In 1953, when Chen Xiyong, who was only 20 years old, was working at the Yiyuan County Hospital in Shandong Province, he accidentally saw a special patient. He had no legs or feet, and even his eyesight seemed to be somewhat impaired, but even though confined to this mutilated body, he still stood upright, neatly wearing his prosthetic limbs, and walked slowly through the hallway step by step.
Seeing this touching scene, Chen Xiyong's heart seemed to be held tightly in his hands. The lonely figure seems to be falling down at any time, which also makes Chen Xiyong unforgettable. After some inquiry, Chen Xiyong learned that this figure came from Zhu Yanfu, a veteran from Zhangjiaquan Village.
It just so happened that Chen Xiyong's uncle Wu Xiande worked in the local ** and knew Zhu Yanfu's story well. So, Chen Xiyong found her uncle and wanted to understand this strong but fragile person.
Looking at his niece's serious eyes, Wu Xiande sighed helplessly and began to tell the story of Zhu Yanfu. Zhu Yanfu's life has always been full of hardship, and at the age of fourteen, he signed up for the army.
After the outbreak of the Korean War, Zhu Yanfu also followed the troops across the Yalu River and rushed to the front line. During the Battle of Changjin Lake, Zhu Yanfu was hit by a bullet in his left eye and abdomen, and he fell unconscious due to excessive blood loss.
And after this battle, Zhu Yanfu, who was only seventeen years old, turned out to be the only survivor in the team.
Zhu Yanfu suffered severe frostbite due to long-term hypothermia and severe frostbite, and his limbs were severely necrotic. In order to save his life, doctors had to amputate his leg and remove ulcerated flesh below the knee and above the wrist.
He was also hit by a bullet and his left eyeball was knocked flying, leaving only 0 vision in his right eye3。Although he experienced multiple life-threatening and resuscitations, he eventually survived and regained consciousness.
Faced with such a physical condition, he had thoughts of ending his life, but in the end he realized that he was not only living for himself, but also for the comrades who died for him and the medical staff who did their best to save him.
He decided to repay them not only by living, but also by living wonderfully.
After listening to Wu Xiande's story, Chen Xiyong was deeply moved, and tears couldn't stop falling. Soon after, after Wu Xiande's introduction, they officially met. As time passed, their understanding deepened day by day, and the organization was ready to arrange a marriage partner for Zhu Yanfu, and Wu Xiande thought of Chen Xiyong.
After Chen Xiyong heard her uncle's suggestion, she agreed very much, and she had a good impression of Zhu Yanfu. However, Zhu Yanfu, who heard the news, had a different idea, he resolutely rejected Wu Xiande, although he also liked Chen Xiyong very much, but he couldn't let his physical condition drag her down.
After Chen Xiyong learned of Zhu Yanfu's thoughts, he plucked up the courage to find him and said: "I am also a working person, I am not afraid of hardship, what does it matter if you don't have eyes and hands and feet, from now on, I will be your eyes and hands and feet." ”
Under Wu Xiande's arrangement, the two got married in September 1955. Although he was prepared to live together, when Chen Xiyong first came to Zhangjiaquan Village with Zhu Yanfu, he was shocked by the poverty here.
The village is small and dilapidated, with no water or electricity, and the roads are bumpy. However, these harsh conditions did not make her complain or retreat, but made her feel more distressed about Zhu Yanfu.
Chen Xiyong made up his mind not only to take care of Zhu Yanfu's small family, but also to help Zhu Yanfu build his hometown. Since then, she has not only taken on the responsibility of taking care of Zhu Yanfu's daily life, but also served as a laborer in the family like a man, pushing a bulky cart to work in the fields every day.
Despite living in poverty, she never complained. The two work together to build their colorful lives and also have several adorable children. The arrival of a newborn undoubtedly brings them joy, but it also adds to the stress of life, and sometimes, they have to eat leaves to fill their stomachs.
Chen Xiyong often felt tired from long-term hunger, so in order to help Zhu Yanfu at night, she put a bottle of liquor at the bedside and took a sip to recover her strength when needed.
Despite living in poverty, the couple's income is not low. This is because our country has always attached great importance to the lives of veterans, especially fighters like Zhu Yanfu who have made significant contributions to the country.
At that time, although Zhu Yanfu could get a pension of 36 yuan a month, he and his wife were a little "calculating" in treating themselves and their families. Children have to help their parents from an early age, feed the pigs after school, and go up the mountain to cut pigweed, rain or shine.
Once, Zhu Yanfu's daughter received a few corns from her cousin when she was working, and Zhu Yanfu insisted that her daughter return it after learning about it, and taught the children not to accept gifts from villagers and not to use their status as village party secretary to make things special.
Although the children did not understand it at the time, they soon understood their father's intentions and became more cautious about their actions. Although the labor is hard, everyone feels spiritually rich and happy.
