Amy's grandmother did not leave photos when she was young, and her granddaughter came to make up for this regret
Suzhou girl takes fashion photo for her 80-year-old grandmother
The grandmother's shy smile is hidden by the roses, the back view of the old and the young holding hands in the rapeseed field, and the grandmother sitting on the small bench in the yard quietly wrapping rice dumplings... One after another warm and healing photos are from the post-90s girls in Suzhou Shen Mengchen's hand.
Since April this year, she has been uploading photos of her grandmother and Huahai on her social platform, and netizens have left messages: "Grandma is smiling so happily, she is so warm, she wants to cry!" "When I saw these photos, I thought of my grandmother. , if she's still there, I'll take a photo of her." Recently, a reporter from the Ziniu News from the Yangtze Evening News came to Shen Mengchen's grandmother's house to listen to her grandmother and granddaughter tell the story behind the photo.
Grandma's Regret
I love beauty, but I didn't leave pictures when I was young
Under the leadership of Shen Mengchen, Ziniu News reporters came to Luzhi Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and met Shen Mengchen's grandmother, Gu Jinhua.
The house where Gu Jinhua lived was not large and was very clean.
The old man was having lunch, and she saw Shen Mengchen and reporters come in, her face was full of smiles, as warm as in the photos taken by Shen Mengchen.
Such a smile is the kindness and kindness unique to Grandma that many people remember, making people feel more cordial.
The 80-year-old Gu Jinhua is slightly thin, wearing a light green short sleeve, neatly combed short hair, and a red woolen flower that often appears in photos on the headband.
Although the back is a little hunched, my grandmother looks very energetic.
Shen Mengchen told reporters that the velvet flower grandmother has been pinned to the headband.
"My grandmother probably doesn't spend a lot of time dressing herself up. She thinks wearing a red flower is enough to dress up." While speaking, Gu Jinhua changed into a plain short sleeve.
"Oh, you see, she even went to change a piece of clothes, she doesn't know when." Shen Mengchen said with a smile.
Previously, Shen Mengchen had heard others say that when my grandmother was young, her skin was very fair and she was very good-looking, but unfortunately, she did not leave a photo when she was young. She only saw a photo of her grandmother holding her when she was in her 50s.
Shen Mengchen told reporters: "The youngest photo of her was in her 50s, and it's still a little unclear, so I feel very sorry. Now when I take pictures, I will think about what my grandmother looked like when she was young. Help me She took pictures to make up for the regrets of the year!" Grandma sat aside and told reporters with a smile that when she was young, she usually dressed up when she went out, and she would not go out of the house if she was untidy.
"I'd rather dress a little shabby at home, and dress better when I'm outside. Now my granddaughter helps me take pictures, I'm happy! Others say she's good at taking pictures, but I think it's average, how can she look good when she's older? !" Although she said so, the grandmother smiled happily.
granddaughter's lens
The shy grandmother slowly gained confidence
In the photos taken by Shen Mengchen, grandma Gu Jinhua smiled very naturally.
Gu Jinhua told reporters that at the beginning, when her granddaughter took pictures of her, she was very nervous, for fear of being seen by others and gossiping behind her back.
Shen Mengchen said that people around her saw her taking pictures of her grandmother before, and some of them supported her, and some of them were gossiping, causing trouble to her.
When taking the photos of the rose flower, my grandmother looked around from time to time to see if there were any acquaintances around.
"But I told my grandmother that we are doing our own thing, and it has nothing to do with others." With Shen Mengchen's encouragement and guidance, my grandmother gradually became more confident and took pictures more naturally.
Shen Mengchen told reporters that she felt that by taking pictures, her grandmother became a lot more confident.
"My grandmother is a person who lacks self-confidence in her bones. I want to rebuild her confidence by taking pictures. It seems that the effect is quite obvious now." Shen Mengchen said.
Once, when Shen Mengchen was photographing grandma washing clothes, because there were old neighbors around, grandma felt shy and was too embarrassed to pose for blowing foam. Shen Mengchen teased her: "Don't worry, your dentures won't come out!" Grandma was amused and laughed. At the moment when she was amused, Shen Mengchen immediately captured the grandmother's laughing appearance, and the final photo captured was very lively and interesting.
grandparents
The children brought up by the grandmother are all like the grandmother
"I was brought up by my grandmother and spent most of my time with my grandmother when I was young." Shen Mengchen told reporters that her parents were busy with work, and Shen Mengchen lived at her grandmother's house. Her grandmother did not have much culture, but she taught her to write and swim.
When Shen Mengchen was learning to swim in the river, her grandmother held a long stick and stretched it into the river. If Shen Mengchen was tired from swimming, she could grab the stick to prevent it from sinking into the river.
When talking about Shen Mengchen's childhood, her grandmother Gu Jinhua was always very serious. She still remembered some details that even Shen Mengchen herself had forgotten.
Getting along with her grandmother in her childhood made Shen Mengchen's personality very similar to her grandmother's.
In her impression, my grandmother was always slow but steady.
"When I was young, my mother always thought I was slow and said I was like a grandmother, but I don't think it's bad, I moved slowly like a snail," Shen Mengchen said.
Such a character affected Shen Mengchen's career.
In 2016, Shen Mengchen quit her job to take care of her children at home. It was not until 2018 that she started to work again, teaching children to paint part-time.
On the last day of 2020, she bought a camera and started working as a part-time photographer.
Her choice was opposed by her parents, who believed that such freelancing meant doing nothing.
Shen Mengchen said: "My parents want me to have a decent and stable job, but I think I enjoy the process more than success, and my character is also the kind of person who likes to be slow and sometimes a little lazy. To be a successful person in the worldly sense, I don’t think I can do it, I just want to do what I want to do, and I have persevered over the years.”
Although her parents objected and her relatives did not understand, her grandmother has been silently supporting her with practical actions.
"At first, when I told my grandmother that I wanted to take pictures of her, she was very happy. When I was a child, I learned to draw, and my grandmother would encourage me. Anyway, she supported me in whatever I liked to do." When Shen Mengchen was interviewed by reporters, her grandmother Gu Jinhua sat quietly by the side, always cooperating with her granddaughter's arrangements.
keep more beautiful
She is going to use the camera to record more old people
After Shen Mengchen's grandma version of the fashion blockbuster was posted on the Internet, many netizens left messages expressing their thoughts about their grandmother.
Shen Mengchen said that at the beginning, he did not expect to attract so many netizens' attention.
"Because the elderly in our family are still alive, I didn't realize it. It wasn't until many people commented that I realized that many people's grandparents or grandparents are no longer there, and my photos will touch their thoughts. This It also made me more aware of the meaning of recording my grandmother, and my current record is also to leave no regrets in the future."
Recently, many friends and relatives around Shen Mengchen have sent blessings.
"Some relatives didn't understand what I was doing before. After this incident, they have a better understanding of my career." As for future plans, Shen Mengchen said that he would maintain the original pace of life and wait for the weather to cool down. With my grandmother, I photographed the landscapes and gardens of Suzhou, and I plan to publish a collection of photos related to the elderly.
Shen Mengchen said: "I want to take pictures of the old people who live nearby, including some on the road. I want to help them record them so that more people can see them and care for them."
Ziniu News reporter Zhang Birong intern Gui Yuting