Mao Jiaze has a total of 10 brothers, Chairman Mao is the third, known as Shi Sanzi by adults, and called the third brother by his younger brothers and sisters. And this Mao Zeqing is just ranked tenth, the youngest brother in the family, and Chairman Mao has always been known as the tenth brother.
In 1916, Mao Zeqing was born in Shaoshan, and his father Mao Weisheng and Mao Zedong's father Mao Shunsheng were the same grandfather. Mao Weisheng's family is very poor, with no land of their own, only three thatched houses, and they live by working for others on weekdays.
When Mao Zeqing was 15 years old, under the mediation of his aunt Wang Shulan, he married 8-year-old Pang Shuyi as a child daughter-in-law. The Mao family was very wrong to Pang Shuyi, and did not look down on her because she was a child daughter-in-law, especially Mao Zeqing, who especially loved her.
In Pang Shuyi's eyes, Mao Zeqing is like a warm-hearted big brother, honest and kind, although he doesn't talk much on weekdays, he is very sincere, and he is reluctant to let her do more work.
Although living in poverty, Mao Zeqing inherited the excellent genes of the Mao family, and he was very tall, and when he was a teenager, he was already taller than his own family, half a head taller than Mao Zedong. Later, according to his children, Mao Zeqing's head was 1.95 meters tall, and the local old people said that Shaoshan had never produced such a tall person.
Because Mao Zedong is the third among Mao's cousins, Mao Zeqing and other cousins are called Mao Zedong's third brother. Mao Zeqing is 21 years younger than Mao Zedong, and the age difference between the two is almost a generation.
Mao Zeqing has had deep respect for the third brother since he was a child, and for Mao Zeqing, the third brother is a person who has seen the world outside, and he also has revolutionary enthusiasm in his heart, hoping to do the revolution with the third brother.
With the continuous growth and progress of his thinking, Mao Zeqing's desire to participate in the revolution became more and more urgent. In 1937, 21-year-old Mao Zeqing, with the help of Wang Shulan, left Shaoshan and came to Yan'an, the holy land of revolution.
Like all those who left home to join the revolution at that time, out of protection for his family, Mao Zeqing did not tell his family what he was going out for.
Before leaving, he said to Pang Shuyi: "I'm going out to do business, I don't know when I'll be back, you can live well at home." ......”
Pang Shuyi was only 15 years old at the time, so she naturally didn't know what Mao Zeqing was going out to do, but she thought he was really going out to do business.
Although Pang Shuyi married into the Mao family a long time ago and took Mao Zeqing as his wife, because they were still young, the two have always been named husband and wife, but not husband and wife, so they did not leave a son and a half daughter.
Mao Zeqing left and has not been heard from since. Pang Shuyi, father-in-law Mao Weisheng and others didn't know Mao Zeqing's whereabouts, let alone how his business was doing.
In the years that followed, Pang Shuyi still tried her best to do her best to be a daughter-in-law, but because there was one less young and strong laborer in the family, the burden on her body was heavier.
Because there is no land to plant, Pang Shuyi can only go to work for others for a long time. At that time, there were few landed families, but there were many people who worked long hours, and the food returned from work was pitiful, and sometimes it was not enough for the family to make ends meet.
Although life is difficult, the family gets along quite harmoniously. On weekdays, the skinny Pang Shuyi always takes the initiative to take on more housework, she seems to be like a spinning top, busy all day and night.
The days passed like this, and the family depended on each other in Shaoshan, waiting for Mao Zeqing to come back.
However, what Pang Shuyi didn't know was that Mao Zeqing did not go into business, but became a revolutionary worker.
Back then, after Mao Zeqing came to Yan'an without telling his family, he finally met his third brother Mao Zedong, who was looking forward to it day and night. At this time, Mao Zedong was already the leader of the party.
Seeing that his tenth brother Mao Zeqing came to defect to the revolution, Mao Zedong was very happy, and hurriedly said, "It's good to come", and then pulled Mao Zeqing to chat for a while, and then asked about the situation in Shaoshan's hometown.
