In 1976, there was such a scene in a hospital in Beijing. A barber looked at the guest's face, his hands trembled badly, the hair scraper was like a thousand pounds in his hand, he couldn't lift it, and the beads of sweat on his forehead fell down.
His eyes were full of blood, and there was a cloud of tears swirling in his eyes, and the blue-purple dark circles (dā) were pulled under the eyelids (jiǎn), looking very unfocused, as if the soul had shed its shell. His mouth opened slightly, and his dry skin glued up and down, looking like he wanted to say something and stopped.
Picture | old photo of a haircut
You know, this is not a simple barber, but a hairdresser for the Beijing Hotel. His name was Zhu Dianhua, born in 1924 in a small family in Beiping, just turned 13 years old began to learn from the skilled master, and within three years he was exposed to the technical work of orthopedic tuina.
For decades, he carried a haircut tool with the master running around, catching which street people are more, he directly set up a stall, saw a variety of face shapes, designed different hairstyles, many people after the haircut are like a changed person, directly praising his good craftsmanship and ideas.
Later, he settled in Beijing and worked in a luxury hotel, cutting the hair of many national leaders. He has been engaged in the haircut industry for more than forty years, and has been cutting the hair of this guest today for 26 years, and it is reasonable to say that he has long reached the point of pure fire, even if he closes his eyes and touches the contours of his face.
The | old photo of the Beijing Hotel
Moreover, this guest lay motionless on the bed, looking very well-behaved, and there was no interference at all with Zhu Dianhua's haircut process. But he was at a loss for words, and he didn't know where to start, what was the reason for this? Who is the guest, and what is the relationship with Zhu Dianhua?
For Chinese, he is not only a senior leader of the country, who has made great contributions to the construction of China, but also a common people who are as close as his own family, because he is rooted in the masses and always keeps the people in mind.
He is the Zhou Enlai who once shouted loudly in class that "reading for the rise of China", who was determined to pull China out of the fiery situation from a young age, and he dedicated his life to the country, never asking for anything in return except for hoping that the people would live happily and well-being, and even when he died, he only quietly left with the reverence and thoughts of many people.
Pictured| Zhou Enlai
Zhu Dianhua's encounter with Zhou Enlai was very coincidental, all because of Premier Zhou's habit of not wanting to waste time. He was busy with official duties all day, and his daily schedule was full, often holding meetings in Beijing in the morning and flying abroad to establish diplomatic relations in the afternoon, and he could not spare time to deal with other trivial matters in life.
As the foreign premier of the country, Premier Zhou knows well what his image represents in front of other countries, he has always paid attention to his own appearance, always likes to appear in front of the public clean and refreshing, leaving a good impression on our people and foreign friends, so as to highlight the image of China as a country of etiquette.
So he frantically reduced the time he had left for himself, assigning them all to work, and even the haircut, which required careful care (duō) and patience, he did not want to spend too much time here, and he always asked the barber to cut it as quickly as possible.
At that time, the relevant staff took into account that the leaders of various countries in Zhongnanhai were inconvenient to travel, so in order to provide a more convenient life for the leaders, they specially hired a skilled Master Chen to be responsible for haircuts.
The picture | an old photo of Zhongnanhai
Master Chen is methodical, and his haircut skills have been recognized by many people, but he is a chronic child, the speed of haircut is very slow, and when he finishes cutting a person's hair, an hour has passed.
Premier Zhou respects the meticulous work spirit of the barber, but he cannot accept wasting his limited time on haircuts, waiting too long, which will naturally delay the work at hand. He was very embarrassed because of this, but he did not want to use his position to make a special.
Until one day, Premier Zhou heard that there was a barber who was good at craftsmanship and fast, so he personally ran to the master's house to ask for help. Zhu Dianhua was very shocked to see Premier Zhou come to him, a country leader of such a high status actually came to visit him personally, what a person without official shelves!
Zhu Dianhua excitedly agreed to this, he felt that Zhou Enlai was an amiable, humorous and funny premier, and when talking to Premier Zhou, he often forgot the identity of the premier because of the kindness of the other party.
Soon, Premier Zhou and Zhu Dianhua became acquainted, and the two often chatted about some trivial matters in life. In addition, Zhu Dianhua will also help Premier Zhou massage and massage, alleviate the stiff body due to working all day, and also propose solutions to the problem of the premier's headache. Premier Zhou did not want to bother Zhu Dianhua to go to his door to give him a haircut, and personally went to him in a car, and the cost of the ride was completely out of his own pocket.
This time, it has been uninterrupted for more than twenty years, and all of Premier Zhou's hairstyles are designed by Zhu Dianhua. I have to say that Zhu Dianhua's craftsmanship is indeed superb, for so many years, Zhou Enlai has always been a spirited look, his hairstyle highlights his magnificent and righteous temperament very perfectly, and he will always appear in front of others with a righteous image.
