Chen Jianru’s hometown is Shigang Village, Nandaqiao Township, Gushi County, Henan Province. In 1991, Chen Jianru boarded a train bound for the army here, left Gushi and came to Zhejiang to serve as a soldier.

Shigang Village, Nandaqiao Township, Gushi County, Henan Province, Chen Jianru’s hometown.

In 1991, Chen Jianru boarded a train bound for the army here, left Gushi and came to Zhejiang to serve as a soldier. Since then, he has left his hometown where he was born and raised, and comes back at most once a year.

On the morning of December 3, the reporter and Chen Jianru traveled from Huzhou to Gushi to visit his hometown. In just two or three days, we met Chen Jianru’s family, teachers, classmates and former comrades-in-arms. Listen to them tell stories about Chen Jianru’s hometown.

Visiting Chen Jianru’s Hometown

If you want to end everything well, you must first fix the beginning. Gushi got its name from this. Gushi County is at the southeastern end of Henan Province, more than 530 kilometers away from Huzhou. This city with a history of more than 2,000 years does not yet have high-speed rail. From Huzhou to Gushi, you first need to take the high-speed train to Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, and then take an hour and a half by car.

Entering Shigang Village, you take a cement road. There is a river by the roadside, and the water flows quietly.

Knowing that her son was going home, Chen Jianru's mother leaned at the gate early and waited. The old man is 73 years old and has a head full of white hair.

Chen Jianru’s home is a two-story building, and the rose flowers in the yard are in full bloom. After Chen Jianru's father passed away two years ago, only his mother lived here.

Chen Jianru has been away from home these years, and there is no decent decoration at home. There is a dirt road from the road into the village to the door of Chen Jianru's house. It rained and the road was a little slippery.

Two years ago, Chen Jianru brought his mother from her hometown in Henan to live in Huzhou, but the old woman only spoke Henan dialect and could not talk to her neighbors in Huzhou. Chen Jianru's home in Huzhou is on the fifth floor, and it is difficult for the old man to go up and down the stairs. After living there for more than two months, the old man returned to his hometown.

Brush off the dust from his mother

In his mother's eyes, Chen Jianru is a kind and honest son. "Kindness, loyalty, filial piety..." Chen's mother said that when Chen Jianru was twelve or thirteen years old, he started working for the family. When neighbors are busy with farm work, Chen Jianru will enthusiastically help them take care of their children.

Chen Jianru’s mother

Chen Jianru has four siblings, two older sisters and one younger sister. Today, except Chen Jianru who lives and works in Huzhou, the other three are all in Gushi. My mother has a strong body and does not need anyone to take care of her. The eldest sister Chen Jianqun married in Shigang Village, which is closer to her parents' home. She comes to see her mother every now and then.

In the eyes of the eldest sister, Chen Jianru is a younger brother that she is proud of. "He has been kind since he was a child. When he saw an unknown old man on the way who couldn't walk with something in his hand, he would help him carry it."

Knowing that Chen Jianru had arrived in Shigang Village, his neighbor's sister-in-law Wang Yuling also made a special trip from Gushi County. return. Wang Yuling's husband's parents died in his early years, and he went to Shigang Village to beg when he was a teenager. It was Chen Jianru's father who took him in. Later, Chen Jianru's father helped him build a house and let him live in Shigang Village, marry a wife and have children. Wang Yuling said that she and her husband were grateful to Chen Jianru's family for their help over the years. The two families got along like family members, and they treated Chen Jianru as their own brother.

Chen Jianru's father, Chen Guodong, used to be a village cadre in Shigang Village. He was upright and pragmatic and was very respected among the villagers. Although he died more than two years ago, some people still remember that he did a lot of practical things for the village.

At the Shigang Village Party and Mass Service Center, we met several old colleagues of Chen Jianru’s father.

"Did you know? The river you just passed when you entered the village was dug out by Chen Jianru's father and the villagers." 78-year-old Lu Zhaokuan has worked with Chen Jianru's father in the village for more than 30 years.

The river Uncle Lu mentioned is called Jiliujian River, which flows from Guolutan Town to Shi River, which is a tributary of Huai River . In the 1970s and 1980s, Gushi County suffered from floods year after year. In order to control floods, people in Nandaqiao Township built water conservancy projects, dug rivers, and diverted water into the Huaihe River.

At that time, Chen Jianru's father was already a village cadre in Shigang Village. He and the villagers worked day and night to dig river channels, eat and live on the river dam, and sometimes did not go home for several months. It took them more than two years to dig out a 20-kilometer-long rapids stream. This incident is still talked about by people in Shigang Village.

In managing rivers, Gushi people are self-reliant and hard-working, which has gradually been refined into the Gushi spirit of "preferring to work hard rather than suffering".

"In Shigang Village, the older generation like Chen Jianru's father endure hardships and stand hard work, digging rivers and irrigating farmland. The Gushi spirit is passed down from generation to generation." said Wang Jichao, secretary of the Shigang Village branch.

