24-Year-Old Man Takes 'Wedding Photos' with 85-Year-Old Woman – The Heartwarming Story Behind It

When the photo went viral, the story behind it was revealed, touching the hearts of many.

Chinese social media was once abuzz with a special "wedding photo." In the picture, an elderly woman wore a wedding dress, her hand gently resting on the shoulder of a young man in a firefighter's uniform. Both of them smiled happily.

The woman in the wedding dress was Duong Tai Anh (85 years old), and the young man was Truong Giai Cang (24 years old).

The young man called her "grandmother," but in reality, they were not biologically related.

A Kind Woman and the Abandoned Children

Duong Tai Anh was a logistics staff member at a hospital in Jiangxi Province.

Early in the morning on March 10, 1982, like every other day, she went to the hospital for work. On her way, she heard the cries of a baby.

Following the sound, she found an infant girl lying near the railway tracks. Without hesitation, she took off her coat and wrapped the baby in it. At dawn, she brought the child to a local institution, but they refused to help due to a lack of funding.

Bringing the child home, Duong Tai Anh felt deeply worried. At the time, she already had five children, with the youngest only 12 years old. Taking in another child would significantly increase her burden.

Yet, she couldn’t bear to abandon the baby. She decided to go through the adoption process and named the girl Phuong Phuong.

Strangely, after adopting Phuong Phuong, she continued to find more abandoned babies. In total, she took in six children, raising them as her own grandchildren.

By this time, she had retired. To support the children, she cultivated farmland, raised pigs, and collected scraps to sell. However, her scavenging work attracted ridicule—people mocked her, saying, “Why would someone with a pension rummage through garbage?”

From then on, she no longer collected scraps during the day. "She would sneak out when we were asleep and return before we woke up," recalled Truong Giai Cang, one of the children she rescued in 1997.

Her husband was often away, so all responsibilities fell on her shoulders. She barely slept, getting only two to three hours of rest each day.

Her biological children, feeling sorry for her struggles, suggested she stop taking in more abandoned children. But she shook her head, saying, “Every child is a life. Saving a life is worth more than building seven pagodas.”

Since they couldn't change her mind, her children chose to share the burden, while also helping to find suitable adoptive families for the children.

However, whenever potential adoptive parents came forward, Duong Tai Anh set strict conditions to ensure the children would be treated well.

In the end, she found two families she could trust and allowed them to adopt Linh Linh and Truong Giai Cang.

But days later, both children cried incessantly, begging to return to her. Seeing this from afar, her heart ached.

She wanted to take them back, but the adoptive families demanded a large sum of money in return. Determined, she borrowed and scraped together enough money to "redeem" them. From then on, she never gave any of her children away.

“I’d rather struggle a little more than let them suffer. They may not have the best food, but they will always have love,” she said.

Many questioned why she chose such hardship when she could have lived comfortably on her pension. She simply smiled.

“I’m not afraid of hardship. To me, whether they are my own children or adopted ones, I love them the same. I just want them to have a good life. I’m happy as long as they are happy.”

However, years of labor took a toll on her health—she grew frailer, and her back hunched over.

Kindness That Spread

Gradually, her kindness became widely known. Many local organizations offered support to improve their living conditions. The fire department even set up a charity fund to cover school fees and living expenses for Linh Linh and Truong Giai Cang until they reached adulthood.

On weekends and holidays, firefighters would visit her home, bringing warmth and laughter.

Seeing these kind-hearted firefighters inspired Truong Giai Cang to become one himself. Determined, he worked hard to make his dream come true.

In 2016, Truong Giai Cang officially became a firefighter. From then on, he dedicated himself to helping others.

"Thanks to my grandmother and the firefighters, I found hope and faith in life. So, I will do my best to help others, so they too can feel the warmth and kindness of society."

Whenever he had free time, he took his grandmother on trips. The wedding photo shoot was a surprise he had secretly planned for her.

He once heard her say that she had never worn a wedding dress in her life. Remembering this, he decided to fulfill her dream.

On the day of the shoot, his grandfather couldn’t be there due to poor health, so Truong Giai Cang stepped in to accompany her.

“You raised me, and I will always be here as you grow old,” he said, holding her wrinkled hand during the photo session.

Today, Duong Tai Anh has received numerous honors from various organizations. Though she is old, she still works tirelessly, just as she did in her younger years.

Many advise her to rest, but she insists, “There are still many people in need. I still have strength.”

What makes her happiest is that, with the progress of society, fewer babies are being abandoned.

When asked if she ever regretted taking in so many children despite the hardships, she always shakes her head.

“No matter how tough it was, I would still make the same choice.”

She was willing to endure all difficulties to raise her children. More importantly, she wanted them to know that, despite life’s injustices, they must still be kind to the world.

A charity organization once gifted her a book, inscribed with the words: “May those who are kind be treated kindly by the world.”

She kept it for years. When Truong Giai Cang grew up, she handed it to him and said, “Be a good person and do meaningful things.”

Now, Truong Giai Cang follows her teachings, hoping that kindness will continue to spread across the world.