Liu Xuegeng (Original)
I've been to a lot of parties over the years. There are student gatherings (middle school, university); student gatherings (elementary school, middle school, middle school, technical college, university); there are workers' gatherings, as well as hometown gatherings, friends gatherings, colleague gatherings, and so on. Every party leaves a deep impression; every gathering evokes memories of the past — either relaxed and pleasant, or deep and timeless; every gathering makes me have a deeper understanding and understanding of the preciousness of friendship and the meaning of life.
If you ask me, which of the many parties is the most impressive and memorable? I will tell you without hesitation: it was a gathering of the former employees of the Umeda Mining Bureau in Huadu, Guangzhou, from February 17 to 19, 2012. It was a voluntary gathering sponsored by several enthusiastic co-workers. The sheer number of people, the sheer size of the scene, the richness of its content, and the variety of its forms are the largest gatherings I have attended over the years. To this day, I still remember it vividly and vividly.
One
On the afternoon of February 17, I drove from Shaoguan to Huadu. As soon as I arrived at the Gardon Hotel, I saw that there were many people gathered at the door to attend the party. Soon, more and more people attended the party. In front of the registration office, there was a long queue. In the midst of the long lines, I waited for autographs and check-ins, but my eyes searched for familiar faces in the bustling crowd. On the flat ground in front of the hotel, people come and go endlessly. Some laughed and laughed and frequently greeted each other; some held hands and talked; some clasped each other's hands for a long time, and there seemed to be a thousand words that could not be finished; some said, said, and couldn't help but gush out hot tears...
Suddenly, I felt my shoulder being tapped lightly, and I looked up, ah, it was Captain Zhu Cunji, the leader of the maintenance team I was in when I entered the mine! I was immediately excited:
"Hello, Captain Zhu! I haven't seen him for a long time..." Before I could finish speaking, The thick, soft palms of Captain Zhuban clasped tightly with me and shook vigorously. Then we hugged each other. At that time, I felt as if I had traveled back to more than 30 years ago. A group of our new workers from the banks of the XiangJiang River followed him to fight under the 100-meter well, sweating like rain to repair coal alleys, build sheds, and clear coal... In a difficult environment full of thrills and dangers, in order to build a motherland that "produces more coal, produces good coal" and "reverses the situation of transporting coal from the north to the south", the scene of strong physical labor is carried out every day; in the narrow, steep, and smelly coal alley, repair the decadent scaffolding and smooth the experience of coal alley after coal alley. In just a few short months, we followed him from the North Wind Well to the South Wind Well, from the main well to the secondary well, which can be described as "turning to the north and south", working hard, I don't know how much sweat I spilled, how many tears I shed... Later, we were reorganized into the Coal Mining Team III. What I am most impressed with is that in a clean up of loose coal and repair of coal alleys, all our new workers were unfortunately poisoned by gas, and the Zhu squad leader who fought in the front was the most serious, unconscious for several minutes, if it were not for the timely rescue, the consequences would be unimaginable...
Perhaps, Zhu Banchang's thoughts are also returning to reality from the 100-meter underground battle situation of that passionate years. His broad palms tapped twice on my back, as if to signal me to say goodbye and return to the present. I saw a faint solemnity in the excited face of this good squad leader who had been a pioneer in the well and regarded us as brothers, and his eyes seemed to be moist (that was the tear of joy when we were reunited). After several decades of separation, the Zhu Banchang, who had a few heads of one meter and eight heads, was obviously much older, and the back of the original micro-bow was even more powerful. I tried to restrain the bitterness in my heart and said to him half-jokingly:
"Squad leader, you are still as mighty as you were then!"
"Where, old, not useful...", he looked at me and smiled:
"Xiao Liu, you're still young, just in time!"
Mr. Zhu has always been good at encouraging people. In the work surface of underground coal mining, no matter how hard and tired the work was, he would always use his words and deeds of encouragement to motivate us to complete every difficult task with confidence. I know that Of course, Captain Zhu's words are words of comfort and praise for me. He knew that I was no longer young, and that I was about to reach the realm of "ear shun". In fact, not only am I no longer young, but the vast majority of the workers who come to the party are no longer young. The oldest of them has reached the age of old age, and the youngest is about to enter the ranks of "knowing the destiny of heaven".
Thirty or forty years have not been seen, and the changes that have happened to everyone are obvious: the young man of that year has white hair and two sideburns; the girl of that year, although her style still exists, her youthful atmosphere and graceful posture have gradually faded away; the rich and powerful master of that year has wrinkled his face and his eyes are dizzy... But the only constant is the noble sentiment of dedicating oneself to the coal cause of the motherland that will always exist in the heart; the fiery heart of unremitting self-improvement and love for work and life; and the kind of mine and labor friendship that can stand the test of time and the coexistence and life and death.
