A 76-year-old woman started a tea business three years ago in order to pay the bill for her deceased son's unsuccessful bone-cancer treatment.

Cheng Shilian, a former teacher in Liu'an, East China's Anhui Province, began her tea business in 2013 after her son's fatal cancer left her with a 200,000 yuan ($31,000) debt. 

Her tea planting business did not go well at first, and no seeds survived the first year. Cheng went to learn skills in a distant tea planting base, and successfully planted 10,000 tea trees in 2014.

In 2015, Cheng's daughter-in-law developed breast cancer. Cheng persevered at her tea business to help pay for her daughter-in-law's treatment. 

"She helped me have a family, though my son died earlier. I will try my best to make her better," said Cheng, who lost her husband in 1986 and mentioned nothing about her own hardships.

Cheng spends all her spare time taking care of her daughter-in-law. Cheng makes various nutritious meals every day. Cheng's efforts have been rewarded. Her daughter-in-law has gradually recovered after five chemotherapies.

Cheng has enlarged her planting area and encouraged local villagers to join the business. She hoped that she could work for more years and make life easier for her daughter-in-law.