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One of the things that the Chinese have attached most importance to since ancient times is to "reproduce children".
As the saying goes, "there are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is the greatest", which is enough to see the importance of heirs in the hearts of the Chinese people.
This is true for ordinary people, and even more so for celebrities and dignitaries.
However, at the beginning of the last century, the richest man in Hong Kong, the He family, married a bride Mai Xiuying who was gentle and virtuous, but after ten years of marriage, there has been no movement in the stomach.
How can a family like theirs have no offspring?
For the sake of the continuation of the family, Mai Xiuying decided to let her cousin Zhang Jingrong marry He Dong as a concubine.
First, she can open up branches for their He family, and secondly, she knows her cousin's character very well, and she will definitely not be like those thoughtful women outside, pampering her husband to "spoil concubines and kill wives".
After Mai Xiuying's persuasion, in the end, Zhang Jingrong really married He Dong as a concubine, and gave birth to ten children for him in a row......
He Dong's childhood
Speaking of He Dong, many people may not know who he is, but when it comes to Hong Kong's "gambling king" Stanley Ho, everyone may have heard of it.
Ho Tung is Stanley Ho's uncle, the former richest man in Hong Kong, the head of the Ho family.
In the middle of the 19th century, with the end of the Opium War, this treasure land of Hong Kong was forced to be ceded to United Kingdom and became a colony of United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom began to set up foreign trade ports here, and Hong Kong gradually developed into a center of international trade, attracting a large number of European merchants.
In 1858, the Netherlands He Shiwen set foot on this land full of hope to "pan for gold".
He registered his own company in Hong Kong, called "Bosman & Co", and his business got better and better, accumulating a lot of wealth.
After Ho Shiwen took root in Hong Kong, he met and fell in love with Shi Di, a fisherwoman from Guangdong.
Although the Hong Kong Governor's Office strongly opposed the marriage between foreigners and Chinese at that time, although the two were husband and wife, they did not have the name of husband and wife, but they did not care.
In 1859, Ho Shiwen and Shi Di rented a house in Hong Kong, began living together unmarried, and gave birth to four sons and a daughter, the eldest of whom was born in 1866.
He Dong grew up in Hong Kong, and his family had some money when he was a child, but when he was 12 years old, He Shiwen sold all his assets in Hong Kong due to business failure. Later, he abandoned his family and left for a foreign country, and He Dong never saw his father again.
Since then, he has lived with his mother and four siblings.
Shi Di is a strong woman who lives a difficult life, and she has not suffered from her children.
She took out all her savings and sent He Dongxing's younger brothers to study, hoping that they could change their fate through knowledge.
He Dong lived up to his mother's expectations, and after graduation, he came to work in the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, improving the conditions of his family.
As a young man, he worked as a junior assistant in the China department of Jardine Matheson, and also worked as a translator. This position has exposed him to many business opportunities and connections.
He took every opportunity to learn foreign languages and business, and made a wide network of contacts during this time.
Soon after, he founded his own company and began to venture into the trading industry. He inherited his father's talent for business and gradually made his mark in Hong Kong's business world.
In 1897, Ho Tung's fortune had reached $2 million, making him the richest man in Hong Kong.
The marriage is happy, but there is no heir
In 1898, 32-year-old He Dong and Mak Xiuying entered the marriage hall. Mai Xiuying is also a mixed-race girl, and the two have a happy married life.
However, although their relationship has always been very good, they have been married for ten years, Mai Xiuying has never been able to get pregnant, and she has tried all kinds of medical advice and folk remedies, but there has been no improvement.
This became a hidden pain in the hearts of the two.
Chinese have always attached the most importance to future generations, although He Dong said that he did not blame Mai Xiuying, but every time he saw a child, his liking look made her heart ache.
She watched He Dong continue to succeed in his career, but felt regret in his family, and felt very uneasy in her heart.
Until one day, her cousin Zhang Jingrong's family came to the house as a guest, and Mai Xiuying looked at her cousin with a beautiful face, and a strange thought rose in her heart......
Zhang Jingrong is a well-informed and extraordinary woman, born in a famous family, and she has known herself since childhood, Mai Xiuying knows that she is a very tall woman and disdains to compete for favor.
So she repeatedly mentally prepared and tentatively proposed ideas to her cousin.
Zhang Jingrong was shocked after hearing this, frowned and refused, she received an advanced Western education since she was a child, and she did not agree with the old habit of three wives and four concubines.
But Mai Xiuying kept persuading, and later even bought a miserable situation, and found her cousin's biological mother to persuade her together...... In the end, she was finally convinced.
Mai Xiuying assured her that once she gave birth to a child with Ho Dong, she would be made an equal wife and enjoy the same status as her main wife.
In this way, in February 1895, the He family beat gongs and drums and married Zhang Jingrong with eight sedan chairs.
