One night in mid-June 1976, Mao Zedong's old disease recurred, and his heart muscle infarction was very dangerous.
Several of Mao's doctors arrived, his face gray and yellow, his lips bruised, and his breathing short. The doctors and nurses were constantly busy, and the guards and secretaries were extremely nervous, and they rescued them for 20 minutes before Chairman Mao was out of danger.
His heart began to beat normally, his face gradually turned better, and after a while he opened his eyes again.
When several members of the Politburo received the notice, they all rushed over and waited by Mao Zedong's side, saw him open his eyes, and one by one stepped forward to visit.
Hua Guofeng, Xu Shiyou, Wu Guixian and other Politburo members walked past him, he looked very tired, looking at everyone calmly, no one knew what he was thinking in his heart, perhaps, his consciousness had not yet fully awakened from his coma.
When Ye Jianying walked past his bedside, his fingers trembled and his lips moved slightly.
Ye Jianying's expression was solemn, he did not see this subtle change in Mao Zedong, and many comrades around him did not pay attention.
Mao Zedong's secretary, Zhang Yufeng, stepped out, took a few steps to catch up with Ye Jianying, and whispered to him: "Ye Shuai, I see that the chairman wants to talk to you. ”
Ye Jianying immediately nodded, and walked over to Mao Zedong again, and he leaned down, very close to Chairman Mao, looked at him seriously, and listened.
Mao Zedong's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened, his lips moved hard, and no one except Ye Jianying could hear what the chairman had said.
Ye Shuai held Chairman Mao's hand tightly, and he obviously understood the chairman's meaning and kept nodding his head at him.
Mao Zedong's words to Ye Jianying have always been a mystery.
Nurse Meng Jinyun wrote in her memoirs:
Ye Jianying could only hold Mao Zedong's hand, but no matter what, he could not hold Mao Zedong's life.
Mao's children were not around in his later years, and the closest people were several guards and secretaries. Only Zhang Yufeng, who had followed Chairman Mao for 6 years, could guess Chairman Mao's thoughts through his subtle movements.
First, the elderly who are seriously ill and lonely
Zhang Yufeng was born in 1944 in Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, to an ordinary worker family, because of family difficulties, Zhang Yufeng only finished the sixth grade of primary school, and at the age of 14, he went out alone to find a job.
At that time, just in time for the railway bureau to recruit workers, Zhang Yufeng tried to apply for the examination, but he did not expect to be admitted and became a railway passenger attendant.
Therefore, she also had the opportunity to take the train to see the beautiful scenery of all parts of the motherland, came to Beijing, saw the Forbidden City, and saw Tiananmen.
In the autumn of 1960, the Ministry of Railways came to Zhang Yufeng's unit to select special train personnel, and she was lucky to be selected, and soon after, she was transferred to Mao Zedong's special train as a flight attendant.
At that time, Mao Zedong spent one-third of the time every year going out to investigate and study, and Zhang Yufeng's special train accompanied Chairman Mao to various parts of the country.
Pictured| Zhang Yufeng and Mao Zedong in 1964
In 1970, Zhang Yufeng was transferred to Mao Zedong's side.
Zhang Yufeng is quiet and simple, elegant in demeanor, speaks softly and softly, treats people sincerely, and is not ostentatious. Her words are like her people, beautiful and beautiful. After Mao Zedong's secretary Xu Yefu died of illness, he organized a consultation, and Zhang Yufeng concurrently served as Mao Zedong's confidential secretary.
At that time, Mao Zedong was 76 years old, and Zhang Yufeng came to work with him to find that his old man was not as vibrant and red as he looked on TV and in newspapers.
He was a very sick and lonely old man with many diseases, legs, lungs and heart problems.
She instructed Zhang Yufeng that she could read all the documents brought by the central authorities, but she absolutely could not show them to Wang Dongxing and Zhang Huici, including his family, Jiang Qing, Li Ne, Mao Yuanxin, and so on.
"Don't think that you can direct everything when you are my secretary, but know who you work for and on who you represent."
Mao Zedong's words Zhang Yufeng has always been remembered in his heart.
Beginning in 1971, Mao Zedong was always sick at the beginning of spring and winter, and it became more and more serious every year.
