A Chinese woman wore makeup and clothes to make herself look older, so her 96-year-old grandfather will recognize her as an elderly woman when they meet in the afterlife.

Liang Tingting, 27, was raised by her grandparents in Zhangjiang of southern China’s Guangdong Province after her father died of uremia when she was 6 years old. Her grandparents initially farmed to support her education; however, due to financial difficulties, Liang ended up needing to work the rest of her childhood after finishing first grade.

When her grandmother passed away in 2017, Liang described it as a life regret that she was unable to hear her grandmother’s last words. With the unexpected passing of her grandmother, Liang began to value her time with her grandfather even more.

“I got the message that my grandmother had died over the phone and never heard the last words she would have told me,” Liang told South China Morning Post. “I value my time with my grandfather more since then, and I wish he could stay with me until I am old, even though I know it is impossible.”

With her 2-year-old son in tow, Liang moved in with her grandfather to be his primary caretaker after he suffered a fall last year that debilitated his mobility and health. 

“He looked after me when I was young, and now it’s my turn to take care of him in his old age,” Liang said.

Due to her grandfather’s old age, Liang wanted to reassure him that she would live a good life until she “grows old” and to help the 96-year-old recognize her as an elderly woman when they meet in the afterlife.

“I wanted to show him how I will look when I am old so that if the afterlife exists, he will recognize me,” Liang said. 

While Liang donned a gray wig and old-age makeup and clothes, her grandfather was unable to recognize his granddaughter until she took off her wig. She described the moment as both “funny” and emotional.

The 27-year-old posted a video of the moment, which went viral, to the Chinese TikTok-like platform Douyin.

“I shot the video twice, but he did not recognize me either time; I laughed because I thought it was funny, but then I began to bawl,” Liang said. 

Feature Image via Douyin