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A broom, a shovel, an old man
On March 31, a spring rain soaked through the heavens and the earth, and in the drizzle, the mountains were covered with a layer of mist, and the sky was vast, as if people were immersed in the mood.
In the Helan Mountain Martyrs' Cemetery, the rows of cangsong cypresses are like having undergone a baptism, which looks more solemn and solemn. Early in the morning, several units, including the 17th Primary School of Shizuishan City, came here to present flower baskets to the martyrs and held a memorial ceremony. The children took an oath in front of the martyrs' monument, and the neat and clear children's voice seemed to echo in the mountains.
Groups of people bowed and swore an oath in front of the Martyrs' Monument and left one after another. Rain fell on those flower baskets, making the flowers more vivid. Rows of pink and apricot white in the park also exude their delicate lives.
Organize the flowers offered by the masses.
In the corner of the cemetery that everyone did not pay attention to, Zhou Daoming, the tomb keeper, was busy doing what he did every day: cleaning, trimming branches, removing and fertilizing, wiping the tombstones... When it rains, he can't sweep the floor, he will check back and forth, where there is water rushing down, will it wash the foundation; where the drainage is not smooth, you must quickly dredge it, the water is too big, I am afraid that it will flood the small trees just planted in the spring; the rain is not clean, and the tombstone should be wiped well...
Zhou Daoming pointed to the peach tree next to him and said, "This was cut last year, you see, all blossom!" And over there, you see, how neatly the cypress trees are, they look very comfortable. Zhou Daoming was like praising his own children, showing off the flowers and plants he planted by his own hands. For each tree, he seems to remember the scene of planting at that time: "This tree is not wanted by others, I took it back and planted it, this tree was not compacted when it was planted, and I pressed it again..." The 62-year-old Zhou Dao was obviously a little nagging, sometimes he was introducing to reporters, sometimes it was like saying to himself: You see, this place is still not doing a good job, and when the rain stops, you must hurry to put the soil in order...
Wipe the martyrs' wall.
On a rainless day, he would get up at five o'clock in the morning, "I have to finish cleaning up before eight o'clock, and someone will come at this time." "When he says that someone came, he meant that there were units or individuals who came to visit and offer condolences.
The sound of sweeping the floor sounded on time every day, and the entire cemetery area was cleaned for more than two hours. "It's windy and sandy here, and you have to sweep it every day, and you can't sweep it for a day." Zhou Daoming told reporters.
A broom, a shovel, an old man, has become a unique scenery of the Helan Mountain Martyrs Cemetery.
Don't look at it as a person's work, but it is not idle at all, sometimes when you are busy, you think of eating breakfast, it is almost noon.
Guard the cemetery and often tell the story of martyrs
The Helan Mountain Martyrs Cemetery is exquisite and elegant. It is located in the north of the Beiwudang Ecotourism Zone in Dawukou District, Shizuishan City, north of Helan Mountain, and under the mountain is the urban area, with a wide field of view. From the national coal industry base to the transformation and development of a new type of ecological city, here the mountains and rivers are beautiful, the people are brilliant, it is the martyrs who fought in blood, in exchange for today's years of quiet.
There is a 2.3-meter-high and 2.15-meter-wide monument in the Helan Mountain Martyrs' Cemetery, with the inscription "Helan Eagle" on the front of the stele, which was inscribed by General Xiao Hua, former political commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region and founding general.
Among the heroic martyrs who have been buried in the Helan Mountain Martyrs' Cemetery, the deeds of Li Shuangshuang and Ren Tiancai are the most touching. They were all Shizuishan people, engaged in revolutionary work in the local area, killed by the Kuomintang, and were very young when they were sacrificed.
Li Shuangshuang is a native of Gaoren Township, Pingluo County (formerly Wuduizi Township, Taole County). He joined the Communist Party of China in 1945. Under the cover of selling alkali and doing business, he sent information to the Three Sections Ofground Work Committee in a timely manner. He was arrested and killed in Taole County in 1946 at the age of 38.
