On the evening of May 25, 1942, chen Songnian, 32, and his stepmother Pan Lanzhen were called to the bedside by their father Chen Duxiu. Chen Duxiu had severe hypertension, coupled with the poisoning of fava bean flower soaking water more than ten days ago, he was bedridden for half a month at this time, and his body was like a dead wood in the wind.
Chen Duxiu, who knew that his time was short, wanted to take advantage of the fact that he was still sober and confess his will as soon as possible.
This was the first time since his father was seriously ill that he had officially called them all to the bedside, so Chen Songnian knew that his father was going to say goodbye to them. Chen Songnian felt extremely uncomfortable that day, but in front of his father, he wanted to act as relaxed as possible.
Father was older and thinner than before, and because he was too thin, the sparse goatee on his chin was very eye-catching. Because of his lack of physical strength, his father's eyes were closed and open, and his lips fluttered slightly to make a low sound. At this time, his father was very different from the father he had seen for the first time.
Chen Songnian always remembers the first time he met his father, the first time he met his father was in 1933, he was 23 years old, at this time his two brothers Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian had also died because of the revolution. At that time, his father's situation was not good, and he was imprisoned by the Kuomintang in Nanjing Prison. Chen Songnian, who had seen his father for the first time in his memory, was so distressed to see his father in prison that he couldn't help but shed tears. But his father rebuked him:
"Crying what to cry, the manly husband bleeds without tears, crying is a manifestation of not showing up."
At that time, my father's voice was big and how full of breath was. It was also after being reprimanded that time, Chen Songnian no longer dared to shed tears in front of his father.
Chen Songduo wanted his father to reprimand him a few more times, but it was impossible after all, and at this time, his father even had some difficulty breathing. Chen Songnian knew that his father's departure was just a few days away. Thinking of this, his throat tightened a little again.
At this moment, Chen Duxiu's eyes fell on his face, he seemed to want to try to remember his son's appearance, and he also seemed to look for the shadows of the sacrificial Yan Nian and Qiao Nian on his face.
Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian
After a long time, Chen Duxiu took his eyes off Chen Songnian's face and looked at his third wife, Pan Lanzhen, who was his last woman, and her age was the same as that of his third son, Chen Songnian. For twelve years, she had been with him, who was poor and sick.
Chen Songnian noticed that his father's eyes were full of melancholy when he looked at his stepmother, and after staring at his stepmother's round face for a moment, he suddenly stretched out his dry hand and held her hand hard. Chen Songnian heard his father spitting words at his stepmother with difficulty:
"Lan Zhen,...... I die, after you die, you will be autonomous in everything from now on, and your life must be self-reliant, remember, self-reliant, self-reliant..."
When her stepmother heard this, tears were already pouring down, and she touched Chen Duxiu's forehead and shouted, "Sir! After that, he could not cry.
Chen Duxiu and Pan Lanzhen
It was on this day that Chen Duxiu intermittently explained the aftermath to his son:
"When I go home later, I will bring back my coffin and my grandmother's coffin."
After Chen Songnian nodded tearfully in agreement, Chen Duxiu closed his eyes and rested as if relieved. On that day, his last words were:
"My 'Elementary School', "Primary School," I only note the word 'throw', but I'm going to throw it and throw it away..."
Chen Songnian knew that the "Primary School" in his father's words was the last book he compiled, "Primary School Literacy Textbook", which was the last chapter of his life's literary career. Unfortunately, before the book could be published, he couldn't do it.
Since that day, Chen Duxiu's health has deteriorated, and since then, he has been in a coma, whispering, whispering, coma...
On May 27, Chen Duxiu finally closed his eyes forever, and he died at the age of 63.
The gate of the stone wall courtyard where Chen Duxiu died
After his father's death, as the only child who remained with his father, he naturally tried to explain the aftermath. This is the fifth time he has taken care of the aftermath of his loved ones, and in these years, he has sent away his eldest brother, second brother, sister, mother, and grandmother. Every farewell was a pain in his heart.
On the contrary, he who was responsible for sending them farewell was the most affectionate.
Unlike his brothers and sisters, Chen Songnian was separated from his father and mother Gao Dazhong (also known as Gao Xiaolan) before he was born. The older brothers and sisters had enjoyed a real family life, but as soon as he was born, his home was crippled. The more so, the more he longed for the picture of a family reunion, but the "reunion" he wanted most became an eternal dream as he grew up.
In the past few decades, he has seen his brothers and sisters, mothers, and grandmothers leave him, and his father, who was so easily reunited, is now gone from him.
If it weren't for the heavy family feelings, at this time, how could he live with a family in this place of Jiangjin? A few years ago, after his father was released from prison, he would pass through Wuhan to Sichuan, and he was overjoyed and took his grandmother and one-year-old daughter away from home to Jiangjin.
