Chapter 376: A Zhang passes away.
"Ahem, A Tu, just give me a cigarette!" In Shanghai, in the ward of the Affiliated Hospital of Aurora University, A Zhang was lying on the bed coughing repeatedly. His face was extremely haggard.
Zhang Xingjiu, who was sitting next to him, had a sad face, because the attending physician had told him that Zhang's illness was too serious. He had smoked for more than 30 years, an average of more than 50 cigarettes a day, which caused problems in his lungs. He didn't have much time left.
Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Zhang urged again, "A Tu, I also studied medicine, I know my situation, it's already this time, what's the taboo? I have already written a suicide note, you can help to be a witness!"
"Oh, if I had known earlier, I should have advised you better." Zhang Xingjiu was also very helpless. He had advised Zhang many times, but unfortunately Zhang never changed his habit. Not long ago, when he heard that he was sick, he immediately took him to the Affiliated Hospital of Aurora University. Unfortunately, his illness was too serious. Even in the future, there would be no way to save him, let alone now?
He could only take out a cigarette and light it for Zhang, then took the will from him and looked through it. There were seven clauses in total: Do not accept a penny from anyone for the funeral; quickly collect and bury the body, and that's it; do not do anything related to commemoration; forget me and take care of your own life, if not, you would be a fool; when the children grow up, if they have no talent, they can find some small things to make a living, but they must never become writers or artists; do not take seriously what others promise to you; do not get close to people who hurt others but are against revenge and advocate tolerance.
This will is not for the public, but a family will for the family. Zhang Xingjiu thought about it and proposed some amendments, "You may not accept a penny from anyone for the funeral, but this does not apply to old friends" and "You may not accept a penny from anyone for the funeral."
Then he explained, "With our friendship, it would be too polite if I didn't charge him a penny. As for Haiying, leave his future studies to me. I will do my best to train him to be a useful person. As long as he has talent, he can become a writer or an artist."
Ah Zhang was very satisfied and added to the manuscript. He lay back on the bed and said with a smile, "'Short-handed' is a good addition. Just two words can vividly portray these people. This is the advantage of living in Shanghai. I can think of these two words after seeing so many short-handed people."
"Cough, cough, cough, cough." He coughed violently a few times, then took out a stack of manuscript paper and handed it over. The title was written on the top of the manuscript paper - "My Friend Zhang Xingjiu". "That's it, fortunately I have finished writing this article, otherwise I would never be willing to give up even if I die."
Zhang Xingjiu quickly glanced through it. In this article, Ah Zhang reviewed how the two of them met, starting from playing in Baicao Garden during the Chinese New Year and entering Sanwei Bookstore to study together after the New Year, and went on to talk about Zhang Xingjiu's return to Shanghai from the southwest. The words were full of praise for him, praising him as a great patriot, scientist, and educator. "I really don't deserve it. I really wanted to do a lot of things over the years, but unfortunately..." Putting down the manuscript, Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help shaking his head.
"A quarter of a century has passed since the Republic of China was founded, but it is still in ruins. Now the Japanese pirates are eyeing us covetously. What will the future of China be like?" Zhang can face death calmly, but he is still worried about the fate of China.
"I am full of confidence in the future of China. Your writings have enlightened countless passionate young people and made their bones as hard as yours. With them around, China will not perish! Even if it will suffer some hardships in the future, one day it will be reborn from the ashes and give birth to an independent, prosperous, and civilized new China!" Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help but reveal some information to A Zhang.
"It would be great if such a day really came. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see it. Ah Tu, if you see it in the future, don't forget to come to my grave and tell me." Ah Zhang looked at the ceiling, lost in beautiful fantasies.
"Of course!"
"A Tu, tell me more, what does an independent and prosperous China look like? When will it be realized?"
"Within ten years, we will be able to drive the Japanese out of China completely; within twenty years, we will be able to defeat the European and American powers on the battlefield; within thirty years, we will be able to build a basic industrial system, education system, and national defense system, laying the foundation for national development; within forty years, we can try to catch up with developed countries in many fields such as business, technology, and culture."
"Within a hundred years, China will definitely become the world's most powerful country. Whether in science and technology, education, culture, or military, it will be number one in the world. I have no doubt about this!"
"I really want to see China a hundred years from now. Is it as beautiful as you said? What will the lives of ordinary people be like then?"
"An ordinary young man wakes up in the morning and drives a car made in China to send his children to school. Now this car has been sold all over the world, and even the British and Germans are rushing to buy it."
"The school classrooms are clean and tidy. All children in the country who reach the age will go to school. The country does not allow any student to drop out of school. Even orphans can get the opportunity to study. They study your articles and my formulas in classrooms like this."
"After sending the child to school, the young man sent his wife to work in a company not far away. By that time, gender equality had already been achieved, and women could receive education and support themselves with their own labor."
"Finally, the young man came to the factory where he worked. He was an engineer working in a Chinese shipyard. This shipyard was also the largest in the world with the strongest production capacity and technical capabilities. The passenger ships and cargo ships it produced were all over the world. Shipyards in Japan, Britain, the United States and other countries were repeatedly defeated by this shipyard in the international commercial market and have now completely fallen."
"At the same time, this shipyard is also responsible for manufacturing warships for the country. The warships they produce are also the most advanced in the world. These warships cruise in China's territorial waters, making no country dare to violate China's territorial dignity."
"What a wonderful country!" Zhang couldn't help but smile as he listened. "Tell me more about this. I'd love to hear it!"
In this way, Zhang Xingjiu stayed by A Zhang's bedside and slowly told him all the details of the future of China. A Zhang lay on the bed and listened quietly, occasionally responding a word or two.
As he was talking, Zhang Xingjiu realized that there had been no response from Ah Zhang for more than twenty minutes. He quickly got up to check, only to find that Ah Zhang had passed away.
(End of this chapter)
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