The Color of Sacrifice 牺牲的颜色 – Chapter 23
The story of a young Chinese peasant’s search for a better life and the Long March ... 中国青年农民寻找更好的生活与长征的故事 by 作者: Ramses Rashidi 华蓝星
Chapter 23 Back at the Camp
Ping was happy to be at the communist camp again. It felt just like the good old days except for his amputated left leg. Ping remembered the days when he would be cooking in the kitchen and run around not realizing that it was really a blessing to have two legs. Now he was more grateful for everything that he used to take for granted. He thought about the fact that he could see, hear, taste, smell and touch. So much to be grateful for. So much blessings. After all the glass was half full.
The weather was perfect. It was near the end of May and it was just very pleasant in Northern Sichuan up in the hills. The green fields and rocky cliffs complimented each other in perfect contrast. The Red Army camp felt more like a summer camp for youth if you could ignore all the guns and ammunitions all over the place. There were thousands of people preparing to move north.
Suddenly, Ping saw Lei Feng from a distance. “Hey, Lei Feng!” Ping called out as loud as he could. Lei Feng looked in Ping’s direction and started running towards him. “Ping, I can’t believe it’s you. I missed you so much.” They embraced each other like two brothers that had not seen each other for a long time. “We need to talk. I have so much to share with you.” Ping told Lei Feng as he held Lei Feng’s arm.
“Oh my God, Ping! I can’t wait to hear about what you have been doing in the last few months. Dr. Libo was asking about you just the other day. He is gonna be so happy to see you. Wow.. Have you had lunch? Come let’s go to the kitchen tent. I will make you some noodles.” Lei feng helped Ping with his crutches as they walked towards the kitchen.
Ping was very hungry. So, he finished the bowl of noodles before Lei Feng had a chance to return from the kitchen with the soy sauce & garlic. “Wow. That was fast. Do you want another bowl?” Lei Feng asked with great surprise. Both of them started laughing. All the soldiers passing by were amused to see two people who were obviously having a great time together.
“Ping, you have not changed much. You are still your joyful self. That’s what I miss so much while you were gone. Let me go get Dr. Libo. I think he is gonna be so delighted to see you. I will be right back. Then I will make another bowl of soup.” Lei Feng went running towards the make-shift hospital tent.
After a few minutes, Lei Feng came back. “Dr. Libo is taking care of a patient. He said he will come as soon as he is finished. He was so happy to hear that you are back. Now let me make you another bowl of soup.” Lei Feng went to the kitchen before Ping had a chance to say anything.
Dr. Libo came running. “Ping! Wow. So happy to see you.” Ping tried to get up as Dr. Libo gave him a bear hug. It was an amazing sight to see these old friends together again. “I heard you were recovering in Zunyi. But that’s all I knew. We have been moving with the Red Army the whole time all the way to here. It’s been hectic. But now you’re back. So, tell me how do you feel? I remember when your leg was amputated at the hospital and that’s the last time I saw you.” Dr. Libo was totally excited as he was all smiles while trying to catch up with Ping and the lost time.
Ping felt so good. This was absolutely the best gift. The gift of friendship. To see two very dear friends who were so excited to see him as he was overjoyed to see them. “Well, my dear comrades, Lei Feng and Libo! There is so much to share. I don’t know where to start. I went through a lot. There was a second surgery of my amputated leg. Very painful. But… it made me much stronger. Libo! I want to thank you for the small book of Baha’i prayers and Writings that you had given me. It was totally helpful to life my spirit during my ordeal. I learned about the power of the human spirit.” Ping went on talking about his hardship and how it changed him.
Dr. Libo and Lei Feng listened carefully as Ping continued. “Teacher Liang, in whose home I was staying was really wonderful. Him and his wife as well as his parents and all the friends were like angles taking care of me. Every day, Teacher Liang and sometimes his wife and parents would come and talk to me till late telling me all about what they had studied. I went through a lot of books and literature. It was like being in a university 24/7. I learned about education, our traditional culture, economy, society, Marxism… and so much more.”
“Ping, You sound so different now. You are talking like a professor. That’s really amazing.” Dr. Libo made the observation as he adjusted his glasses. “Well, I lost a leg but I gained a new spirit and a great love for learning. Now, I feel that nothing is impossible. I just have to believe in myself and have confidence in my ability to achieve anything that I can imagine. So, I think of my handicap as a challenge that helps me to think at higher levels. I have become aware of the beauty of life that others might take for granted. I now pay more attention and have a better appreciation of nature, rocks, trees, animals and human beings. Now I realize that I’m faced with a great challenge that helps me to be more creative and innovative. It truly helps me to keep my balance physically, mentally and spiritually.”
Lei Feng was fascinated by what Ping was sharing. In his mind, he was contemplating the idea of himself losing a leg but gaining spiritual and mental insight. “Ping, what you are saying is so powerful. It makes me think like never before.” Lei Feng shared his thoughts as his tears rolled down his cheeks. He came up to Ping and hugged him as they both wept. Dr. Libo joined them as the three embraced each other with tears of joy.
The next morning, as Ping was about to get up, he heard Comrade Lin calling his name as he approached the tent. Ping quickly picked up his crutches and before he had a chance to come out of the tent, Comrade Lin was holding him in his arms. “My dear Ping, as soon as I heard you were back, I couldn’t wait to see you. We had a meeting last night till late. So, how are you feeling? It must be very difficult for you to deal with this injury.”
“Comrade Lin, seeing you this morning, my spirit is high and my heart is joyous. You have always inspired me and from the beginning of my journey to join the Red Army your encouragement has given me tremendous confidence. Now, I have returned with a new spirit and I am ready to serve the Red Army all the way to victory.” Ping expressed his feelings with confidence and humility which took comrade Lin by surprise.
“Ping! You are so amazing. What a spirit!...wow.. I have always been touched by your dedication but now you are in a different state of mind. We all need to learn from you. This is the kind of mindset that will take us all the way to our highest goals and aspirations.” Comrade Lin was just flabbergasted to see Ping back in such high spirit. He paused for a few minutes as he looked in Ping’s eyes with a smile and held his hands.
“My dear comrade Liu Ping, Let me think about where we might need you the most. I will also talk to comrade Mao and other leaders. I wish everyone in our camp could hear you. You are the spirit of what we are fighting for. The fact that you are back speaks volumes in and of itself. If we all had your level of dedication and high spirit, we could capture the attention of the entire world.”
Comrade Lin’s comments was like a breath of fresh air giving Ping a boost of spirit. If he had been motivated before, now he felt like an eagle flying at the highest peaks.
The next day comrade Lin came to see Ping after lunch. “Comrade Liu Ping! It’s great to see you. I thought of you last night and remembered seeing the spark as I looked into your eyes. Wonderful! So wonderful! I have good news for you. We have decided to have you learn and operate our new radio-telegraph equipment which is critical to our success and field operation. Tomorrow someone will take you to the telegraph tent where they will show you all that you need to know about the equipment and Morse code. Now I have to go to a meeting. We are preparing to cross the Luding Bridge on to our way to the northern territory. We are confident that you will do a great job at your new assignment. Please get some rest as we will be very busy in the next few days.” Comrade Lin shook Ping’s hand and left in a hurry.
The Luding suspended Bridge was critical for the Red Army to advance and move forward. A group of highly skilled commandoes had been dispatched to capture the bridge before the government forces could reach the area. The local warlords might be the main obstacle to crossing the bridge.
© 2021 Ramses Rashidi
"This was absolutely the best gift. The gift of friendship." There it is. The treasure of heart.