Mao Zedong and Mao Zeqing
When Mao Zedong heard that his cousin Mao Zejian had died tragically at the guns of the Kuomintang as early as 1929, he was very sad, and he said to Mao Zeqing with moist eyes: "Zeqing, remember, we can't want to be promoted and make a fortune, we have to fight for the poor." ”
Since then, Mao Zeqing has kept in mind the words of the third brother in his heart, and the revolution is to fight for the poor, not to be promoted and rich.
In the time since, he has always used Mao Zedong's teachings to strictly demand himself and his family, no matter how unsatisfactory his life is, he has never had the intention of using his privileges for personal gain.
After coming to Yan'an, Mao Zeqing joined the army, and soon joined the party, and the introduction to the party was Mao Zedong.
When Mao Zeqing joined the army, Mao Zedong also specially gave him a gun and told him: "You can't do revolution without weapons, what is a weapon, it is revolutionary theory and the barrel of a gun." ”
This gun was carried by Mao Zeqing all the time, and it was not handed over to the state until the era of peace.
After Mao Zeqing joined the army, he first studied at Yan'an Kang University for a period of time, and then was assigned to the logistics department to do logistics work, and later was transferred to Shanxi to work underground for a period of time.
While working in Shanxi, Mao Zeqing changed his name to Mao Yuncai in order to keep his identity secret, and he continued to use this name until after the liberation.
In his spare time, Mao Zeqing often thinks of the little daughter-in-law Pang Shuyi in Shaoshan's hometown, Pang Shuyi was only fifteen years old when he ran away from home, so many years have passed, I don't know what she has become, whether her face has faded away from greenness, and she has a little more feminine maturity.
Time passed like this, in Pang Shuyi's watch, in Mao Zeqing's thoughts, and in the rumbling sound of war. In the blink of an eye, 1949, the Xiangtan region was liberated, and the revolution was about to achieve complete success.
In September of this year, a southbound PLA found Pang Shuyi and brought a message: Mao Zeqing had participated in the revolution a long time ago, and now he is a deputy company cadre in the logistics unit.
After Pang Shuyi received the news, she was overjoyed and a little overwhelmed, 12 years of long waiting, 12 years of night and night longing, and now she finally waited for her husband's news.
Pang Shuyi didn't want to wait for a day, and the next day she and her family packed their bags and went to Changsha to find Mao Zeqing. However, leaving Shaoshan this time, her fate also changed.
After inquiring all the way, a few days later, Pang Shuyi finally met Mao Zeqing in a military camp near the Jiazi Bridge in Changsha. At this time, Mao Zeqing was 32 years old, taller than when he left Shaoshan, and his body was stronger.
In comparison, due to her long-term housework and hard work, the young Pang Shuyi looked more haggard, and she looked thinner when she stood next to Mao Zeqing.
The husband and wife reunited, and the army gave Mao Zeqing a few days off and asked him to go back to his hometown. Mao Zeqing returned to his hometown in Shaoshan, where the land was radiating new vitality, and the poor peasants had their own land and no longer had to go out to ask for food.
Mao Zeqing looked at all this, and shed tears of excitement, and he said to Pang Shuyi with emotion: "I have followed Chairman Mao to do the revolution for 12 years, and I am looking forward to today." ”
After a few days in his hometown, it was time for Mao Zeqing to return to the army. According to the regulations, the family members of cadres at the company level can join the army, and Mao Zeqing is a cadre at the deputy company level, which is in line with this policy. So, since then, Pang Shuyi has followed Mao Zeqing to the north and south, and has never been separated.
At first, the troops were stationed in Changsha, and later transferred to Nanchong, Sichuan, and then to Jiamusi in Northeast China. Although the conditions of the army are very difficult, Pang Shuyi is willing to be able to accompany Mao Zeqing no matter how hard it is.
Soon, they had their own children, and Pang Shuyi cooked and washed at home on weekdays, taking care of the family's diet and daily life. Mao Zeqing is in charge of finance in logistics and has to deal with money every day.
Pang Shuyi often told her husband: "Chairman Mao told you a long time ago, don't want to be promoted and make a fortune, you should pay attention in the army." ”
Mao Zeqing always returned: "I remember it, and I will never discredit the third brother!"
