Chinese family cares for faithful old nanny for 42 years
Ex-servant, now 98, taken in after the death of her husband four decades ago, newspaper reports
A 98-year-old woman from southwest China has been taken care for the past 42 years by the family she once served as a nanny and maid, a newspaper revealed.
Fu Tianhu has lived with her former employers in Neijiang in Sichuan province since 1974, the Chengdu Business News reported.
Fu went to work for the Ji Hua’s family in 1958 about 10 days after she was born.
Fu stayed with the family until 1972 when she left to take care of her sick husband.
After her husband died a year later and she was left living alone and with no income, Ji suggested to her parents that their former nanny live with them, the report said.
Fu was hesitant at first to accept the family’s kindness, but finally agreed and has stayed with them ever since.
Internet users were touched by the story and compared it to the Hong Kong film A Simple Life, the report said. The movie stars Andy Lau and tells the story of a maid who served a family for decades and is looked after by one its younger members after she has a stroke.
The report said Fu was regarded as a member of the family and not a former employee.
“Once she was the household servant for our family. Now she is old and we have became a servant for her,” Ji was quoted as saying.
Fu said Ji’s family treated her well.
“Without them, it would have been impossible for me to be alive at this age of 98,” she said.