In early September 2009, Li Yinqiao was hospitalized again due to his deteriorating condition. At that time, he had been ill for many years, and he was a truly white-haired and incomparably weak 80-year-old man, no longer looking heroic and energetic.
In the early morning after more than twenty days, he quietly left in the hospital room.
Li Yinqiao's spiritual hall is arranged in the cottage next to the living room of the family, and a long table is placed in the middle of the old man's portrait, and the old man in the photo is smiling and kind. There are several wreaths on either side of the hall.
On the wall of the living room of the home hangs a poem by Chairman Mao, on the left side of the poem is a group photo of Chairman Mao and Li Yinqiao, and on the right is a group photo of Chairman Mao and Li Yinqiao's entire family.
His story slowly drifted with his death in the cold autumn wind of Beijing.
At 7:15 a.m. on September 22, 82-year-old Li Yinqiao, who had a lung infection, died in a hospital in Beijing.
Just a few days before Li Yinqiao was discharged from the hospital in August, his family went to visit the hospital, and the old man lying on the hospital bed suddenly took his nephew's hand and said, "Let's go see the chairman!" ”
Li Yinqiao's lover, Han Guixin, said that every year on the birthday of the chairman or the anniversary of his death, the family will go to the memorial hall to see the chairman and participate in the chairman's commemorative activities.
On the 28th of the same month, the farewell ceremony of his body was held in Babaoshan. The participants were not only his former friends Li Min and Mao Xinyu, but also many media and masses from all over the world, including some elderly people with snow-white hair, holding the portrait of Chairman Mao, and slowly walking slowly toward the farewell hall.
Li Min came to the memorial service site at about 9:55, and she looked particularly sad and faltering when she was supported. The guards kept comforting her, hoping that she would take care of her body.
Mao Xinyu arrived at the venue at about 10:15, and his arrival set off a climax of the memorial service, in addition to attracting a large number of media reporters to take pictures, many veterans who had participated in the revolution were also very excited. Mao Xinyu politely stopped and waved to everyone.
The arrangement of the farewell hall is very simple, and the eulogy text is suitable for describing his life. His wife and relatives waited quietly on the side, silently thanking the people who had sent them off.
He was draped in a bright red flag, as if asleep, lying peacefully among the flowers, saying one last "goodbye" to the world he had once lingered on.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" >01, does not want to be the chairman's guard: the chairman asked him if he would like to come to work by his side, and he shook his head</h1>
In 1927, Li Yinqiao was born in an ordinary farming family in Hebei. His father made a living as a farmer and sold some grain in his spare time, while his mother ran the house for a long time, occasionally going to the field to help with the fields.
In Li Yinqiao's memory, his father was very clever, never confused in calculating accounts, and the only drawback was probably that he was grumpy, liked to drink, and was quite harsh on his wife and children, not allowing them to eat with him, only allowing them to nibble on the nest.
In contrast, Li Yinqiao prefers his mother for the simple reason that his mother, who believes in Buddhism, has a kind heart and a good attitude towards people.
Years of war and chaos have brought an unavoidable negative impact to this ordinary family, and Li Yinqiao, who has been extremely assertive since childhood, applied to his father to learn martial arts, became a lay disciple of the Wudang Sect as desired, and assiduously learned a very powerful martial art.
At the age of 11, Li Yinqiao bid farewell to his family, and with the maturity and calmness of his peers, he resolutely signed up for the army and opened a new path for his life.
Although he was young, he was capable of doing so, and he soon received the attention of the leaders and was transferred to Premier Zhou's side as a defender.
August 1947 was an important turning point in Li Yinqiao's life. One evening in the middle of the middle and late years, Ye Zilong and Wang Dongxing suddenly called him and told him that they would change his work and transfer to Chairman Mao's side to continue to serve as guards.
But Li Yinqiao was worried, thinking that the chairman sent all his guards away last night, and I was afraid that he would not be able to do a good job.