Today, the rapid stream flows continuously, irrigating the farmland on both sides of the river. Every time Chen Jianru returns to his hometown, he will take a good look at the river that his father dug together with the villagers.

Speaking of Chen Jianru, these long-retired elders all talked about tutoring. "His father was very strict in his upbringing," said Hou Shanhua, the former clerk of Shigang Village.

This time when he returned to his hometown, Chen Jianru made a special trip to visit his father-in-law and his mother-in-law. My father-in-law, Wang Peiyuan, served as a soldier for more than 10 years when he was young, and later became the deputy head of Nandaqiao Township. "Jianru's father and I are old acquaintances. He raised his son so well that I married my daughter to Jianru." Wang Peiyuan, who is in his 70s, said with a smile.

It was precisely because of his father's influence that Chen Jianru always carried the Gushi spirit of "I would rather work hard than endure hardship" in his bones. Whether he was studying or serving as a soldier, he was strict with himself.

Chen Jianru attended Shigang Primary School a few hundred meters away from home for five years. On the afternoon of December 3, when the reporter followed Chen Jianru back to his alma mater, he happened to meet Liu Zhongqin, Chen Jianru’s head teacher in elementary school.

"I thought Teacher Liu had retired a long time ago, but I didn't expect that she would be hired back to continue teaching children in the village, and I would still see her here." Chen Jianru said.

57-year-old Liu Zhongqin always has a hearty laugh when he speaks. "When he was in elementary school, I felt that this child would definitely have a future when he grew up." Liu Zhongqin was full of praise for Chen Jianru.

Chen Jianru was the class monitor from the third to fifth grade of elementary school. One of the things that impressed Liu Zhongqin most deeply was when Chen Jianru was in fourth grade, two fifth-grade classmates got into a fight, and Chen Jianru persuaded them to leave. Afterwards, Liu Zhongqin asked Chen Jianru why he went to break up the fight. Chen Jianru answered this way: "They are all children who grew up with me. I can't just stand aside and ignore them."

Coincidentally, Li Zhuqing, the current principal of Shigang Primary School, was Chen Jianru's class teacher when he was in junior high school.

In 1985, Chen Jianru attended Nandaqiao Township No. 1 Junior High School, with 89 classmates in the class. In the eyes of teacher Li Zhuqing, Chen Jianru is just like his own child, upright and kind.

In 1988, Chen Jianru graduated from junior high school, which is his 30th anniversary this year. On the evening of December 3, Chen Jianru attended a gathering of junior high school classmates.

No one would have thought that the burly Chen Jianru would be nicknamed "Little One" when he was in junior high school. "At that time, Chen Jianru was the youngest. We all loved to bully him and let him do all the dirty work." Classmate Ma Guozhen said with a smile.

47-year-old Li Jiyong used to live in the same dormitory as Chen Jianru, and the two were like brothers. In his opinion, "little one" Chen Jianru is not weak. Once, a classmate fell into the pond in front of the school. Chen Jianru, who could not swim at the time, jumped into the water to save the person. He drowned himself and was rescued by another classmate. However, Chen Jianru acted bravely regardless of his own safety. , leaving Li Jiyong’s memory fresh.

Later, Li Jiyong was admitted to college, and Chen Jianru failed the college entrance examination and joined the army. The two classmates embarked on different life trajectories.

Gushi is a remote and remote area. For these rural students, the only things that can change their destiny are the college entrance examination and serving in the military. Many people who were eliminated chose to go out to work, and classmate Gu Jinzhu was one of those who went south to make a living. In 2011, Gu Jinzhu received a call from Chen Jianru. On the phone, Chen Jianru said to her, if you are not happy with your life, you can come to me in Huzhou, Zhejiang, and I can help you.

"Although I didn't need help at that time, I will remember those words forever." Gu Jinzhu said.

At the end of the class reunion, it started to rain again. Chen Jianru met a taxi driver arguing with passengers at the door of the hotel. When I asked, it turned out that the driver wanted to charge 20 yuan more because the passenger made the driver wait for more than 10 minutes, but the passenger did not want to pay the money. "Isn't it just a matter of 20 yuan? I paid this money, so you can calm down."Chen Jianru persuaded the two parties to leave with a few words.

This is Chen Jianru. Even if he returns to his hometown, he will not forget to "take care of small things."

Chen Jianru, an old comrade in arms

Before leaving Gushi, Chen Jianru had a meal with several former comrades. A meal. Friendship is the most difficult thing to let go of. We met again and exchanged endless greetings.

Comrade Wu Leijun was in the same army as Chen Jianru before he retired and returned to his hometown in Gushi. When he was in the army, Chen Jianru was a model. As a squad leader, he cares about his soldiers and thinks of even the smallest things for them. "

"Veteran Sheriff" Chen Jianru, he takes care of small things and touches the hearts of the people. Whether he was a soldier or transferred to other places, he has always been like this.

Text source: Huzhou Evening News

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Review | Jiang Jianqiang Xie Xinping

Editor | Safe Brother Diudiumei

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