So, Zhu Yanfu's family's pension is used for **? It turned out that whenever a villager in Zhangjiaquan Village encountered difficulties, Zhu Yanfu would not hesitate to lend a hand.
Once, when a villager's son had pneumonia and the family had no money to pay for medical expenses, Zhu Yanfu learned about it and immediately sent ten yuan so that the child could be hospitalized in time.
At the same time, Zhu Yanfu and his wife often take in villagers who come to beg, and even if they are hungry, they will let the guests at home eat delicious meals.
And when the guests wanted to repay them, the two resolutely refused, saying that as long as they could live a happy life, it would be the best reward for them. In this way, Zhu Yanfu's pension is always "spent" quickly.
However, Chen Xiyong is very supportive of her husband's work, and she often walks and chats with the villagers in her spare time, taking the opportunity to learn about the villagers' family situation.
Chen Xiyong is Zhu Yanfu's right-hand man, no matter how big or small, she will carefully record it, so that Zhu Yanfu will know it immediately when he returns home. If Zhu Yanfu is busy with work, she will also help the villagers solve problems herself.
Whenever he sees his wife's help, Zhu Yanfu will think of the fact that she once said that she wanted to be a confession of her eyes and hands and feet, and her heart was both moved and happy. In addition to helping the villagers, Zhu Yanfu also devoted himself to the infrastructure construction of Zhangjiaquan Village, and even used his pension to subsidize the places that needed funds.
He always insisted on serving the people wholeheartedly, and as early as when he returned to his hometown from the battlefield, he made up his mind to lead the villagers out of poverty. He used the compensation money given to him by the organization to buy more than 200 books, converted one of his houses into a library, and invited villagers to borrow them for free.
With his efforts, not only the lives of every villager have been cared for, but the construction of the village has also become better and better.
Zhu Yanfu founded a night school in Zhangjiaquan Village, and became the principal and teacher himself, hoping that the villagers could change their fate by learning cultural knowledge. However, due to his mother's elderly age and the family's need to take care of him, his tasks were unusually heavy.
Soon after, the old disease** was admitted to the hospital. At the hospital, he met his wife, Chen Xiyong, and with her help, he was able to resume his old job and do more for his fellow villagers.
With the support of his wife, Zhu Yanfu decided to contribute more to his hometown, knowing that Zhangjiaquan Village was not only short of materials, but also lacked arable land and water and electricity, and that these problems needed to be solved as soon as possible to improve the lives of the villagers.
Deeply encouraged, the villagers, under the leadership of Zhu Yanfu, actively threw themselves into the work of reclaiming wasteland, and in a short period of time, the cultivated land area of the village increased by more than 200 mu.
With the improvement of cultivated land utilization, it has become a top priority to solve the problem of irrigation water. Although Zhu Yanfu does not understand architectural design, he has come up with a set of effective solutions based on his years of experience in rural life and in-depth understanding of land.
Zhu Yanfu realized that professional things should be done by professional people, so he hired water conservancy design experts in the town to plan and build irrigation ditches for the village.
At the same time, he led the villagers to look for water sources and dig wells, improving their living water conditions. Thanks to his unremitting efforts, Zhangjiaquan Village not only has its own farmland irrigation facilities, but also drills nine clear wells to successfully solve the water problem.
In addition, Zhu Yanfu's personal practice has also prompted all localities to connect this small village to the power grid, so that the electricity can be transmitted to every villager's home. When the villagers saw the lights on for the first time, they were moved to tears.
Over the years, Zhu Yanfu has used his mutilated body to walk on rugged country roads step by step, and although the junction of the prosthetic leg and the broken leg is often bloodied when he returns home, he has never had the idea of giving up.
Chen Xiyong understood her husband's determination and never persuaded him, but silently bandaged Zhu Yanfu's wounds when he came home, and even if he shed tears in distress, he always silently supported him.
Under Chen Xiyong's careful care, Zhu Yanfu was not only taken care of very well, but his elderly mother and family were also well arranged. Zhu Yanfu often said: "It is my wife's help that allows me to do so many things, and 90% of the credit belongs to my wife." ”
In 2010, Zhu Yanfu's beloved wife Chen Xiyong gradually became seriously ill due to years of hard work, and even at the last moment of her life, she still thought about her husband. Before she died, she also got up to cover her husband with a quilt, but eventually lost her strength and closed her eyes forever.
Chen Xiyong's death hit Zhu Yanfu very hard, he didn't eat or drink all day, only stayed in front of his wife's bed. Despite having multiple children, Zhu Yanfu still insisted on wearing linen and filial piety for his wife.
Zhu Yanfu resolutely wore linen and filial piety, showing the world his deep love for his wife. He knew that without his wife, he would not be where he is today. He told people with practical actions that rules are dead, feelings are alive, and that we should respect and honor those who have a significant impact on our lives.