Ye Zilong seemed to see Li Yinqiao's potential resistance, and asked in passing: "What is your opinion on the organization's transfer?" ”
Li Yinqiao, who was immersed in his own thoughts, subconsciously replied: "No, no, no, I am worried that I will not be able to do a good job, and I have been a defender for too long..."
Ye Zilong and Wang Dongxing did not expect Li Yinqiao to have such an attitude, and after a moment's hesitation, they just wanted to say something, and Li Yinqiao, who reacted, immediately opened his mouth to find a "step" for himself: "Of course, if it is the order of the organization, I will definitely obey." ”
Leaf dragon
Ye Zilong breathed a sigh of relief, and only said to Li Yinqiao that they would study it again, and then let Li Yinqiao go back.
The next day, Li Yinqiao, who knew he had said the wrong thing, came to Chairman Mao's side according to the order. Throughout the day, Chairman Mao did not say a word to Li Yinqiao as if he had not noticed him, which made Li Yinqiao more and more anxious in his heart, afraid that the chairman would know about his refusal yesterday.
On the way, a small river swelled due to abundant rain blocked the way of the army, and several swimmers risked swimming to the other side, borrowing tools from the people and building a simple pontoon bridge.
Chairman Mao got up and walked to the river, and looked at several soldiers who acted as "bridge piers" in the turbulent river with red eyes, and he refused to go first, only asking the rest of the fighters to pass first, but how could the comrades present agree? They shouted loudly, "Comrade Li Desheng passed first!" ”
Chairman Mao still refused. When the scene reached a stalemate, Premier Zhou walked over to Chairman Mao and whispered to him: "You are not only, comrades will not cross, the river is cold, you go to the bridge first, don't let the comrades freeze out of the disease!" ”
Chairman Mao glanced around, his eyes inadvertently facing Li Yinqiao, and Li Yinqiao suddenly recalled his previous words, and his face suddenly turned red.
When the river was crossed, the march was fast again. That night, a group of people stayed in the courtyard of the Yang family, and Li Yinqiao, at the suggestion of the leader, helped Chairman Mao out to breathe. But Chairman Mao broke Li Yinqiao's hand and groped out on his own.
Under the brilliant starry sky, the slow-paced chairman seemed to have noticed Li Yinqiao and asked him what his name was? Li Yinqiao immediately replied, and the chairman nodded and asked how to write the words. Li Yinqiao answered truthfully, and the chairman laughed and asked sarcastically: "Why is it not called Jinqiao?" ”
Li Yinqiao scratched his head: "Gold is expensive, I can't afford it." ”
The chairman laughed even louder, praising Li Yinqiao for his self-knowledge and chatting with him about family affairs. After saying that, the chairman asked Li Yinqiao in a tone of unchanged tone, whether he would like to come to work next to him now?
Li Yinqiao whispered "No."
The chairman was not angry, but asked Li Yinqiao why. Li Yinqiao said truthfully: "I have been a secret agent and correspondent for too long, thinking of the troops and wanting to go to the front. ”
The chairman nodded his head and continued to ask Li Yinqiao: "Is there anything else besides this reason?" For example, if you want to be a guard there in Enlai, come to me..."
Li Yinqiao immediately interrupted him and said solemnly, "No, I definitely don't mean that!" What I said to Vice Chairman Zhou is that I also think of the troops! He knew my situation and was willing to let me leave after the situation had eased, but I couldn't just come to the Chairman and offer to leave! ”
Chairman Mao laughed again and asked Li Yinqiao why he was sure that he would not let Li Yinqiao leave? Li Yinqiao said that because he knew that the chairman was "nostalgic", if he had feelings with the chairman, the chairman would definitely not want to let him go.
Li Yinqiao gladly agreed.
At that time, he did not know that half a year and half a year, he did not want to be a defender, but he would willingly guard the chairman for fifteen years later.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" >02, the fate of the chairman: a pair of fairy couples met and knew each other because of the chairman, and they stayed together for a lifetime</h1>
Fifteen years is not long, but the impact on Li Yinqiao is very huge.