After dinner, it's free time. Everyone is busy looking for old friends and colleagues to talk about the past. The gathering was attended by many more people than originally expected, reaching more than 300 people. Therefore, it is really not so easy to find the person you are looking for very quickly. The one I most want to see is Master Deng. So I thought of a "shortcut" – to go to the check-in office and flip through the check-in book to find out which room he was staying in. I stared at the long list of names page by page from beginning to end, but I couldn't find Master Deng's name. Later, the staff in charge of the report told me that in the evening, there were still workers who wanted to rush over. So, I think, Master Deng may come later.
Two
Stepping out of the hotel lobby, i was greeted by a group of familiar female workers—they were mechanical and electrical teams, transport teams, and organs. I remember that at that time, we had just entered the mine, and it was always difficult to wash the coal dust on our bodies every time we showered. Whenever we met them on the road, they even pointed out with a smile the coal marks left in our ear sockets, nostrils, and eyelids, and gave us a "ya number" - "black coffee".
I really didn't expect to meet this group of girls who were still wearing pigtails decades later in a different place. It is true that where life does not meet, life is often in the gathering and dispersion. This time, though, I don't have to worry about them laughing at my "black coffee."
"Yo, isn't this the 'great poet' of the third team?" A crisp voice from one of them drifted slowly.
"Yeah, or our headmaster!" After all these years, it's still the same as before. "I recognize chen lan (pseudonym), a female worker in the transport team, who is speaking.
"Hello guys!" I rushed to say hello to them.
"Yo, I don't seem to know us now..." Tang Li (pseudonym) of the organ said and laughed, laughing as before, and the two dimples on his face were deep and round.
"How could it be? I'm still the 'black coffee' you've 'boasted' about in the past..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh.
At first, they didn't react much, as if they didn't know what I was talking about. After a while, they suddenly realized and giggled.
"Yo, what a memory! Decades ago, 'Chen Guzi' and 'rotten sesame seeds' are still turned out to dry, and today it is time to come with us 'settling accounts after autumn'", said, another hearty laugh. This laughter, as if it were when they shouted "black coffee" decades ago, sounded a little embarrassed and shy. But today, when I hear this voice again, I feel extraordinarily kind and warm.
'Okay!' Black coffee 'meets' white sugar (don)' and I'm sure it tastes great! Chen Lan, who has always liked to joke, laughed incessantly, and several others also laughed.
This burst of laughter aroused my desire to speak, and I said, "Yes, coffee with sugar, stirring, fusion, sweet and bitter, bitter in bitter, bitter in bitter", I paused, saw them listening attentively, and continued:
"Bitter and sweet, bitter in the sweet, sweet in the bitter, is not the portrayal of the life of our coal miners?" Doesn't it symbolize the life experience of our generation...".
"I really can say ah you, set after set, how did you not find out back then?" Tang Li playfully sipped her lips.
"Hee-hee, hee-hee, hee-hee, little Don, you're tight-lipped...", another burst of laughter. Tang Li took two steps forward in the laughter, lowered her voice and said, "I want to explain to you that the note on the desk was not written by me", and after saying that, she said nothing to talk and laugh with everyone. Even though her voice was small, I could hear it very clearly.
Tang Li said a soft word, and it began to throw into my heart like stopping water, without any reaction. Then, like a heavy key, it opened the door of my memory.
Shortly after our maintenance team was reorganized into the coal mining team, I was often touched by the dedication of the workers in the underground, and I also had many strong feelings and experiences for my daily work. Therefore, I have always loved to write, so I wrote these experiences and experiences and the good deeds of the workers into a newsletter report and sent it to the radio station on the third floor of the mine administration building for broadcasting. At that time, Tang Li and another lesbian's office were on the first floor. I sent the manuscript to her office and asked her to forward it on her behalf. There are two reasons why she forwarded the manuscript: first, the radio station generally does not open until 12:00 noon or before 5:30 pm, and during these two periods, we have to go to the canteen far from the dormitory to queue up to buy Chinese food and dinner, and the second is to save time. But mainly I was familiar with her, as well as with the comrades and announcers who reviewed the manuscript. Xiao Tang has praised my manuscript many times. In this way, it seems to have become the norm for most of the manuscripts I write to her at about the same time. Once, as usual, I sent manuscripts to her office. Neither she nor another lesbian were there. So I put the manuscript on her desk. Suddenly, I noticed that there was an office note next to me with my name impressively written on it, and then, below, it was written: "Please don't give me the manuscript again in the future, otherwise, I will neither read nor hand it over..." I felt inexplicable. "Okay, then send it yourself," I thought to myself, as I picked up the manuscript and went straight to the third floor...
