You're never too old to learn English

"We frequently greeted each other in English," she said. Peng assisted Tang in his studies in primary and middle school. He won a badminton championship in men's singles at the 23rd Summer Deaflympics in Turkey in 2017. 

"I feel so proud of him," Peng said.

She herself never stopped learning English, although Tang no longer needs her assistance. In 2015, she joined a local university for seniors. 

English classes focus on listening and speaking by asking students to guess the meaning of an audio, and then encouraging them to have dialogues with each other. There are about 30 students ranging in age from 60 to 80.

Chen Yan, a teacher, said Peng is passionate about English. "She does homework seriously and often raises questions after class. She seldom asks for leave," Chen said. "Some students are shy about practicing English dialogue and Peng often offered to help."

In 2019, Peng received a course-completion certificate, but she decided to continue to go through a more difficult textbook just to challenge herself. 

Peng feels it's hard to memorize English words at her age. She likes to listen to English while cooking. She stuck cards with English words or sentences on the wall, and carried them in her pocket when going out. That way, she can memorize them while walking or on a bus. She mutters to herself when she encounters English signs, such as "restroom" or "post office". 

"Learning English is a healthy exercises for the brain — more effective than healthcare products," she said.