A seemingly ordinary wedding is full of bizarre legends. The groom is 65 years old, and the bride is only 32 years old, and she is the sister of the groom's deceased wife. This couple with a huge age difference has reversed the world's stereotype, how will their love story play out?
Founding General Song Shilun: A lifelong unswerving revolutionary feeling
In 1972, when the 65-year-old Song Shilun joined the 32-year-old young woman to get married, the prestige of the founding general had already resounded in the sky. He was born in poverty, and was influenced by revolutionary ideas since he was a child, and was determined to devote himself to the great cause of saving the country. In 1925, 18-year-old Song Shilun went to Guangzhou with the ideal of saving the country, and did not hesitate to give all the money to his classmates and friends, just so that he could be admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy. Two years later, with his extraordinary talent, he was also admitted to the school and officially embarked on the revolutionary road.
During the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Song Shilun wholeheartedly supported the Communist Party, joined the Communist Party of China and became an honorable party member. In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek staged a counter-revolutionary coup d'état, in which a large number of Communists were massacred, and Soong Shilun was imprisoned. However, all these hardships did not dampen his revolutionary will, but instead prompted him to secretly resolve to build up armed forces in the future to avenge the communist revolution. After being released from prison, he returned to his hometown to establish a guerrilla army, which became the biggest intestinal infarction of the Kuomintang government.
In 1934, Song Shilun decisively followed Chairman Mao Zedong to break away from Zhang Guotao's troops, and from then on he firmly held the direction of the Communists. In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, he repeatedly made meritorious contributions and became a veritable "tiger general". With his outstanding military command skills, he was quickly promoted to army commander and column commander, and led his troops to conquer the enemy's important towns. In 1955, Chairman Mao personally awarded him the Founding General Medal as a commendation.
The Great Love of Sacrificing Everything: The Marriage Story of Zheng Jisi and Song Shilun
The encounter between Song Shilun and Zheng Jisi originated in Yan'an in 1941. At that time, the 25-year-old Zheng Jisi was working as an instructor at Kang Da and enthusiastically devoted himself to the revolutionary cause. Song Shilun, on the other hand, was transferred to Yan'an to study Marxist-Leninist theory because of his outstanding achievements in the anti-Japanese army. As outstanding soldiers and party members, the two met each other and had a good impression of each other.
At first, Zheng Jisi's impression of Song Shilun was quite unfamiliar - this "tiger general" in his prime was so gentle and elegant, and his speech and demeanor revealed a humble and polite demeanor. What surprised her even more was that Song Shilun also had a daughter Song Lanying by her side. It turned out that in the early years, Song Shilun was forced by his father to arrange a marriage in the tradition. Despite the loveless marriage, he fulfilled his duties as a father and took his daughter with him.
Gradually, Song Shilun's attitude and revolutionary sentiments deeply moved Zheng Jisi. The two had more and more contact in Yan'an, and they also praised each other's revolutionary deeds. A marriage sprouts like this. Soon, under the enthusiastic mediation of the masses, the two finally became married, and entered the point where a lover finally became a dependent.
The newlywed Yan'er could not hide her happiness and joy, but Song Shilun was also secretly worried in his heart. As a Communist, he knew very well that the revolutionary road was arduous and tortuous, and that he even had to sacrifice his life for the cause. Therefore, he begged Zheng Jisi: "If one day one of us leaves first, let Song Lanying follow you."
Song Shilun's words were like a thunderclap, making Zheng Jisi realize all kinds of accidents that he might face in the future. She took the initiative to promise that she would take care of Song Lanying wholeheartedly. This affectionate and righteous promise also made Song Shilun respect his wife even more.
In 1942, the two were happy to love their daughter Song Chongshi. Although life in Yan'an was difficult at that time, Zhu De did not hesitate to take out the only cow he had to provide enough milk for the baby. It can be seen that Mr. Zhu attaches great importance to Song Shilun and envies the love of their husband and wife.
The indissoluble bond of the Yan'an period: the grudge entanglement between Song Shilun and his sister-in-law Zheng Xiaocun
In 1941, Zheng Xiaocun came to Yan'an as a teacher and student of Yan'an University and met with his sister Zheng Jisi and brother-in-law Song Shilun. At that time, Song Shilun was committed to further the study of Marxist-Leninist theory, and his wife Zheng Jisi served as an instructor of Kang Da, and the revolutionary life of the whole family was very fulfilling.
When they met for the first time, Zheng Xiaocun was deeply impressed by her sister's husband. Song Shilun has an extraordinary bearing, is humble and polite, and his prestige as a "tiger general" is like two people. However, what surprised her even more was that Song Shilun still had a little daughter Song Lanying. Later, she learned that this was born from Song Shilun's forced arranged marriage with his ex-wife in his early years.
During his stay in Yan'an, Song Shilun's family was inseparable from Zheng Xiaocun. Due to the peculiarities of revolutionary life, the distance between the young sisters and their brother-in-law was much closer than that of ordinary families. Song Shilun also respects Zheng Xiaocun and takes care of her as a relative. Gradually, Zheng Xiaocun developed a sincere admiration for this unswerving Communist.
At the same time, Song Shilun often saw the intimate figure of his wife Zheng Jisi and sister Zheng Xiaocun, and he was secretly glad that his wife had such a reliable confidant as his companion. After all, the road to revolution was long and bumpy, and he was likely to go to the soup before his wife. At that time, Zheng Jisi will definitely be lonely, but fortunately, she has her sister by her side to comfort her.
