I saw more than a dozen old people getting off the plane one after another. Their expressions were sighing, their postures were slightly excited, and they seemed to be trying their best to restrain themselves. They were just looking around silently, which was a bit strange.

In 2003, Taipei Taoyuan Airport welcomed a special group of guests. In the early morning of winter, the passenger plane returning from New York successfully completed its landing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I saw more than a dozen old people getting off the plane one after another. Their expressions were filled with emotion and their postures were slightly excited. They seemed to be trying their best to restrain themselves and just looked around silently, which was a bit strange.

"I'm finally back."

"It can be said that the fallen leaves have returned to their roots, but I don't know what they can do in the future."

The group of people just chatting with each other could not have guessed that one of them would decide to end his life in a few months. s life.

He is Gao Ruikun, the chief chef of Soong Meiling . Not long ago, he and a group of old colleagues saw off the legendary first lady. Therefore, they were all sent back to the country.

Song Meiling's life

Song Meiling was born in Shanghai in 1879 and was a native of Wenchang, Hainan. Song Ailing , Song Qingling , and Song Meiling were the most prominent sister groups in China in the 20th century. Song Meiling married Chiang Kai-shek and was revered as the mother of the country and admired by all people.

On October 23, 2003, Song Meiling passed away. Before that, she had lived in the United States for many years.

Soong Meiling's family was well off, and her three sisters learned foreign languages ​​from an early age. As early as 1910, Soong Meiling's second sister Soong Ching-ling went to the United States to study. Soong Meiling couldn't bear to go out and have a look, so she followed her second sister there and studied at Wesleyan Women's College. After being exposed to more Western ideas, naturally my behavior, conversation, words and deeds have gradually become Westernized, and my social skills are naturally very strong.

So when Soong Meiling returned to Shanghai in 1917, although she was already very proficient in English, she still knew little about Chinese. So Song Meiling made up her mind to learn Chinese well, and hired a private school teacher to teach her Chinese traditional culture .

The well-informed and well-known lady Soong Meiling soon became the target of men's pursuit, and she was very famous in Shanghai's celebrity circles. At a unique party, she met Chiang Kai-shek. The latter can be said to have fallen in love with Song Meiling at first sight.

Chiang Kai-shek, who led his Northern Expeditionary Army all the way into Shanghai, also launched a direct pursuit of Song Meiling. After being found out by her second sister Soong Ching Ling, Soong Ching Ling was firmly opposed to her sister's love affair out of her disgust with Chiang Kai-shek.

But the eldest sister Song Ailing had her own plans and had a much better attitude towards Chiang Kai-shek. He even took advantage of his third sister's vanity and made a favor that went along with the situation. On the one hand, he advised the third sister to cherish this opportunity to get in touch with the political world. On the other hand, it made it easier for Chiang Kai-shek to meet Soong Meiling.

After marrying Chiang Kai-shek as she wished, Soong Meiling's original sensual life seemed to have taken a step forward. There were endless splendid banquets, admiring military officers and dignitaries, ladies and ladies, endless polite words, all night long, drunken and luxurious, despite the raging war and wailing all over the outside world.

Men are openly declaring territory with passion and passion, and women are also taking advantage of the situation in social circles to push and pull. In this way, the newlyweds Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling are an example of this.

In addition to the main "contributors" who promoted the marriage of between Jiang and Song Dynasty - the merchant Kong family, the three families of Jiang, Song and Kong controlled the actual political power at that time, opened up the government and business circles, and became famous for a while. Personal capitalism is moving closer to bureaucratic capitalism, squeezing the people's wealth and wealth without mercy, and the people are complaining endlessly.

The good times did not last long. The Kuomintang was defeated in 1949. In order to preserve the remaining power, Chiang Kai-shek was defeated and fled to Taiwan. Soong Meiling also fled to Taiwan with her husband. Although the days were turbulent, fortunately the two of them were able to stay together and spend the next twenty years peacefully.

With Chiang Kai-shek's death, Taiwan's political atmosphere has also undergone earth-shaking changes. Song Meiling may still be able to maintain diplomatic dialogue with the United States, but her political grasp of Taiwan has long been shaky.

Although Soong Meiling was obsessed with socializing in the upper class, her sensitivity to the political situation was unparalleled by others.Her husband's departure left her in an embarrassing position, so Soong Meiling decided to leave everything behind again and leave her hometown for the United States.

Song Meiling, who was born in a large family, was considered to be from a famous family, and she was very particular about food, clothing and travel. After decades of noble life, although the political situation was turbulent and the status was not guaranteed, it was still a little more honorable than ordinary families.

Even though he was traveling to a foreign country with no servants around him, more than 20 of his followers chartered a plane to the United States. It took three special flights to transport the moving luggage to ensure that the quality of life remained the same as before.

