The cleaning lady could only write 5 words in her life. She was awarded the title of academician at the age of 82 and became the original moss of the treasure words of the University of Hong Kong · 2020-10-13 · High-quality creators in the field of history pay attention to "I was once disappointed and lost all direction, until

Seeing the ordinary is the only answer." As Pu Shu said in the song "The Ordinary Road" that is sung by thousands of families, ordinary is the only answer.

We have all thought about an extraordinary life, independent from others, but we do not know that only by living an ordinary life and achieving self-realization can this life be truly complete.

Yuan Sumei, the "third sister-in-law" of the University of Hong Kong, is just like this. She lived an ordinary life, but she is commemorated by countless students of the University of Hong Kong and is called the "treasure of the University of Hong Kong".

A cleaner became an academician of the University of Hong Kong. In 2009, the University of Hong Kong awarded the honorary academicianship to an ordinary campus cleaner - Yuan Sumei.

Since HKU awarded honorary academicianship in 1995, this is the first time HKU has awarded an honorary academician to an ordinary employee, making 82-year-old Yuan Sumei the first civilian academician.

I have only known five words in my life: my name and the title "Sansao". I have never been to school, and I have not donated a huge amount of money to the University of Hong Kong. How can I be qualified to become an honorary academician of this nearly century-old institution?

You know, the other three people who received the award on the same stage with her that year were the CEO of HSBC Bank, the eldest son of Hong Kong tycoon Lee Shau Kee, and Hong Kong senior barrister Guo Qingwei.

This caused a sensation at the time and triggered great controversy in society.

In addition, Yuan Sumei's deeds were also included in the Chinese language test paper of the Chongqing College Entrance Examination that year. The composition material was based on Yuan Sumei's story, and the students were asked to write an essay on the topic of "Sentimental Love".

In 2017, Yuan Sumei passed away. President Ma Feison of the University of Hong Kong issued a message: She left a glorious legacy for the University of Hong Kong; the homepage of the official website of the University of Hong Kong: I will miss you forever!

How could an ordinary cleaner trigger so much nostalgia and condolences and commemoration from so many people?

All these honors are due to Yuan Sumei’s silent dedication to the University of Hong Kong and its students for 44 years. She dedicated half of her life to this university.

From the age of 29 to 73, Yuan Sumei devoted half of her life to the University of Hong Kong. She was originally from Dongguan, Guangdong. She was the third eldest child in her husband's family. Later, she came to Hong Kong to escape the war. In 1957, Yuan Sumei, who was only 29 years old, entered the University of Hong Kong with her husband.

I thought that I would stay at HKU for 44 years.

She started as a waiter, then worked as a chef's assistant, cook, and dormitory cleaner, and finally became the soul of the HKU dormitory.

"The third sister-in-law is just like our mother" is the affectionate expression of Yuan Sumei by dozens of students from the University of Hong Kong.

The third sister-in-law is an ordinary person, an ordinary employee of the University of Hong Kong. She has been cooking and cleaning for decades.

She is closer to the students of the University of Hong Kong than to her own children.

When someone feels dizzy, she will take the initiative to cook medicine and make porridge; students are studying hard in the library and accidentally miss their meal. No matter how late it is, she waits and makes supper for them.

It is precisely because of this little bit of care and care that Sister-in-law San becomes the mother in the hearts of students.

The memory of my third sister-in-law lies not only in her figure, but also in the impact on my taste buds.

Horse bean cake, Mala cake, Laohuo soup, fried rice noodles... have become the delicacies that students look forward to after studying hard night after night.

The third sister-in-law makes a good sago and red bean paste. The diameter of the sago is one centimeter.

In response, a student from the University of Hong Kong sighed: "It's so big!" He couldn't help praising his sister-in-law's craftsmanship.

But behind the delicious food is one person's hard work. In order to cook the sago until soft, the third sister-in-law has to wait in front of the stove for more than two hours. In order to present the perfect taste of the red bean paste, she will add the freshest coconut to it.

juice.

Making horse bean cake is also a very labor-intensive task. The ingredients need to be simmered on a slow fire for an hour and stirred all the time.

In the 1970s, the third sister-in-law was unable to continue her position in the kitchen due to a heart problem, so she turned to work as a cleaner in the university hall.

The third sister-in-law who works as a cleaner still works hard, is patient and cares for the students.

Students would have parties in the dining hall, often forgetting the time because of the party, and would stay until two or three in the morning. This time was long past Sister-in-law's normal off-duty time, but she never urged or blamed the students, but was patient

Waiting for the party to end, one person silently collects the beer bottles, sweeps up the snacks and garbage on the floor, and cleans the stains all over the floor.

That figure mopping the floor in the dining hall alone in the early morning is deeply imprinted in the minds of the students, which cannot be erased and will be remembered forever.

The third sister-in-law treats all the students from the University of Hong Kong as her own children. Once they get sick and have a fever, she will go to great lengths to take good care of them.

She was afraid that one day she would get Alzheimer's disease because she was afraid that she would forget the names of these children.

This is the third sister-in-law who gives silently without asking for anything in return.

After understanding the third sister-in-law, I realized that I insist on doing one thing for a lifetime. Such an ordinary thing is so rare!

Only after understanding Sister-in-law can I understand the true meaning of "come with a heart and leave without half a blade of grass".