He Dong was very satisfied with this new wife, and Mai Xiuying was also very pleased, and prayed silently in her heart, hoping that her cousin could reproduce the He family as soon as possible.
Raised as a "flat wife"
Zhang Jingrong lived up to expectations, and not long after coming to the He family, she quickly became pregnant, and gave birth to her first child ten months later.
This news made the entire He family boil, He Dong doted on this new wife even more, and Mai Xiuying was also very excited, and even came to serve her cousin in confinement.
With the birth of his first child, He Dong was in a good mood, he worked harder into his work, and the family business was thriving.
The relationship between Mai Xiuying and Zhang Jingrong is also getting deeper and deeper, and the two support each other, take care of the children together, and keep the family in order.
In the following years, Zhang Jingrong gave birth to many children one after another, and the He family gave birth to three sons and seven daughters, a total of ten children, and the He family gradually became lively.
At the same time, Mai Xiuying did not break her promise, she persuaded her husband to officially raise Zhang Jingrong as his wife.
After Zhang Jingrong became a flat wife, the He family's career and family entered a new stage.
Under the careful care of two mothers, the children grew up healthily, and He Dong continued to create brilliance in the business world.
Outside of Ho's proprietorship, the two wives of Ho made the Ho family one of the most prominent families in Hong Kong.
Over time, the He family has not only achieved great success in business, but also has an unprecedented increase in family cohesion.
All this is inseparable from the efforts of Mai Xiuying and Zhang Jingrong.
Clutch in the chaos of war
In 1931, Hong Kong was plunged into a turbulent situation, and the shadow of war hung over the city.
Ho Tung decided to take Zhang Jingrong and her children to Macau for refuge, while Mak Xiuying chose to stay in Hong Kong to protect the family estate.
On the day of parting, He Dong held Mai Xiuying's hand tightly, his eyes full of reluctance.
As the war continued and Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese army, Mak Sau-ying's situation became extremely difficult. He Dong's property and mansion were taken away by the Japanese army, what can she do as a weak woman? can only grit his teeth and protect the stormy home alone.
Fate picks hard-working people, and the family is not stable, and she received another bad news - He Dong is seriously ill in Macau and is in critical condition.
Mak was anxious, but due to the war, she could not travel to Macau, so she could only wait anxiously in Hong Kong.
Not long after, Mai Xiuying received a letter from Zhang Jingrong, which said that He Dong's recent situation was almost dying......
Mai Xiuying's heart was like a knife, and she became ill, and at this time, the old disease recurred and she could not be rescued.
After the war, Ho Tung returned to Hong Kong and held a grand funeral for Mak Xiuying.
On the day of the funeral, He Dong stood in front of Mai Xiuying's spirit, crying uncontrollably, he put a bouquet of flowers with trembling hands: "Xiuying, I'm back, I'm sorry......"
Zhang Jingrong also stood aside, holding He Dong's hand tightly, crying silently.
He Dong made a vow at Mak Xiuying's grave, hoping to renew his relationship with her in the next life.
With the passage of time, the children and grandchildren of the He family gradually grew up and took over the burden of the family. In his later years, He Dong focused more on charity, hoping to use his wealth to help more people.
He often mentions Mak Xiuying and Zhang Jingrong's two wives at family gatherings, and constantly warns his children and grandchildren to cherish the importance of family harmony.
"You have to remember that it was your mother and aunt who brought the family to where it is today." This is what He Dong says most often.
End
In 1941, He Dong died of illness at the age of 80.
His death marked the end of an era, but his spirit and family tradition were carried on by the next generation.
Before he died, he told Zhang Jingrong to bury himself in the same cemetery as Mak Xiuying, so that they could continue to be with each other in another world.
Zhang Jingrong looked at their tombstones, tears raining down, she knew that although she had become a flat wife, Mai Xiuying was always the most important existence in He Dong's heart.
However, she is not jealous of Mai Xiuying, and her sister is also a very important existence in her heart.
The cemetery where He Dong and Mai Xiuying were buried together has become a place of worship for the descendants of the He family, commemorating this history full of love and sacrifice.
After He Dong's death, Zhang Jingrong continued to devote herself to charity and guarded the honor of her family in her own way.
Later, she wrote in her book "Travels to Famous Mountains":
"It is a lifelong blessing to be comfortable with the family, to be loved by the husband, to be happy with the children, and to have a happy family."
She hopes that her story can inspire more people and not give up easily.
In the end, Zhang Jingrong also passed away peacefully, and reunited with He Dong and Mak Xiuying in another world.
The descendants of the Ho family continue to shine in their respective fields, and they keep in mind the teachings of their ancestors and strive to continue the glory of the family.
To this day, the Ho family is still one of the most prominent families in Hong Kong, and all of this is inseparable from the efforts of Mak Xiuying and Zhang Jingrong.
Reference: CNKI "The Centennial Legend of the He Dong Family" Liu Zhonghua