I didn't expect Tang Li to mention this past event more than 30 years ago. Maybe it's the nostalgia that people have when they reach a certain age? Maybe standing at the height of a certain age and years, when looking back at the innocent romance of youth and even the heart journey of lightness, I think of the unforgettable people and things that were once there? Maybe she inadvertently relived the "can this be a memory?" Just at that time, it was already confused" like smoke in the past? ...... I do not know. I only know that when we look back on the past, there are always many things that have been brushed over or downplayed, but there are some things that have left an indelible impression on us inadvertently or inadvertently, so that they will never be forgotten...
I hurriedly took out a thick stack of manuscripts from my satchel—a poem about the party that I had written and printed at home that day—and I handed it to her with both hands and said, "Don, can you please give it to the conference team?" ”。
She looked at the poem and said happily, "Ha, it's still printed on red paper." Good! Good! This time, I will definitely accept it well, read it carefully, and transfer it to the conference affairs team in a timely manner..."
I looked at this group of backs that were familiar in the past and are still familiar, and a sense of sigh and a sense of surprise that was like a time and an arrow came to my heart.
Three
In the evening, Master Deng still did not come. I went to many rooms to look for it, asked about it, and said I hadn't seen him, and I didn't know how he was doing. I went back to the room in a daze, lying on the bed thinking about it, and the scene of following Master Deng to fight under the 100-meter well in the past was like a scene in front of me, especially when he was drilling thermal coal in the underground coal mining, in order to protect the life of me and another worker, and the scene of himself being seriously injured was like a movie shot, one by one. Thinking, thinking, that night, I couldn't sleep for a long time.
The next day is the group time for the gathering. In the morning, the people attending the party slowly entered the venue. The leaders of some bureaus and the leaders of the Eight Mines have come; the coal mining team, the excavation team, the mechanical and electrical team, the transport team, the service team, the staff of the organs, the school teachers, and the medical personnel of the health center have come; the children of the eighty- and forty-year-old workers of the Eight Mines have come; the old workers of the eighties and nineties have come; and the captain of the former mechanical and electrical team, accompanied by his wife, pushed, and in a wheelchair, has come to help the sick...
The meeting began at 9:00 and the entire venue was full. The scene is both warm and solemn, warm and harmonious. Leaders of the original bureau and mines made speeches at the meeting. During the meeting, the applause continued. I was also invited to give an impromptu speech.
I looked at the more than 300 workers in the venue, and my thoughts seemed to return to the boiling mine more than 30 years ago. I think that at this moment, this scene, every co-worker is recalling in his heart - recalling the years when passion burned, recalling the stirring youth, recalling the past that is worth remembering for a lifetime. You see, their expressions follow the speaker's emotions and tone, sometimes excited, sometimes deep, sometimes smiling, sometimes tearful...
After the meeting, a group photo will be taken. Due to the large number of people, they were divided into three groups to take pictures in turn (men were divided into two batches, and women were divided into one batch). In the afternoon networking activities, the workers performed a variety of cultural and artistic programs with rich contents. The whole event was filled with the deep friendship of the long-term reunion and the long-standing spirit of the coal miners.
The splendid presentation of beautiful songs and dances, musical instrument ensembles, solos, and "three and a half sentences" and other colorful literary and artistic programs reminds me of the scenes of various literary and artistic activities held in the mining area at every major festival in those years; in particular, the wonderful performances of the China Coal Mine Cultural and Labor Troupe, the Guangdong Repertory Theatre Troupe, the Shaoshan Acrobatic Troupe, and other literary and artistic groups coming to the mine played a positive role in adding luster and fueling the cultural construction of the mining area.
Pleasant times always feel short. The two-day party will end in an inseparable atmosphere. After the Lunch on the 29th, the workers snuggled up to each other, and the scene was unforgettable. At the hotel gate, some of them are dinging at each other (taking care of their bodies), wishing each other (happiness and well-being), as if there are endless and inexhaustible words in their hearts; some are posing in various shapes, using cameras and mobile phones to leave that unforgettable moment; some are holding hands with each other and not wanting to let go for a long time; some are hugging each other, their eyes are full of tears, and their voices are choking up... In the dense crowd, I found Zhu Banchang and Tang Li, so I squeezed in and shook them one by one.
Looking at the backs of the workers who are gradually drifting away, I secretly have the feeling of "it is difficult to say goodbye when we meet". Yes, this distinction is again the north and south of the world, and the heavens are on their own.
Oh, my dear co-workers, when will we meet again...