Mao Zeqing is honest and thick, he has always used the name "Mao Yuncai", and never talked about his relationship with Chairman Mao in the army, so no one knows that this tall man is actually Chairman Mao's cousin.
In 1954, Mao Zeqing retired from the army and was assigned to work at Fuxin Power Plant in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, and became a section member.
Before retiring from the army, a cadre with a good relationship suggested to Mao Zeqing and Pang Shuyi:
"If you want to change jobs, if you listen to me, it would be better for Brother Mao to use the original name of Mao Zeqing, and use the name Mao Yuncai, few people know that Big Brother is Chairman Mao's cousin, don't say that you don't say it, even if you say it, no one will believe it. ”
In fact, this cadre is also kind-hearted, if Mao Zeqing changes back to his original name, then his future career and life will definitely benefit immensely.
Pang Shuyi resolutely opposed the name change, and she said to Mao Zeqing: "Yuncai, this name can't be changed back, what we want is not to let others know our relationship with Chairman Mao." ”
Mao Zeqing also agreed. However, Pang Shuyi has always felt that the name "Mao Yuncai" is a bit awkward to call in Hunanese, and she took this opportunity to ask her husband to change his name to "Mao Wancai", which is better pronounced in Hunanese.
In this way, Mao Zeqing came to work at Fuxin Power Plant under the name "Mao Wancai", and the family finally settled down in the small city of Fuxin.
After changing jobs, Mao Wancai also corresponded with Chairman Mao many times, reporting to him on work and family life.
Chairman Mao also took time out of his busy schedule to personally reply to a letter: "Brother Zeqing: I have received the letter, everything is fine, I hope to study hard and work hard." Mao Zedong. This letter was later treasured by Pang Shuyi.
Mao Wancai's greatest wish is to see the third brother again, and so is Pang Shuyi, who expressed this wish in their letters several times.
At that time, the people of the whole country were full of reverence for Chairman Mao, and Mao Wancai and Pang Shuyi's feelings for Chairman Mao were not only reverence, but also family affection.
In November 1956, Mao Wancai received a reply from the prime minister's office, asking them to come to Beijing once, and Chairman Mao wanted to meet them in Zhongnanhai. After receiving the letter, the couple didn't sleep all night.
After dealing with the matter at hand, Mao Wancai and Pang Shuyi led their three children to Beijing, and their family was temporarily arranged to live in a guest house.
One morning a few days later, the family was led to Zhongnanhai, where Chairman Mao and his wife, Jiang Qing, met with them at home.
This is the first time Pang Shuyi has met Chairman Mao in her life, facing the "third brother" in the mouth of her husband, the "three sons of Shi" in the mouth of the old family in Shaoshan, and the current leader of the republic, Pang Shuyi was speechless with excitement for a while.
On the contrary, Chairman Mao asked first: "It's very cold in the Northeast, can you adapt to it?" This kind of homely chat made Pang Shuyi feel a lot more relaxed, and she hurriedly returned: "I've long been used to it." ”
Then, Chairman Mao introduced to Jiang Qing: "This is the son of my uncle's family, the tenth brother Zeqing, the one who served as a soldier in Yan'an, this is the younger brother-in-law, and also from Shaoshan, these are their three children." ”
After Mao Wancai's three children called uncle, they stood next to their parents a little timidly. Seeing this, Chairman Mao found a toy car from home and gave it to Mao Wancai's second daughter.
Jiang Qing smiled beside him and said to Mao Zedong: "Wasn't this given to you by the Young Pioneers that day?"
Chairman Mao said: "Then today I will be the master and give this gift to my little niece." ”
During the conversation, Chairman Mao asked Jiang Qing to call Li Min and Li Ne into the children, and asked them to call their uncles and aunts. Soon it was time for lunch, and Chairman Mao invited Mao Wancai's family to have a meal, which were all ordinary Hunan home-cooked dishes.
During the banquet, Chairman Mao said: "You can't eat hometown food in the Northeast, eat more." The chairman's cordial concern touched the hearts of Mao Wancai and his wife.
