Preface:
In 1950, after Mao Anying returned to Beijing to attend her grandmother's 80th birthday, she brought Mao Zedong a surprising news: Some people wanted Mao Zedong to repay his previous debts. When
heard the news, scenes from the past came to mind. After a long silence, Mao Zedong sighed and said:
"I'm afraid I won't be able to repay this debt in my lifetime."
What kind of debt did Mao Zedong owe, and why did he entrust Mao Anying to collect the debt? Why did Mao Zedong say that the debt owed could not be repaid?
Let’s start with Yang and Xiang.
1. Revolutionary martyr
Yang Changji was Mao Zedong’s teacher and father-in-law. His wife Xiang Zhenxi was Mao Zedong’s mother-in-law and Yang Kaihui’s mother.
It can be said that under the influence of Mao Zedong, many martyrs came out of the Yang and Xiang families.
In addition to Yang Kaihui, Yang Kaiming and Yang Zhan of the Yang family all gave their lives for the revolution.
Yang Kaiming is Yang Kaihui's cousin. He began to participate in the peasant movement in 1925 and became a member of the Communist Party a year later. Following Mao Zedong's footsteps, he participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising, and finally came to Jinggangshan to establish a revolutionary base.
Unfortunately, he was betrayed by a traitor and dedicated his life to the revolution at the age of 25.
Yang Zhan is the niece of Yang Kaihui and the daughter of Yang Kaizhi (the son of Yang Changji).
Yang Kaihui's sacrifice greatly touched Yang Zhan, and allowed him, who was only ten years old, to recognize the ugly face of the Kuomintang reactionaries. From then on, a revolutionary fire was planted in her heart.
htmlWhen he was 18 years old, Yang Zhan went to the revolutionary holy land of Yan'an, where he actively organized and participated in college student revolutionary activities and fought against Japanese invaders and reactionaries.During a transfer process, Yang Zhan accidentally fell into the cliff. By the time medical staff arrived, Yang Zhan was already dying.
"Leave me alone, move everyone quickly, and tell my family the news of my sacrifice after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War."
In the next few years, Yang Kaizhi had no news about his daughter. It was not until he asked Mao Zedong that he learned that his daughter had sacrificed .
Xiang Jun, Yang Kaihui's cousin, became a party member under the influence of Mao Zedong. He organized and led many peasant uprisings and was a revolutionary youth who was looked down upon by Mao Zedong.
was also betrayed by a traitor and died heroically in the end.
On Mao Zedong's revolutionary road, the support of the Xiang and Yang families was even more unforgettable for Mao Zedong.
2. Support for the revolution
As Mao Zedong’s mentor, Yang Changji not only helped Mao Zedong in his studies, but also gave Mao Zedong meticulous care in life. When
married Yang Kaihui, Yang Changji had already passed away due to illness. It was Yang Changji's wife, Xiang Zhenxi, who presided over the wedding for them and took care of Yang Kaihui's three children.
After Yang Kaihui died heroically, Mao Anying and others continued to return to their grandmother. It wasn't until the organization sent someone to greet me that I parted ways with my grandmother.
In addition to Xiang Zhenxi, her eldest sister Xiang Zhenkai also gave Mao Zedong great support.
Xiang Zhenkai's experience was full of hardships. He experienced the pain of losing his husband and his son one after another. Only his daughter Zhong Jinhuai was always by his side.
Xiang Zhenkai has always been full of love for Yang Kaihui, his niece. When he heard that Mao Zedong needed funds for his activities, Xiang Zhenkai raised 2505 silver dollars from all over the place and gave them to Yang Kaihui together.
After Yang Kaihui was killed, Xiang Zhenkai was unable to take care of Yang Kaihui's funeral due to physical reasons, so he specially took out 100 silver dollars and asked others to take care of Yang Kaihui's funeral.
However, Mao Zedong had been busy with national affairs, and the current situation was turbulent and lacked contact, so he did not pay back the debt for a while.
After the founding of New China, Xiang Zhenkai's health deteriorated, and then debt collection was put on the agenda.
3. Mao Anying congratulated her grandmother on her birthday and collected debts for Zhong Jinhuai
After Mao Zedong became the president of the country, Xiang Zhenkai suffered from serious health problems. And because the family situation is not very good, there is no money for treatment.
During a trip to the Northeast, Zhong Jinhuai thought of the money owed by Mao Zedong, and came up with the idea of asking the chairman to pay back the money.
It’s not that Zhong Jinhuai is stingy, but that his family really has no money. If Mao Zedong could pay back part of the debt, not only would the money for his mother's medical treatment be settled, but some of it would also be left to take care of his mother's funeral.
After thinking for a long time, Zhong Jinhuai plucked up the courage to issue a certificate, and took this certificate to the relevant department to explain the situation.
But for some reason, Zhong Jinhuai was stopped from coming to collect debts. Mao Zedong never knew about this news, so Zhong Jinhuai gave up the idea of collecting debts.
Not long after, Xiang Zhenxi celebrated his 80th birthday, and Zhong Jinhuai finally had an opportunity to settle the debt.
Mao Zedong was full of guilt and remorse for the sacrifice of Yang Kaihui. He also remembered the care he gave to the Yang and Xiang families, and was always looking for opportunities to repay him.
After Changsha was liberated, Mao Zedong received happiness from his family. Only then did he know that his mother-in-law Xiang Zhenxi was still alive. During this period, he sent people to visit his mother-in-law, hoping that he could come to live in Beijing so that Mao Zedong could take care of her in time.
But Xiang Zhenxi did not want to trouble his son-in-law, so he refused to go to Beijing and insisted on living in the countryside. On the eve of
80’s birthday, Mao Zedong specially asked his eldest son Mao Anying to bring gifts and go to his hometown in Hunan to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday.
Xiang Zhenxi was very happy to see that his once skinny grandson was now so handsome. Taking this opportunity, Mao Anying also visited other relatives and asked if they had any difficulties.
After hearing what Mao Anying said, Xiang Zhenkai proposed that Mao Zedong repay the loan that year.
4. The debt that will never be repaid in a lifetime
Mao Anying knew that her aunt really had no choice, so she mentioned the loan. Moreover, repaying debts is a matter of course. Mao Anying kept the debt in mind and told her father about it as soon as she returned to Beijing.
Xiang Zhenkai and debt, as soon as these words appeared, Mao Zedong's thoughts were instantly brought back to that era of turbulent consequences.
It can be said that Xiang Zhenkai's support alleviated a lot of financial pressure on Mao Zedong, and her care for Yang Kaihui made Mao Zedong even more grateful.
"This debt will never be repaid in a lifetime. Let her live with your grandmother, and I will take care of them in their old age."
Not long after, Mao Zedong sent people to take Xiang Zhenkai and Xiang Zhenxi to Changsha for retirement. , whether it is medical expenses or daily expenses, all are borne by Chairman Mao, and one hundred yuan will be sent to the two of them every month.
In the following time, Mao Zedong often wrote letters to ask about their current situation and chatted with the two elderly people about their daily life. It was not until their deaths that Mao Zedong finally "paid off" the debt.
It is not so much that Chairman Mao wants to repay his debts, but that it is Chairman Mao who wants to repay his kindness, repay the two people's support for his revolution, and the care and love for his beloved wife Yang Kaihui.
More importantly, Mao Zedong has always felt guilty and blamed himself for Yang Kaihui's sacrifice. Perhaps only by taking good care of these two old people can we alleviate our inner grief.
