Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I can hardly recognize my husband anymore. His head is wrapped in bandages, and he has become extremely thin. I can't hear what he's saying clearly; I have to lean in close to his mouth to hear him say, "Lili, I'm sorry... I'm afraid I won't be able to see the children grow up. Bury me along the Qinghai-Tibet line, I want to see the day it officially opens." I control my emotions and speak in a light tone, "The children are all here to see you. Don't you love our daughter the most? You can hold our little beauty."
I placed Xiaomei next to Chen Hui, tears welled up in his eyes. With great effort, he raised his hand and touched Xiaomei's face. Our family of four finally reunited.
That night, after 10 o'clock, my husband left me forever, with me and the children by his side.
At the moment I realized my husband could never be called back, I collapsed on Chen Hui's body and wept, " Xiao Gang went to find you. You have to take care of the children. When he's nursing, he likes to play while eating. You have to wait for him for a while, and also... Xiao Gang likes to suck his thumb. If he cries a lot, you can put your finger in his mouth, and he'll behave and stop crying. In a little while, he'll smile at you..."
Chen Hui is not alone, lying next to his body is little Xiao Gang.
At his memorial service, I learned that Chen Hui discovered a rockslide after an explosion, and he led over 20 people to evacuate. He was the last to leave and also the most seriously injured.
Chen Hui's leader asked me to speak, and as I stood in front of his and the child's bodies, I bowed to everyone and said, "Chen Hui loved his career, and he gave his life for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet line. It was his choice and his honor. Chen Hui was too tired. When he was alive, he couldn't spend much time with his son. Now, let him rest well with his son."
The father and son were buried together, and their grave was the same size as all the others. The tombstone was made of stone, with the name "Chen Hui" engraved on it. " Xiao Gang " had not been named yet, so the tombstone only read: "Chen Hui's son."
After the funeral, the day before I went back, I went to the desk where Chen Hui worked. There were two photos of the children on the desk, as well as a picture of us on our wedding day.
In the photos, I was wearing a red top and a red flower in my hair, standing next to Chen Hui, who had his arm around me, smiling. I picked up the photo and absentmindedly turned it over, where I found a line of writing: "Thank you, God, for letting Lili marry me. Lili, you are the most beautiful bride. In fact, I secretly liked you when we were in elementary school."
My tears fell onto that line of text, and the blue ink became somewhat blurred. I quickly wiped it dry with my hand.
Since then, every year during the Qingming Festival, I would go with my daughter to visit the grave with toys that my son liked and cigarettes that Chen Hui enjoyed smoking. I gradually began to accept the truth that my son died from altitude sickness.
As Xiao Mei grew up, she increasingly resembled Chen Hui. Looking at my daughter's face often reminded me of Chen Hui and Xiao Gang.
In the summer of 2006, after years of arduous struggle by a 100,000-strong road-building army, the world's highest-altitude and longest-line Qinghai-Tibet Railway was fully opened, running from Xining to Lhasa with a total length of 1956 kilometers.
My daughter and I fulfilled Chen Hui's wish and boarded the train from Xining to Lhasa. Along the way, the train traveled along the northern shore of Qinghai Lake, passed through the Qaidam Basin and Golmud City, entered the Kunlun Mountains, crossed the uninhabited Hoh Xil area, climbed over the Tanggula Mountains, and finally arrived at the sacred land of Lhasa.
This line has a 550-kilometer section at an altitude of over 5000 meters, which is considered a "survival forbidden zone." It's not just about building a railway of over a thousand kilometers here; even taking a breath in this area is equivalent to challenging the limits of human endurance.
I remember the scene when I held two children and went to see Chen Hui for the last time, risking my life. Many years have passed, but the scene is still vivid in my mind. Now I am 69 years old and my health is not very good due to illness. This year should be my last time going to sweep their graves. My daughter and I quietly remove the weeds from the graves. I tell my daughter, "From now on, you must eat well and live well every day." After all, the deceased have passed away, and it is the living who need comforting.
I also told my daughter that after I pass away, she should bury my ashes with my husband and son. I want to accompany them, talk to them, and watch as this road of hope carries us towards the distant horizon...
Comment 0 Comment Count