At that time, after hearing that he was coming, his father was very happy, and his father also wrote a family letter for this purpose, in which he specially instructed his son: "When changing ships in Yichang, I will go ashore to pick you up." If you have a boat, you don't have to wait for me in Yichang... When you get off the ship and land in the guest house, you all have to take a car, and you will never save this tip..."
The father in this family letter was very different from the father in his impression, and he actually gave them detailed instructions in such detail, and also let them sit in a car, which was full of love and touched him for a long time.
Before coming to reunite with his father, Chen Songnian was ready to perform filial piety for his father, and what his brothers and sisters did not do, he wanted to do for them. Therefore, after arriving in Jiangjin, he and his wife always took a part of the meager income from teaching to help their father. In order to reassure his father, on weekdays, he always told his wife and children to be kind to their stepmother.
Because of his instructions, his wife and children have great respect for his stepmother Pan Lanzhen, and his wife calls Pan Lanzhen "Mother" like him, while the children call her "Second Grandmother". Seeing such a scene, Chen Duxiu was naturally overjoyed.
But the good times did not last long after all, not long after arriving in Jiangjin, the grandmother who believed in Buddhism and fasting died of illness, and now, my father has died...
Chen Duxiu
When tearful eyes looked at his father's remains, Chen Songnian suddenly felt a sense of sadness that had been tricked by fate, and now, he had no hope for anything, and now his only thought was one thing: to fulfill his father's last wish as soon as possible and send him and his grandmother's coffin back to his hometown of Anqing.
At the thought of the coffin, Chen Songnian frowned, now that the Chen family can't come up with a penny, where can he find a decent coffin for his father?
When chen songnian collected the corpses of his brothers Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian in the past, he and his sister faced countless "difficulties", because the Kuomintang did not allow them to collect the corpses, and they also had to bear the pain of losing their loved ones while confronting the Kuomintang.
Chen Songnian could never forget the scene when he saw his second brother fall in a pool of blood, who could bear the pain of seeing his loved one die tragically, it was after that time, his sister died of vomiting blood due to being stimulated too much, and he was depressed for a long time afterwards.
Fortunately, compared to the past when he took care of his brothers' affairs, this time, the situation he faced was much simpler.
On the day of his father's death, Jiangjin's famous gentry Deng Touqiu, Deng Xiekang's uncle and nephew, as well as fellow villagers, classmates, and friends, donated to the Chen family after understanding the situation, and Chen Songnian used these funds to buy a Sichuan Xiangnan wooden coffin for his father.
When his father was buried, Chen Songnian did not shed tears, he only felt that he was finally relieved. When he saw his father's face lying peacefully in the coffin of Nanmu, his tears fell down his cheeks like raindrops.
Because China was still in turmoil at this time, Chen Songnian had to temporarily set his father's coffin in the Deng Xie Kang Garden outside the West Gate (this place was later restored to a crown tomb). This cemetery is located in Kangzhuang, which is backed by green mountains and faces the Yangtze River. There is a tombstone in front of his father's tomb, and on the tombstone is the six words "The Tomb of Mr. Duxiu" written by his former friend Ouyang Jingwu.
On the day that the tombstone was erected, Chen Songnian "pounced" and fell to his knees next to the tombstone, and he said with tears: "You stay here first, and when the time comes, I will definitely take you home!" After saying that, he prostrated his head three times with his hands on the ground.
"New Youth" and Chen Duxiu inscription
Every day since then, Chen Songnian has been keeping an eye on the political situation, waiting for the "right time" that promised his father.
In February 1947, five years after Chen Duxiu's death, Chen Songnian decided after thinking about it countless times: "At this time, it is the 'right time' to take the coffin of his grandmother and father back to his hometown."
For this operation, Chen Songnian had already saved some money, and he and his family saved money for a few years, just so that this time they could smoothly transport the coffins of their grandmother and father back to their hometown. This is something that Chen Songnian will definitely do, not only to let his grandmother and father "fall back to the roots", but also to reunite his father and mother.
Since he was a child, he has known how much his mother, Gao Zhong, looks forward to his father's return. He knew that the more she resented him, the more she thought of him in her heart.
When he was a child, he once said to her in order to amuse his mother: "Mother, in the future, I will definitely take my father back." After hearing this, the mother said funnily while wiping away tears: "As far as you know how to tease me, he is such a big person, you said 'take' and 'take' back?" After hearing his mother's words, Chen Songnian realized that he had used the wrong word. So, he also laughed with "giggling".
Chen Songnian did not expect that one day, he would really take his father to his mother, and this time, he was finally convinced: no one could take his father away from his mother again.
