Disillusioned with sons, man has $30K in life savings burned at his death

World Today

Disappointed by his two sons’ unwillingness to take care of him, a disillusioned old man from east China’s Jiangsu province required as per his will that his entire savings be burned with his body upon his death.

The story came to light on Thursday after Yang Lin, an employee at a local crematory, revealed it to the local media.

Yang said that saw a bizarre scene when he was cremating the body earlier this year. He said he saw “thousands in cash burning inside the furnace along with the body,” something he’d never seen before.

The dead man was surnamed Tao, a farmer who passed away in February, Yang said. Ten years ago, Tao gave his farm to his two sons and moved away from the countryside to rent a small house and make a living by picking up waste in the city.

Due to his age, Tao felt that he could not handle the heavy workload anymore and sought his sons’ help, hoping that he could spend the rest of his life with either one of them.

But both of his sons turned down his request with different excuses, Yang said.

Knowing that his days were numbered, Tao had even dressed in traditional mourning clothes in his final days, neighbors said. Tao ended up dying along in his rented home.

After his death, his sons transferred Tao’s body to the crematory. As they were waiting outside, a mysterious man fulfilled Tao’s last wish by cremating his entire savings, 210,000 yuan ($33,052), along with his body.

Story by CCTV News