My Family - Patriotism Education Reader

Author: Spoken by: Tao Cheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Today's young people probably can't understand what "white terror" is! The madness of the counter-revolutionaries, their cruelty to revolutionaries and the people—if you haven't experienced it firsthand, you can hardly even imagine it. Even I, who lived in that era and had personally suffered persecution, couldn't initially grasp the psychological state of the Nationalist bandits. Several friends would be chatting and laughing peacefully indoors, and suddenly a burst of gunfire would fly through the window. People would collapse in agony amidst pools of blood. Yet the next day, the counter-revolutionary newspapers would report such news: "The Communist Party was plotting an uprising in a certain area, and was apprehended by the Self-Defense Corps, resulting in the killing of many." A young girl, merely because she wore a red headband, would be branded a "Communist spy" and taken away by the real spies. Soon after, her body was found by the riverbank. During the Lantern Festival, a resident who hung red lanterns outside their door would be accused of being a "signal for uprising." The police would storm in, and the homeowner would be arrested. From then on, every year on this day became a day for this family to commemorate their deceased. The counter-revolutionary bandits committed countless crimes, and calamity and death could strike any ordinary family at any moment. The blood of good people flowed everywhere. The Party's activities were completely shifted underground. I had just arrived when the organization decided to establish a county committee in Hanyang with several people like Zhang Hao, Long Dada, and Mei Sheng. We settled in the foothills of Guishan. The county committee was set up right here. Because we had many children and the place was remote, our comings and goings wouldn't attract attention. As the housekeeper, I was responsible for protecting the "family's" safety. When the comrades were asleep, I would keep watch. If I heard suspicious footsteps late at night, I would immediately get up, first check the hidden storage for secret documents, and then inspect the front and back of the house for any. If a comrade went out, I would wait at the door. If they didn't return, I would sit there until dawn. Even laundry and cooking seemed to take on new meaning and purpose: "This is revolutionary work!" None of the children attended school. Lian'an followed me everywhere at home, like a shadow. When meetings were held indoors, I would stand at the door, and he would sneak over and whisper, "Mom, you can leave. Let me watch." "Watch what?" "If anyone comes." When I went to hide documents, he would quietly stand by my side, "keeping watch." If someone outside was shouting, he would dash out to "investigate" and come back shortly to report, "It's nothing. The vegetable seller was shortchanged and arguing with someone." P35-36