Professor Huang Tianji of CUHK: We took care of a past affair of our teacher, Mr. Wang Jisi

Text/Huang Tianji

Recently, I often see some young people taking care of the elderly from the news screen, and I unexpectedly think of a past incident thirty years ago. In the Kangyuan Park of Sun Yat-sen University, in the late spring and March, Lingnan grass grows, miscellaneous peanut trees, and swarms of mosquitoes fly around. The most terrible thing is that there is a kind of spotted mosquito, if people are bitten by it, they will be infected with "dengue fever", if they cause complications, it is very dangerous! Unfortunately, this disease actually occurred in the home of our teacher, Professor Wang Qi (Ji Si). Teacher Wang is a well-known authority on ancient opera research, who has trained several generations of scholars and made outstanding contributions to the establishment of the opera research team of CUHK.

In 1987, the author Huang Tianji (left) discussed with Mr. Wang Jisi the issue of the compilation and selection of "Quanyuan Opera"

I remember that at the turn of the spring and summer of 1990, an alumnus came to visit and gave me two small packets of "jellyfish skins." I thought, this thing is the most suitable for wine, Teacher Wang is a "Gaoyang drunkard" who must drink at every meal, it is better to transfer it to him. The next morning, he called Teacher Wang, and he clearly replied: "Okay"! I rode there immediately.

The bicycle has just turned into the "Magang Roof", and from a distance, I saw that someone was carrying a stretcher out, and then look closely, the person carrying the stretcher was Kang Baocheng, Dong Shangde and Wang Xiaolei, the daughter of Teacher Wang. I felt a panic in my heart, Teacher Wang had just talked to me on the phone, how did something suddenly happen? Looking closer, it turned out that lying on the stretcher was Mr. Jiang Haiyan, the master's mother. I immediately jumped out of the car, and when I saw that Mr. Jiang was pale and unconscious, I hurriedly threw the bicycle aside and carried Mr. Jiang to the school's infirmary with everyone.

We carried Mr. Jiang to the hospital bed with all hands and feet, and the doctor found it inappropriate, quickly called an ambulance, and sent the patient to the emergency room of the nearby Henan Hospital in Guangzhou. After diagnosis, it is determined that it is bitten by mosquitoes, infected with "dengue fever", causing acute myocarditis, and it is necessary to rescue it immediately. However, it was too late, and at about 7 p.m., Mr. Jiang unfortunately passed away.

When we received the news, we hurried to the hospital. Let Xiao Lei, who was guarding his mother's body, not go home that night and listen to our arrangements. Because Teacher Wang was 84 years old at the time and suffered from a relatively serious heart attack, he could not imagine that Mr. Jiang had only been ill for three days, and he was still together in the morning, and he was less than ten hours away. If we tell him the unfortunate news, will he be able to withstand this sudden blow? What if something goes wrong with the heart? If you don't tell him, it's really impossible, and if you leak the news, he can't stand it. What about this? True teachings are a dilemma.

Under special circumstances, I had no choice but to inform the brothers and sisters to go to Brother Dahai's house to discuss together. Around ten o'clock in the evening, we sat around and studied two questions. First, how to tell Teacher Wang? Second, how to do things for Mr. Jiang? The key is how to let Teacher Wang's body not have special conditions and accept the unfortunate reality safely. Around this difficult problem, everyone thinks left and right, and there is no way to do anything.

Suddenly, someone proposed: Broken! Now there is only one old man left in the wang mansion, lonely and lonely, what to do? So it was decided that the youngest Shangde at that time would get on a bicycle to visit. Everyone told him that if there was no light upstairs, it meant that Teacher Wang was already asleep, then there was no need to be alarmed, and he quickly came back to report the news; if there was a light on upstairs, it meant that Teacher Wang was not sleeping, then immediately go upstairs and chat with him, stabilize him, arrange for him to rest, and call to report. Shangde didn't say a word and was ordered to rush there.

At that time, the mobile phone had not yet appeared, and I estimated that it would take about ten minutes for Shangde to ride to the Wang Mansion; if Teacher Wang slept, he would return immediately, one after another, at most half an hour. Shangde departed around twelve o'clock, and in any case, at one o'clock in the morning, we should have known the information.

