This morning, I opened the WeChat group of middle school students and saw a message that people couldn't believe:
"Obituary: Our classmate Comrade Zhang Yongliang died of illness yesterday, and a memorial service will be held at Taikang's home tomorrow.
The message was sent by my middle school teacher at the same table, and the same table and Yongliang lived in the same dormitory when they were studying. I read it again and unpluged the phone at the same table. At the same table, it was a sudden illness yesterday, and a few days ago, the two of them had contacted by phone.
Throughout the day, my mind flashed over and over again the image of a tall, thin, capable, smiling, seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy in a blue sports school uniform.
One
In September 1991, after graduating from junior high school, we came to Huaiyang Normal School in Henan Province to study. Everyone was only fourteen or fifteen years old. There are 50 students in the class, from Huaiyang County, Taikang County, Luyi County and Yancheng County in the Zhoukou region.
At the beginning, everyone was a nostalgic person, and the students in the same county played better. The curriculum of the middle school is not intense, pays attention to all-round development, and pursues quality education. Zhang Yongliang loves sports and often plays with his classmates on the basketball court. And I, am a lazy person by nature, do not like sports, we do not have much intersection.
For a while, the attendance in the class was very difficult to manage, and the attendance class leader changed several stubbles, and the class teacher was not satisfied. Finally, the class teacher finally saw the talent and appointed Zhang Yongliang. In the last few semesters, his work was done by him every day in the roll call and counting the number of people. Yongliang lectures on morality, but can adhere to principles, and be the deputy class leader until graduation.
Two
In the first year of school, the school holds a sports day. The sports commissioner said the school requires every student in the class to sign up for a project.
My physical education really wasn't good, and I had just passed the 100m qualifying exam at the end of the semester. To make up the numbers, I reported an 800-meter run. Zhang Yongliang reported 1000 meters.
Zhang Yongliang told me that 800 meters and 1000 meters are race endurance, we must insist, even if we can't get the rank, we must persist to the end, we must run to the finish line. He also encouraged each other in Lu Xun's words: In the arena, only those who, although they fell behind, struggled to run more than to the end are the real backbone of the Chinese nation.
The 800m race is scheduled on the first day and the 1000m race is scheduled on the third day. As soon as the starting gun sounded, everyone rushed to the front, and my rhythm was really not good, and I was left far behind. However, thinking of Yongliang's encouragement, I insisted on running the last lap. Feeling so faceless, I went home. This was the only time in my three years that I participated in the Games.
Three days later, when I came back from home, I asked Yongliang how many places you ran. He said that he had just run the first lap of 200 meters, fell a lot, and gave up not to run. I said at the time, say good to the end, you don't do the "real backbone"?
Now that I think about it, it was such an encouragement that I remembered my athletic career without a small regret.
Three
In 1994, the Spring Festival began, and graduates began internships. Our class was assigned to three places: Persimmon Garden Primary School, Huaishifu Primary School and Dongguan Primary School in the west of Huaiyang.
Zhang Yongliang and I, along with more than a dozen classmates, were assigned to Dongguan Primary School. I remember that Dongguan Primary School is about seven or eight miles away from Huaishi. Every day, everyone rode a large rack of bicycles brought from home and traveled between the two schools. At that time, Zhang Yongliang was a class cadre, on the way back and forth, he cared more about taking care of everyone and was responsible for communicating with the teachers of the internship school.
After the internship of about a month, we also took a group photo with Teacher Zhang who led the team on the Huaishi campus. In this photo, everyone is laughing, Yongliang wears a white shirt, and the smile is the brightest.
Four
One evening before graduation, after dinner, on the side of the avenue in front of the basketball court in front of the school's girls' dormitory, Yongliang, Xiaofang, I and two classmates chatted together.
It's almost graduation, and the final exams are all formalities. At this time, a middle-aged man came to ask for directions, saying that he was from Zhengzhou, an editor of a newspaper, who was entrusted by a friend to see his friend's daughter, and we gave him directions. He told us that you are all smart students, and if you go to high school, you will definitely be admitted to a good university. He also gave us a business card for each of us. The first time I saw a well-printed business card, I kept it for a while.
The man was gone, and we chatted without a word.
When it comes to the future, everyone is most concerned about their own future. At the beginning, many of the students who took the middle school entrance examination together, many students who went to high school, were about to take the college entrance examination. They can go to college, but we're assigned to teach in rural schools.
I clearly remember, Yongliang said, after graduation, go home to teach a book, it is not bad, at least, we are old, have a pension, do not have to spend children's money, do not let them bother.
Five
In 2014, at the 20th anniversary of graduation, I met Yongliang.
Yongliang has become fat, still talking and laughing.
At that time, he learned some basic information, and since graduating from the middle school, he has been teaching in the rural school under Taikang. Now, he is the principal of a rural primary school. Yongliang said, go to Taikang to say a word, drink a cup, we are not far away.
A few days ago, passing by Taikang, I saw a middle school teacher, and he said that he would call several of Taikang's classmates over and get together for a little while.
Because there are things to deal with, I told my classmates, next time, I will come to Taikang many times in the past two years, make an appointment in advance, and drink more. Now that I think about it, how I should meet!
A classmate who read a doctorate said that I have attended the middle school teacher, the college, the undergraduate, the master's and the doctorate, and the experience that is worth remembering and feeling most intimate is still the time of the middle school teacher.
Three years of middle school, Yongliang and I, each other is not the best classmate, but the three-year relationship, is a brotherly feeling, the thickness is not important, the important thing is to have an eternal innocence. This innocence is that ten years do not meet, twenty years do not meet, fifty years do not meet, only need to dial a phone, send a message, can have family feelings and weight.
When people reach middle age and die suddenly, the losses to their families, units, education and this society are huge. I can't remember, the above bits and pieces, I only hope that the living will mourn and forever go all the way!
Huai shi for three years, the love of classmates is true, it is difficult to find true brothers in the world;
Teaching all his life, dying young, the pulpit often remembers the teacher!