One early morning in early 2019, the figure of the 90-year-old man reappeared as usual in the Martyrs' Cemetery of Luohe City, Henan Province.
Looking at the back of this ricket in front of them, the staff of the Martyrs' Cemetery could not help but feel a little distressed, this is the old man who has visited this female martyr named Jing Baoling for decades.
Strangely enough, every time he came, he didn't do anything, he carried a small bench and sat in front of the tombstone, sitting all day.
Sometimes he would hold a thick pile of letters in his hand, and then sit in front of the tombstone and mutter, and he would cry when he read the emotional place.
Who is this "strange" old man, and what kind of relationship does he have with the martyr Jing Baoling?
Serving the nation
The ins and outs of this matter must also start from this female martyr named Jing Baoling.
Jing Baoling was born in 1932 in an ordinary family in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and in addition to her, there was a younger brother, Jing Baolong.
Although the sisters and brothers are 11 years apart, the relationship is very close, Jing Baolong will always be the little follower behind the sister, and the sister who has delicious food is also the first time to think of the younger brother.
Looking at the happy and harmonious appearance of the sisters and brothers, Jing Baoling's parents are also very pleased, as long as these two children can grow up safely, their old two will be satisfied even if they eat more pain.
In addition, they also attach great importance to the education of their children, and do not have the slightest concept of son preference, and when they reach the age of school, they send Jing Baoling to school.
Fortunately, Jing Baoling is also a very smart girl, and her grades in school have always been very good, and she quickly finished high school.
It was only when faced with the choice of university that for the first time, the family, which had always lived in harmony, had a disagreement.
Jing Baoling's parents naturally hope that their daughter can go to a normal school, and after graduation, she can directly become a teacher in the primary school in the town, close to home and stable, why not enjoy it.
Unfortunately, Jing Baoling is not a woman who covets ease, perhaps years of education have cultivated her character of loving the motherland, and her only wish is to enlist in the army and contribute to the country.
This idea was naturally rejected by Jing Baoling's parents, even if she did not become a teacher, a girl could not become a soldier, which was dangerous and difficult.
But Jing Baoling was born a stubborn girl, looking at her parents' angry look, she did not flinch at all, but still secretly planned this matter in her heart.
Finally, when it was time to officially apply for the university, Jing Baoling chose southwest military medical university without hesitation from her whole family.
It wasn't until her daughter received the notice to join the army that Jing Baoling's parents realized that there was no turning point in the matter.
There was no way, they could only agree to their daughter's decision, but the parents were more worried than angry.
Military doctors are no better than ordinary medical personnel, who have to rush to the battlefield every day to save the wounded, almost the same as the soldiers on the front line.
Therefore, when sending their daughter away, Jing Baoling's parents were tearful, really worried that their daughter would never come back after she went.
In addition, the young Jing Baolong was even more attached to his sister, and on the way from home to the station, he always held Jing Baoling's leg and cried.
Seeing that the train was about to arrive, the younger brother still did not look like he wanted to let go, and although Jing Baoling could not bear it, she still tried to find a way to separate her brother.
Just when she was at a loss, she suddenly heard a cry for peanuts not far away, and then a good idea came to mind.
Then Jing Baoling took out a few brand new bills from her pocket, handed them to her brother, and then asked with a smile.
"Baolong, do you want to eat peanuts, go buy it."
Who knew that this child, who used to be known for his love of snacks, shook his head frequently and replied while crying.
"Baolong does not eat peanuts, and Baolong will not let his sister go."
Listening to her brother's childish voice, Jing Baoling's heart was like a knife, but she still patiently coaxed.
"Can Baolong go and help my sister buy peanuts, but my sister will not leave after eating peanuts."
As soon as the words stopped, the young child in front of him ran away with a cigarette, and when he returned again, there was no longer the figure of his sister.
It was also from this day that Jing Baoling officially entered the Southwest Military Medical University and became a female soldier, and also met her first love and lifelong lover here.
The love sinus is just beginning
In early 1950, Jing Baoling's medical unit welcomed a group of wounded soldiers, the most serious of whom was a man named Zhang Hui.
Zhang Hui was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital, and the wound on his leg had been bleeding pus, and the situation was very critical.
