to express her true love and encouragement to the children.
She knew that this wealth would eventually return to her children after her death, so she decided to share the joy with her family while she was still healthy.
Of course, Chen Sikou's concern for children is not just on the material level. In fact, every time the children came to visit her, she felt an endless sense of gratitude in her heart.
However, in order not to add an extra burden to the children, in the last stage of her life, she gradually reduced the contact time with the children.
She firmly believes that instead of letting the children work for her all day, it is better to leave quietly by herself, so that it can be considered the best ending of life.
It was a harrowing event that happened when Chen Sikou was nearly 100 years old. During a routine check-up, doctors were surprised to find a tumor growing above her left kidney, and it was most likely malignant — what is often referred to as cancer.
When the sad news reached the ears of her three children, their hearts instantly fell to the bottom and they were full of worry. The doctor strongly advised Chen Sikou to undergo surgery to remove the tumor immediately, otherwise it would be life-threatening if it was delayed.
However, to everyone's great surprise, Chen Sikou unexpectedly rejected this suggestion.
She looked at the doctor and the children calmly, and said in a calm voice, "I am already an elderly person, and my body is really unable to withstand the great trauma and pain caused by the operation.
Even if I did die of a tumor, I can't be sure if it was entirely due to the disease. ”
In the face of the children's stunned and helpless eyes, as well as the doctor's repeated persuasion, Chen Sikou still resolutely said: "Even if the tumor is successfully removed by surgery, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not cause other complications, and that will only add more pain?" In contrast, I prefer to spend the rest of my life in peace."
Since then, Chen Sikou has devoted himself to the journey of improving his eating habits. After reading a wide range of medical journals and professional works on cancer treatment, she decided to drastically change her diet to consume as many alkaline foods as possible, such as vegetables and legumes, and to avoid acidic foods such as greasy and fatty fatty foods.
For the next two years, Chen Sikou was completely immersed in the state of "peaceful coexistence" with cancer. She no longer goes in and out of the hospital frequently to receive various examinations, and although her life is plain and simple, her heart is full of satisfaction.
Whenever he watched his favorite sporting event live, the 90-year-old man danced and cheered happily, as if the illness in his life had never befallen him.
Chen Sikou has always adhered to the life creed of "knowledge is health". In her fifties, she suffered from severe itching of the skin, which was not significantly relieved despite the prescription of topical medications.
Faced with this dilemma, Chen Sikou resolutely decided to find a solution by herself, and she eagerly studied many medical monographs related to skin diseases, and conducted in-depth analysis and discussion of her own condition.
After a lot of hard work, Chen Sikou finally found the best way to solve the problem, and in the process, he became self-taught and mastered a set of effective massage therapies to relieve itchy skin.
Since then, Chen Sikou has regarded this massage as a daily compulsory course, and whenever she has a little leisure, she will immediately practice this unique massage treatment for herself, and the results are amazing - the itching symptoms disappear without a trace, and the skin becomes more delicate and rosy.
One day, Chen Sikou accidentally fell at home, causing severe pain in his lower back, and he could barely stand and walk. Facing his daughter's anxiety, Chen Sikou had a calm face, and kept reminding himself to stay calm in his heart.
She recalls that massage on certain acupressure points was effective in relieving lower back pain.
As a result, Chen Sikou straightened up on the bed like a warrior without fear, and quietly massaged the area around these key acupuncture points.
After a long and tenacious effort, the sharp pain in my lower back seems to be really slowly subsiding!
Soon after, a miracle happened! she was able to get up from her sleep smoothly and naturally, and her movements were back to normal.
Since then, Chen Sikou has regarded this miraculous massage therapy as an integral part of his life, and he is determined to practice it regularly.
With this set of precise symptomatic treatment, she finally succeeded in getting rid of the long-standing problem of low back pain, and once again verified the wise saying that "knowledge is health".