After the liberation of Shanghai in 1949, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi took a precious group photo with their children. In this photo, Chen Yi sits in the center, graceful and impressive. And Zhang Qian is still beautiful and elegant, although she is already a mother of three children, her dress is still eye-catching, and her hair is still tied with ribbons. As can be seen from the photos, the two families have a close relationship, and Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi get along like brothers. Chen Yi's daughter, Chen Shanshan, eight years after her birth, has experienced the deep affection between her father and Deng Xiaoping since she was a child.
Although Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi were both Sichuanese and both went to a foreign country in their early years to pursue the road to national salvation, they did not know each other when they were in France. Chen Yi went to France a year before Deng Xiaoping, but there he experienced a series of difficulties such as missing school, unemployment, and exploitation by capitalists, and his resistance struggle with Zhou Enlai and others was suppressed by the French military and police, and he was finally forced to return to China. At the same time, Deng Xiaoping's experience abroad was similar to that of Chen Yi. It was not until 1930 that the two Sichuan villagers met. Since then, their friendship has grown stronger as they have come into contact and get to know each other. They fought side by side in different positions in the Central Soviet Region, and during the War of Resistance Against Japan, they each led troops to jointly fight against the Japanese army invading China and the Kuomintang reactionaries, and achieved brilliant victories. Over the years, they have been both comrades-in-arms and close comrades. Despite their different ages and personalities, one is taciturn and the other is bold and humorous, this does not affect the deep feelings between them.
With the establishment of New China, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yi were successively transferred to the Central Committee to assist Premier Zhou Enlai for more than ten years. Later, they became neighbors of Zhongnanhai, and the back window of Deng Xiaoping's house faced the front yard of Chen Yi's house, so the relationship between the two families became closer. Sometimes, Deng Xiaoping and his wife would visit Chen Yi's home with their children, Chen Yi's daughter Chen Shanshan and Deng Xiaoping's daughter are the same age, and the two little girls have grown up together, whether in the school, the Children's Palace, the swimming pool or the yard, you can see them playing hand in hand. Chen Yi's home became a frequent haunt for Deng Xiaoping's daughter, Mao Mao. Chen Shanshan would take Mao Mao to excitedly see her father's majestic marshal uniform and various large medals symbolizing honor. Sometimes, Chen Shanshan would take Mao Mao to visit her brother's university dormitory to learn about the living environment of high-achieving students at the University of Science and Technology of China.
However, with the transfer of work, the two gradually drifted apart. When Chen Yi died in 1972, Deng Xiaoping's family was living in Jiangxi, and they were shocked and saddened to hear the bad news. The sudden death of an old comrade-in-arms is difficult to accept. Deng Xiaoping could no longer visit Chen Yi with durian or share wine with him.
The following year, Deng Xiaoping was transferred back to Beijing, where he learned that Zhang Qian had cancer. Mr. and Mrs. Deng Xiaoping immediately took their daughter Mao Mao to visit Zhang Qian in the hospital. And this diagnosis was made shortly after Chen Yi's death. At that time, Zhang Qian's physical condition was already very bad, she often coughed up blood, and now she has lung cancer, which is an even worse blow for Zhang Qian and her family. However, the optimistic Zhang Qian still insisted on smiling and accelerated the speed of sorting out her husband's posthumous manuscripts. She knows that her life is short, but she has to race against time to fulfill her husband's last wish. On the third day after the operation, although her health was weak, Zhang Qian began to sort out the manuscripts of poetry left by her husband.
Although the doctor advised her to rest, Zhang Qian smiled and said: "I still have physical strength..." After months of persistent work, she finally completed the "Selected Poems of Chen Yi" in December 1972, and breathed a sigh of relief. In 1973, Mao Mao met Chen Shanshan in the hospital, and the two friends who had not seen each other for many years were reunited again. At that time, Chen Shanshan had just returned from studying abroad, and she had been accompanying and taking care of her mother. Zhang Qian was tortured by the disease, and Deng Xiaoping's family was in a heavy mood, but they could not change the reality.
A year later, Zhang Qian's health deteriorated sharply and she was unable to get out of bed. She knows that she may die at any time, but she has fulfilled her husband's last wish, and her only concern is her children. Deng Xiaoping, a friend of many years, saw Zhang Qian's concern. So, in front of Zhang Qian's hospital bed, he solemnly promised: "I will take good care of Shanshan, and I will care for her like my own daughter!" These words made Zhang Qian let go of some worries in her heart. Finally, on March 20, 1973, Zhang Qian passed away peacefully...