At that time, there were rules in the organization that Chairman Mao's health was confidential and absolutely could not be said, so only the people around him knew the situation of his body.
Mao Zedong smoked almost every day, and because smoking caused bronchitis, when he coughed badly, he couldn't even lie down, he could only sit. He was still very stubborn, unwilling to take medicine when he was sick, and did not want to ask a doctor.
Because it was always dragged, it later turned into "lobar pneumonia", and the whole body was puffy.
In addition to a female head nurse, two male guards, zhang Yufeng is taking care of him. 4 people work day and night shifts, no holidays, work is very hard.
Working with Mao Zedong for 6 years was the fastest 6 years of Zhang Yufeng's progress, and she always felt that it was a very happy thing to be able to serve Chairman Mao. But in terms of work intensity, the burden is indeed heavy.
Picture | Zhang Yufeng accompanied Chairman Mao
Zhang Yufeng has two children, but in order to work, she can't take care of her home at all, especially when Mao Zedong was seriously ill, she stayed with his old man day and night.
Zhang Yufeng handed over both daughters to her mother-in-law, and when she was busiest, it was her mother-in-law who let her have no worries. Therefore, she often said that she would never forget her mother-in-law's kindness to her.
Second, optimistic and sincere revolutionaries
In January 1972, Mao Zedong went to Chen Yi's memorial service, and when he got into the car, he tried to step on the steps of the car several times, but he couldn't get on it, and his legs and feet were already very inconvenient.
In February, WHEN US President Richard Nixon visited China, everyone was anxious and nervous.
On February 21, Mao Zedong had just woken up, sat up from his sickbed, and asked: "Nixon visited China today, ask the Foreign Ministry if Nixon has arrived." ”
Zhang Yufeng immediately reported to him that Nixon had arrived, and now Premier Zhou was feasting. Mao Zedong instructed Xinhua to pay attention to any situation and report it immediately.
That afternoon, Mao Zedong, despite his illness, must meet Nixon. Nixon was surprised to learn about it. Because when I arranged my trip before, I wasn't sure which day I could meet with Mao Zedong.
That afternoon, the staff temporarily arranged the swimming pool study where Mao Zedong lived, and they suggested to Mao Zedong that the large bed in the study be removed. Mao Zedong did not agree: "Don't make illusions, you can look like whatever you want." ”
Mao shaved his beard and sat in his study waiting for Nixon to arrive.
When Nixon, Kissinger, and Lord arrived, Zhang Yufeng helped Mao zedong to sit on the couch and left quickly.
Pictured| Mao Zedong met with Nixon
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Yufeng avoids the camera, but this time the photographer took Zhang Yufeng into the lens.
Mao's conversation with Nixon was casual, and he didn't deliberately hide his physical condition.
Nixon said in disbelief: "You look good. ”
Mao Zedong said: "Appearance is all deceitful, do not be fooled by illusions, I have just recovered from a serious illness." ”
Mao Zedong did not have the slightest fear of illness and death. He was always open-minded and open-minded, and never lost faith and strength because of illness. In front of the staff, he never showed pain or worry, and when others were worried and nervous, Chairman Mao would joke with them and enlighten everyone with his optimism and humor.
Soon after, Mao Zedong met with Kakuei Tanaka in this study. During that time, Mao's condition improved, and Zhang Yufeng and other staff members seemed particularly happy and relieved.
In 1975, Mao Zedong was unable to read books and read documents normally because of cataracts. In addition, his life has been unable to take care of himself, eating to eat spoon by spoon to feed, swallowing is very difficult.
According to Zhang Yufeng's recollection, Mao Zedong fed him mouth-to-mouth for four years, and over the course of four years, his meal volume gradually decreased. Originally, I could still eat one or two spoonfuls a day, and later I could only eat one or two spoonfuls per meal.
For his own condition, Mao Zedong has always been my own way, and the persuasion of doctors and nurses is only half possible. For example, smoking and reading books for a long time, the doctor's repeated persuasion did not work, and Zhang Yufeng and the head nurse also had no way to take his old man's home. Because he read under the light for a long time, Mao Zedong's eye disease became more and more serious, and several magnifying glasses were changed in succession, so that he was close to blindness.
