Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 514 Comrade Deng Jiaxian Will Live Forever

Upon hearing the devastating news, Liu Yimin was deeply saddened and rushed to the 301 Hospital. Many people were gathered in the hospital corridors, some wiping away tears as they emerged.

Entering Deng Lao's ward, all the windows were open, the white curtains fluttered in the wind, and the smell of disinfectant was still strong. The bed was empty, the sheets were pulled out neatly, and the quilt was placed squarely at the foot of the bed.

Some personal belongings hadn't been taken away yet, and a photo of Deng receiving the national model worker award was hanging on the wall opposite his hospital bed. That day, in order to be able to stand up to accept the medal, Deng took double the amount of painkillers.

Everyone present felt sorry for Deng Lao, and at the same time, they privately inquired about when the memorial service would be held, so that they could go and send him off on his final journey.

Liu Yimin placed a bouquet of flowers on Deng Lao's hospital bed. Wang Ganchang appeared behind Liu Yimin and gently patted him on the shoulder: "Comrade Yimin, thank you for your kindness!"

"Old Wang, when did you arrive?"

"I just arrived. Let's go. I'm feeling sad. I'm going to see Xuesen. Do you want to come with me?" Old Wang said sorrowfully.

Professor Wang and Professor Deng were both teacher and friend, working side by side and sharing a deep bond. Professor Wang not only made tremendous contributions to the nuclear industry himself, but also trained a large number of scientists for the country.

Not to mention Nobel laureate Tsung-Dao Lee, who is currently abroad, scientists such as Yu Min and Cheng Kaijia have all received his guidance.

"it is good."

After leaving the 301 Hospital, they arrived at Qian Lao's home. Upon seeing the two, Qian Lao knew their purpose: "Sit down and have a cup of tea."

Mr. Qian told them what he knew: the higher-ups were preparing to hold a memorial service for Mr. Deng, but the specific date had not yet been determined.

Then Qian showed them several foreign newspapers, and the news of Deng's death spread all over the world.

A Chinese scientific giant has passed away at the young age of 62.

The father of China's atomic bomb died young, suffering greatly from nuclear radiation.

Old Wang couldn't help but say again, "Jiaxian is only 62 years old, the prime of his life. Heaven is jealous of his talent, heaven is jealous of his talent!"

"Mr. Wang, please accept our condolences. He has passed away. All we can do is let Mr. Deng rest in peace." Mr. Qian patted Mr. Wang on the shoulder.

The area where Qian Xuesen lived was already home to many scientists, and people kept coming over. Qian Xuesen's security guard and secretary had to find a way to limit the number of guests, so Liu Yimin took the initiative to get up and say goodbye.

Old Wang also said, "Comrades, let's go back and wait for news. Don't all crowd around Comrade Xuesen."

Thus, the group of people slowly left Mr. Qian's home.

Liu Yimin returned to the courtyard house, where Cui Daoyi and a group of people who had been gathering information sat under a tree.

"Senior brother, I don't have any new information about Li Shu, Lao Huang, or Zhenyun either," Liu Yimin said.

"Sigh, what a pity, only 62 years old," Cui Daoyi said.

Li Shu sighed, "Who can argue with that? Yimin, when our editor-in-chief publishes the book 'Deng Jiaxian,' he plans to invite some of Deng's former colleagues to write a story about their time with Deng."

“That’s great. The feedback from colleagues will give readers a better understanding of Deng’s overall image. Don’t rush to publish it. I’ll revise it based on the first edition and add some content,” Liu Yimin said.

"Okay, it's time to add the following content."

Liu Yimin looked at Liu Zhenyun and asked him how the report on veterans visiting their families was going.

"I haven't finished writing it yet. I've written over two thousand words. I was just about to do an interview when I heard the news of Deng Lao's passing. I rushed over to see if there was anything we didn't know. When I arrived, I happened to run into my senior brother and Comrade Li Shu," Liu Zhenyun said slowly.

"I believe the People's Daily will report on the relevant arrangements, so we can just read the newspaper."

Liu Yimin treated them to a meal at the courtyard house. When Zhu Lin returned from work, he was also holding a large copy of the People's Daily.

In the afternoon, the old leader called Liu Yimin and asked him to go to Ji'an.

Upon meeting, not only was the old commander present, but also the defense commander, Comrade Zhang, who was holding a document and looked rather unwell.