After spending a lot of money to hire a Zhejiang boat, Chen Songnian set off for Anqing with the coffins of his grandmother and father.
Chen Duxiu's former residence
Along the way, Chen Songnian has always been very careful, and although the War of Resistance Against Japan has ended, the domestic political situation is still very complicated. Therefore, in order to avoid extraneous branches, he specially carved the three words "Chen Qiansheng" on his father's coffin. This name, the original name of his father, was the name he used when he participated in the imperial examination, and not many people knew this name. So, in his opinion, the name was safe.
But even though he had taken all the details into account, he was still very careful along the way, and it wasn't until the coffin arrived in Anqing, Anhui, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
An important reason why Chen Songnian was extremely careful was that he had suffered losses.
As early as the age of 28, he became the pillar of the Chen family, and he once found a boat to protect the Ancestral Property of the Chen Family and moved the family's valuable furniture to the countryside. However, these things were finally discovered by the Japanese, and after this time, the Chen family's family foundation was all hollowed out.
Chen Songnian was full of remorse whenever he thought about this later, and he always felt that if he had been more careful and had been more careful in hiding things, those things might not have been discovered by the Japanese.
At any time, caution is always good, this action, all the details, Chen Songnian has carefully considered countless times, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Before leaving, Chen Songnian had already prepared a cemetery for his father Zhang Luo, the cemetery was located in: Yejiachong, the north gate of Anqing, this place was very close to Duxiu Mountain, and he always felt that this must be the burial place that his father liked the most.
Duxiu Mountain
Originally, Chen Songnian was ready to transport the tombstones of his father's cemetery back to his hometown, but because the tombstones were too bulky and the words on the tombstones were too eye-catching, he finally chose to leave the tombstones in Jiangjin.
The father's burial was almost quiet, and for safety reasons, the tombstone was engraved with the words "The Tomb of Chen Gong Qiansheng". Chen Songnian also buried his mother Gao Zhongzhong with his father. When the two were together in a tomb, Chen Songnian's heart gushed out an indescribable feeling, and he had a sense of satisfaction in fulfilling his mother's long-cherished wish: her mother could not sleep with her husband in life, but she could join her father in death, and she should be at ease.
On that day, after his father was buried, Chen Songnian stayed in the cemetery for a long time, and only Chen Songnian himself knew that this was the first time he had been with his father and mother since he had a memory. He had looked forward to such a day countless times, and now, when everything came true, he was separated from his parents' yin and yang.
Freud said that all the efforts of a person in this life are only to make up for the lack before the age of eight. What Chen Songnian lacked in his childhood was a complete home, and for the rest of his life, almost all he did was to work for this "complete home". He left home to reunite with his father in Jiangjin, he built a joint tomb for his parents, and he gave up promotion in an effort to run a small family, all of which were the result of his efforts for a "complete family".
Chen Songnian's eldest brother and second brother took a group photo with their classmates
Compared with his fathers and brothers who cherish the country and the people, what he thinks and thinks is just a small family, in the eyes of the world, he may not be so great, but in comparison, he is also as cute as other Chen family members, because what he thinks and thinks is essentially the same as that of his father and brother: it is all out of love!
On the day his parents were buried, he talked to his parents for a long time in the cemetery, but no one knew what he said.
After that, in order to protect his parents' cemetery, every time he came to visit his parents, Chen Songnian quietly came and went quietly alone. Chen Songnian was busier than ever, his children were growing, and his burden was getting heavier.
In order to provide for the children's education, Chen Songnian and his wife were very desperate, Chen Songnian alone did several jobs, he sometimes went to the kiln factory to carry soil, sometimes went to the railway to build roads, and when he returned home, he often pasted matchboxes to earn change. Overwork dragged down the body of Chen Songnian and his wife, and within a few years, Chen Songnian's wife died of illness.
Chen Songnian's wife Dou Hengguang poses with her children, chen Changwei (top left), Chang Ji (top right), Chang Qi (bottom left) and Chang Pu (bottom right)
"Middle-aged widowhood" is one of the three major tragedies of life, in the face of tragedy, Chen Songnian had to pick up the spirit to continue to move forward. He knew that as a descendant of Chen Duxiu, he had to give up his children, and he often said, "How can the descendants of the Chen family have no culture?" ”
In order to let the three daughters of the Chen family not drop out of school, Chen Songnian actually gritted his teeth and sold the house.
After selling the house, Chen Songnian's family naturally had more difficult days. Fortunately, the Chen family's situation finally improved in 1953.
This year, Chairman Mao Zedong inspected Anqing. Speaking about Chen Duxiu, he asked with concern: "How are his descendants living?" Subsequently, the staff reported on Chen Songnian's situation. After learning that Chen Songnian's life was unusually hard, Chairman Mao fell into contemplation, and after thinking about it, he said:
"Life is difficult, the local government should give a certain subsidy, they are the descendants of martyrs, and they must be treated according to the standards of martyrs."
