"Though not much, the turnover satisfied me," she said.

Before her misfortunes multiplied, Cheng thought she was a lucky woman. Though she dropped out of high school in 1961, she was one of the best-educated people in her village. In 1965, she became a village cadre responsible for women's welfare and taught in the village's only primary school from 1972 to 1993.

Cheng personally regards gender equality as an important symbol of civilized society. "Luckily, China has improved greatly in this aspect over the decades," she said.

In the 1980s, Cheng insisted on bringing her husband and son to live in her parents' home, since she was their only daughter and her husband's parents had died long before.

Her husband, an army veteran, worked in a local State-run cement plant until the late 1980s, when he was killed in an accident at work. Cheng's father also died that decade, followed by her mother in the 1990s.

After her misfortunes were reported by local media in March, Cheng's story aroused sympathy in many people. Some wanted to donate money, though she declined most of their offers.

She found it harder to reject the help of her former students, who have donated 40,000 yuan so far. This has helped her to reduce her debt to 100,000 yuan.

"Some of them visited me in my home recently. Most of them are in their 40s and 50s now," Cheng said.

"Seeing each other after all this time, we laughed, we cried, we said 'time flies', and we were all astonished by what we have experienced over the years."

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn