During the 1976 earthquake, our 7.21 University still insisted on having normal classes.
On the afternoon of September 9th, 1976, our school received a call from the factory, asking the 7.21 University to stop classes immediately. All the teachers and students were to go to the factory's stadium to listen to the important news. We immediately packed up our textbooks and stationery and arrived at the designated location. We saw that the entire factory was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the announcer of the Central People's Radio Station's unusually heavy voice echoed across the land and sky of the entire country. The great leader of the people of China, Comrade **, passed away due to illness…"The grievous news broke through the sky of the 9.6 million square kilometers of land of the motherland. The people of the whole country were in great grief. The question of where China should go had been placed in front of all the people of China.
In the afternoon, the factory arranged for people to set up a mourning hall on the basketball court. All the students of our 7.21 University accepted the political task of maintaining the security patrol in the area near the factory and guarding the head's mourning hall. Every day, two classes of people were arranged to be fully armed and guard their posts. One class had a Type 5 or 6 submachine gun hanging on their chests and patrolled the security in the area near the factory. The other class was on duty in the head's mourning hall with a semi-automatic rifle.
Our 7.21 University has a duty schedule. We take turns on duty 24 hours a day. The team in charge of patrolling could move more freely. They could walk around and take a rest when they were tired. However, the team in charge of standing guard in the mourning hall of the leaders in the factory had a much harder time. They couldn't move at all and maintained the standard standing posture for a long time. As time went by, their calves, stomachs, and waists started to ache. Time passed day by day. After the memorial ceremony for Mao's death in Tianamen Square, all the students of our 7.21 University returned to their normal studies.
At this time, the rebels within the company began to implement their plan to seize power. They requested the party committee of the company to hold a class. They wanted to use this class to achieve their goal of seizing power. They also called on the members of the 1974 Lin and Kong class to immediately return to the team to participate in this class. The notice has been sent to our school.
The headmaster of the school came to talk to me several times and asked if I was willing to attend the class. I made my stance clear to the principal: Right now, my main task is to seize the time to learn scientific and cultural knowledge. The head office's party committee is holding a political class in name, but in fact, it has become a power struggle group controlled by the rebels. I will never participate in this class.
"If the head office's party committee wants to send someone to ask, how should I reply to my superiors?" the principal said with some difficulty.”I replied,"You can say that the school's study mission is indeed very tight and he can't find the time. He himself has expressed that he is determined not to participate.”
After the event, I listened to the relevant personnel who participated in the study class talk about the interesting stories of the study class. In this study class, there were still quite a number of officials and people who bravely stood up and publicly opposed the various acts of the so-called rebels, exposing the evil plots of those who had ulterior motives to seize power. There were also some real party members who publicly wrote posters criticizing these rebels, exposing the ugly acts of those who attempted to snatch the class and seize power. The intended goal that these rebels attempted to achieve through this class was finally completely bankrupt under the resolute resistance and struggle of the vast majority of people.
At this stage, the struggle between the two routes across the country became more intense and complicated. One day, the person in charge of the political work department of the factory came to our 7.21 workers 'university and announced in class the 30 industrial development outlines formulated by the Ministry of Education after the second stage. He asked all the students to actively criticize.
This publicity section chief was also an honest and down-to-earth person. It was very difficult for him to read sentence by sentence on the podium. We listened carefully below.
After he finished reading, all the students in our school stood up and questioned the publicity section chief,"You keep saying that the 30 industrial development guidelines are poisonous weeds and want us to criticize them, but you've already finished reading them and we've listened to them for a long time. We really don't understand what's wrong with the 30 industrial development guidelines. What did you do wrong?"
" I'll be honest with you," the head of the publicity department said with a bitter smile." Even I myself still don't understand what's wrong with the 30 clauses of the industrial development outline. Where did they go wrong? However, this was what the higher-ups had said. This development outline was a poisonous grass that had to be criticized. It was a political task that the political work department had to ensure the completion of. If they did not approve it, everyone would not be able to pass the test. They would not be able to make a difference in the political work department of the head office. Therefore, the publicity department of our factory can only complete this political task.”
The publicity department chief grumbled the truth,"In my next life, I must not be the head of this publicity department.”
At this time, a veteran party member student held a cup of hot water and walked up to the podium to hand it to the propaganda section chief with both hands. He smiled and said to him,"Didn't you read all 30 articles of the industrial development outline? We also know the contents of the 30 industrial development guidelines, which means that you have completed the scheduled mission. In fact, all 30 of them were right. If they had followed this development outline earlier, China's industrial construction might have been done a long time ago. Since it's up to the higher-ups to criticize or not, come down and have a drink of water and rest. After you return to the factory, you will report to the department that assigned you the task. For example, Wuye Machine Repair Factory 7.21 Worker's University. Wasn't it considered as a job to complete the criticism task?”
