In the middle of the night on March 2, 1968, Xu Guangping, who was already 70 years old, was writing hard.
At this time, her mood was agitated, and her whole body was trembling slightly. Not long ago, the staff of the Lu Xun Museum sent someone to send a message: all of Lu Xun's manuscripts were suddenly stolen!
Xu Guangping was furious and hurriedly wrote to Premier Zhou for help.
But she didn't expect that these would be the last hours of her life. The woman who accompanied Lu Xun for 10 years, gave birth to his only child, and finally had no name, died.
As Lu Xun's only confidante, what kind of wonderful life does Xu Guangping have?
A rebel from a famous family
Xu Guangping's family is well-known in Guangzhou, and has produced outstanding figures such as Xu Baiting, a big salt merchant, and Xu Yingqi, a famous minister.
Such a big family, with extremely strong feudal thinking and strict family rules, did not expect such a strange thing as Xu Guangping to appear.
Xu Guangping's father, Xu Bingzhuo, was excluded from the family and became interested in Xinxue, and under his influence, his daughter also accepted the new ideas of openness and democracy from an early age.
When most girls were learning to be popular at home, Xu Guangping went to school like boys, and he didn't feel anything wrong.
When her family wanted to bind her feet, Xu Guangping resisted angrily, argued with reason, and finally escaped.
Xu Guangping's resistance made outsiders regard her as a freak, how could she marry in the future without binding her feet? Xu Guangping disdained this, saying that he would fall in love freely in the future and would not need others to worry about it.
In her heart, her future partner is naturally chosen by herself, and pleasing each other is the king.
Because of this, she was so angry when she learned that she was promised a baby kiss not long after she was born.
It turned out that as early as 3 days after Xu Guangping was born, her father gave her to the Ma family, a local tyrant.
The Ma family has a very bad reputation in the local area, and the Ma family's father and son are all goods in the fish and meat township, how can Xu Guangping be willing to marry in that kind of place?
So, she immediately stood up and protested, saying that she would not marry. There was nothing the father and the others could do, and the reputation of the Ma family was getting worse and worse, so they also regretted it.
But the Ma family was unforgiving, and after Xu Guangping grew up, he came to urge him to get married many times, but Xu Bingzheng avoided it. The Ma family was in a hurry, and they also sent the Xu family to the official mansion, which alarmed many people.
In the end, with the efforts of the family, the matter was temporarily quelled. Xu Guangping took the opportunity to go north and went to Tianjin to seek refuge with his distant aunt.
In Tianjin, Xu Guangping entered the Zhili Women's Division, actively participated in the democracy movement, and published articles on the liberation of women in newspapers many times.
In 1922, Xu Guangping was admitted to the National Beijing Women's Higher Normal School and became a well-known alumnus of the school.
It was in this year that Xu Guangping had an unforgettable first love.
Soon after Xu Guangping arrived in Beijing, he met his cousin Li Xiaohui, who was studying at Peking University.
The two are of the same age, and as fellow villagers and distant relatives, they have a lot of topics to talk about. In many exchanges, the two young people involuntarily fell in love.
But not long after the two were together, fate ruthlessly broke them apart.
In 1923, Xu Guangping unfortunately contracted an illness while taking care of his classmate's sister, and the school doctor diagnosed tonsillitis and only prescribed some anti-inflammatory drugs. However, Xu Guangping did not get better after taking medicine, and his condition worsened.
Li Xiaohui was anxious and came to visit him many times. Fortunately, someone invited a foreign doctor and diagnosed it as scarlet fever, which saved Xu Guangping's life.
But when Xu Guangping was slowly recovering, Li Xiaohui came with bad news. Scarlet fever is an infectious disease, and Li Xiaohui also fell ill after visiting Xu Guangping, and he had a faster attack and died before Xu Guangping woke up.
This incident hit her very hard, and she couldn't get out of the haze for a long time until Lu Xun appeared.
Harmful horses and white elephants
Lu Xun's masterpiece, Xu Guangping has already read it. When he heard that Mr. Lu Xun was going to come to the school to give a lecture, Xu Guangping couldn't help but look forward to it.
Lu Xun left a deep impression on her in the first class: this person wearing a patched gown, a thick beard, and a Shaoxing Mandarin is Lu Xun?
Although Lu Xun doesn't look like a scholar in appearance, the content of the class is really interesting. Lu Xun's profound knowledge and humorous explanation soon made Xu Guangping admire.
Perhaps it was at this time that Xu Guangping gradually had a good impression of Lu Xun, but she didn't find it herself.
It wasn't until 1925 that the feelings finally exploded.
At that time, the principal of the National Beijing Women's Higher Normal School was Yang Yinyu, a lady who emphasized order, managed roughly, and did not allow students to have their own thoughts and actions, and students and teachers did not have a good impression of her.