Who knows, until two o'clock in the morning, Shangde has not returned. At this moment, we panicked, Shangde has always been serious about things, what is this? Think again, not good! Could it be that he had an accident on the road? Late at night flying cars, hitting something, that is really a disaster! The more we think about it, the more hairy our hearts become. I couldn't hold my breath, I was trying to let everyone go separately to find it, but I didn't know which route Shangde was taking? Just as he was hesitating, the door opened, only to see Shangde sweating profusely and just returning. It turned out that his bicycle, broken halfway through, had been tinkering for half a day, and still couldn't fix the car, so he had to walk to Teacher Wang's house. At first glance, there was no light upstairs, so I had to walk back on foot. We listened and were all relieved.

We discussed it for a while, but we still couldn't find a way to deal with it. Seeing that it was almost four o'clock, the dawn was faint, and everyone was tired, they decided to go home and rest first, and then make a decision when their minds were clearer. I got home and went to bed immediately. After getting up, I took a shower, the cold water was flushed, and suddenly the inspiration moved, and there was! I remember that two years ago, the family of a leader of the school party committee died suddenly. She suffered from heart disease, so the principal first blocked the news from her, let her go to the hospital for physical examination, and communicated with the hospital, and only informed her after preparing for rescue. This method is quite effective.

I thought, can't we do the same to Teacher Wang? The idea was decided, and I immediately asked Zhang Youfeng, the secretary of the school party committee, for instructions, who agreed with my idea and immediately notified the school doctor to cooperate. I contacted Wang Kunru, director of the school doctor's office, asked her to prepare the vehicle, and sent Teacher Wang to Henan Hospital in the name of the school's organization of the old teacher's physical examination. However, we were afraid of arousing Teacher Wang's suspicions, so we told The truth to Teacher Wang's hometown friends: Professor Liu Rong of the Department of Philosophy and Director Lian Zhen of the Library, and asked them to pretend to participate in the physical examination and go with Teacher Wang by car. At the same time, he informed Wang Xiaolei, let her go home immediately, pretended that she was okay, told Teacher Wang that her mother was also in Henan Hospital, there was no major incident, and quietly prepared items for her father to be hospitalized. Of course, we also asked the school to quickly contact Henan Hospital to inform them of their intentions.

Everything was properly arranged, and Liu and Lian got into the van and came to Teacher Wang's home together. At first, Teacher Wang really didn't want to go, but Liu and Lian told him that the old teacher's physical examination was a unified arrangement of the school, and they both had to participate, and it was not good not to go. Moreover, Jiang Haiyan also stayed there for medical treatment, and it was convenient for them to take care of each other. Teacher Wang thought about it, agreed, and got into the car with everyone. Along the way, everyone gossiped and forced a smile.

When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor was very cooperative, and first examined Liu and Lian. When it was Teacher Wang's turn, he said that he had a bad heart and liver problems, and he had to be hospitalized immediately. Teacher Wang was stunned, and we couldn't help but say that we were scared and sent him to the inpatient department. As soon as he stayed, he was going to visit his wife, and we told him that Mr. Jiang was getting better, but he couldn't interfere, so please rest assured. Teacher Wang was old, had limited mobility, and did not know which ward Mr. Jiang lived in, so he had to give up.

We returned to the school, and everyone discussed together that Mr. Jiang's memorial service should be held in six or seven days. As for when teacher Wang was told the truth, it depended on the situation. We informed the leaders of the department and asked the teachers in the department to cooperate, and we must not leak the news. On the one hand, it was decided that during Teacher Wang's hospitalization, in the morning, noon and evening, the brothers of the opera research team would take turns to accompany the attendants. In the evening, Huang Shizhong, who was unmarried at the time, and Lin Jian, who did not have to take care of the family, were responsible for the coordination of various aspects. Everyone also thought that the hospital food was not good, so they stipulated that every comrade, when it was his turn to take care of the duty, must bring nutritious soup. If there is no pot at home, I will go to a nearby restaurant to buy a cup. Due to adequate nutrition, when Teacher Wang was discharged from the hospital, his weight increased.

Teacher Wang was admitted to the hospital, and everyone was at ease. The next morning, Wang Xiaolei and I were going to work with the hospital to study the question of what method to take and at what time to "show off" to Teacher Wang. After arriving at the hospital, we first went to the ward to see Teacher Wang. As soon as he saw me, he asked, "What happened to Haiyan?" "We said that the situation was fine, and asked him to rest assured." Then hurried away.

We came out of the dean's room, and it was already eleven o'clock. I ran to the ward again to see how Teacher Wang was doing. Before entering the door, Shi Hao, who was on duty to accompany me, saw me and said to me: "Teacher Wang is very anxious, saying that Tianji is doing things, and he will never leave as soon as he comes, just now, he also wants me to look for you everywhere." "I immediately entered the ward, only to see Teacher Wang sitting on the bed, as soon as he saw me, he immediately asked Mr. Jiang which building he lived in?" Which room? I said I couldn't go, he was a little angry, or a strong request to take him to visit. This time there was trouble, I groaned for a while, crossed my heart, and simply told him that Mr. Jiang's condition had suddenly deteriorated, and he had just discussed with the doctor and had transferred her to the Provincial People's Hospital for treatment. Teacher Wang was anxious and offered to rush to see her. I immediately told him that it was impossible. Doctors would not approve him to leave and so on. In short, I made up many reasons to persuade him not to go. Teacher Wang had no choice but to obey.

I went back to school, told everyone about Teacher Wang's situation, and decided to adopt a loose and tight strategy. After a while, he said: Mr. Jiang is getting better, and the next day he said that Mr. Jiang has a problem. The news was good and bad, repeated over and over again, so that Teacher Wang had a process of mental preparation, and then seized the opportunity to tell him about the unfortunate news.

Who expected that after four days, Professor Qiu Shiyou arrived at the hospital and visited Teacher Wang directly. Teacher Qiu is an old student and colleague of Teacher Wang, he is very good at learning, but sometimes he is a bit pedantic. That day, he went to greet Teacher Wang, and the two talked. While talking, Teacher Qiu suddenly talked about Lao Zhuang's philosophy, and also talked about Zhuangzi's widowhood, drumming and singing, talking about Zhuangzi's calm attitude, and so on. Teacher Wang is such a smart person, of course, he heard the sound of the strings. At that time, the teacher and disciple on duty were shocked, but they could not stop Teacher Qiu, who was talking about it, and watched Teacher Wang silently in a daze, and could only secretly worry, but he was helpless.

It was also a coincidence that on the third day after Teacher Wang was hospitalized, an old cadre was stayed in the bed. He was the director of a certain shipyard, and during the "Cultural Revolution", he served as the leader of the workers' propaganda team at CUHK, and he also had some understanding of the situation of the school's intellectuals. He saw the busyness and various moods of our division brothers and understood them long ago. After Teacher Qiu left, in the evening, the director of the factory, who was a "patient friend", said to Teacher Wang: A year ago, when he was hospitalized for medical treatment, his old wife died. But the children kept him in the dark, and it took two months before they told him that he was dissatisfied. But looking back, the child did this for his own good, afraid that he would be sad and affect his health. The director of the factory also said: Later, I figured it out and had to accept the reality. Teacher Wang listened and nodded yes. Obviously, the director of the factory has seen everything in his eyes and has automatically helped us to do the ideological work. The disciple on duty that night quickly told us what he saw. As soon as we listened, the time came, and we immediately decided that the next day, we could explain the truth to Teacher Wang.

On that day, the hospital moved some medical equipment into the ward, and several doctors were also ready for rescue, and then, Teacher Wang's daughter Xiao Lei, dressed in black, entered the ward with Teacher Wang's close friend Director Lian Zhen, as well as me and two teachers and disciples. When Teacher Wang looked at it, he understood. Subsequently, Xiao Lei officially told him the time and scene of his mother's death, and even director Zhen simply comforted him. After a while, a doctor held Teacher Wang's hand and checked his pulse and blood pressure. Looking back, he signaled to us that there was nothing abnormal in his mind. Therefore, we only left Xiao Lei to accompany his father, and everyone silently withdrew. When he walked out of the door of the ward, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Later, I heard Xiao Lei say that Teacher Wang cried for a while and fell asleep. We know it, and we have a little peace of mind.