He not only gained a deeper understanding of Chairman Mao, but also met his wife who accompanied him through most of his life until the end of his life.
Li Yinqiao's wife, han Guixin, was born in 1929, and like Li Yinqiao, was a child of an ordinary peasant family.
At the age of 16, Han Guixin, who was not willing to live like this all his life, resolutely left his hometown and went to Yan'an to participate in the revolution. Later, he was assigned to the kindergarten of the central government and worked as a nurseryman. Her personality is gentle and simple, and she is very popular with young children.
One day in 1947, Fu Lianzhang called Han Guixin and asked her if she would like to take Li Youyao's class and work with Chairman Mao to help him take care of Li Ne, who was temporarily unable to attend elementary school. Han Guixin agreed without hesitation.
In October of the same year, Han Guixin came to Chairman Mao's side as promised. Chairman Mao was very kind and asked him where his hometown was? Have you read a book? Han Guixin replied truthfully, saying that he had read Gao Xiao and that his home was in Anping, Hebei.
Chairman Mao raised an eyebrow and immediately continued, "By chance! The leader of my guard group is also an Anping person, and you will be led by him in the future. ”
After saying that, Chairman Mao immediately called out to Li Yinqiao and introduced the two of them to each other.
After that, in the process of getting along day after day, Li Yinqiao slowly developed a good feeling for Han Guixin, who was warm and responsible, and Chairman Mao saw through his thoughts, and when he was walking on a certain day, he suddenly asked Li Yinqiao how he got along with Han Guixin.
Li Yinqiao smiled shyly and did not answer. Chairman Mao patted him on the shoulder and encouraged Li Yinqiao: "Young man, don't be shy, be bold and pursue, I am very much in favor of the two of you together!" ”
Li Yinqiao seemed to have gained courage from Chairman Mao's words and bravely confessed his friendship to Han Guixin.
At the end of 1948, Li Yinqiao and Han Guixin submitted an application for marriage in Xibaipo. In March of the following year, they had a make-up wedding in Xiangshan.
For Li Yinqiao and Han Guixin, Chairman Mao was not only the "old man" of their husband and wife, but also the benefactor they remembered throughout their lives, and during the time they spent with Chairman Mao, they all learned a lot of good qualities from Chairman Mao, so that they could become better in their later lives.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" >03, fifteen years with the chairman: he and his wife were the chairman's closest people, and accompanied the chairman for more than ten years</h1>
One cold winter night, Han Guixin, who was sitting in front of the oil lamp to sew a shirt for Chairman Mao, looked at the patches and finally couldn't help it. She went to Li Yinqiao with her clothes and asked him: "The chairman's shirt really can't be repaired, how does this make him wear it, why don't you go and get a new one for the chairman?" ”
Li Yinqiao sighed and whispered, "The chairman won't let me go." ”
Han Guixin dropped a sentence of "I went to find the chairman" and turned his head and walked out. Li Yinqiao hurriedly stopped her and said that the chairman's clothes were like this, and without his permission, he could not be given new clothes.
But Han Guixin was not dead hearted, and went to the chief guard to ask for a new dress for the chairman, who was also familiar with the chairman's personality, so he told Han Guixin that if she and Li Yinqiao could persuade the chairman, he would agree to it.
A few days later, Li Yinqiao specially found a chairman to be free, and took Han Guixin to the chairman. Han Guixin was anxious and preemptively said: "Chairman, your clothes are so torn that they can't be patched, you better change them!" ”
Chairman Mao did not expect them to talk about this question, smiled, and replied, "Xiao Han! I know you're busy at work, so I'll ask you to work harder and help me mend my clothes! It can still be worn! ”
Han Guixin, who was unwilling to stop there, continued to advise: "Chairman, the clothes are really too torn, even if they are repaired, the upper body is not good!" You are the Chairman! ”
Chairman Mao shook his head: "Who said the chairman can't wear patches?" Moreover, the clothes are worn inside, as long as they can withstand the cold, it is useless to look good. ”
When Han Guixin heard this, he could no longer say anything to persuade him, so he had to drag Li Yinqiao outside, and his heart was full of admiration and touch for Chairman Mao's simple style. After that, in their lives, Li Yinqiao and Han Guixin always remembered this "small thing", and always followed the example of the chairman, no matter what position they held, they always adhered to simplicity.