Renovated cemetery.
The martyr Ren Tiancai is a native of Xiyonggu Township, Huinong District. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1944. In March 1947, Ren Tiancai was arrested by Kuomintang agents, and after more than half a year of torture, he was still righteous and awe-inspiring, and regarded death as a homecoming. He said to the fourth brother who had come to visit: "I was persecuted by the enemy because we poor people had a good time, and the Kuomintang's life will not last long." After I die, don't be sad, just roll it back with a mat..." When he came, he also instructed the fourth brother Ren Tianyou to go to the Otok Banner to collect his relics, which actually implied that the fourth brother would go there to join the revolution. On the same day, Ren Tiancai, who was only 28 years old, was shot dead by the Kuomintang.
"There is also the martyr Li Fang, who sacrificed his precious life to save his classmates who fell into the water." Li Fang, a native of Chonggang, Pingluo County, was only 14 years old at the time of his death. Zhou Daoming remembered these stories very well. The old man's son-in-law, Cai Shuzhi, told reporters that when the family was together, the old man often told the stories of the martyrs... As a person who grew up in Shizuishan, these heroic stories often inspire Cai Shuzhi.
"There are martyrs asleep here, I can't leave"
When Zhou Daoming came here 14 years ago, it was the beginning of the construction of the cemetery, and there were very few trees and flowers. Zhou Daoming saw which piece of land had vacant land, planted a tree, and when he saw which piece needed to be leveled, he did it himself. Broken bricks, sand and garbage, cut branches, he pedaled a tricycle to transport away. Leaders and colleagues called him "Uncle Zhou" and praised Uncle Zhou for the high survival rate of trees planted.
"I'm used to farm work, I can't stay idle!" I work in this place as if I were working in my own home. "After years away from home, Zhou Daoming's Sichuan accent is still very strong.
As the guardian of the cemetery, Zhou Daoming's work seems unremarkable. But the phrase "your own home" in the cemetery is admirable.
The elaborately planted peach trees have blossomed.
It was not his duty to plant trees, but he had volunteered to plant more than 2,000 trees over the past 14 years. Whenever the leaders of relevant departments come here to inspect the work, he will always make some suggestions: another stone platform should be built here, and here should be repaired... There is a cement platform in the martyrs' cemetery area, which was built at the suggestion of Zhou Daoming, which not only blocks floods and sand, but also makes the area more tidy and beautiful.
In the eyes of Luo Hao, deputy director of the Shizuishan Veterans Affairs Bureau, Zhou Daoming has excellent qualities such as being able to endure hardships and be diligent and loyal, "Uncle Zhou is a person who has no selfish heart at all. Luo Hao said.
Luo Hao told reporters that the martyrs threw their blood before they died, and their souls returned to their hometowns after death, and the descendants carefully guarded the cemetery, which is a tribute to the heroes and martyrs, and it is also the best memorial for them. Therefore, the choice of tomb keepers is very careful, not only to complete the work tasks, but also to have a high sense of responsibility and patriotism. The bureau will regularly buy some labor protection supplies for the cemetery, Uncle Zhou usually uses it very economically, if it is not used up, he will say, can still be used, do not spend money to buy.
Carefully wipe the martyrs' tombstones.
"In fact, labor protection supplies are gloves, soap or whatever, and it is okay to save a little more, but Uncle Zhou is not willing to take advantage of this."
Since coming to the cemetery in 2008, the morning sun sets, the four seasons change, 14 years, more than 5,000 days and nights, Zhou Daoming has always guarded the martyrs' cemetery and has never been far away. His daughter and son-in-law worked in Dawukou and sometimes invited him to dinner and gathered at home, but he always rushed back after eating in a hurry.
"The cemetery can't leave people." Zhou Daoming told reporters more than once.
Ask him why?
