Nanxun Ancient Town has three beauty, one is the beauty of the environment, the small bridge and the flowing water, the simplicity is permeated with tranquility and nobility; the second is the cultural beauty, thousands of years of precipitation and development, its lake pen, lake silk is famous at home and abroad, its rich world; the third is the beauty of talents, where the talents are abundant, the combination of East and West, the writer Xu Chi is one of them.
One day in December 1996, the weather was particularly cold.
An 82-year-old man, smiling, on a hospital bed, told his family to bring him some thick clothes and asked if the family's fuel heater cost electricity.
After his loved ones left, he lay quietly on the bed, his eyes shining, staring out the window, for a long time...
Late that night, the nurse on duty came to check the room with a flashlight, and when she walked to the bed of the elderly, she did not see anyone.
This can upset the nurse.
She searched every corner and went to the toilet again, but she still couldn't find it; when she returned, an old man in the same ward pointed out the window to her. The nurse came to the window, looked down, and began to cry.
This old man, at the age of 82, chose to jump off the building and ended his life.
He is the famous writer Xu Chi.
For his death, the Chinese people are deeply saddened; but for his words, the Chinese people have always remembered him vividly.
Perhaps, the way Xu Lao ended his life is difficult for our descendants to understand, but the literary wealth he left us is enough to benefit us a lot. In his last long book, "Jiangnan Town", I seem to see an elderly man sitting hard in front of the computer, using 66 "crystal crystals" in one breath to tell his strong attachment to his hometown...
Nanxun, a small town in Jiangnan, is the hometown of the writer Xu Chi.
It is said that Jiangnan produces beautiful women, but in addition to producing beautiful women, Nanxun Ancient Town also "rich" rich merchants; the famous "four elephants, eight cattle and seventy-two golden dogs" in history refers to the rich merchants in Nanxun.
The Xu family is listed in the "Seventy-Two Golden Dogs".
At the same time, the Xu family, which has lived in Nanxun for generations, is not only rich, but also very talented. Xu Chi's ancestors were Zhongjuren, Xiucai, Taisheng, and Guosheng... It's really talented, and the poetry is fragrant.
The teenager Xu Chi was influenced by the "Lake Pen" culture of Nanxun outside and nurtured by the family culture on the inside, and soon grew into a learned and ambitious patriotic literary youth.
Since he was 18 years old in college, Xu Chi began to publish prose and poetry, embarked on the road of professional literary creation, and published many popular novels, essays and poems.
In 1946, Xu Chi, who had become famous, returned to his hometown of Nanxun and became a teacher with peace of mind; 3 years later, he personally led a group of students to Huzhou to meet the People's Liberation Army, witnessed the quaint hometown, and maintained a unique integrity and peace in the years of war and chaos.
"What a beautiful morning! The roadside was full of wildflowers, and I walked along, picking them until I had a large bouquet of brilliant, colorful, and beautiful flowers in my hand. This is the first PLA I've ever met. ”
I think that the purity and integrity of Xu Chi's body always carries the agility of his hometown, it is like a mother who is sincere and kind, gentle and strong, guiding the Nanxun teenagers to bravely pursue their dreams and greet the spring that belongs to the Chinese.
Teenager Xu Chi
After the founding of New China, the whole country was a thriving scene, and people's hearts were not only excited, but also full of expectations for a new life.
Of course, Xu Chi is no exception.
He left his hometown and went to Beijing to attend the first Wendai meeting, looking forward to the prosperity of the motherland's culture again. With a pen that can produce flowers, he bravely took several "first steps".
Xu Chi's English was very good, and in his early years he translated overseas masterpieces such as Walden, Tolstoy's Turn, and The Fall of Paris, so after he arrived in Beijing, he was responsible for editing the English journal "People's China".
It can be said that Xu Chi was the person in charge of the first batch of foreign publications after the founding of New China.
In 1950, when the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea broke out, Xu Chi went to the front twice and wrote battlefield communications such as "The Bombed Witness of Pyongyang" and "Walking Through the Ravaged Land" in the midst of the war, conveying a lot of first-hand information to the people.
As a literati, it is admirable that he is brave enough to do so.
In 1957, he and Zang Kejia co-founded the journal "Poetry Journal", which represents the highest level of Chinese poetry, inspiring people to write poetry; four years later, in order to support the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, he moved his family to Wuhan and went deep into the Yangtze River water conservancy site to work and live.
In Elder Xu's body, you see not only a literati, but also a fighter running on the front line.
Ten years later, the literary circle was dead, Xu Lao broke the stereotype and used a reportage "Goldbach Conjecture", which made scientists enter the public eye for the first time. Mathematician Chen Jingrun, geologist Li Siguang, botanist Cai Xitao, physicist Zhou Peiyuan... A diligent and dedicated scientist, in his pen, suddenly has a three-dimensional sense.
Of course, his focus is not only on those who give selflessly, but also on the obscure homeland that has always given him strength in life.
In 1989, the 75-year-old Xu Lao, forced himself to learn the computer, slowly typed word by word on the keyboard, and finally wrote a long autobiographical novel "Jiangnan Town".
Four years later, "Jiangnan Town" was published, and the ancient town of Nanxun, which had been quiet for a long time, was once again well known.
This crystal town, Reflection of crystal crystals. Reflect this crystal world! This is Oh, this is my crystal crystal hometown!
"Jiangnan Town" is the last work of Xu Lao's life. The heart of the wanderer, the homesickness, jumped on the paper.
In this work, Xu Lao used his familiar writing to write about the rare beauty of his hometown, not only the quiet landscape scenery, the exquisite stone arch bridge, but also the ancient buildings rich in cultural heritage, such as Xiaolianzhuang, Jiayetang Library, Liu's Ladder, Zhang Jingjiang's Former Residence, Nanxun Wenyuan... Each view is charming, and in addition to the beauty, it also has the aroma of books.
At the same time, Elder Xu looked back on the first half of his life. During the war years, he went to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Chongqing, went into exile, worried about his country and home, and hoped that the world would return to the right path at an early date.
Perhaps, in the chaotic world, returning to one's hometown is the best way to make the soul peaceful.
Therefore, after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he resolutely returned to his hometown where he had been separated for a long time and became a teacher. However, Xu Chi, who has a deep patriotic feeling, only stayed in his hometown for 3 years, and then hurried north again to do his best for the society and life.
For him, his hometown has always been in his heart, but it has always been far away.
Therefore, "Jiangnan Town" is Xu Lao's autobiography, but also his attachment to his hometown, but also his gratitude and pride in his hometown. Perhaps countless times, he gently called in his heart: such a beautiful place is my hometown!
And Xu Lao's Nanxun has become more charming and colorful.
Perhaps, it is Xu Chi who has achieved the good name of Nanxun; at the same time, it is also Nanxun that has achieved Xu Chi's brilliant life.
(I am @ Yizi reading, welcome to follow me, read other people's stories together on the road of life, and learn to grow up.) ）