◆ Author Liu Kai
Editor's Note -
"A General in the Eyes of a Doctor Series" is a series of reminiscence works recently launched by Mr. Liu Kai, a retired doctor of the outpatient department of the former Lanzhou Military Region, and is exclusively authorized to be published by the Great Northwest Network. Liu Kai engaged in health care work in the former Lanzhou Military Region in his early years, and had a lot of opportunities for contact with the old generals, he wrote the bits and pieces of daily life in the process of contact with the old generals from the unique perspective of a doctor, the language was concise and simple, and the words were sincere and sincere, reflecting the great spirit of the old generals who did not forget their original intentions and always maintain their true colors, which made people feel more intimate and deeply inspired to read. It has distinct characteristics of the times and strong educational significance.
Today, peanut rice is no surprise to us.
Vegetable markets and supermarkets can be bought at any time. But a past event involving this ordinary peanut rice has always occupied my memory.
I remember that it was in the early winter of 1976, and once I followed Zhang Fan, deputy commander of the Lanzhou Military Region, on a train trip to Zhengzhou.
General Zhang Fan, a native of Liuyang, Hunan, joined the Communist Party of China in 1929, joined the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in 1930, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.
He participated in the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. Experienced in hundreds of battles, many meritorious achievements. Although the general is not tall, he is well-proportioned, agile, has a pair of wise eyes, is amiable, approachable, and loves soldiers like a son.
General Zhang Fan
He suffered from low blood sugar, often fainted from it, and always carried a small iron cylinder of "fortified malt milk" with a height of about fifteen centimeters. I remember it seemed to have a label for a Shanghai coffee factory. It contained a small number of peanuts, which the general's wife, Aunt Penk, had specially prepared for the general. Preventing the occurrence of hypoglycemia when hungry, if necessary, can solve the big problem.
In that era of scarcity, peanuts were special food. A canteen of the headquarters will provide the chiefs from time to time, and each household will supply half a catty or a catty of peanuts, and the price per kilogram is four cents and five cents.
We took the soft sleeper compartment of the green-skinned train.
During the journey, the general strictly adhered to the delivery time of the train, did not engage in specialization, and whenever the meal did not feel hungry, he opened the small iron bucket, took out 5 to 6 grains of peanut rice, and slowly put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully.
Suddenly the train jolted, and a grain of peanut rice accidentally fell from his hand to the table, bounced and fell to the ground.
The general hurriedly got up from his sleeper and carefully moved his feet, looking down at the ground, as if he was afraid that he would step on peanut rice.
Guard Dai Rongsheng and I also discovered this situation. Looking at the chief looking down at this peanut rice, I knew that he had the idea of picking it up, wasting it was not his style, not to mention that peanut rice was in short supply!
The guard, Xiao Dai, wanted to pick it up for the general, as far as I knew the general; he would not agree to let us pick it up for him.
So I got up and picked up the hot water bottle under the table and said, "Chief, let's go get a bottle of boiling water." He gave Xiao Dai another look and signaled us to leave the box, and Xiao Dai understood and came out of the soft sleeping box with me.
Casually pulled the door of the box to a half-hidden state, because the job duties of xiao Dai and I, the guard, required that we should not leave the security line of sight of the chief of security at any time.
Through the crack in the door, I saw the general, first standing for a while, as if to adapt to the rhythm of the train, and then slowly bending down, he was holding the edge of the sleeper with his right hand, the left hand carefully picked up the peanut rice, held it in the palm of his hand, and slowly stood up and sat back on the bunk, and then released the peanut rice picked up by the left hand, and the right finger gently rubbed the peanut rice, rubbed it, and blew the skin of the peanut, as if he was very pleased, and his lips bulged up a small round hole, sucking "whoosh" A sound inhaled into the mouth, chewed up with relish...
Somehow! Seeing this scene, my nose suddenly started sour, and the tide fog appeared in front of my eyes, and I quickly turned my head to the window...
Forty-six years, no matter when and where, as soon as I see peanut rice, I can't help but think of General Zhang Fan, remember the scene where he picked up the peanut rice, remember the many past events with the general, and together with the fine style and living habits formed in my ears, together with my memories, they will be engraved in my mind like a brand.
In the early winter of 1976, Zhengzhou Erqi Pagoda took a photo, and Xiao Du, the driver of the automobile team of the Henan Provincial Military Region, took a photo, regretting that my head was not photographed. In the picture, the first left, Liu Kai, General Zhang Fan, and the guard Dai Rongsheng.
April 18, 2020
About the Author: Kai Liu, dentist. A native of Weinan, Shaanxi, he retired from the outpatient department of the Lanzhou Military Region and is a member of the Gansu Writers Association.