Third, the patient who is addicted to books
Mao Zedong was a bookish lover, and after suffering from an eye disease, it was very painful for him. Zhang Yufeng took on the task of reading and reading documents for Mao Zedong.
At the Politburo meeting on May 3, 1975, Mao Zedong overheard a man interjecting at the meeting, asking Zhang Yufeng who was the person who spoke. Zhang Yufeng was so surprised that he whispered in Mao Zedong's ear, "That's Comrade Jiang Qing." ”
Her heart was very worried, in addition to Mao Zedong's vision problems, was there any other problem that everyone had not yet discovered?
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to set up a medical team for Mao Zedong, which included experts in cardiovascular medicine, neurosurgery, anesthesia, otolaryngology, and respiratory medicine.
The doctors agreed that Mao Zedong should be operated on cataracts first, and the task of persuasion was given to Zhang Yufeng.
This operation was delayed again and again, and Zhang Yufeng could understand his inner thoughts: although he couldn't see it now, he couldn't see anything wrong from the outside. If this operation fails, it is better not to do it.
Pictured| Mao Zedong rarely put on glasses to watch the National Games
Until one day in July 1975, When Mao Zedong slept for 6 hours and was in a particularly good mood, Zhang Yufeng mobilized Chairman Mao to hurry up and perform eye surgery today.
This time Chairman Mao did not refuse, but nodded his head and said, "Do."
The doctors seized the time to measure Chairman Mao's blood pressure, listened to the heart, everything was normal, and did strict disinfection in a lounge of the swimming pool, ready for surgery.
A new nurse came over to give Chairman Mao an injection, and she was so panicked that her hands were shaking and she couldn't get in a few times. Mao Turned his head and chatted with the nurse, in this way to dispel her uneasiness.
This was the first time in Mao Zedong's life that he had surgery, and Mao Zedong asked Zhang Yufeng to give him a song "Man Jiang Hong" sung by Kunqu opera actor Cai Yaoyi.
The doctor gave Chairman Mao two anesthetics before his eyes lost their senses. The entire procedure is 15 minutes and the actual operation time is 8 minutes. Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and Wang Dongxing came on a special trip, and after hearing the news of the success of the operation, they were afraid of affecting Chairman Mao's rest, so they asked Zhang Yufeng to speak in their place and left.
Zhang Yufeng told Mao Zedong that Premier Zhou Enlai had also arrived just after being discharged from the hospital. Mao Zedong listened and said, "Thank you." ”
A week after the operation, Mao's mood was stable, and after the doctor removed the bandage, his left eye was finally able to see things. He looked at the staff around him, and with tears of excitement, he shouted their names one by one.
He hadn't seen the world for more than a year, and the excitement in his heart was overflowing. The doctor told him to read only 15 minutes a day, which Mao Zedong could do at first, but soon began to bury his head in books and read documents, day and night.
Fourth, the chairman who is haggard in heart
From the day Zhang Yufeng stepped into Zhongnanhai, he was very careful in his work and cautiously doing his work, lest one not pay attention would make a big mistake. Mao Zedong had very high requirements for his comrades and was also satisfied with the work done by Zhang Yufeng, once giving the affirmation of "being a generous person, doing his job conscientiously, and Zhang Fei's descendants, jumping at the touch."
The first two sentences affirm Zhang Yufeng's work attitude, and the latter sentence has an interesting story.
Zhang Yufeng and Chairman Mao also had "conflicts" in the 6 years they spent together, that is, after Lin Biao's defection, Mao Zedong was exhausted and suffered from illness, and for a while he often lost his temper because of his irritable mood.
One day, Mao Zedong got angry over a small matter and asked Zhang Yufeng to leave Zhongnanhai. Zhang Yufeng was also very direct, and immediately packed up his things and left.
After returning home, Zhang Yufeng has been sullen and restless.
Mao Zedong was already having a hard time speaking, and only Zhang Yufeng could understand some of them. Whenever Mao Zedong talked to people and his pronunciation was not clear, Zhang Yufeng could always figure out his thoughts through his mouth shape and expression, and then go to get Mao Zedong's nod of approval.