"How should I report it when I get back?" the publicity department chief said worriedly.”
The veteran student continued to smile." The pen is in your hands. How you report is your brother's business. Coax as much as you can and drag it out as much as you can! Anyway, these are all fake things to fool the higher-ups. You don't have to be so serious.”
The publicity section chief smiled bitterly and said,"Fake is real, fake is real, and real is fake." It seemed that this was the only way. I really can't. I've never lied in my life. I'll listen to you this time!”With that, he put the cup of water on the desk in front of the podium and hurried off the podium, leaving the classroom and returning to the office of the factory department.
All the students present looked at him and smiled at each other. The classroom immediately erupted into a storm of applause. The political task of the Fifth Metal Machine Repair Factory on July 21st, regarding criticizing the 30 industrial development policies, ended just like that.
After the National Day of 1976, around October 9th, my father returned home from a business trip in Beijing. As soon as he entered the door, he asked me to immediately invite his good friends to his house. He asked my mother to cook a few good dishes and told me to buy two bottles of better bottled wine when I came back.
According to the old rules of our family, if my parents 'friends come to our house as guests, my parents will accompany the guests for dinner. As sons, we usually don't sit at the table or go out to play. After the guests finish eating, we will go back to the kitchen to eat.
But this time, it broke the precedent. Dad insisted that I also accompany the guests to eat. At the dining table, Dad lowered his voice and made a request to everyone."Don't tell anyone what you said at this table today.”
Everyone at the dining table said in unison,"No problem, I promise."
"Handsome Ye and Ding Feng have already taken action in Beijing. The three males and one female have been locked up."”
"Is the source absolutely reliable?" the customers asked hurriedly.”
"Absolutely," his father answered simply.”Then, he introduced some more details and gave everyone a deeper description of the rumors in Beijing. Of course, the meal was rather long. It had been a long time since everyone had been so happy.
The next day, I went to the July 21 workers 'university for classes. During the break, I told my good friends about the news that my father had heard in Beijing. I told them that Ye Shuai and Feng had already started to use the steel whip in Beijing. It immediately resonated with them.
Of course, I also made a serious mistake. I suffered because I trusted my friends too much. Those few people were really good friends. In front of me, they all patted their chests and swore that they would never tell anyone. In the end, the news was still leaked.
A few days later, the principal quietly came to find me."Someone has been reporting to me these past few days that you're spreading political rumors. Is there such a thing?"
I cautiously asked,"Headmaster, do you think I'm the kind of person who spreads political rumors? We have been together for a long time. In all your memories, when have you ever seen me lie?”
Seeing that there was no one around, the principal lowered his voice and continued to ask me,"Is the information absolutely reliable?"
At that time, I might have been touched on the head by a little brat, or maybe my brain had water in it, but I actually replied to the principal so calmly,"Just trust me this time. Let's fight now. Within half a month, if the information I said is wrong, send someone to send me directly to the police station. If my information is correct, treat all the students in our school to a meal. How is it?" The principal nodded in agreement.
It was less than 15 days since this conversation. We were in class when the factory office called to inform the 7.21 University that we had to stop the class immediately and go to the factory to listen to the important documents.
On July 21st, all the teachers and students of our university quickly ran to the basketball court in the factory. The employees of the whole factory had already gathered around the factory and the basketball court, listening attentively to the important documents sent by the higher authorities to smash the Gang of Four. As soon as the broadcast room finished reading the first part of the document, the audience burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
In the afternoon, the entire factory was assembled. All the employees were holding small red flags and carrying large banners. According to the order of the workshops, departments, and other units in the factory, they formed a team to participate in the grand parade in the city to celebrate the great victory of the people of the country in smashing the Gang of Four. Defeat Wang Wen! Defeat Zhang Chunqiao! Knock down **! The slogan of 'Beat Yao Wen' shook the heavens and earth.
In the city, as we were walking in the parade of national celebrations, I suddenly turned around and asked the principal who was walking beside me loudly and proudly,"What about the news I told you last time? Can you keep your promise?”The principal laughed heartily. I'm also a man of my word. I promise to honor my words and not write empty promises. Just like what we agreed on the other day, I promise to treat all the students tomorrow afternoon…"
One afternoon in the spring of 1977, after school, everyone took their rice bowls to the canteen to eat. On the way, they passed by a large fish pond and suddenly noticed that on a slope not far away, a farmer's thatched roof was emitting thick smoke.
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