Among the entourage who went to the United States with Soong Meiling, there were the Queen's Western Chef Jiang Maofa, the Queen's Tailor Zhang Ruixiang, as well as family doctors, personal nurses, etc. These people are Soong Meiling's exclusive service staff in Taipei, and they are the same when they go to the United States.

All of Soong Meiling's daily life is inseparable from the care of these people. In addition, his stepson Chiang Ching-kuo also personally selected some people from the Internal Affairs Bureau and assigned them to go to the United States to take care of Soong Meiling.

Soong Meiling, who has lived well since she was a child, is actually frail. Like her sister Soong Ching Ling, she suffers from familial hereditary urticaria and suffers from swollen and itchy skin throughout her life. When he was with Chiang Kai-shek, he had a serious car accident. She suffered from breast cancer in her later years and had her ovaries removed in her nineties. In addition, there were many bumps and falls due to physical weakness.

Despite the physical pain, discomfort and mental stress, due to the careful care of dedicated people, she still lived a long life, living to the age of 106, spanning three centuries, from 1897 to 2003.

In her later years, Soong Meiling had fair skin, warm and energetic eyes, and a flexible and slender body. She had nothing to do with the image of a decayed and muddy old man. During his lifetime, Chiang Kai-shek protected her for half of her life. After his death, the power of the Chiang family was able to ensure that she would have no worries throughout her life, and her living standard would never drop even one cent. In this way, a woman can be raised to be a hundred years old without looking old.

I don’t know how Song Meiling feels about Taiwan, the mainland, and the United States, and how she ranks them. She was born in mainland China, but grew up in the United States. She finally lived in Taiwan and had no choice but to return to the place where she had been when she was young. If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to wander! The environment of the mainland is open and superior, and it is also her hometown. If possible, who would want to go to the other side of the ocean to spend the rest of their lives?

The provisional governments in Nanjing and Chongqing, which of them did not praise her to the sky? When boarding a ship, it is not easy to leave all this prosperity behind. It's just that the wealthy family was full of wine and meat, there were frozen bones on the road, and the wealth and splendor were alluring. The world at that time was inherently cruel, but she was too well protected and didn't experience it personally, so she couldn't resonate with the people and understand their sufferings.

But this prosperous age of vanity is ultimately fleeting. There is no way back to the mainland.

When Soong Meiling left, she took all the things she liked with her and left nothing behind. Especially the chef Jiang Maofa who has served her for many years. Before leaving, Jiang Maofa introduced another chef, a Taiwanese named Gao Ruikun.

In an era when war was raging and supplies were scarce, Master Soong Meiling's life was not affected in any way. She wanted to learn Chinese painting , so she invited a national treasure-level master. When the people were in dire straits, Soong Meiling wanted to recuperate, so she flew to Brazil to stay for a year. When I returned home, the war of resistance was over.

went to the United States, and naturally there were specialized nutritionists , chefs, and doctors to take care of his diet, and he also left Soong Meiling's diet files recorded at the Grand Mountain Hotel. Breakfast includes toast, almond tea , cakes, fruits, vegetables, etc. This set meal has been passed down to this day and has become the signature of the Grand Hotel, with tourists flocking to it every year.

Soong Meiling often drank lemonade and carried it with her when going out. These habits continued into her later years. Coffee is also one of Soong Meiling's most inseparable drinks.

According to the memories of Soong Meiling's personal medical officer, when Soong Meiling was living in Nanjing, she sent a doctor to a research institute in Purple Mountain to study the efficacy of spinach. The pursuit of excellence and in-depth understanding of food puts modern people to shame.

Gao Ruikun's Life

Chefs Jiang Maofa and Gao Ruikun were extremely close and personal to Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling. From the mainland to Taiwan, and from Taiwan to the United States, they take care of everything. Jiang Maofa stayed in the United States after his retirement. Naturally, Gao Ruikun took charge of taking care of all the food. Song Meiling is used to the food he cooks, but she would not be used to it if it were cooked by someone else. So I did this for more than 20 years until Song Meiling passed away.

Gao Ruikun was born in Chiayi, Taiwan, and is good at cooking excellent Sichuan and Huaiyang cuisine. By chance, he met Jiang Maofa. At that time, he never thought that such a sympathetic friendship would change his life. At first, Jiang Maofa admired Gao Ruikun and recognized his cooking skills, so he extended an olive branch to him and invited him to serve Soong Meiling in the United States.

was able to serve such a person, and the treatment was very generous. At that time, Gao Ruikun didn't hesitate much. He went home and discussed with his wife, and decided to go to the United States to work as a chef for Soong Meiling. After that, his wife stayed in Taiwan to take care of the family, while he rushed to the United States alone and devoted himself to work.

