When it comes to "arranged marriages", many people hate them, believing that they are against human nature and have no happiness.
In fact, it can't be so generalized, as long as it is the right person, the "arranged marriage" is not without happiness, such as the founding general Chen Mingren and his wife.
Chen Mingren is a native of Liling, Hunan, when he was 13 years old, his mother suddenly fell seriously ill, and soon after his death, the family arranged a marriage for Chen Mingren, and married 14-year-old Xie Fangru, hoping to give his mother Chong Chong joy.
However, his mother died soon after, and 13-year-old Chen Mingren and 14-year-old Xie Fangru began to live together.
Of course, when Chen Mingren was still studying, he still had to focus on his studies, and Xie Fangru worked at home to help him.
In 1924, Chen Mingren went south to Guangzhou and was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy, becoming the first student and Chiang Kai-shek's protégé of the Son of Heaven.
After graduating from the Whampoa Military Academy, Chen Mingren participated in the Eastern Expedition, made great contributions, and was personally promoted to battalion commander by Chiang Kai-shek, and his future was bright.
Chiang Kai-shek naturally valued such a talent very much, and even Soong Meiling personally came forward to introduce him to a girlfriend, who was the daughter of Kuomintang veteran Liao Zhongkai.
When encountering such a good thing, if it was someone else, he would have agreed immediately, and Feihuang Tengda was just around the corner, and, in that era, many people did this, in the name of "pursuing love", divorced the arranged marriage wife at home and married a new love.
However, Chen Mingren politely declined Song Meiling's kindness, saying that I already have a wife in my hometown, and I can't abandon her.
Song Meiling did not give up, and went to find Chen Mingren in person and explained the stakes to him in detail, but Chen Mingren was still unmoved and said:"I'm Chen Mingren, not Chen Shimei. ”
In this way, General Chen Mingren gave up this great opportunity, and chose to accompany his wife in his hometown until old age.
But unfortunately, Xie Fangru became seriously ill because of years of hard work and was admitted to the hospital in 1949.
At that time, it was the critical period of the liberation of Hunan, Chen Mingren, as the commander-in-chief of Hunan Province's "appeasement", was very busy, but he still had to find time every day to accompany his wife to the hospital, bring water and medicine for her, and even the doctor ** was very moved, saying:"For so many years, I have never seen such a loving and righteous husband. ”
In April 1950, Xie Fangru unfortunately died of illness at the age of 48.
Chen Mingren also wrote a couplet for his wife, which is written like this:
Thousands of miles back, it is difficult, and the sound and appearance will be long from now on, unless they meet in a dream.
Thirty years of love, eternal arrows of the same heart, provoking the couple affectionate, dare to say that it is rare in the world.
At Xie Fangru's memorial service, Chen Mingren read this elegiac couplet again, crying while reading, and everyone present also cried!
On May 21, 1974, after Chen Mingren died of illness, according to his will, his family sent his ashes back to his hometown and buried them with his wife Xie Fangru.