When a person is over seventy, it will happen that their peers will pass away before him or her. This article recalls the events of three peers passing away one after another, mainly to talk about my views on life expectations.
Jiang Hengjin was the president during my transfer to Pengcheng Vocational University. After working with him for a period of time, I felt that he was good to me. At the school's teacher conference, he praised me for self-learning English and doing academic work, and asked everyone to learn from my diligent and studious spirit. Before long, he wanted me to take on some positions. I have always been afraid of administrative affairs disturbing my mind, affecting my learning, and fluctuating my emotions. He insisted that I come out for some responsibility, saying that both of my sons have entered university and that he wants to transfer Zhang Meilan from the School of Economics and Management to Pengda University. There is no need for her to give a lecture, just a transfer order will suffice, allowing me to have time to participate in managing administrative affairs. That's how I was appointed as the Secretary of the Party Branch and Director of the Finance and Economics Department. He graduated from the Mathematics Department of Xuzhou Normal University (now Jiangsu Normal University), in the same grade as me. Two people were born in the same year and month, and when comparing our ages, we both consider themselves elder brothers. His birthday is on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, and I am four days earlier than him, and I was born on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.
Jiang Hengjin left Pengda in 1998 to serve as the Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee, specifically responsible for Xuzhou Daily. His position was Editor in Chief, and his work was thriving. After retiring in 2005, he also served as the Vice President of the Senior University. On August 16, 2015, Jiang and his wife took their daughter and grandson to Dunhuang. After getting off at Liuyuan Railway Station, Mrs. Jiang did not want to go to Mogao Grottoes. Jiang and his daughter and grandson called a car to go to Dunhuang. Jiang sat in the position of the co pilot, with his daughter and grandson in the back seat. Suddenly, they encountered a pile of sand on the road, and the car door was shaken open. Jiang was thrown out of the car for not fastening his seat belt and died on the spot. The driver suffered minor injuries, but his daughter and grandson are completely unharmed.
An accident caused Principal Jiang and Editor in Chief Jiang to pass away at the age of 70. The lady cried bitterly and said that a big man who could eat, drink, sleep, and play suddenly left. We also shed tears when we heard his wife's cries.
The second narrative is about Ma Yanrong. Regarding her, 'Feelings of Big Tree' has been mentioned several times before. The 54th article records that the two of us traveled to Thailand with Zhang Youci, Ma Yanrong, and his wife; The 72nd section describes the situation of three families of six traveling to Japan together, introducing that Ma Yanrong was Zhang Meilan's high school classmate, her husband Zhang Youci was in the same class as her in college, and Youci was still my fellow villager. We both returned to our hometown in Nantong in 1971 to get married. Around 2000, each family purchased a house in Fenghua Garden and lived in the same community, so we naturally had frequent interactions. Ma Yanrong has been plagued by cancer since 1998, undergoing three surgeries and fighting tenaciously. Unfortunately, in 2019, cancer cells were discovered in his lungs, and he continued to feel uncomfortable after the surgery until his death on October 1, 2021. Ma Yanrong is exactly one year older than me, and her passing has shaken us greatly. We feel that life is tenacious but also fragile. At this age, one may be attacked by diseases at any time.
The third one is about Zhou Tong. We got to know him when we were transferred to the Key Middle School in Tongshan County Zhengzhong in 1980. He was from the History Department of Nanjing University, one year ahead of me and one year younger than me. He was a child prodigy back then. He is eloquent and has a strong memory. Promoted to Vice President in 1984, and appointed as the top leader of Zhengzhong by the Organization Department of the County Committee in 1889. I have already submitted a transfer application and am currently in contact with local units inside the city. He recommended me to go find Principal Yang from No.3 Middle School in the city, saying that they need an English teacher there. I met Principal Yang and learned that the situation is indeed true, but he agreed to let me attend classes first and then find an opportunity to handle the transfer procedures, which is also good. Later, after I passed the trial lecture at Pengcheng Vocational University, the university sent two external personnel to ZhengJi Middle School to understand my situation. The person in charge of reception was Zhou Tong, who later told me about the conversation between the two sides. Zhou talked about many of my strengths and good words, but the other party asked if there were any flaws? Zhou said that since proposing the transfer, his enthusiasm has declined compared to before. Peng Da finally agreed to accept me, indicating that everything Zhou Tong said was true.
In 1993, after arriving at Pengda, Zhou Tong's second daughter Zhou Ruyan applied to the Fine Arts Department of Pengda, but her admission score was slightly lower. At that time, the admission work was carried out at a hotel in Wuxi. Zhou Tong approached me and used the car from Zhengji Police Station to rush to Wuxi together. I saw an acquaintance at the entrance of the admission hotel and asked him to inform Principal Jiang Hengjin that I was at the door. Soon, Jiang Hengjin and the director of the admissions office came out to meet with us. Jiang promised to try his best, but he couldn't fully agree now.
After waiting for several days upon returning to Xuzhou, Peng Da replied and agreed to admit Zhou Ruyan, dispelling Zhou Tong's worries. In autumn, I took Jiang Hengjin to visit Zhengji Middle School again, and Zhou Tong took us to visit the Xiaoguishan Han Tomb that is currently under development but has not yet been opened to the public.
Zhou Tong and I are considered to have the same qualifications, but I have never had the mentality of competing with him. He has the advantage of being an official, I don't have the pursuit in this regard. When I started evaluating my professional title in 1988, I was among the first to be recognized as a senior high school teacher by provincial judges for publishing several English academic papers in national journals. Zhou Tong is widely recognized as an excellent Chinese language teacher, but he was put on hold for two years because he did not publish any thesis, which made him very depressed. Being an official always offends people. Word of mouth says he is powerful, but be careful that he will retaliate against others. I don't have this feeling or understanding. During my transfer process, he didn't hinder me and also helped me, and I went to great lengths to give him the deserved reward. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with colon cancer at the end of 2021 and passed away on February 18, 2022.
The death of someone could happen at any time. Those who are older than me, younger than me, and even my own students passing away have little impact on me. Only the departure of these three people has made me rethink my life. We are approaching the age of eighty and heading towards ninety. A certain number of people cannot overcome this hurdle, and even if they do, they cannot be overly optimistic. After all, there is a certain limit to the number of people who can live to ninety in good health. We must understand that we should not be overly optimistic about our lives. We should take advantage of our health to complete what we need to do and stop what we should not do. In order to make elderly life meaningful, give oneself vitality, and confirm the healthy psychology of the elderly, one can consider some projects that can be persisted in but can be stopped at any time, so as not to leave any regrets. Don't overthink or worry about your future. Every day is a day, just get by and relax psychologically. Money should have sufficient reserves, and it's not too late to make arrangements when things come to you.
Oct. 3 2024