However, even though the two had been friends for more than twenty years, in the days that followed, Zhou Enlai repeatedly refused Zhu Dianhua's request to help him get a haircut.
In May 1972, Premier Zhou was diagnosed with bladder cancer. At that time, the domestic situation had never stabilized, and at the same time, China's relations with other countries were not optimistic, although Zhou Enlai was seriously ill, he still did everything himself, running east and west every day, and broke his heart for China's diplomatic cause.
Many people advised him to be hospitalized, but he shirked it with the words "sincere acceptance, depending on practice". Even if his illness became more and more serious, he had to endure the pain of urine and blood every day, but he still couldn't let go of the work at hand, still stayed up late every day to deal with business, and was often so busy that he didn't even have time to eat.
Premier Zhou knew that his body was getting weaker and weaker, and he would soon be unable to bear it, but he did not think of hurrying to treat, but felt that if he could not deal with these thorny things in the remaining time, he might not have a chance in the future.
Thinking of this, Premier Zhou threw himself more intently on his work, put on an overcoat, wrapped his sick self in it, pretended that he had nothing to do, and directly met the leaders of other countries. Many people will be confused by Premier Zhou's brilliant disguise, and no one will find out the strangeness behind him.
But the body does not lie, it constantly reminds Premier Zhou that it is about to reach the point of incurability, but Premier Zhou does not seem to feel strange. He even agreed with the doctors that if he was to be treated, they would have to be unable to stop him from working. The doctors were helpless to hear this, but they had no way to stop this Premier Zhou who was concerned about the world.
Premier Zhou's frequent interruptions to treatment, coupled with the fact that he worked more than 12 hours a day without adequate rest, led to a sharp deterioration of his condition, and cancer cells quietly spread throughout the body.
Pictured| Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong issued a death order, strongly demanding that Premier Zhou must be hospitalized, and Premier Zhou temporarily let go of the work at hand, but it was too late. After being hospitalized, Premier Zhou embarked on a surgical journey, with different types of scalpels piercing his blood vessels, and after 13 operations, there was hardly a single piece of intact skin on his body.
Premier Zhou often fainted in pain, but in order not to disturb the medical staff, he always silently endured, and the pain was too unbearable, and he had to ask for the opinions of others before humming a few words. Later, even eating became extremely difficult, the food was poured into his stomach from the transparent tube, the residue flowed out of another catheter, and Premier Zhou's body was like an underground tunnel driven by a car.
After experiencing surgeries large and small, Premier Zhou had long been so weak that he was nearly 170cm tall, not even 60 pounds. From a distance, he was wrapped in only a layer of biě skin, bones as big as a bun, and lay motionless there, like a leather ball about to be deflated.
During the years of hospitalization, Zhu Dianhua repeatedly asked Premier Zhou's secretary to convey his idea of helping Premier Zhou get a haircut. After Premier Zhou knew, he said to his secretary: "Refuse for me, you see I am sick like this, Master Zhu will definitely feel bad when he sees it, or don't let him be sad, leave a good impression." ”
Pictured| Deng Yingchao and Zhou Enlai
On January 8, 1976, Zhou Enlai closed his heavy eyelids and left this world permanently. When he left, he did not say goodbye to anyone, not even his wife Deng Yingchao, who could see him for the last time, nor did he let Zhu Dianhua help with haircut in the last time.
Zhu Dianhua had the opportunity to meet Premier Zhou and help Premier Zhou cut his hair for the last time. Premier Zhou hadn't had a haircut for several years, and he remembered the last time he saw Premier Zhou, he still had that radiant look, as if he had endless vitality.
This time, Premier Zhou was lying in the cold morgue, his thinning hair hunched over his forehead, his eyebrows growing haphazardly, his cheeks sunken, his eyes swollen like puffs, his face without the slightest trace of blood, and the beard on his lips was stiffly forked, like the bristles of a toothbrush that had been repeatedly rubbed.
Zhu Dianhua couldn't believe that this was Premier Zhou, and the difference between him and the one he had seen before was too great. Recalling that in the past twenty years, every time he helped the premier get a haircut, the premier would greet himself thoughtfully, and Zhu Dianhua couldn't help but cry loudly.
Picture | Zhou Enlai died
"Premier Zhou, how did you leave so quickly, I want to see you again, I want to give you a good haircut and massage, and then chat with you!"
The doctors present saw that Zhu Dianhua was very sad and worried that he would scratch the prime minister's skin when he was tidying up his appearance, so he repeatedly stressed to him that he should be careful.