Zhang Yufeng began to worry about whether his old man's life would be inconvenient, Chairman Mao was like his old father, it was normal to fight a few words on the head, and after the mood calmed down, she was also very remorseful.
Mao Zedong himself quickly regretted it, his attitude eased a lot, more than 20 days later, Zhang Yufeng returned to Zhongnanhai, Chairman Mao saw her seemed particularly happy, and joked with her: "You are 'two into the palace'!" ”
After this incident, Zhang Yufeng felt that Chairman Mao was closer, and he took more care of him and took care of him. Chairman Mao did not say anything in his mouth, but in his heart he was very grateful, and it was these few young people with pure hearts who accompanied him through this period of low mood.
Mao Zedong repeatedly recited in front of everyone the three sentences in the "History of Ji ZhengLie": Once you die, you know friendship. One poor and one rich, is to know the state of intercourse. One expensive and one cheap, friendship is seen. He said to Zhang Yufeng that this sentence was given to her.
During the Spring Festival in 1976, Zhang Yufeng and other staff members spent time in Chairman Mao's study.
Many years later, Zhang Yufeng regrettably told people that during the last Spring Festival in Chairman Mao's life, there were no guests at home and no family around, which made him feel particularly lonely.
At night, Chairman Mao faintly heard the sound of firecrackers, and he shouted to Zhang Yufeng and said to Zhang Yufeng in a hoarse voice: "Let go of some firecrackers, you young people should also celebrate the festival." ”
Therefore, several staff members also took out a few firecrackers and brought them outside to put them away, and Chairman Mao heard the sound of firecrackers and showed a smile on his face.
Picture | Zhang Yufeng holding Chairman Mao
By May 1976, Mao Zedong needed two people to walk.
On May 12, Mao Zedong met with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and Zhang Yuk-fung and Meng Jinyun stood on either side of Chairman Mao and helped him to the swimming pool reception hall. When he was completely seated, Lee Kuan Yew came to the hall accompanied by Hua Guofeng.
Zhang Yufeng and Meng Jinyun helped Chairman Mao to stand up and immediately retreated behind the screen, so as not to let the photographer record the scene of Chairman Mao being supported.
Mao Zedong and Lee Kuan Yew shook hands and sat down. Zhang Yufeng and Meng Jinyun clearly heard this sound, and they were worried in their hearts, and they whispered "Ah" in unison.
Photo| On May 12, 1976, Lee Kuan Yew, who visited China for the first time, met with Mao Zedong, who was already 83 years old
Two weeks later, when Mao Zedong met with Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto, he was completely unable to stand alone, his face haggard and he looked very ill.
In the past, Mao Zedong was very happy every time he saw Bhutto and had a very pleasant conversation. But this time it did not take long to talk, Zhang Yufeng found that Chairman Mao's forehead was sweating coldly, and his body must have been uncomfortable.
Thirty minutes later, due to physical reasons, Chairman Mao ended his conversation with his old friend early.
After meeting with Bhutto, the Central Committee decided not to arrange for Mao Zedong to meet with foreign guests.
Fifth, a great man who will never forget
Every time Zhang Yufeng mentioned the last months of Mao's life, he couldn't help but choke.
Since the summer of 1976, Mao Zedong has been lying in bed because of a heart attack, and in June, a serious attack, and a critical illness notice was sent to the provinces, municipalities and military regions, and all of Mao Zedong's family members were also notified. On that day, the staff around Mao Zedong were extremely nervous, and they did not dare to sleep soundly at night, so they only took off one coat when they lay down to rest.
When the Tangshan earthquake struck on July 28, Zhang Yufeng hurriedly got up, put on his coat, and ran to Chairman Mao.
The house was shaking very badly, Zhang Yufeng felt that it was very difficult to walk, and Wang Dongxing also took a lot of effort to come over. Everyone looked panicked, but when Zhang Yufeng walked to the chairman's room, he found that Chairman Fa looked calm, lying on the bed as if nothing had happened.
This great man has experienced too much in his life, and has truly reached the realm of "Tarzan collapsing in front of him and not changing color".