He never gets tired of fine food and meticulous cooking. The days when he can calm down and study the dishes are actually very happy for Gao Ruikun. Not to mention Soong Meiling, who came to the United States. Although she lost the blessing of the political environment, her international relations were still profound. As her chef, she also has a sense of superiority.

Until October 23, 2003, Soong Meiling passed away peacefully in New York. In her sleep, the former "First Lady", the former youth legend and her story quietly came to an end.

Everyone can predict that no matter how great a person is, he will die one day. It's just that no one among them, including Gao Ruikun, could guess what this meant to their fate as they were immersed in regret and grief. The hand of fate, at that moment, quietly turned the wheel.

Soon, the more than 20 people accompanying them received instructions from the Taiwan authorities. All personnel who followed Soong Meiling to the United States must return to Taiwan and accept new work arrangements. Gao Ruikun and his colleagues who spent time together set out on their way back to their hometown after a little tidying up.

Logically speaking, everyone should be very happy to be able to return to their hometown and return to their roots. Seeing my long-separated wife, children, elders and relatives. How can someone who has not been back for more than 20 years not look forward to it and not be excited? Finally back, everyone walked out of Taipei Taoyuan Airport with great joy.

It is a pity that politics rarely leaves room for favors. Even the simplest needs are small and vulnerable in political struggles.

With the fantasy of starting a new life, Gao Ruikun obeyed the arrangements of the Taiwan authorities and became a full-time chef for the then Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian, working in his mansion. Soon, he was transferred to a casual job of managing supplies. Logically speaking, this is also a good arrangement for Gao Ruikun, who is getting older. It's just that people from the Taiwan authorities may have other ideas, but Gao Ruikun couldn't detect it for a while, so he had to work silently. Only later did he realize that the constant transfers and step by step move away from his own job were a way to force himself to resign.

Gao Ruikun's wife recalled that after Gao Ruikun returned to Taiwan, he was very happy at first and planned to work seriously for two more years before retiring. But since he was transferred, his mood has become worse day by day. He has become more and more depressed. They forced Gao Ruikun to hand in his resignation letter.

Neither Gao Ruikun nor his wife understands that he will retire in two years, so why do the Taiwanese authorities continue to put pressure on him to resign?

Gao Ruikun has been cooking for Soong Meiling in the United States for more than 20 years. It is considered a very respectable job and even a very impressive work experience. Gao Ruikun and his wife thought they could be reused after returning to Taiwan, but the reality gave the most old couple a hard slap in the face.

A few months after returning to Taiwan, Gao Ruikun finally couldn't bear the pressure and gap, and hanged himself one night.Sure enough, the mental gap was the most tormenting and the last straw that broke Gao Ruikun's mind.

Some people say that Gao Ruikun is also capable. He will not be reused when he returns to Taiwan. He can also take the initiative to resign and start a career on his own. It will not be too late to enjoy his old age. Why must he end his life in such an extreme way? ?

This starts with the timing of Gao Ruikun's return to Taiwan. In fact, although the Chiang dynasty was defeated, there are still many forces in Taiwan. Taking advantage of this power, people who are related to the Chiang family and the Song family can naturally be taken care of and be able to preserve and even develop themselves.

But those who waited until Soong Meiling passed away before returning to live in Taiwan were not so lucky. Decades later, the Jiang family's influence has declined, and they have no time to take care of themselves, let alone protect those who follow them. Secondly, after the rise of a new regime, it is naturally very wary of those left behind by the previous regime. Although he was only a chef in the house, he had worked with Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling for so many years, so it was impossible for him to be reused or trusted.

Gao Ruikun's tragedy also reflects the tragedy of the Jiang family to a certain extent. It is so clear in the face of the big iteration of history that people can't spare the little people in this era. The existence of Gao Ruikun and the others became an untimely embarrassment, leading to such a sad ending.

When Song Meiling was alive, it was not that she had not encountered difficulties. During her lifetime, when she returned to Taiwan from the United States, customs officers forcefully asked Soong Meiling to show her passport. However, Soong Meiling never needed or asked her to show any documents. In the end, she had to call the Taiwan authorities to talk things through. Can be released.

Gao Ruikun completed his mission perfectly during his lifetime, which was to accompany Soong Meiling and take care of her food and daily life after she went to the United States. That was all. The journey that was supposed to end with Soong Meiling's death was ruined by all kinds of human darkness and political calculations, which ruined the rest of the life of an ordinary but talented person.

They are also destined to be forgotten by history. In fifty years, one hundred years, one hundred and fifty years, no one will think of these people. History has their presence, but history has never been rewritten for their efforts. Perhaps these stories that happened to little people are the true face of history.