Hello. Boy name Youyou

Author: Xia Xue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The situation was like this. On the morning of September 21st, I was watching the live broadcast of Li Ao's speech at Peking University on Phoenix TV. Phone calls and visitors came from time to time. Around noon, a reporter from Phoenix TV with a camera came to film the hospital room environment and interviewed me on the spot. I was stiff-faced and dressed in pretty clothes; it was impossible not to be nervous, but I should say I was so tense that I didn’t even realize I was nervous—my face didn’t change, but my heart was racing. The main reason was the extraordinary atmosphere. Li Ao was scheduled to come at noon, and I was putting increasing pressure on myself. My mother went to the balcony to look down and saw the place was packed with people—loud, crowded, and overwhelming. There were onlookers, mostly reporters, who were all kept outside the barricade. Suddenly, I heard loud noises downstairs, and someone said, "He’s here! He’s here!" Since I couldn’t see the process with my eyes, I could only imagine it with my ears. The hallway was filled with footsteps, dense and relentless, like the tide of the Qiantang River rushing in. In an instant, I felt as if I were about to be swept away. There was no nervousness or excitement, only a silent acceptance. The only thought in my mind was: He’s here. I leaned against the bed, looking at the door, waiting for Li Ao to appear. Then, Li Ao appeared, still wearing the dark suit and white pants he had worn during his speech at Peking University, with a red tie. Because I watched "Li Ao Has Something to Say" every day, seeing him make movements and speak in person was quite amusing to me. He was like someone who had jumped out of the TV and into my presence. Li Ao was very cautious and said he wouldn’t shake hands with me. He walked to the bedside, his small eyes behind the sunglasses examining me, and then, like a magician, pulled out a small book—the one I had mentioned in my letter, "Education and Masks," the 1964 edition of Wenxing Series 75. He smiled and said, "I brought something you don’t have. I’ve been saving it without writing in it, and I’ll write here." Then he added, "I didn’t expect you to be so tall." As he spoke, he sat down in a chair, took out his favorite fountain pen, as if determined to prove his "first-class" handwriting. He said, "Write in your language." On the title page, he wrote: "There are more than enough children left over for you, especially you." After finishing, he said, "Let your mother take a look first." And I didn’t lag behind, taking out my own book, "Whose Youth Was as Wild as Mine," which had my neatly written words on it. I smiled and said, "Your handwriting is better than mine." Then I read aloud, "You too once had youth like mine, and I too will have joy like yours. Who dares to shout, though thousands may oppose me, I will still go forward? Who will hold two billion years in their hands?" (Conceived on the afternoon of September 19th, when you were in the sky.)" Li Ao listened and said, "Good." The two of us understood each other without words. Later reports said that Li Ao and I met but didn’t talk much, just clasped hands tightly together—that was a big joke! Because, apart from the Phoenix media, all the other reporters were kept outside the hospital, how could they know what was happening inside the room? From start to finish, Li Ao kept his distance from me, respecting my status as a patient. I couldn’t help but recall the description of young Li Ao when he first met Hu Shi: polite, considerate, and amiable. Now I’d say Li Ao also deserves those eight words. His old-fashioned demeanor was evident, and it was quite touching. I remembered describing this exchange during a press interview, calling it a dialogue between the strong and the strong, between high mountains and high mountains. This passage will surely be labeled as (wild words), but in truth, it’s quite correct. I showed Li Ao my wounds, and he laughed and talked about his own illness. I thought of the seventeen-year-old Li Ao when he first saw Qian Mu. He thought Qian Mu was very short and didn’t match his reputation, making Li Ao doubt whether the person before him was truly Qian Mu. His humility also made Li Ao question the breadth of Qian Mu’s knowledge, and Yin Haiguang was even worse, making the young Li Ao feel uncomfortable. Hu Shi was the same. Time passed, and the Li Ao sitting before me didn’t seem to fear me, nor did he have a bad impression of me in his heart? Haha.