htmlNovember 2nd Sunday Xiaoyu
first met Economic Daily reporter Luo Kaifu on the afternoon of November 7, 1984. During that time, I was doing logistical management work for the militia training in Rucheng County civilized films in five townships at the township government. Teacher Luo Kaifu was brought to the civilized township government by three guides assigned by the county. Afterwards, I took them to walk home from the township government. 20 minutes later, we entered the village. At that time, my grandma was telling my cousin, cousins, and neighbor children the story of the quilt given to her by three female Red Army soldiers.
When I came to grandma, the guide introduced, "Old man, he is re-walking the Long March..." Before she even said the words "journalist", grandma stepped forward and held Teacher Luo tightly with both hands, and said excitedly: "You finally came back to see me! I have been waiting for you for 50 years!"
Teacher Luo was surprised: " Sister-in-law, what do you mean? Did you recognize the wrong person? I have never been here before!" Grandma said angrily: "Aren't you the soldier who slept on the ground of my house with several young men at night? "
Teacher Luo suddenly understood and explained to grandma with a smile: "I am a reporter. I came here today to follow the footsteps of the Red Army and interview the stories of the Long March. I want to interview and report the stories of the army's love for the people and the people's support of the army on the Long March."
"Oh, you are a reporter!" Grandma finally understood and hurriedly Then he asked: "Then can you help me find them? They promised to come back to see me. Please tell them that I miss them very much! I am 81 years old. Now I have food, clothing, and quilts to cover me. I don't need them to send quilts or anything. I just want to meet them again..." At this time, the grandma was already sobbing and telling with chokes. Teacher Luo and everyone present also wiped their tears and listened.
An hour later, the "Half Quilt Story" interview was completed. When Teacher Luo said goodbye, he held grandma's hands and said, "I will definitely report to the old Red Army and find a way to find the three female soldiers who gave you the half quilt. This is also my wish!" Then he asked: "Sister-in-law, you just mentioned so many good things about the Communist Party and the Red Army. What kind of people do they think of them in your heart?"
Grandma raised her voice: "What is the Communist Party? What is the Red Army? Even if they have a quilt, they will cut off half of it and give it to us poor people!"
The month when Teacher Luo left Shazhou Village, the Economic Daily published two reports written by him: "Where are the three Red Army girls?" and "The friendship was strong back then, but where are the relatives now?" The articles appeared in newspapers one after another, attracting the attention of old Red Army veterans such as Deng Yingchao, Cai Chang, and Kang Keqing, as well as the attention of various media outlets. Around the first lunar month of 1985, dozens of media including the People's Liberation Army Daily came to interview him. Soon, we received new votive quilts from old Red Army veterans such as Deng Yingchao and Teacher Toro, teachers and students of Peking University and Renmin University of China . Unfortunately, when Teacher Luo rushed to the village with the quilt, grandma passed away a few days ago. Before leaving, she was still thinking about the female Red Army soldiers and told us, "The party and the government are the best, and we must pass on my words to future generations."
So far, reporter Luo Kaifu has visited Shazhou Village 9 times, and we have also developed a deep friendship with Teacher Luo. Thanks to the unremitting efforts of reporters from the Economic Daily and Luo Kaifu, the "half-quilt story" between the grandmother and the three female Red Army soldiers has become a household name. On October 21, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping affectionately told the story of the "Half Quilt" in his speech at a meeting commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March; on September 16, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping traveled thousands of miles to visit Shazhou for an inspection and taught us that the " half quilt story" reflects the original intention and true character of the Chinese Communists. He also asked us to make good use of such red resources, tell red stories well, do a good job in red education, and let the red gene be passed on from generation to generation.
Now, earth-shaking changes have taken place in the village. Shazhou has been built into a "national 4A-level red tourist attraction". The red tourism industry is booming and the days are getting more prosperous.As my cousin Zhu Xiaohong (grandson of Xu Jiexiu ) often said, the Red Army gave us "half a quilt" in the past, but now the party has brought us happy days. We must continue to tell the story of Shazhou Village to the world, so that the warmth of "Half Quilt" can be passed down forever.
(Author: Zhu Fenyong, a villager in Shazhou Village, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province and the eldest grandson of Xu Jiexiu)