Zhu Dianhua nodded in agreement, but when he looked at Premier Zhou's countenance, the razor in his hand couldn't help but shake, and he couldn't fix the knife. He stood with his knife up for a long time, repeating each step over and over again in his mind, to make soap bubbles like this, to use a hot towel like that, but he still did not dare to do it.
He remembered that on the arduous Long March, when the environment was very harsh, there were no good living conditions at all, and the soldiers were hungry to nibble on the bark of trees, and when they were thirsty, they grabbed a handful of snow on the ground and stuffed it into their mouths. In this situation, which is almost difficult to survive, Premier Zhou has not had a beard and haircut for 8 months, and the beard on the side of his mouth is luxuriant like a waterfall, and the 36-year-old Premier Zhou looks like a good man in the green forest in the water margin, with a chivalrous temperament, and people at the time jokingly called him "Hu Gong". But now, there is no longer the arrogance of the past.
Zhu Dianhua had to summon the apprentices on the side, but what even the master could not accomplish, how could the apprentices do better? When the disciple saw the master's sad face, his hands shook even more, and he shivered with his body, afraid that he would make a mistake as soon as he moved the knife. In this case, Zhu Dianhua could only do it himself.
He solemnly picked up the razor, exhaled deeply, and struggled to control the hand holding the knife. Premier Zhou's eyelids lightly covered his eyeballs, as if he would soon wake up, and he slept quietly, looking peaceful than usual.
Zhu Dianhua remembered that when Premier Zhou came to get a haircut, he always took advantage of the short gap to make up for sleep, and the premier often said that he was busy with work every day, and he did not have time to sleep, and when he wanted to sleep, his head would hurt inexplicably, and he could only sleep peacefully when he was getting a haircut.
How the prime minister looks now, how much like he used to be when he was resting! Zhu Dianhua said this to himself in his heart, fixing his mind, he tried not to look at The appearance of Premier Zhou, but to imagine the picture of the previous haircut in his mind.
Pictured| Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao
As he shaved his beard sharply, the tears in his eyes fell to the floor, and although the temperature in the morgue was very low, his palms were oozing sweat. He forced himself to raise his spirits and must give Premier Zhou a perfect image. After repairing his beard, he took out the scissors for the haircut, and as the scissors fell one by one, Premier Zhou's original appearance gradually returned.
When all the procedures were completed, Zhu Dianhua found that his neck was wet with tears. He squatted down, swept the hair and beard that had fallen to the ground into a pile, then took a clean cloth from his pocket and put them all away. Zhu Dianhua clutched the small cloth tuan in his hand, which was his deep nostalgia for Premier Zhou, and he could only see things and think of people in this way in the future.
After sorting out Premier Zhou's appearance, it was time to dress him in a birthday coat. Premier Zhou's guards, Zhang Shuying and Gao Zhenpu, sent a purple cloth bag containing the clothes that Premier Zhou had worn before he died.
Han Zongqi opened the cloth bag with tears in his eyes, and it was full of old clothes with many patches, and there was hardly a complete place. The white shirt was stained with yellow, the edges of the clothes were very rough, and the dense threads were exposed.
Pictured| Han Zongqi
When Han Zongqi saw this, he roared angrily at the two people: "What's the matter with you, who wants you to do this!" Can you take a new one, how can these clothes be worn by the prime minister, just take such a worn-out dress? You have been with the Prime Minister for so many years, are you worthy of him? Hurry up and get new clothes, I'll pay for it! ”
Zhang Shuying and Gao Zhenpu stood there dumbfounded, Han Zongqi's scolding echoed in their minds, how could they have disrespected Premier Zhou, they were grateful to Premier Zhou for their ardent care over the years, but Premier Zhou was such a simple and frugal person!
When choosing clothes, Deng Yingchao also made it clear to them that it would be better to directly choose a dress that Premier Zhou liked to wear the most before he was alive, and not to spend money on what new clothes to give Enlai. They rummaged through the Prime Minister's wardrobe and found not a single decent piece of undiscovered clothing. Premier Zhou's clothes were not much, most of them still had several patches, each of which had been washed many times, and the black clothes had faded to gray.
They had to reluctantly pick out a Zhongshan suit whose traces were not too obvious, although this Zhongshan suit also had a history of several years. The staff brought the clothes to Deng Yingchao's face, and Deng Yingchao said yes with tears. She put one hand on the wall and said, "Don't be surprised, this is Enlai's usual style, it is usually very difficult to buy something new for him, his funeral is still from Jane, we must respect his last wishes after death." Although there will certainly be people who will not understand and even be angry, they will understand in the future. ”
In fact, as early as a long time ago, Premier Zhou had the good habit of being diligent and thrifty, hard-working and simple, and whether it was in the revolutionary period of material scarcity or in the late period of the founding of the People's Republic of China, when the people's lives were gradually enriching, he was always able to save money and tighten his pants and belt to live. Starting from himself, Premier Zhou has always adhered to the life style of the communists' arduous struggle, not taking the masses for a needle and a thread, and at the same time setting a good example for everyone.
