Xu Lanfang, a 66-year-old woman living in the Yinzhou district of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, recently repaid a number of loans that she took out for her husband's medical care 15 years ago. The loans were recorded in an account book that only Xu was able to make sense of, provoking many people to praise her integrity. 

The account book contains only un-annotated numbers, as Xu never learned how to read or write Chinese characters. Instead, she memorized the names of her lenders and matched each number to a name.

Xu's husband was diagnosed with uremia when she was just 26, making life even harder for the already struggling family. With help from her family, friends, the government and fellow villagers, Xu’s husband was able to live 13 years past his diagnosis. After his death, in order to repay the many small loans, Xu examined her log every night so she wouldn't forget a single name or number.

With her economic situation improving in recent years, Xu was finally able to walk door to door and repay each villager.