In the 1960s, a boom of "industrial Daqing and agricultural science" was set off on the land of China.
Daqing as everyone knows, is the Daqing oil field, to this day is still an important oil industry city in China, the "iron man" Wang Jinxi, has also become a heroic model that inspired generations of Chinese.
Dazhai, that is, Dazhai Village, Xiyang County, Shanxi Province, is a typical loess plateau landform, with hills and ravines, little arable land and drought and barrenness, but under the leadership of Chen Yonggui, with the spirit of "Yugong moving mountains", the Dazhai people have opened up one barren hill after another into terraces, creating an agricultural miracle.
Although Chen Yonggui does not have much culture and does not know a few big characters, he has superb insight and true insight honed by practice, and his leadership ability and organizational ability are very prominent, for example, the famous writer Zhao Shuli commented: "Chen Yonggui did not talk about Chairman Mao anywhere, but there was Chairman Mao's thought everywhere, and there was no mention of philosophy, but dialectics everywhere. Chen Yonggui is amazing! ”
Such talents were naturally favored by Chairman Mao, who was gradually promoted to member of the Central Committee, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, and in 1975 he became vice premier, becoming the first "peasant premier" who broke new ground.
However, although Chen Yonggui became the premier, he always kept the true color of a simple and unpretentious peasant, and the organization was ready to move his hukou to Beijing, Chen Yonggui resolutely disagreed, but left the hukou in Dazhai, did not receive the premier's salary, and only took the "work points" of Dazhai, only 1.5 yuan a day.
The local government in Shanxi wanted to apply for a city hukou for Chen Yonggui's wife and children, and when Chen Yonggui found out, he was furious and said, "I don't agree, who dares?" ”
When Chen Yonggui was in Beijing, he stayed in the third building of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, but Chen Yonggui could not sleep for several days. He saw that many lights in the corridor had been bright all night, and he was so distressed that he got up and secretly turned them off one by one. The waiter was afraid that Chen Yonggui could not see the road at night, and it was easy to fall, and he opened them one by one. As a result, they turned on and off one by one, and neither of them slept well.
According to the standard, Chen Yonggui can be equipped with three waiters, a driver, a chef, plus a secretary and a guard, but Chen Yonggui feels that it is too luxurious, and he has also calculated an account: he only has less than one-third of his time in Beijing every year, and the rest of the time is not in Dazhai, or in the whole country, and so many service personnel in Beijing, idle also want the state to pay wages, he is really reluctant to do so, so he resolutely does not want waiters and cooks.
Moreover, Chen Yonggui also said kindly: "I am a cropper who drilled out of the soil and asked a big girl to make me a bed and fold a quilt. The impact is too bad, inconvenient, I don't want. ”
The organization feels that he is too busy at work, and no one can take care of him in life, and since it is inconvenient for the big girl to take care of him, then give him a middle-aged and elderly woman.
However, Chen Yonggui refused again, saying: "People are also old, and it is even more inappropriate to come and serve me." ”
In this way, Chen Yonggui could do what he could do, and if he really couldn't do it, he let the guards help and never bother others.
Chen Yonggui often inspected all parts of the country, but never went to the local scenic spots, and some local leaders took the initiative to arrange to accompany him to see the scenic spots and monuments, Chen Yonggui also refused every time, saying: "There is no red flag display at the labor site, and the labor scenes of people and horses are beautiful." ”
Although Chen Yonggui is in a high position of authority, he still does not like to pay attention to eating, only likes to drink millet porridge, knotty soup, the dish is just a few plates of pickles, plus a few large steamed buns, it is a meal.
The only place that is a little "luxurious" is that Chen Yonggui likes to drink two sips of wine, so he became a good friend with another leader who loves to drink, that is, the same simple Xu Shiyou, plus the temperament of the two people, and soon became an old friend who talked about everything.
At one Politburo meeting, Xu Shiyou came a little late, embarrassed to find a seat in front, and sat behind Chen Yonggui.
When Chen Yonggui spoke, because he did not know a few words, he simply did not read the manuscript, but used a simple but philosophical vernacular dialect to say the truth that many senior cadres could not say, which made Xu Shiyou listen with relish.
When Chen Yonggui talked about the wonderful place, he couldn't help but pop up a few rural slang words, which made Xu Shiyou very happy, and he laughed like a child, and he couldn't help but stretch out a finger and stab Chen Yonggui's waist.
Xu Shiyou originally wanted to use this childlike way to express his appreciation and support for Chen Yonggui, but he did not expect that he had practiced a finger Zen in the Shaolin Temple, and if this finger was used, it could poke a hole in the sandbag, although this time he just wanted to make a joke, but that finger went down, Chen Yonggui was also poked "ah-ah" and called out.
Everyone present was stunned by this scene, but soon burst into laughter, which made the originally serious assembly suddenly become relaxed.
Later, every time there was a meeting, Chen Yonggui had to deliberately avoid Xu Shiyou, and Xu Shiyou had to sit next to him, and the two often had to stage a "evasion and chase" play, which made everyone attending the meeting laugh.
On October 22, 1985, after the death of General Xu Shiyou, Chen Yonggui was sad for a long time, and five months later, Chen Yonggui also passed away at the age of 72.
Before his death, Chen Yonggui once said to his family: "People are doomed to die, and I have not disgraced Chairman Mao." As a farmer, I became a member of the Politburo, who would have thought? I dare say that I am a peasant who has never been seen before and has never come after. ”
(References: "Biography of Chen Yonggui", "My Grandfather Chen Yonggui", "People's Daily")