Mao Zedong was urgently transferred to the hall. Zhang Yufeng was worried that the earthquake would shake down the things on the roof and hit Mao Zedong, so he found a large sheet and hung it over Mao Zedong's body.
Three days after the earthquake, Mao Zedong was always worried about the situation of the people of Tangshan, and he asked Comrade Hua Guofeng to go to Tangshan to see the people of Tangshan on his behalf. He also often asked Zhang Yufeng whether the people of Tangshan had settled down well, how the citizens of Beijing were doing, and whether they had been well settled.
Pictured| Zhang Yufeng
The swimming pool apartment where Mao Zedong lived did not have any earthquake prevention measures at all, and everyone advised Mao Zedong to move away, but he still refused to move. After repeated persuasion by Comrade Hua Guofeng, he reluctantly agreed to move away, lying on a stretcher and carrying him to an old house with earthquake-proof facilities.
He lived there for only a month before he passed away.
One of Zhang Yufeng's most regrettable things was that he did not prepare a new set of clothes for Chairman Mao in advance. After Chairman Mao's death, she could only find an old dress worn by his old man, wipe it with alcohol, and change it for him.
Chairman Mao left in his old clothes, and he donated 1 million yuan to the state before his death, leaving no penny for his children and grandchildren.
Before he died, he mentioned to Zhang Yufeng his salary, 360 yuan a month, and he was already very satisfied.
Those who worked around Mao Zedong could never make economic mistakes, and they could deeply feel Mao Zedong's simplicity and incorruptibility. Chairman Mao had no money in his pocket, only cigarettes and handkerchiefs. Day-to-day expenses are managed by a manager.
Chairman Mao persevered throughout his life. Zhang Yufeng said: "I have never lived for money, Chairman Mao does not love money, and he has educated me very deeply. ”
After Zhang Yufeng left Zhongnanhai, he was assigned to work at the First Historical Archive of China. At her own request, she was reassigned to the Ministry of Railways and became an ordinary cadre.
Zhang Yufeng's two daughters are also outstanding, her eldest daughter went to the United States after college in Beijing and received a doctorate; the younger daughter studied medicine and is an obstetrician and gynecologist at a hospital in Beijing.
As for why he sent his eldest daughter to study abroad, because in Zhang Yufeng's mind, he always remembered an incident that happened when Chairman Mao met Nixon and Kissinger in 1972.
Mao Zedong's topic came very suddenly: China wanted to send a group of people to study, not only in their twenties, but also thirteen or fourteen, and sent a batch every year to the United States for cultivation, and then take it back in a few years.
"Do you dare to ask for it?" Mao Zedong looked at Kissinger and said.
Kissinger was so surprised that even the Chinese people who were doing it were shocked.
Years later, however, Zhang Yufeng discovered that Mao Zedong had realized the importance of Chinese students traveling to the West for some time to learn advanced technologies from Western countries, and had foreseen that this would be a major trend.
When she sent her daughter abroad, she also wanted to fulfill this prophecy left by Chairman Mao before his death.
Zhang Yufeng is generally reluctant to accept interviews from reporters, she does not want to use the aura of "Chairman Mao's secretary" to become famous, nor does she want to pursue profits, she only wants to spend the rest of her life in peace and stability, especially not wanting others to disturb her.
But as long as she was invited to attend an event about Chairman Mao, she tried her best to go over.
Picture | Zhang Yufeng's later years
The CPC Central Committee also entrusted Zhang Yufeng to sort out Mao Zedong's collection of books and arrange the former residence of Zhongnanhai. She also went to the former residence of Mao Zedong in Shaoshan, found that many things there had been moldy, she ran around to raise donations for Shaoshan, she herself took out 100,000 yuan, added air conditioning, dehumidification and constant temperature instruments to the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall.
For Zhang Yufeng, Mao Zedong was an old man with rich feelings, stubbornness and incomparable kindness, and like many comrades who had worked around Mao Zedong, she never forgot Chairman Mao's optimism, simplicity and incorruptibility all her life, and she was strict with herself in the face of money and fame and fortune. After Chairman Mao left, the only thing they could not control was the tears they shed when they heard the name of his old man.