Lu Xun could not stand her tyranny and resigned as a teacher in 1924. Under the oppression of Yang Yinyu, the students rose up and petitioned the Ministry of Education to remove Yang Yinyu through the Autonomous Association.
However, the government and Yang Yinyu colluded and openly supported Yang Yinyu's rectification of the style of study.
There is an undercurrent within the school, and students are at risk. At this moment, Xu Guangping thought of Lu Xun and boldly wrote his first letter to him and asked him for advice.
Lu Xun was very impressed by this independent young student, and immediately wrote her a reply, encouraging her not to give up and to strengthen her beliefs and fight against authoritarianism.
Xu Guangping was surprised by the speed of Lu Xun's reply, and was moved by his enthusiasm and encouragement, and often wrote to him after that.
As the correspondence between the two became more and more frequent, the relationship between the two began to heat up, and Xu Guangping sometimes visited the door. During this period, Xu Guangping led the students to continue to protest and became the backbone of the fallen Yang students.
Soon, with the support of the government, Yang Yinyu announced the expulsion of Xu Guangping, Liu Hezhen and other students. The Beiyang government even sent people to arrest the students who took the lead, and in order to take refuge, Xu Guangping lived in Lu Xun's house for a period of time.
This experience greatly deepened the relationship between the two, Xu Guangping gradually understood his mind, and this always bold woman actually took the initiative to pursue Lu Xun.
In 1925, Xu Guangping used "Pinglin" as his pen name and published an article "Companions" in the newspaper. She said that she will not be afraid of the indifference and accusations of the world, "wholeheartedly galloping in the direction of love".
This kind of almost confessional words made Lu Xun lose his sense of proportion.
You must know that Xu Guangping was nominally his student, and the difference between the two is 17 years old. What's more, Lu Xun is married and a married man.
At that time, the family designated a marriage for him, and deceived him from Japan to get married, and the bride was 3 years older than him and was named Zhu An. Lu Xun was forced to get married, but he went to sleep alone in the study on the night of candles in the cave room, and left home within two days.
Juan
He didn't have any feelings for Juan, but he didn't dare to divorce her, because the women who were abandoned at that time generally didn't end well.
It is precisely because of this relationship that Lu Xun is a little hesitant in the face of Xu Guangping's pursuit, in fact, he also likes the other party in his heart, but he can't wipe his face.
But Xu Guangping doesn't care about this, she has been rebellious since she was a child, in her opinion, what is there to blame for pursuing her own happiness?
Under Xu Guangping's enthusiastic pursuit, Lu Xun finally fell.
Lu Xun was once considered by Lin Yutang to be a "white elephant", which is rare and rare. Xu Guangping was called the black sheep by Yang Yinyu, and Lu Xun felt that the titles of the two were very interesting, and always called themselves "white elephants" and called each other "bad horses" when writing letters to each other.
He even wrote in his diary: "On the twenty-second day of the first month of the old calendar, the mane of the horse was cut off at night. ”
Cutting the hair of his lover at night is compared to cutting the mane of a horse, Mr. Lu Xun is indeed romantic and interesting.
There is no end to love
Not long after Lu Xun and Xu Guangping fell in love, the two separated because of work - Xu Guangping went to Guangzhou, and Lu Xun went to Xiamen. Later, Lu Xun resigned from his teaching position at Xiamen University and came to Guangzhou to follow love.
However, the subsequent massacre of the reactionaries in Guangzhou made Lu Xun very indignant, resigned from his post in Guangzhou again, and took Xu Guangping to Shanghai to settle down.
The love between the two was criticized by many people because of their identity, and it also made Zhu An, who was far away in Shaoxing's hometown, very painful. Xu Guangping is a downright woman who dares to pursue her love, but she has always felt guilty about Zhu An.
Soon, Xu Guangping became pregnant, and she was both happy and a little ashamed. She is obviously not Lu Xun's wife, but she will give birth to a child for him, and the anxiety in her heart is getting stronger and stronger.
Once, Xu Guangping slapped his stomach hard, which scared Lu Xun into a cold sweat. Thanks to the advice of his family, Xu Guangping's mood gradually calmed down, and he finally gave birth to a little boy.
Lu Xun named the child "Hai Ying", and the couple poured full love into the child. Because Lu Xun is a busy person, taking care of the children is naturally more done by Xu Guangping, in addition, she also proofreads manuscripts and sorts out materials for Lu Xun, and is the woman behind Lu Xun.
When Lu Xun was wanted by the reactionaries, Xu Guangping did not abandon him, and took his children to follow her husband.
Lu Xun's health has not been very good, he has serious lung disease and stomach problems, coupled with staying up late to work all year round, his condition is getting more and more serious.
Some doctors had advised him to receive treatment as soon as possible and quit smoking, but Lu Xun did not care and refused all.