With his life at stake, Jing Baoling arranged him to the temporary operating room without saying a word, and cooperated with the experienced doctor to snatch the patient back from the god of death.
In order to let Zhang Hui recover as soon as possible, Jing Baoling took care of him in front of the hospital bed day and night, and even did not sleep for several nights many times.
Perhaps heaven was touched by this kind girl, Zhang Hui finally woke up after a week of coma in the hospital, and the first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Jing Baoling.
Only to see the girl in front of her wake up surprised and happy, and even kept asking him if there was anything uncomfortable in his body.
Who knew that Before Zhang Hui could answer, Jing Baoling fell over with her eyes blackened, and then she heard the voice of a man calling out to the doctor in the ward.
After some examination, Jing Baoling quickly woke up, fortunately she was just overworked and caused low blood sugar, and there was no major problem, just rest for a while.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Hui was so anxious that he even took the initiative to ask for his glucose to be taken out for the little nurse to use.
Naturally, the hospital would not agree to his request, and Jing Baoling also refused.
"You are a soldier, you are wounded for the country, and these tonics should be given to heroes, not ordinary people like us."
As soon as the words fell, Zhang Hui changed his face and responded seriously.
"Without the strong backing of so many ordinary people of you, no matter how many heroes we have, we will be killed."
Hearing this, the doctors on the side were silent, and without saying a word, they injected glucose into the little nurse's body.
With the help of this bottle of glucose liquid full of revolutionary friendship, Jing Baoling's body quickly recovered as before, and under her careful care, Zhang Hui's wounds gradually healed.
In addition, the two young people have also developed feelings for each other in the past few months, and the relationship has also transitioned from the initial doctor-patient to the object.
In Jing Baoling's memory, this time in the medical unit was the happiest in her life, and whenever Zhang Hui talked about things in the army, her eyes would sparkle.
Unfortunately, the happy time is always short-lived, and the young people who have just been together soon ushered in a moment of separation.
By the end of 1950, Zhang Hui's body had basically healed, and as a soldier, he chose to go to the battlefield again for the safety of his country.
Jing Baoling will never forget the day Zhang Hui left, let alone the promise left by her beloved.
"When the war subsided, we became united and never separated again."
After saying these words, Zhang Hui turned his head and left with tears in his bag, not knowing that it was four years after he went to see each other again.
In order to express their longing for each other, after the two separated, they often wrote letters to each other, and the words were full of deep love.
And they also collected all the letters, and when there was no letter, they took out these "treasures" to ease the feelings of lovesickness.
Fast forward to 1954, and Jing Baoling was caring for the patients in the medical unit as usual, when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Baoling, I'm back."
Hearing this, Jing Baoling turned her head in disbelief, and what was standing in front of her was really her lover who had been thinking about twilight for so many years.
On one side were nurses saving lives and helping the injured, and on the other side were soldiers defending their families and countries, and the two looked at each other and laughed, laughing and laughing, and tears flowed out unconsciously.
After the conversation, Jing Baoling learned that Zhang Hui was not just passing by this time, but his final destination was Nanjing, which is his hometown.
Zhang Hui took time out of her busy schedule to see herself, in addition to missing too much, the most important thing was to ask her if she had anything to bring to her parents.
Hearing this, Jing Baoling shyly lowered her head and blushed.
"Just tell them that I'm all right here and that we're getting married soon."
Jing Baoling's words made Zhang Hui overjoyed, this was the first time that a girl had expressed her heart to him, no matter what, he also wanted to bring this sentence to him.
At dawn the next day, Zhang Hui embarked on a journey to the home of his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, unaware that this time he and his lover were separated by yin and yang.
Sacrifice your life for the country
A few days later, Zhang Hui came to his lover's hometown, and Jing Baoling's parents couldn't help but wonder when they looked at the strange young man in front of them.
Perhaps seeing their defensiveness, Zhang Hui hurriedly told him about himself and Jing Baoling.
As soon as the words fell, Jing Baolong on the side clapped his hands happily.
"Then you will be my brother-in-law from now on."
Although he said that the fairy tale was unscrupulous, Zhang Hui still couldn't help but blush when he heard this, and found an excuse to sneak to the kitchen to cook for the second elder.
