In her later years, Eileen Chang was already a rich woman. Why didn’t she leave an inheritance to her only poor brother?

?Life is like a gorgeous cheongsam, covered with lice. ?

This sentence is one of the famous sayings handed down by the famous modern female writer Zhang Ailing in my country. This short sentence tells the truth of life? It looks glamorous on the surface, but in fact it is very miserable.

In fact, Zhang Ailing’s life is the same as the sentence she wrote. Although it looks extremely enviable, it is actually in a mess? Zhang Ailing, who was born in a wealthy family, has a very prominent family background. Her ancestors are Li Hongzhang, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, and Zhang Ailing were truly eminent queens.

But in fact, in Zhang Ailing's generation, the inheritance left by the ancestors has been squandered by future generations, and little is left. Zhang Ailing's father is more careless, and he and Zhang Ailing's biological mother divorced very early. , and then married his second wife. Zhang Ailing's father had an extremely hot temper. He often beat and scolded his children without knowing the severity of his attacks, which cast a great shadow on Zhang Ailing.

When she was eighteen years old, she was put under house arrest and severely beaten by her father. Therefore, the only person who was close to Zhang Ailing at home and could be said to be dependent on each other was her younger brother Zhang Zijing. But in her later years, Eileen Chang's attitude towards her younger brother was extremely cold. Even after Eileen Chang's death, she did not leave a penny to her younger brother, who was living a very poor life at that time. Why is this? What's the hidden secret?

In her will, Eileen Chang requested that all her property be transferred to her friends for management. Except for funeral expenses, the remaining US$320,000 was used to purchase items for Song Qi and his wife. The rest of the money was used to hire someone to translate her works. There was no mention of her brother in her will. In this world, there is no relationship that is not riddled with holes. This sentence comes from a novel by Zhang Ailing. It is actually the most suitable way to describe the relationship between her and her brother Zhang Zijing. Zhang Ailing's neglect and distance from her younger brother Zhang Zijing actually only happened after Zhang Ailing became an adult. We can see from some of Zhang Ailing's works that she had written many scenes of going out to play with her younger brother Zhang Zijing. It makes me sad to read it now. People feel very warm.

Until Zhang Ailing was eighteen years old, a crack separated the two people throughout their lives.

When Eileen Chang was eighteen years old, she was put under house arrest and even beaten severely by her fiery father. Naturally, her stepmother at that time would not lend a helping hand. But what Eileen Chang never expected was that even her mother The younger half-brothers stood by and watched. This incident cast a great shadow on Zhang Ailing. From then on, she never forgave her brother for his cowardice and cowardice in her life.

Furthermore, since she became an adult, Eileen Chang has rarely lived with her younger brother. Her stepmother dotes on her younger brother, but she has been ignored and even sometimes ridiculed, causing her to always treat her younger brother He had a grudge and even maliciously slandered his brother in his own works.

Of course, the reason for Zhang Ailing’s behavior is that she has been living in a feudal family that favors sons over daughters since she was a child. All she sees and hears are morbid things and morbid things. This has resulted in Zhang Ailing's temperament having always been aloof and cold. Her only channel for emotional outlet is writing, and she has always remained cold and wary of everyone and everything around her.

Zhang Ailing’s indifference to her younger brother has led some people to criticize her as a heartless and unjust woman. But in fact, when we look back on Zhang Ailing’s life, we can see that she is actually just a woman who longs for love but repeatedly She is just an injured woman. The many injuries her family has brought to her have become a wall she uses to protect herself, tightly surrounding herself inside, and no one can get in.

References:

"Autobiography of Zhang Ailing"

"Trilogy of Autobiographical Novels of Zhang Ailing"