Remember in 1954, on the streets of Geneva, Premier Zhou wore a black coat and represented Chinese to the Geneva Conference. In fact, nine years later, when Zhou Enlai visited fourteen countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, he was still wearing this black coat. For nine years, the fluff of the coat had been washed and fallen, and there was a big hole in the inside of the dress, but he was still reluctant to throw it away.
At that time, some staff members found that Premier Zhou's clothes were worn, and they wanted to pool money together to buy a new one for the premier, but unexpectedly, Premier Zhou immediately denied everyone's idea after hearing it. He said: "I am very grateful for everyone's kindness, but this dress can still be worn, there is no need to waste it, and patching up the hole is like new, and the foreign guests will not know the inside and will not care about the outside." ”
When everyone heard the prime minister say this, they had to give up. Later, when the prime minister went to the egyptian embassy, even the comrades of the embassy saw the prime minister's shirt, and they couldn't believe their eyes, and they couldn't believe that as the prime minister of a high-powered country, he was dressed worse than the staff of the embassy.
Old photo of the Egyptian embassy |
Premier Zhou never pursues luxury in his dress, and even in terms of diet, he can be simple and simple. His three meals are no different from those eaten by ordinary people's homes, often a bowl of ordinary vegetables and vegetable soup, and occasionally eat some fish that everyone can eat.
No matter where he was, he was this diet, never special, and always ate all the rice, leaving no grain of rice in the bowl, even the food that fell on the table he would pick up. If he cooks too much, he will not throw it away, but will stay and eat it.
He never picks and chooses, eats what he has, and does not require big fish and meat to supplement nutrition. Many people do not understand Premier Zhou's behavior, they advised him to eat more good things and take good care of his body, however, Premier Zhou always said: "I eat white rice noodles every day, it is quite nutritious, it is already better than many people, there is no need to eat so well, you can't just enjoy it after your life is good." ”
Even the house where Premier Zhou lived for many years was never renovated, and he and his wife Deng Yingchao have always lived in the West Flower Hall. You know, the West Flower Hall was once a war-torn place, it had long been destroyed by shells, the ground was densely packed with pits, and the walls were very dilapidated.
Pictured| West Flower Hall
In winter, the biting cold wind will always invade the hole, even if it is such a harsh living environment, he still insists on living inside. When the central government found that Premier Zhou's living environment was not yet comfortable, it sent workers to repair the house many times, but Zhou Enlai resolutely resigned each time.
Once, when Premier Zhou was not at home, the staff installed new curtains for his home and placed some other new objects. When Premier Zhou returned, he was a little unhappy to see these new things, and he pulled down the curtains and handed them to the staff, saying to them: "There is no need to change the new one, I am using it very well now, and so many people can't live a good life, how can I enjoy it myself first?" ”
Premier Zhou is such a frugal person, he always keeps the people in mind. No matter when and where he was, he always remembered the people who were still living in poverty, and he desperately wanted everyone to live a good life.
This is why Han Zongqi was furious when he saw the old clothes, but in the end he also respected Premier Zhou's last wish. After Han Zongqi learned of Deng Yingchao's reply, he changed Premier Zhou into an old Zhongshan suit, and he thought back to many of Premier Zhou's daily affairs and couldn't help but feel sad.
Pictured| Zhongshan suit
He noticed that the prime minister was wearing a Shanghai-brand watch, which was many years old at first glance, and the broken screen was still permeated with black dirt that could not be washed off, and even after the strap was broken, it was simply fixed with a white cloth. He took off his watch, wrapped it in a white cloth, and put it in the pocket of Zhongshan. Then he sighed, and the tears couldn't help but slip down.
When the staff was ready to go to the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery to buy urns for Premier Zhou, Deng Yingchao told them to buy the cheapest urn, which was just a form anyway. When they arrived at the scene, there were two urns in front of them, one was more high-end and expensive, and there were many patterns printed, which looked very gorgeous, and the other was cheaper, basically no decoration.
Pictured| Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery
They remembered what Deng Yingchao said and decided to buy a cheap urn, but there were only two rotten urns left, one was painted, and the other was difficult to open, so they had to choose the urn that was difficult to open.
The great Premier Zhou has been busy with the people all his life, but even the urn is a defective product. A tattered urn carries the extraordinary experience of Premier Zhou, when Deng Yingchao lifted up the póu dust and sprinkled it to the sea, the premier also returned to the people's lives with the breeze, whether before or after his death, he chose to protect the motherland's great rivers and mountains and the people of the whole world.