In October 1949, a big day for the Chinese, Li Yinqiao, as Chairman Mao's defender, participated in this major event throughout the whole process and witnessed the hard work behind the scenes of Chairman Mao and other national leaders.
At the beginning of 1954, Jiang Qing summoned Li Yinqiao and handed him four sets of yellow uniforms that Chairman Mao had worn, and Li Yinqiao specially picked out the one and another set that the chairman wore at the founding ceremony to take home, and the rest was given to his colleague Sun Yong.
However, because Chairman Mao's body shape was too different from his, the clothes did not fit, and Li Yinqiao was ready to change his clothes privately. Han Guixin stopped him: "Don't change it!" This dress was placed in the past, that is the dragon robe of the emperor ascending the throne! ”
Li Yinqiao retorted with a smile: "The chairman said that he is a servant of the people, not an emperor, don't be blind!" ”
He asked the tailor to change the clothes to fit his figure, and occasionally wore them, feeling more energetic. But it was a pity that this set of clothes did not last long in Li Yinqiao's hands. A few years later, the Tianjin History Museum specifically approached Li Yinqiao, saying that the clothes were important historical relics and persuading him to donate them.
One day in 1962, Chairman Mao called Li Yinqiao to his office and asked him if he wanted to leave. Are you going to Shijiazhuang? Li Yinqiao asked the chairman who he listened to? The Chairman did not answer. Li Yinqiao promised: "I want to leave, I will definitely not go to Shijiazhuang, I will go to Tianjin." ”
Chairman Mao smiled: "Well, when I pass there in the future, I can still talk to you..."
After saying that, the chairman sighed, not knowing whether to comfort Li Yinqiao or comfort himself: "You have followed me for many years, helped me a lot, you are a good comrade, helped me save a lot of heart, but you have been following me is not OK, if I am not there, what do you do ..."
Li Yinqiao, who has always been strong, could no longer hold back tears and cried out. His grief infected the chairman, who choked up and continued: "I really don't want you to leave, you are closer than my child... But I have to think about your future, I can't delay your future, you are here with me, the status is high, but the position is low, affecting the future. After you leave, remember to exercise yourself more, accumulate experience, and strive to be competent for more important work, you remember, you must be a person with your tail between your legs, do a good job of unity, have more contact with the masses of workers, and learn more from them! ”
The chairman was like an old man who was about to send off his son, earnestly urging him, as if he wanted to pass on all the experience he had learned over the years to Li Yinqiao.
Finally, the elderly man hugged Li Yinqiao and whispered in his ear, "Silver Bridge, you must remember that when I die, you will come to my grave every year to see me..."
Li Yinqiao cried and nodded in agreement. Chairman Mao hugged him for a moment, loosened him and pulled open the drawer, took out a brown paper bag, and handed it to Li Yinqiao: "When you go to Tianjin to settle down, you will definitely need money, which is 800 yuan, which can help you solve many problems." ”
Li Yinqiao shook his head and refused. Chairman Mao insisted on giving, but Li Yinqiao had no choice but to accept it. When the chairman saw the situation, he smiled and once again instructed Li Yinqiao to learn more from the old workers and consult the workers, peasants, and soldiers when he arrived at the place.
In April of the same year, Li Yinqiao and his wife bid farewell to the chairman and left Zhongnanhai to become the director of the Tianjin Public Security Bureau. In 1964, he and his wife returned to Beijing to visit the chairman, who heard that their hometown had been flooded and specially took out 1,000 pieces to help him solve his difficulties.
In 1976, Chairman Mao died of illness, and Li Yinqiao and his wife were deeply saddened. After 3 years, he returned to Beijing to work, and for the rest of his life he followed Chairman Mao's instructions and lived up to his expectations until the end of his life.