In 1942, Song Shilun and his wife were happy to love their daughter Song Chongshi, and the happy life of the whole family reached a new height. However, in this year, Zheng Xiaocun suffered a major blow to her life - her husband died in the war, and she was alone. Faced with what happened to his sister, Song Shilun was extremely distressed, and secretly determined that he would love her well in the future and treat her as his own sister.
In this way, in the years of Yan'an, the friendship between Song Shilun and his wife Zheng Jisi has become deeper and deeper, and the relationship with his sister-in-law Zheng Xiaocun has also changed from strange to intimate, and the fate of the three seems to have been entangled together. And this fetters will intensify in the revolutionary years to come.
The deep meaning behind his last words: Why did Zheng Jisi want Song Shilun to marry his sister?
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Song Shilun's family of three still lived in the barracks. As a general, Song Shilun was busy with affairs, and his revolutionary life was still difficult. And Zheng Jisi and his sister Zheng Xiaocun, the bosom sisters in the revolutionary era, have become each other's most solid support.
In 1956, a sudden illness struck Zheng Jisi. This female instructor, who was once full of revolutionary pride, began to be sick in bed, and her condition was full of twists and turns. Song Shilun regarded his wife as his life, and temporarily put down his military career to serve Zheng Jisi wholeheartedly. And his sister Zheng Xiaocun gave up everything day and night to take care of her sister's diet and daily life.
In this long process of fighting the disease, Zheng Jisi realized that his life was dying away little by little. As Song Shilun's wife, she doesn't need to say much about her love for her husband; But as an older sister, she also takes care of her sister Zheng Xiaocun. She knows very well that only by her sister's side is a confidant, Song Shilun's later life will not be lonely.
So, when she was dying, Zheng Jisi solemnly put forward a special last word to her husband Song Shilun: If she dies before Song Shilun one day, I hope that Song Shilun can marry her own sister Zheng Xiaocun as his wife, so that her sister can take good care of Song Shilun's later life.
These last words undoubtedly brought a huge shock to Song Shilun. As a loyal Communist Party member, Song Shilun considered himself to have made a limited contribution to the revolutionary cause. Now that his wife has made such a special request, he doesn't know what to do. But after thinking about it, isn't his marriage with Zheng Jisi also the result of being fully cared for and matched by the masses? Since his wife has asked him to do so, he must go all out to fulfill this wish.
What's more, Zheng Jisi and his sister Zheng Xiaocun, the friendship between the two has been deeply rooted since the revolutionary years. Song Shilun has always attached great importance to Zheng Xiaocun and treats her as a sister. With her power by her side, she will be able to live a happier and healthier life in her old age.
So, despite the world's eyes and criticism, Song Shilun ceremoniously married his 33-year-old sister-in-law Zheng Xiaocun as his wife in 1972. They walked through this marriage hand in hand until Song Shilun died at the age of 86. It can be seen how unswerving Song Shilun's commitment to his wife is.
The deep love that has been unharmed for many years: Song Shilun, who is over the age of six, and Zheng Xiaocun live hand in hand
In 1972, 65-year-old Song Shilun married his 33-year-old sister-in-law Zheng Xiaocun, and the couple with a huge age difference entered the palace of marriage. Since then, the two have opened a new chapter in their lives and lived a life of mutual affection.
Although this marriage was criticized by the world from the beginning, Song Shilun never cared about the eyes of the outside world. In his opinion, his wife Zheng Jisi's last words are a promise he must keep, and Zheng Xiaocun is his closest confidant who has regarded him as his sister for many years. With her by her side, he will be able to live happily and healthily in his old age.
In his married life, Song Shilun held Zheng Xiaocun in the palm of his hand and cared for him. They are by their side during the day and sleep together at night. Song Shilun even changed his habit of using a gun, for fear of accidentally hurting his wife. Every time he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will subconsciously reach out to the pillow to confirm his wife's safety. Over time, Zheng Xiaocun gradually adapted to her husband's military style.
Although their marriage was initially criticized a lot, as time went by, relatives and friends saw that Song Shilun loved his wife, and they all turned from opposition to blessings. Especially when they saw that Song Shilun didn't even pay attention to his daughter Song Lanying, who was over half a hundred years old, they were even more sincerely happy for the couple.
In addition to his wife, Song Shilun was also filial to his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Every year during the Chinese New Year, he would personally wield a big knife to slaughter pigs for his father-in-law, so that the whole family could eat big fish and meat. He also deliberately placed his parents-in-law not far from his residence to facilitate care. Such a filial act made the parents-in-law have great respect for this son-in-law.
It is worth mentioning that although the love between the two is enviable, Song Shilun's military style has never changed. He has never slackened in his career as a horseman, exercising on time every day, and insisting on cleaning his room and doing housework. Zheng Xiaocun's tenacity to her husband made her sincerely admire, and it also witnessed the responsibility and ability of this "tiger general" during the war years.
In 1984, Song Shilun was 86 years old. In this year, he and his wife Zheng Xiaocun spent the last time in their old house in Beijing. The following year, he passed away, leaving behind his beloved wife and daughter. Zheng Xiaocun lived until she was 103 years old and was reunited with her husband in 2000. They are a pair of sisters, who have used their lives to interpret what chastity and confidant are, and have also witnessed the perseverance and revolutionary sentiments of a founding general.