"Yimin, the date for Comrade Jiaxian's memorial service has been set for August 3rd. Old Zhang will read the eulogy then," the old leader said.

Comrade Zhang shook Liu Yimin's hand: "Comrade Yimin, we are all very saddened by the passing of Comrade Jiaxian. Like our old leader, I have long been responsible for work in the field of national defense science and technology. Comrade Jiaxian was our close comrade-in-arms, and we are all heartbroken by his passing."

We plan to have the August First Film Studio produce a documentary and a film, with the film adapted from your non-fiction work, "Deng Jiaxian."

"Commander, I will do my best. May I attend Deng Lao's memorial service?" Liu Yimin asked.

After hearing Liu Yimin's request, Comrade Zhang was silent for a moment before saying, "Well, I agree."

"thanks, thanks!"

“Yimin, there’s no need to be so polite. You should go.” The old leader said.

Comrade Zhang had to handle the memorial service arrangements, so he left after a short stay at the Ji'an office. The old leader and Liu Yimin sat in the room and chatted for a while. Because of Deng Lao's passing, the old leader was in low spirits.

"Comrade Xu Luxi recorded Deng Xiaoping's words before his death. He instructed us, 'Don't let others leave us too far behind; do not work for fame or fortune, but strive for world-class standards in our work.' Comrade Jiaxian was a kind and honest man who never boasted among the scientists. If others were intellectual scientists, he was a peasant scientist."

The old leader slowly recalled the past, and Liu Yimin recorded all of this.

"Old Chief, don't be too sad. Deng respects you and hopes you take care of your health," Liu Yimin said.

The old commander continued slowly, "Back then, the old man entrusted me with this task. I was both excited and felt an unprecedented sense of difficulty. It was a glorious yet arduous task. We had nothing; we gathered our meager belongings and set up a platform."

At first, we thought that with the Soviet Union as our big brother, things would go quickly. Later, the Soviets left, and we had to do it ourselves. It was difficult. No experiment is successful from the start, especially with nuclear weapons and rockets; they all begin with failures. And these failures often result in enormous losses.

We proceeded with utmost caution at every step, but our nation's resources were meager, and with each failure, we felt we had let our country down.

The passing of Comrade Jiaxian is a deep sorrow in my heart, but in the cause of national defense, Comrade Jiaxian was neither the first nor the last. "With lofty aspirations, many sacrifices were made; daring to change the world."

The ringing of the phone in the office interrupted the old leader's reminiscence. Taking advantage of the moment when the old leader answered the phone, Secretary Li whispered to him, "Comrade Yimin, we can't let the old leader think about the past anymore. The old leader hasn't been feeling well lately."

"I understand."

After the old commander hung up the phone, Liu Yimin talked to him for a while about some happy things, such as the island finally agreeing to let veterans return to their hometowns to visit relatives.

Seeing that it was almost time, Liu Yimin got up to say goodbye.

The old commander asked Secretary Li to escort Liu Yimin to the door. Secretary Li then told Liu Yimin about the old commander's health condition. Years of fighting and hard work had caused him many health problems, including heart disease and other troublesome illnesses such as prostatitis.

"Goodbye, Secretary Li," Liu Yimin said.

Secretary Li nodded and said, "Comrade Yimin, please drive carefully."

After receiving the assignment to shoot a documentary and film about Deng Xiaoping, Liu Peiran from the August First Film Studio immediately went to find Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin was working on the follow-up revisions to "Deng Jiaxian" when Liu Peiran asked, "Yimin, when will you be able to finish revising this novel?"

"It will take about two days, mainly to fill in the gaps in the story from when Deng Lao fell ill until his death," Liu Yimin said.

Liu Peiran then asked when the script could be adapted: "Comrade Zhang called me personally today, telling us that we must make sure the documentary and the movie are well made. This is a strict order."

"As for the script, the earliest it will be available is mid-August." Liu Yimin pondered for a moment and gave Liu Peiran a relatively accurate date.

"Mid-month, okay, I'll try my best. I'll go back to the factory and immediately find a director and actors. The documentary filming will also refer to your factual manuscript, but it will mainly be based on Deng Lao's true deeds."

As soon as Liu Peiran got the exact time, he rushed back to the August First Film Studio. Several good directors from the studio, such as Li Jun, Zhai Junjie, and Wei Lian, were sent out, and the selection of directors was also a difficult problem.