Under the special approval of Chairman Mao Zedong, the local government gave Chen Songnian a subsidy of 30 yuan per month, and he was also assigned to work. In this way, his life with his children finally came to an end.
Chen Songnian
It was also shortly after this that Chen Songnian unexpectedly learned that Chen Hong, the widowed daughter of his brother Chen Qiaonian, was still alive. The news excited him so much that he didn't sleep for several nights, and in order to find the niece, he began to write letters and verbally to the organization.
In order to find his niece, Chen Songnian also mobilized his children to help find someone. Under his efforts, he actually found 5 "Chen Hong", but unfortunately, their experiences are not in line with the real Chen Hong. But even so, Chen Songnian still did not give up looking for Chen Hong.
When Chen Songnian was busy looking for his niece, several of his children had become talents. His eldest son, Chen Changqi, went on to get a Ph.D., and after graduation, he became a professor and has been committed to national scientific research.
After graduating from university, his eldest daughter, Chen Changwei, became an engineer in the field of steel. After graduating from the second daughter with excellent grades, Chen Changjie, she worked as a senior engineer in a military factory. The youngest daughter, Chen Changpu, chose to stay at the Anqing Municipal Administration of Cultural Relics. Chen Changpu likes to listen to the stories of her grandparents the most, so as long as she has time, she will pestering her father to tell the stories of her grandparents.
Chen Song's eldest son Chen Changqi and his younger daughter Chen Changpu
The older Chen Song got, the more he missed his parents and siblings, but because of the political situation, in order to protect his father's cemetery, for decades, he did not dare to go to his parents' cemetery to worship.
It wasn't until after the Cultural Revolution that everything was back to normal, and Chen Songnian took his children to visit the grave.
After 30 years, the parents' cemetery has been completely covered with grass, and the tombstone has disappeared without a trace. After many inquiries and visits, they finally found the old farmer who carried the coffin and determined the tomb site.
In 1979, Chen Songnian, who was bent on rebuilding his parents' cemetery, finally got his wish: he rebuilt the cemetery in the name of the four sons of Yannian, Qiaonian, Songnian and Crane with the financial support of the relevant departments.
What makes Chen Songnian most happy is that this time, the real name of "Chen Duxiu" can finally be engraved on his father's tombstone, and at this time, the words on Chen Duxiu's tombstone have been changed to: "The Tomb of Chen Gongzhongfu Duxiu and His Wife Gao".
Chen Duxiu cemetery
In 1982, the Anqing municipal government renovated the tomb of Chen Duxiu, after which the tomb sat facing north and south, and was surrounded by white stone strips, and a soil ditch was built around the stone fence. At this time, Chen Duxiu's tomb was once again re-erected with a tombstone, and the words on the tombstone were: Chen Duxiu's tomb, and the back of the tombstone is the date of his birth and death.
By this time, Chen Songnian also knew that his father's tomb was no longer an ordinary family grave. Soon after that, as Chen Songnian expected, some of the crimes previously imposed on his father were denied one by one.
Since then, the smile on Chen Songnian's face has also increased more than ever, as long as he has time, he will go to his parents' grave with crutches to talk to them.
Every time Chen Songnian came to his parents' cemetery, he always seemed to have endless words. He often told his parents about the descendants of the Chen family, and he never forgot to tell them about the new era. Sometimes, he would go to his brothers' cemetery to tell them about the new era, and once the search for his niece had an eyebrow, he would tell them to them himself.
The second from the left is Chen Songnian
No matter where Chen Songnian's home moves, there are always pictures of his father and mother hanging on the walls of his home, and the photos of his father, he chose a picture from the 1920s, which was the highlight of his father's life. As for the photo of her mother, he chose a picture that she liked the most in her life, and according to her mother, the photo was taken when she and her father had the best relationship.
In 1990, Chen Songnian died of illness at the age of 80. As he left, he had a smile on his face, and his children said, "Father, though sick, walked peacefully."
Four years after Chen Songnian's death, Chen QiaoNian's daughter Chen Hong was found. Since then, Chen Hong has maintained close contacts with Chen Songnian's children.
Chen Hong took a group photo with the descendants of the Chen family
Eight years after Chen Songnian's death, Chen Duxiu's tomb was once again completely repaired.
Today, the burial ground of Chen Duxiu in the past has been opened up into Duxiu Garden, and the road to the cemetery that Chen Songnian has walked countless times has been built into a neat cement road. And the inscription in front of his father's tomb is: The tomb of Mr. Chen Duxiu...