Although Xu Guangping has a good relationship with her husband, the age difference between the two is large, and she is always more careful when getting along with her husband, and her persuasion of Lu Xun to quit smoking has no effect.
In 1936, Lu Xun was seriously ill, and his family wanted to send him abroad for medical treatment, but Lu Xun still refused. This may be related to his economic situation, Lu Xun spent a lot of money on medical treatment and smoking in his later years, and he may not be able to afford to go abroad for medical treatment.
On March 18, Lu Xun was so sick that he couldn't speak, Xu Guangping invited a doctor, but he was unable to return to heaven. Fighting with the last bit of strength, Lu Xun wanted to stay with his relatives. Until then, he refused to go to the hospital.
In the early morning of the next day, Lu Xun died in his sleep. He looked peaceful, lying motionless on the bed, no matter how much Xu Guangping called, he didn't respond.
Xiao Haiying was 7 years old at the time and had to get up early to go to school every day, but when he woke up that day, he was already late. Xiao Haiying didn't know why no one woke him up, and wanted to go to school. Mom told him with red eyes, "Daddy is gone." ”
Hai Ying looked at her father who was lying motionless on the bed, and also shed tears.
Lu Xun did not leave a will, but he wrote a "Death" when he was seriously ill, which contained several paragraphs that he had written in advance, and Xu Guangping thought that this was Lu Xun's will written in advance.
There is a sentence in it that Xu Guangping will cry no matter how many times he watches it: forget me and live your own life.
She was very sure that this was written to her, but how difficult it was to forget Lu Xun!
Xu Guangping has always listened to her husband. But she was going to rebel again for the first time in a long time. She wanted to do something to complete the unfinished business for Lu Xun.
After Lu Xun's death
Since the death of his lover, Xu Guangping has been raising his son while collecting and proofreading Lu Xun's manuscripts.
The work is very complicated, because the number of works of Lu Xun in his lifetime exceeds 7 million words, and it is really difficult to organize and publish them.
Especially not long after the Japanese army invaded Shanghai, Xu Guangping's situation became very difficult. As early as the outbreak of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, someone persuaded Xu Guangping to leave Shanghai as soon as possible, but she refused.
Lu Xun's works are all left in the residence, and there is no way to take them all away for a while, and if you leave in a hurry, you will inevitably lose them on the road. And the sea baby also has asthma, and I really don't know if there will be adverse effects along the way.
After comprehensive consideration, Xu Guangping finally decided to stay. During the Anti-Japanese War, Xu Guangping continued to sort out Lu Xun's old works, and at the same time actively participated in the anti-Japanese cultural struggle, and also raised funds for anti-Japanese soldiers.
It is worth mentioning that Xu Guangping also secretly protected many Chinese literati wanted by the Japanese army during this period, such as Zheng Zhenduo, who was protected by Xu Guangping for 4 years.
In December 1941, Japanese soldiers stormed Xu Guangping's residence, took her away and tortured her. They had long known Xu Guangping's identity and suspected her of being related to wanted Communists, so they tortured her.
Xu Guangping, who was tortured by the Japanese army, did not give in, she did not confess anyone, and silently persevered. After the outside world learned that Xu Guangping was arrested, they also began to actively rescue him, and finally with the help of Lu Xun's former friend Uchiyama Wanzao, Xu Guangping was released on bail.
On the day she was released from prison, her legs were limping, her body and mind were haggard, and even her hair was much whiter.
After being released from prison, Xu Guangping still stuck to the front line, served as the chairman of the Shanghai Women's Friendship Association, supported the student movement, and handed over the results of years of collation and research to our party.
In 1961, Xu Guangping joined the Chinese Communist Party, and she believed that Lu Xun would join her if he was still there.
She regarded this day as a day of historic significance, and she could do better for history, the country and the people.
The old lady, who had worked hard for many years, was not in good health and suffered from heart disease, but she still insisted on doing what she could.
Until that incident in 1968. At that time, the old lady was resting at home, but suddenly learned that Lu Xun's manuscripts had all been stolen. She didn't care about her health, so she hurriedly wrote a letter to Premier Zhou, and at the same time asked her friends to discuss countermeasures.
Unexpectedly, as he spoke, Xu Guangping involuntarily touched his chest, and he couldn't breathe.
Zhou Haiying, who was guarding her side, hurriedly ate nitroglycerin for her, but Xu Guangping was still unconscious. When he was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, he delayed treatment because the doctor insisted on asking for a medical record card, and finally died in the hospital.
When Premier Zhou learned about it, he severely criticized the hospital's practices and bowed goodbye to Xu Guangping's body.
In the end, Lu Xun's manuscripts were recovered, but Xu Guangping's life could never be returned.
Lu Xun's only companion before his death finally returned to his side, and I hope that the "white elephant" and the "harmful horse" will continue to wait for each other in heaven and never be separated.