After seeing Liu Peiran off, Liu Yimin was about to sit down and write when the phone rang again. The voice was unfamiliar to him.

"Comrade Yimin, I'm from the research institute, my surname is Hou. I'm calling to ask if you have any solo photos of Elder Deng?" Liu Yimin thought for a moment: "I'm sorry, I really don't have any, only a few group photos. What are these for?"

"We haven't found a suitable portrait for Mr. Deng yet. We have a few color ones, but they're not appropriate. I'd like to find a suitable one to enlarge and hang up."

“Well, there should be a suitable photo in Deng’s file,” Liu Yimin said.

When registering files, a suitable photo must be attached, which can be enlarged and used.

"Oh, Comrade Yimin, your words have awakened me from my dream. I'll go check the archives of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense right now." The other party said 'thank you' and hung up the phone.

Liu Yimin spent a day and a half revising "Deng Jiaxian" and sent the entire manuscript to People's Literature Publishing House for review.

Wei Junyi, the president of People's Literature Publishing House, called Liu Yimin to his office to inquire about Deng Lao's whereabouts.

"Sister Wei, the news about Elder Deng is in the newspaper," Liu Yimin said honestly.

Wei Junyi asked, "Are you going to the memorial service?"

"Go ahead. How did things go with your invitation to Old Deng?"

“They’ve been very busy lately, so I’ll invite them after the memorial service. Yimin, you know Deng Lao quite well, could you recommend a few names to us?” Wei Junyi asked.

Liu Yimin took the pen and paper from Wei Junyi and quickly wrote down a few names. Some of Deng Lao's colleagues had not yet been declassified, but Wang Ganchang's identity gradually became public around 78, so it was worth trying to invite him.

"Yang Zhenning?" Wei Junyi was a little surprised by the name "Yang Zhenning" after reading the list written by Liu Yimin.

"Give it a try. Professor Yang and Professor Deng are good friends. Maybe he'll be willing to write something."

Wei Junyi nodded and said, "Okay, I'll have someone write a letter to Professor Yang, and make sure the publisher and your name are included in the letter."

"no problem."

"Is tomorrow Deng Lao's memorial service?" Wei Junyi asked.

Liu Yimin said, "It will be held at Babaoshan tomorrow afternoon."

Before attending the memorial service, Liu Yimin prepared a funeral couplet:
Working in anonymity, forging a nuclear shield in the Gobi Desert, their meritorious deeds will be remembered for eternity.

Dedicated to the country, their loyalty shines through history; their exemplary conduct will live on forever. [Two Bombs Medal]

On the afternoon of August 3, Liu Yimin brought elegiac couplets to Babaoshan Cemetery to attend Deng Lao's memorial service.

The memorial hall is adorned with a eulogy written by Deng Lao's father-in-law: "I am deeply saddened by Jiaxian's passing."

The memorial hall was packed with people, mostly experts in the field of defense science and technology or military personnel, apart from relatives.

The grieving Professor Xu Luxi stood in front, supported by her son Deng Zhiping.

Professors Liu Yimin and Wang Ganchang stood to one side. As the memorial service began, Comrade Zhang stepped forward to read the eulogy:

"Today, with heavy hearts, we deeply mourn the passing of this outstanding worker and brilliant representative of Chinese intellectuals who selflessly and fearlessly dedicated his life to my country's nuclear weapons program."
We mourn him, and we must turn our grief into strength. We must learn from his spirit of dedication—his willingness to lead from the front, his courage to shoulder risks, his selflessness and tireless struggle for the prosperity of our motherland and the development of national defense scientific research—
We must carry on his unfinished work, redouble our efforts, and continue to strive and forge ahead for the great cause of the modernization of our motherland and for scaling new heights in science and technology!
Comrade Deng Jiaxian will live forever in our hearts!

As Comrade Zhang finished speaking, the somber atmosphere at the scene intensified. Under the guidance of the host, everyone stepped forward to see Deng Xiaoping one last time.

Liu Yimin walked over to Professor Xu Luxi and said, "Professor Xu, please accept my condolences! Comrade Zhiping, please accept my condolences!"

"Yimin, thank you for coming, thank you!" Professor Xu Luxi said, shaking Liu Yimin's hand.

