Waiting for the "reunion dinner" in spring
Wei Li
The reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve is also called reunion dinner, which means family reunion, happiness and auspiciousness. During the interview against COVID-19 epidemic this year, the author heard that an old father suffering from cancer and his three sons who were both in traffic law enforcement posts had a reunion dinner that was postponed again and again, waiting for the spring dinner. After many twists and turns, I found the client.
Du Hongping, Du Taoping and Du Jiangping are all traffic law enforcement officers, and their parents are also retired employees of Liangping traffic system, which can be described as a typical "second generation".
The eldest Du Hongping and the second Du Taoping worked in Liangping, and the third Du Jiangping was transferred to the high-speed law enforcement department in 2014. As traffic law enforcement officers, Spring Festival and Spring Festival travel rush are the busiest times for the three brothers. But according to tradition, every year on New Year’s Eve, the family will try their best to get together and have a lively reunion dinner.
Different from previous years, my 81-year-old father has been suffering from lung cancer for many years, and he has been treated with chemotherapy three times before and after, and his health is getting worse. The three brothers privately agreed that this year’s Spring Festival reunion dinner must bring together all the family members, old and young, with no one missing, and take a family photo to make the old father on his deathbed happy for one year.
"The plan is at six o’clock in the evening, and everyone will have a reunion dinner together after the third child comes back. Because my father is so old, plus it is terminal cancer, it may be the last reunion dinner. " Boss Du Hongping said.
Just as my mother was preparing the ingredients for the New Year’s Eve dinner, Du Jiangping, the third son of the law enforcement brigade in Chongqing’s main city, told everyone that she would be on duty on New Year’s Eve and suggested that the time for the New Year’s Eve dinner should be adjusted to the second day of the first month …
Everyone thinks it is ok to postpone it for two days, as long as the family can be reunited and have a sense of ceremony during the Spring Festival to meet the wishes of the elderly.
In order to prepare for this postponed reunion dinner, my father specially arranged for my mother to cook dried pig’s feet in advance and buy Liangping’s special product "Daoer Mie" braised dishes, so that my children and grandchildren can get together and feel the warmth of the big family. The second child Du Taoping also arranged for his wife and daughter to go to the supermarket on the first day of the first month to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
At noon on the second day of the first month, Du Jiangping, the third son, hurriedly drove back to Liang Ping’s hometown from the main city of Chongqing after work. Just when I arrived at the stairs of the traffic family home where my parents lived, a phone call stopped Du Jiangping and he was in a dilemma. The phone call was made by a colleague from the company-due to the severe epidemic situation in COVID-19, all people on leave are required to return to their posts immediately!
"It is complicated to get this notice, because my father’s condition is getting worse and worse, and it is rare to have such an opportunity to reunite. Returning to work immediately means that this reunion dinner has to be given up again."
Colleagues also kindly reminded Du Jiangping that due to the complicated identity of the people who came into contact during work, they must be disinfected before meeting their parents, so as to be careful to infect their families.
After much consideration, Du Jiangping informed his eldest brother at home to come downstairs, handed over the honey, cereal and other gifts he bought back to his father, and decided to return to work in the main city of Chongqing immediately.
"Just as I turned around, I heard a familiar voice-my mother shouted my nickname on the balcony on the third floor and told me to pay attention to safety and wear a mask during work. At this point, my heart is particularly sad, and my eyes are full of tears … "
In this way, the Dujia reunion dinner, which was originally postponed, can only be postponed for another time …
Among the three brothers, Du Jiangping, the third, spends the least time with his father. "When I was young, my father was a soldier and I was at home. When I grew up, my father was at home and I went to be a soldier again. Later, I went to work in high-speed law enforcement, and I always lacked companionship with my parents. Due to busy work, the last time I went home was more than two months ago. "
In Du Jiangping’s eyes, the father of a military background is particularly strict with the three brothers. He is often taught that a soldier will not fade after he leaves the army, and he should always keep his true colors as a soldier. Over the years, the three brothers have kept in mind their father’s teachings and worked hard to do their own jobs, all of which have become the backbone of the unit.
Although the epidemic delayed this "reunion dinner", the father in the hospital bed often called the three brothers who fought in the front line of the epidemic and told them to pay attention to their health and take precautions.
In the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic, Du Hongping, the boss, is the head of Yunlong exit traffic health quarantine station of G42 Chongqing-Yichang Expressway. "Commanding more than 1,000 cars to pull over every day during the rush hour means making thousands of gestures. When eating after work, it is difficult to hold the chopsticks steadily and it hurts all over."
Du Taoping, the second child, is guarding the card at Qixing Station of X116 Line adjacent to Guanyin Town, Dazhu, Sichuan. When he returns to the unit, he must do a good job in ensuring the supply of rice bags, vegetable baskets, meat plates and fruit plates in the city and the normal agricultural production.
At the Dawan Toll Station in Yubei District, Chongqing-adjacent section of G65 Baomao Expressway, I found the third Du Jiangping who was inspecting the vehicle. Du Jiangping’s brigade is the third brigade of Chongqing Traffic Administrative Law Enforcement Corps Expressway. During the duty, be responsible for patrolling the 101-kilometer-long road surface in the jurisdiction and handling emergencies. Referring to this postponed reunion dinner, Du Jiangping choked several times: "When I was a teenager, my father sheltered me from the wind and rain and raised me to grow up; When my father is old, I can’t be filial before bed and accompany him. I only hope that this epidemic will end as soon as possible, and the family will take a family photo and have a reunion dinner. "
There are no heroes who fall from the sky, only mortals who stand up. It is these countless "retrograde people" who, regardless of holidays or during the epidemic, give up their small families for everyone, keep one side safe, and protect the stability of a city, in exchange for peace in the world and good years.
We also expect that this postponed "reunion dinner" will open as scheduled in the flowers and spring breeze.
(Author: Liangping District Radio and Television Station)
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