"There are martyrs asleep here, and I can't leave." Zhou Daoming replied.
Speaking of the martyrs who were buried for a long time, the old man has always used the word "sleep", just like they are relatives at home, tired, "asleep". Although the words are simple, the feelings are strong.
Shouling has won 8 awards, and his hometown is also his hometown
Zhou Daoming's hometown is in Suining, Sichuan. When the Wenchuan earthquake occurred in 2008, the family's house collapsed. The old man came to Shizui Mountain with his relatives and friends, and by chance, he became the keeper of the martyrs' cemetery. He said: "That earthquake was so big that the house collapsed." I lost my home in the earthquake and found another home here. I'm so thankful! ”
Sometimes when the masses come to mourn, Zhou Daoming will also listen to the explanation of the narrator next to him, although he has heard it many times, he will always be as touched as the first time he heard it. "Many of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives are so young! They are not easy, and it makes sense for me to keep these children. He said.
Panorama of Helan Mountain Martyrs Cemetery.
Away from the city, the nearest supermarket also has to drive for more than half an hour, life is not very convenient. Zhou Daoming came down the mountain every month or two to buy some daily necessities. The city under the mountain is bustling and lively, and the cemetery on the mountain is only accompanied by the breeze and the bright moon, which is inevitable to be lonely and lonely.
Zhou Daoming's son-in-law is a native of Shizuishan. The old man guards the martyrs' cemetery, and he will go every week or two, and while visiting the old man, he often reads the heroic deeds of the martyrs, and his thinking is greatly shaken. In his eyes, the old man had almost no time to idle. The flowers and trees of the cemetery, he guarded as a small life, which was a respect and reverence for life.
When parting, Zhou Daoming loudly told reporters: "As long as I can still move, I am willing to continue to work." ”
The spring rain was getting denser and denser, hitting the face and melting with the tears...
In the past 14 years, the environment of the Helan Mountain Martyrs Cemetery has been greatly improved, and the heroic souls of the martyrs have been laid to rest here. Since coming to work in Lingqu District, Zhou Daoming has won the honorary title of Advanced Worker of the Year 8 times. The thick certificate was quietly hidden at the bottom of the closet, and he was only found after being questioned and reminded by the reporter.
The black hands opened the certificate, and the four big words of "Honorary Certificate" on the fiery red cover were particularly eye-catching.
Reporter's Note:
Zhou Daoming, who was not tall and had a simple face, walked down the street, and no one could notice him. Even in the cemetery, when people were paying homage to the martyr, they could hardly notice him.
When the duty room was not built, the old man lived in a hut on the corner of the first floor of the Martyrs' Memorial, without heating equipment, and the house was cold in winter and sweltering in summer. Later, the conditions were better, and there was an electric stove for heating. The labor protection supplies issued by the unit, he used them sparingly, and he never reached out to them; he never asked for a salary increase, nor did he ask for treatment... Old Man Zhou Daoming didn't say a word about these things. What the old man repeatedly wants to tell the reporter is that this tree is alive, this tree is also alive, you see, these pine trees are lined up on both sides of the martyr's tomb, how beautiful it is to prune... He was concerned about every grass and tree in the cemetery, and he had already regarded this place as his home.
Ordinary posts still require immortal will.
Zhou Daoming's work seems to be very ordinary, but the ordinary reveals a firm belief and a strong patriotic feeling.
The old man's son-in-law told reporters that the old man's spiritual realm should be enough to submit an application to the party organization. But the old man always said, I can't do it, I'm still far behind. The family's work on him has also changed from a simple understanding at the beginning, only to complete the work within the part, to the sublimation of feelings, which enhances the reverence for the martyrs, transforms it into the motivation of the work, and makes ordinary work have an unusual significance.
Loving the party and the country is not an empty word, but runs through a person's work and life, and this simple feeling is even more precious. (Ningxia Daily reporter Xie Wei wen/photo intern Wei Yu/video)