Liu Yimin gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, whispered a few words to Professor Xu Luxi, and then returned to the crowd.

At the same time, the people of Mianyang, Sichuan Province, are also deeply mourning Deng Lao. The Ninth Institute where Deng Lao worked for a long time had its offices in Zitong, Mianyang, Sichuan Province for a long time. Zitong County has carved a stone tablet in memory of Deng Lao on Changqing Mountain.

As the hearse left the memorial hall, it slowly drove away amidst the farewells of the crowd.

Wang Ganchang patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder: "Yimin, the future of the country rests on the shoulders of young people like you."

"Professor Wang, you are still in good health. You should continue to lead the young scientists forward."

"As for me, it would be enough if I could train more students, sigh!"

At the entrance of the memorial hall, Liu Yimin brought up the idea of ​​the People's Literature Publishing House. Old Wang said, "I'll write it down and send it to the publishing house. The August First Film Studio is going to make a movie, so you have to keep an eye on it and make sure it's a good one."

"Don't worry, the August First Film Studio has given their assurance. If they don't do a good job, the General Political Department won't let them off the hook," Liu Yimin said.

Liu Yimin and Professor Wang returned to the vicinity of Yenching University, where Professor Wang's home was nearby. Liu Yimin did not go straight home, but instead made a detour to the Institute of Literature.

The thesis by Dai Jianye and others should be completed soon; this group of people will be returning home soon.

Upon arriving at the Institute of Literature, they found them listening to the news; the radio was broadcasting a Xinhua News Agency report stating, "He was one of the founders and pioneers of my country's nuclear weapons theoretical research, and one of the main organizers and leaders in the technological development of nuclear weapons in my country."

Seeing Liu Yimin wearing a black Zhongshan suit, Dai Jianye and the others knew that Liu Yimin had just attended Deng Lao's memorial service.

Liu Yimin interrupted their cacophony of questions: "Old Deng's life was a magnificent one. Comrades, although we are liberal arts teachers, we should also learn from this spirit."

You will all become professors in the future, and I hope you will approach Chinese literature with a rigorous research spirit and treat your students with a scientific academic attitude.

Liu Yimin collected and reviewed the papers of Dai Jianye, Yi Zhongtian, and Liang Yong'an, while the remaining students were supervised by other professors.

As the research institute was about to close, Liu Yimin asked, "The cafeteria wasn't open during the summer vacation. Did you eat well?"

“We eat out for all three meals a day, and sometimes Professor Wu will invite us to his home for dinner,” Yan Zhen said.

"So many of you are having dinner at Professor Wu's house?"

“Sometimes, Professor Wu is very enthusiastic, and we feel that it’s inappropriate,” Dai Jianye said.

"Yan Zhen, give each teacher an extra twenty yuan for meals," Liu Yimin said.

"Ok."

"Go out and eat, everyone. If you're bored, stay in the institute and read some books." After saying this, Liu Yimin packed his paper into his bag and prepared to leave the Institute of Literature.

They finished get off work at 5:30, and since they weren't hungry, they chatted in the office for a while before going to eat.

Liu Yimin rode his motorcycle to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to pick up some things. When he returned to the courtyard, it was already seven o'clock.

CCTV's evening news was broadcasting news about Deng Xiaoping's memorial service. Liu Fuqing sighed, "Back then, they said we had built an atomic bomb. The brigade's broadcasts were going on for days. I never imagined it was this old comrade who built it."

"Deng Lao was one of the representatives, and this project was accomplished by countless people," Liu Yimin explained.

The news broadcast included a segment about the island at the end, reporting that 100,000 applications for returning to visit relatives were being accepted. On the first day, more than 1,000 people applied, and the number doubled on the second day. It was predicted that all 100,000 applications would be claimed within half a month.

The island also provides special subsidies for veterans returning home, converting the land granted under the original "land grant certificate" into cash as funds for their return.

The funds from the Veterans Returning Home Foundation serve as a supplement; veterans in particularly poor circumstances can apply, and those separated from their families can also register for assistance in finding them.

In the news footage, veterans wearing white shirts with the words "Finally I can go home" and "I want to go home to see my mother" were gathered around the application window. The veterans who received their application forms were overjoyed and wept, and some even wailed on the spot.

These images were taken by international media and directly used by CCTV.

(End of this chapter)