Although Teacher Wang's mood gradually improved, he could not be discharged from the hospital for the time being, otherwise he would see things and think of people, and his feelings would fluctuate, so everyone decided to let him continue to be hospitalized. Every day, we still work three shifts in the morning, noon and evening, taking turns to look after him, chat with him, or push a wheelchair to let him walk around and relax. At that time, the weather was getting hotter, and the afternoon attendant had to take a bath for Teacher Wang. One afternoon, it was my turn to be on duty with my brother Professor Su Huanzhong. At about four o'clock, we helped Teacher Wang into the shower room. Teacher Wang's waist and legs are inconvenient, and we dare not let him step into the bathtub, so we can only strip naked for him and let him stand under the shower. Brother Su supported his left side, who knew that Teacher Wang was tall and weighty, Brother Su was holding it up, very hard; I supported the teacher's right armpit with one hand, opened the faucet with the other hand, and rinsed and rubbed for Teacher Wang from head to toe. When we brought him back to the hospital bed, we found that we were soaked with sweat and running water, making him a chicken in soup.

After a few more days, we saw that Teacher Wang's mood had stabilized, so we consulted with his family and decided to let Teacher Wang return to his home at CUHK after being discharged from the hospital, but directly to Shenzhen, where he could continue to recuperate at the residence of his daughter Wang Lina, and then return to Kang Paradise. The idea was already decided, and he quickly asked the hospital to do a full body examination for him and prepare for the discharge procedure.

Two days later, we received the results of Teacher Wang's physical examination, and when we looked at it, it was broken! The physical examination is written: Advanced stage of stomach cancer. It is also recommended that due to the lack of facilities in this hospital, go to the Provincial People's Hospital for re-examination as soon as possible. Teacher Wang did not know anything about this matter, but we were shocked that one Buddha was born, and the second Buddha ascended to heaven, and we urgently held a meeting with Teacher Wang's children to discuss. They all decided that if the re-examination was true, they had to passively treat it, no longer operate, and let the patient die comfortably. Having said that, everyone's heart is really very sad. The old man in his eighties, with advanced cancer, seems to have run out of days!

With a feeling of uncertainty, we asked the school to prepare a car, and Professor Wang Zeke, the son of Teacher Wang, and Ouyang Guang and I, the three of us, sent Teacher Wang to the provincial medical center for review. While waiting for the result, we sat on a needle felt, and our hearts felt like there were fifteen buckets, seven up and eight down. After waiting for three hours, Teacher Wang was pushed out by the nurse. After a while, the re-inspection certificate was also obtained, and we rushed to take a look, Ouch! Amitabha! It turned out that Teacher Wang did not become cancerous at all, and everything was normal. We looked at each other and laughed. The hanging heart is like a stone falling to the ground.

Teacher Wang was hospitalized for more than 20 days. Before I was discharged from the hospital and went to Shenzhen, I called Xu Zhaohuan, the president of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Newspaper at the time, and told him: "The teacher has handed over to you." He replied in a loud voice, "No problem! On the day teacher Wang arrived in Shenzhen, Lao Xu gathered seven alumni to pick up the car. At that time, there was no elevator, so they took turns carrying Teacher Wang, and they climbed the stairs to the seventh floor where Wang Lina lived. We knew it and we were very impressed. This is the school spirit of CUHK! I hope that this school spirit of teachers and students can be carried forward and passed on for a long time.

After more than twenty days of dramatic struggle, Teacher Wang was safe and sound. We were exhausted, but we all felt it was worth it. "Disciples obey their work" is the proper meaning of Chinese. This battle, for us, is actually self-education, and everyone is more closely united, laying a solid ideological foundation for the completion of one major scientific research project after another.

◎Huang Tianji, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of the Department of Chinese, Sun Yat-sen University.