On the desk in my room, there were two frames of framed photographs. The old man in the center of the photo is Mr. Shen Congwen, a master of local literature, next to his wife Zhang Zhaohe and his teacher, and the photo was taken in Shen Lao's bedroom. Over time, although the two photos have gradually yellowed, the characters and backgrounds are still clear and clear, which is even more precious after a long time.
The author of this article (back row, first from the left) poses with Shen Congwen and his wife.
Back in the late autumn of 1987, I was working as a secretary at the Fenghuang County People's Government. Mr. Wu Guanlin, who was then the county magistrate of the Fenghuang County People's Government, wanted to go to Beijing to report to the relevant state departments, accompanied by Ou Daiming, a young deputy county magistrate sent by the province, Tan Ziyan, director of the county cotton weaving factory, Gao Zijian, chief of the sales section, Wang Jiehua, engineer of the county tobacco factory, and others.
When we arrived in Beijing, we successfully completed the work in a few days. Later, governor Wu county summoned Phoenix cadres and students working, training, and studying in Beijing to a forum at the Central Institute for Nationalities to solicit their opinions and suggestions on the development of Phoenix. After the forum, Wu, director of the State Nationalities Commission (Phoenix), told Governor Wu that Mr. Shen Congwen was ill and not light. When the governor of Wu County learned of the situation, he immediately said that he would take time to visit.
At eight o'clock in the morning of the next day, under the leadership of Director Wu, Governor Wu, Deputy Governor Ou, and my party set off for Mr. Shen Congwen's home, located in Room 601, 22nd Floor, Chongwenmen East Avenue, Beijing. For us, it is not so much a worship of the well-known literary giants at home and abroad as it is a respect for a dignified elder in his hometown, so a visit is a must.
When we walked to the door of Elder Shen, we saw that the note "Because Elder Shen is seriously ill, refuse to meet guests, please forgive", we were all disappointed. Just as we were playing chess at the door, Director Wu said, "Since we have come, we should ring the bell to meet our family." If you can go in and visit, if not, go back. Everyone nodded in agreement, so we rang the doorbell. The nanny who opened the door was the Nanny of the Shen family, after we explained our intentions, she smiled and said: "Shen Lao is seriously ill, now sleeping in bed, life can not take care of himself, I don't know if I can see you, I will ask Mrs. Shen Zhang Zhaohe and the teacher, you wait a little." ”
After a while, a spirited old lady pushed the door and came out. Although she is already gray-haired, from her good face and elegant temperament, she can still faintly identify the talented women who used to move the capital, and the person who came was Shen Lao's wife Zhang Zhaohe and teacher. In Beiping that year, the young talent Shen Congwen met the equally talented Zhang Zhaohe and Ms. Zhang Zhaohe and began their love story. The result of Lang Cai's female appearance is naturally a combination of pearls, and their legendary love stunned the literary and artistic circles at that time.
Zhang Zhaohe and the teacher enthusiastically introduced us into Shen Lao's bedroom. Elder Shen slept on the bed, heard the sound of our footsteps entering the room, and asked Teacher Zhang who was coming. Teacher Zhang said that the governor of Wu County in his hometown saw you coming. When Elder Shen heard that the governor of Wu County had come to visit him, he said, "My parents and officials from all over my hometown have come to see us from afar, how can we lie on the bed, it is impolite, help me get out of bed quickly." So, Teacher Zhang and I helped Elder Shen get out of bed and sit on a rattan chair.
In front of me, this world-famous writer, I met for the first time, and I could not help but take a closer look: Shen Lao, who had entered his old age, was already sick and sick, and he was no longer handsome and handsome. His body is emaciated, his sideburns are white, the wrinkles on his face are engraved with the vicissitudes of time, but they cannot hide the kindness and kindness of his face, and the black frame on the bridge of his nose faintly reveals a graceful and bookish atmosphere. At this time, although Elder Shen was sick in bed and could not walk, his mental state was quite good and his consciousness was very clear. When Elder Shen saw his fellow countryman, his tired body suddenly perked up, a happy smile appeared on his face, and he held out his trembling hand to shake hands with everyone one by one. When Elder Shen held my hand, I was so excited that I couldn't speak, and tears involuntarily dripped down my chest. yes! It is this pair of pale and slender hands that have written many unforgettable masterpieces, leaving immortal chapters in the treasure house of modern literature.
After a period of greeting, The governor of Wu County briefly introduced the construction and development of the phoenix, and Elder Shen was very happy to hear it and frequently smiled. He cordially pulled up the family routine with us, recalled the people and things in his hometown, talked about the folk customs of the phoenix, especially the memory of the environment around the old house. Finally, he talked about the issue of education and urged Governor Wu to do a good job in phoenix education. Elder Shen said: "Education is a major event, and it is a matter of special concern to thousands of households. The success or failure of education is directly related to the rise and fall of a place, education is done well, phoenix does not worry about development, phoenix development still depends on talent, rely on education, this is fundamental. Elder Shen's soft and slow speech was as delicate and warm as the spring water of a mountain stream, and it had been lingering in my ears for a long time.
Time flies so fast, in a pleasant exchange, an hour slips by. We couldn't bear to delay Shen Lao's rest time too much, and we were even more afraid of affecting his health, so we got up and resigned.
Before leaving, in order to remember this unforgettable meeting, I proposed that everyone take a photo with Shen Lao and his wife as a souvenir, and the couple gladly agreed. So I picked up the point-and-shoot camera sent by Comrade Xiong Fu (who was studying at the Beijing Cadre Management Institute at the time) and took a group photo of Wu County, Director Wu, Deputy Governor Ou, and Mr. and Mrs. Shen. Then, Deputy Governor Ou took another picture of me and Governor Wu, Director Wu, and Mr. shen. After the photo was taken, we wanted to help Elder Shen back to bed to rest, but Elder Shen kindly refused. He said affectionately, "Thank you for coming to see me from afar, and I will sit and watch you out of the room." In Elder Shen's attention, we waved to him and reluctantly left Elder Shen's home.
However, less than a year later, on the afternoon of May 10 of the following year, due to the ineffectiveness of heart disease recurrence, a generation of literary heroes passed away unexpectedly. An old man who is generous, kind, open-minded, and generous, a literary giant who has endured ups and downs and persevered, and a world-recognized famous writer and historian of a generation. Elder Shen left us forever! When the bad news reached their hometown, the people of their hometown were deeply saddened. I think back a year ago, everyone was still talking together cordially, and since then, everyone has been separated forever, the literary world has lost a master who sets an example, and we have lost a wise sage. When I think of this, I can't help but burst into tears.
Thirty-five years have passed since the change of cold and summer. Shen Lao's amiable and respectable face and kind smile have become timeless memories. Whenever I miss Mr. Shen Congwen, I always hold out these two precious photos for a long time. Shen Lao's life was self-reliant, diligent and frugal, modest and generous. Underneath his elegant and gentle appearance is a sincere heart that loves his homeland, and his quiet and indifferent mind is always full of a deep hometown complex. He is not only the pride of our Xiangxi Phoenix, but also a model for future generations to learn.
The source | Solidarity Newspaper
The author | Teng Yuejin
Editor| Liu Na
Producer | Chen Hao
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