Looking at the future son-in-law who looks good and cooks delicious meals, Jing Baoling's parents are satisfied, and even bluntly said that they will let the two children get married at the end of the year.
After getting the approval of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Zhang Hui's heart was simply happier than winning the battle, and he really hoped that this day would come sooner.
Not long after Zhang Hui left, Jing Baoling also returned to her hometown to visit her relatives, looking at her thin and black daughter, her parents could not help but shed tears.
In order not to worry her family, the sensible Jing Baoling told all the interesting things she did in the army, which caused Jing Baolong to laugh.
Looking at the happy appearance of the sisters and brothers, Jing Baoling's parents no longer worried, and then turned the topic to Zhang Hui's body.
Hearing this, Jing Baoling, who has always been informal, actually revealed a girlish side and whispered.
"Dad, Mom, you are in charge of all these things, and I will listen to you."
As soon as the words fell, Jing Baolong deliberately "laughed" at Sister Dao's shyness, and the two sisters and brothers who had just returned their happiness and harmony ran out of the door in the blink of an eye.
The two of them came to the street after a while, and just at this moment, an uncle who sold sugar cane came over, and watching his brother swallow, Jing Baoling couldn't help but laugh.
Then she stepped forward, and without hesitation, picked out the largest sugar cane, asked her uncle to help cut it and handed it to her brother.
Looking at her brother's big mouth of sugar cane, Jing Baoling showed a happy smile, and really hoped that this child could always grow up so carefree.
Just as she was immersed in her own fantasy, she suddenly saw that her brother had finished nibbling the whole sugar cane and was preparing to nibble on the most unpalatable bottom.
The helpless Jing Baoling shook her head, and without saying a word, she snatched the sugar cane and pretended to be angry while nibbling.
"Stinky brother, the delicious ones don't even leave a bite for my sister."
Perhaps only Jing Baoling herself understood that she was not trying to grab food with her brother, but did not want her brother to taste bitterness at all.
On the way home, Jing Baoling suddenly remembered something and proposed to her brother.
"Baolong, your name is not very good, next time your sister comes back to take you back to change your name to Jingfeng."
The young Jing Baolong seemed to understand and nodded, he did not know why his sister let himself change his name, the only thing he knew was that her sister was always thinking about herself.
Unfortunately, before the day of the name change came, my sister could not come back.
On the morning of May 14, 1955, Jing Baoling's parents were still asleep when they suddenly heard an urgent banging sound outside the door.
The second elder, who was worried about the accident, hurriedly got up, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw several comrades from the Ministry of Civil Affairs standing there solemnly.
Immediately after that, they handed something in the shape of a red certificate to Jing Baoling's parents, and the second elder looked at the strange little book in front of them with a blank face.
Just at this moment, Jing Baolong in the next room was also awakened by the knock on the door, rubbing his eyes and walking over, who knew that he had just seen a few words on the certificate and suddenly woke up.
"Certificate of Martyrdom."
Hearing her son's words, Jing Baoling's parents were taken aback and repeatedly asked, "Comrade, are you mistaken, my daughter came to visit us at home a few days ago?"
Looking at the distressed old couple in front of them, the comrades of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, although they could not bear it, frankly said: "Uncle and aunt, Baoling, she has indeed sacrificed for the country, and your second elder will mourn."
As soon as the words stopped, Jing Baoling's mother fainted, and Jing Baoling's father asked hopefully after placing his wife on the bed.
"Comrade, when will my daughter be able to go home, and I will personally take her back and bury her with beautiful scenery."
The staff's next words made Jing Baoling's family even more bitter: "I'm sorry, we don't know where the body of martyr Jing Baoling is, only that she was buried on the spot with other martyrs."
Hearing this, the young Jing Baolong immediately burst into tears and pushed away the person who delivered the certificate with his hand: "Go away, my sister is a hero, you are all big liars."
Of course, they can understand the feelings of the family, after all, Jing Baoling is only twenty-three years old, and there are so many people in the family who love her waiting for her to return, but unfortunately she can never come back.
Seek to find
The news quickly reached Zhang Hui's ears, and like Jing Baoling's family, he couldn't believe the bad news.
The sweet time between the two of them seems to be just yesterday, who would have thought that so soon it would be separated by yin and yang?