After the meal, Chairman Mao proposed: "Let's take a group photo and leave a souvenir." In this way, Chairman Mao, Jiang Qing, Li Min, Li Ne, Mao Yuanxin and Mao Wancai's family took a group photo in front of the restaurant. Later, they kept this photo in their home and never made it public for many years.
Before leaving, Chairman Mao gave Mao Wancai 300 yuan and asked the family to go back to Shaoshan to see the villagers in his hometown on his behalf. However, I didn't expect that it was these 300 yuan that almost brought a big disaster to Mao Wancai.
After leaving Beijing, Mao Wancai's family first followed Chairman Mao's instructions and returned to their hometown in Shaoshan, and after a short stay, they returned to Fushun.
Mao Wancai is just an ordinary employee of the power plant, relying on a meager salary to support a large family, and his life is very poor. Therefore, after returning, he decided to use the money given to him by Chairman Mao to improve his life and compensate his family.
He bought new sheets and bedding, then new clothes for the child, and finally a pair of leather shoes for himself.
At that time, it was just in time for the "three anti movements", and the crackdown on tigers and corrupt officials began across the country.
Everyone knows that Mao Wancai usually lives in poverty, but now they find that he has suddenly become "rich", and now everyone regards him as a "criminal suspect", and they all accuse him of corruption and embezzlement.
Mao Wancai was investigated in this way, and during the review, he never refused to explain what happened to his sudden extra money.
It wasn't until everyone wanted to deal with his problem seriously that he had to tell the truth: the money I bought was given to me by Chairman Mao, and the money was taken out of his manuscript fee...
Mao Wancai's words shocked everyone, and finally after investigation, he finally figured out the ins and outs of the matter and returned Mao Wancai's innocence.
However, Mao Wancai felt guilty because of this incident, because of such a trouble, everyone knew his relationship with Chairman Mao. Since then, he has paid more attention to his words and deeds, for fear that he will discredit Chairman Mao if he does something bad.
In 1958, Mao Zedong inspected Fushun and specially said that he wanted to meet Mao Wancai and his wife. For the sake of secrecy, the comrades of the city party committee did not inform them until the day before and let them go to the city organs, but they did not say anything specific.
But the next day, they didn't go because the child was sick. Two days later, they learned that Mao Zedong wanted to see them, but by this time Mao Zedong had already left Fushun, and the two were annoyed that they had missed the last opportunity to see Chairman Mao.
Mao Wancai and Pang Shuyi have five children, and the family of seven lives in one room.
A friend who knew their identity said, "With your background, it is so difficult, and finding an organization will definitely help you solve it." ”
Pang Shuyi said: "What's the difficulty, compared to when I was a child, it is not a hundred times stronger, without Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, we would have starved to death." When the time comes, we can't bother the organization. ”
In 1981, Mao Wancai died, and the income of the children was very low, and the family's situation became more and more difficult. In order to subsidize the family, Pang Shuyi contacted the local neighborhood committee and cleaned the streets with several old ladies.
Each of them was in charge of one piece, and they got up early every day to sweep along the streets with brooms, sweeping the dirt in spring and summer, the leaves in autumn, and the snow in winter.
People around her come and go every day, but no one knows that this inconspicuous aunt is actually Chairman Mao's brother-in-law.
It wasn't until 1993 that a director of the Fushun Finance Bureau came across an article and learned the story of Mao Wancai and Pang Shuyi. The director found Pang Shuyi and saw that her family was living such a poor life, and her eyes were a little moist.
He originally wanted to mobilize some old cadres to donate money to the old man Pang Shuyi, but the old man resolutely did not allow it. In the end, without telling the old man, the director secretly transferred her eldest son from a factory with poor efficiency to work in the Municipal Finance Bureau.
Although her life is not too good, Pang Shuyi has never complained, just like she used to say to her husband to her children: "Don't smear Chairman Mao at any time." ”
Pang Shuyi
The story of Mao Zeqing and Pang Shuyi is still touching to read. Although they have such a close relationship with Chairman Mao, they have never thought of using this relationship to seek privileges, but they are strict with themselves and their families everywhere. This kind of noble quality is even more precious and worthy of our memory in today's materialistic society, where relationships and connections are rampant, and it is worth remembering!