5.6.2. Ciro Santilli’s father-in-law (三西猴的)

Ciro’s father-in-law, who he barely met, was very old when he had Ciro’s wife, and passed away before Ciro could talk a lot with him, they only saw each other once or twice over Skype, he died soon afterwards.

Having a child late which is consistent with the claims that he spent several years in jail during Mao’s purges, see also: Ciro Santilli’s wife (三西猴的老婆). Being an educated person was a crime in those days, and he was a chemical engineer.

His brother and sister both managed to escape to the USA and Japan, but he took his grandma’s advice and stayed in China.

Ciro’s wife adores her father, who she strongly resembles, and it is a huge shame Ciro didn’t manage to meet him better.

Like his daughter, he was a bibliophile, foodie, Buddhist and incredibly morally upright.

The fact that he survived so many years in prison also attests to his incredible hopefulness and mental health: Ciro Santilli’s mother-in-law (三西猴的岳母) always tells how many other prisoners killed themselves in those days out of hopelessness. Ciro’s wife shares that amazing quality, which Ciro also believes is compatible with the Royalty theory.

After jail, he actually stayed in the same shitty city where he had been imprisoned, and continued to work as a chemical engineer to make a living and try and improve the country that had so badly betrayed him a few years back.

He also seemed to be an amazing story teller, of which he knew many. At one point, a jail cook took him under his wing, even tough he did not know how to cook too well yet, just to hear his stores. Being highly intelligent, the father-in-law man learned to cook too of course.

Another remarkable episode is when he was working in the prison kitchen, and some man was starving and asked for food. He told the man to come later during the evening. The man came, and he gave him a bowl that seemed to be full of cooked vegetables (likely 白菜). The next day, the man came back, and kowtowed him. Beneath the vegetables, he had hidden some good chunks of then very precious meat!! This story makes Ciro cry.