Immediately after that, Zhang Hui took a leave of absence in the army and rushed to Jing Baoling's hometown for the first time to visit the poor old man who was sent by the white-haired man to the black-haired man.
Sure enough, Jing Baoling's parents washed their faces with tears all day from the moment they learned of their daughter's sacrifice, and when Zhang Hui arrived, their eyes were already crying.
Looking at the pair of distressed old people in front of him, Zhang Hui vowed from this moment on that he would find his beloved Jing Baoling in this life.
After leaving the Jing family, Zhang Hui began a long road to find his wife, fortunately, the heavens did not live up to this long-term man.
In the search again and again, he finally found out that Jing Baoling's last mission before she died was in Luohe City, Henan Province.
Without hesitation, Zhang Hui rushed by car the next day, and sure enough, he found his lover's tombstone in the martyrs' cemetery in Luohe City.
Looking at the big words "?—— 1955" on the tombstone, Zhang Hui was even more distressed, this great woman dedicated her short life to the motherland, and even did not mention her birth date to anyone.
After learning that his lover was buried here, Zhang Hui's first reaction was to tell Jing Baoling's parents and brother the news.
Who knew that he had just arrived at the Jing family in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and there was a scene of empty buildings in front of him.
According to neighbors, Jing Baoling's parents and brother never gave up searching for their daughter's bones, and since 1955, a family of three has traveled across the country to find the female martyr.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the elderly parents have become physically exhausted, and the heavy responsibility of finding Jing Baoling has fallen on the shoulders of the younger brother.
I have to say that the relationship between Jing Baolong and his sister is really very good, even if his parents are old and he gets married and has children again, he has never forgotten his sister.
One of the most noteworthy things is that he has never forgotten his sister's previous change of name, and in order to fulfill her sister's wish before she died, he even named his youngest son Jingfeng.
Whenever he saw his younger son, the shadow of his sister's smile would appear in front of his eyes, and he would also remind himself not to forget the news of looking for his sister.
Perhaps under the influence of his father, Jing Feng has always had great respect for this aunt he has never met, and every time he arrives at the Qingming Festival or the Founding Day, he will send some messages to mourn his aunt in the circle of friends.
It's just that they didn't expect that this circle of friends many years later actually helped them find Jing Baoling's "hiding place".
In September 2019, the staff of the Luohe Martyrs Cemetery accidentally saw a circle of friends mourning the martyrs forwarded by a friend.
Among them, Jing Baoling's name surprised her, wasn't this the female martyr in the cemetery who hadn't found her relatives for more than sixty years?
Without much thought, the staff member quickly asked for Jing Feng's contact information from his friend, and the two determined each other's identities after the call.
Not long after, the Jing family got in touch with the Martyrs' Cemetery, and after further verification, the location of Jing Baoling's joining the army- "Shuangqiao Gate outside the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing" became the final confirmation information.
On September 4, Jing Feng and his father set off from Nanjing, and after seven hours of boating and driving, they finally arrived at Luohe, Henan.
Looking at his sister's tombstone, Jing Baolong, an old man in his seventies, finally couldn't help the nostalgia and pain in his heart, and lay down in front of the tombstone and cried bitterly.
"Sister, it's been sixty-four years, and I've finally found you."
Hearing this, the ninety-year-old man sitting next to the tombstone suddenly turned his head and asked slowly.
"Is it Baolong?"
This strange and familiar voice made Jing Baolong suddenly turn back to God, and who can know his name in this strange city.
When he saw the 90-year-old man get up and walk over with a trembling, all the questions had been answered, and the person in front of him was his former brother-in-law, Zhang Hui.
Especially when Jing Baolong learned that his brother-in-law had been with his sister for decades, his tears could not stop coming out of his eyes.
Looking back on the life of martyr Jing Baoling, we have to say that it is short and brilliant.
Fortunately, she always has a young lover who insists on guarding her, and a good brother who has never forgotten herself.
It is believed that at this moment of the family reunion, the spirit of the martyr Jing Baoling in heaven can be considered to have rested in peace.
But it is precisely because there are countless martyrs like Jing Baoling that we can now enjoy this peaceful time with peace of mind.
No matter when and where, we must not forget these great heroes, they are the most lovely people.