Chinese Caregiver Who Cared for Elderly Living Alone for 12 Years... Court Rules Large Inheritance Justified

Caregiver Lives in Elderly Home Providing Devoted Care
Passes Away Leaving Billions in Compensation from Land Development

An elderly single man in China inherited a fortune equivalent to five apartments to the caregiver who had taken care of him for 12 years. Relatives of the elderly man opposed this and filed a lawsuit, but the court ruled in favor of the caregiver.

On the 10th, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) introduced the story of an elderly man named Ruan, who was born in Beijing, China, and passed away last year at the age of 93. Born in Beijing in 1930, Ruan lived alone all his life without ever marrying or starting a family. His parents passed away when he was young.

A photo of Rio's young daughter washing Ruan's feet during his lifetime [Image source: Social Networking Service (SNS) capture]

As Ruan grew older and lost the strength to care for himself, he sought help from the village committee in 2011. The committee introduced a young man named Liu, who was reputed in the village for being trustworthy and diligent. Ruan promised Liu that if he took care of him until his death, he would inherit his property. Liu devoted himself wholeheartedly to caring for the elderly man and even moved into Ruan’s home with his own family to better attend to his needs. Liu’s young children treated Ruan like their own father or grandfather, even washing his feet themselves.

Meanwhile, last year, the land owned by Ruan in Beijing was developed, and he received compensation equivalent to five apartments. This was reported to be a huge sum amounting to millions of US dollars. Shortly after, Ruan passed away at the age of 93, and according to his promise, Liu inherited the property, which led to a legal dispute between Ruan’s blood relatives and Liu.

Ruan’s younger sister and nephews claimed that Liu was not entitled to the inheritance. However, during the trial, villagers testified about Liu’s devoted care. It was also revealed that Ruan’s blood relatives, including his sister and nephews, had not visited him even once in ten years during his lifetime.

One villager testified, “Because Ruan had poor lungs, Liu installed five oxygen machines for him. Liu prepared milk and boiled eggs every morning for over ten years and frequently changed his breakfast menu to porridge, noodles, and braised meat.”

Ultimately, the Beijing court sided with Liu. Chinese netizens who heard the news of Liu’s victory supported the court’s decision and praised Liu. One netizen said, “Taking care of someone for 12 years is not an easy task. Few people can show such patience.” Another said, "Liu originally took care of the elderly man without knowing anything about the five properties. The compensation came later and is reasonable.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.