漫步人生

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36楼 蕭振于 2020-02-29 03:04:35

编辑文：
he crisis of Banlan commune
Mr. Qian asked me to treat a patient in Banlan commune in the north of Donghua. I made an appointment and expressed my concern to Qian Xuesen: "there are films there (a ethnic minority in Vietnam, they are often unfriendly to Chinese people across the border). Should we go?" Qian Xuesen assured me that he knew the chairman of the commune. We arrived at a Chinese family. When I examined the patient, someone called to pay for it. About half an hour later, Qian Xuesen came back solemnly and said, "let's go." I had just finished seeing the patient, and I packed my supplies immediately. Qian Xuesen said a few words to the surprised homeowner, took me out and said, "we don't take the highway, but go back from another road." When I was nervous, I ran quietly with the money. After a while, Qian told me that he had found some people when he was taken to the commune. The chairman asked Mr. Qian to sit down. As a group, Qian Xuesen talks to himself in mixed Vietnamese and Vietnamese, which makes him feel uneasy. The chairman then hinted that he should leave. Hearing all this, I was more nervous and stepped up. Ten minutes later, we found a noise behind us. "They may be after us!" Qian Xuesen said in a low voice, "after the mountain, you will be in front of the ferry; the other side of the river is no longer the Banlan commune." Then he said, "if we follow cliff, it's faster than a detour. But under the cliff is the river. Are you afraid? You... Do you swim? " I said I'm not afraid. I can swim. So we climbed the cliff to escape. "Be careful!" Money shouted. Before I finished, there was a stone under my feet

37楼 蕭振于 2020-03-03 10:01:36

编辑文：
Hiding in a half shed to avoid "catching the Chinese"

My wandering life has lasted for four years. I eat here and spend the night there, always afraid. There are rumors that Hanoi has ordered the arrest of all Chinese who illegally cross the border. Donghua is famous for its many cross-border Chinese. Two Deng and others moved to other places temporarily. I also want to find a better place to hide. But can I go before? Even in remote mountainous areas, police can easily track or even focus their attention on search. I was in a dilemma. I found uncle Qing, a town resident with an evacuation cabin on the hill, who lived in the land on the west side of the road, with only three families. Uncle Qing advised: "is there a safe place. I recently noticed a dry ditch not far from here. If you don't want to go anywhere else, it's best to hide there for a while. I'll pay more attention to the town, and if there's any sign, I'll let you know if you're in trouble. " Thanks for uncle Qing's advice. I followed him to the ditch. He helped me clean and find a place to hide. It was getting dark. Uncle Qing brought me food and water. There was an old man who built a small shed with thatch. The thatch was supported on one end by two sticks and the other against the ground. Then put a bamboo mat on the floor. Only one person can sit or lie there. If it's not too close, it's not easy to find it. Uncle Qing or his son bring me food and water twice a day. I spent two days in a state of unease. The third day is rainy. It didn't rain much, but it lasted five or six hours. Almost all the ditches are wet, bamboo

38楼 蕭振于 2020-03-03 10:02:57

编辑文：
A man named Deng RL came from under the dam and asked me to treat his son. Riding my new bike, I came back with him. The sick boy was four years old, pale, short of breath, full of veins and edema in the lower limbs. The examination showed a diastolic rumble at the top of his heart, which was enlarged. The child has acute congestive heart failure caused by rheumatic heart disease and mitral stenosis and needs to be treated with digitalis preparation. I suggest RL can find this medicine only in the hospital. RL said that as long as there are ready-made ones, he can get them. The result is that the Irishman is the chairman of the commune and has a wide range of social networks. I refer to RL the "ouabain" in the Vietnamese Drug Manual. What he knows about me is Vietnamese. I explained that I had taught myself a little. RL wrote down that he went to town on his bicycle. He came back that night, reporting that he went to the county hospital first, and then to the state-run drugstore. The chief pharmacist said there was a shipment, but it was packed and ready for shipment to Wangcai because no one ordered it for a long time. RL asked him to get it back from the bus station, saying he would come back the next day. The next morning, RL brought ouabain. RL's wife said the child was making a fuss all night. I found that the boy, who was blue, restless and crying all the time, knew that the situation was urgent. I quickly extracted ouabain, diluted it with glucose solution, and injected it into the vein slowly. The boy soon calmed down. I told RL and his wife frankly

原文：
A man named Deng RL came from Dam Ha requesting me to treat his son’s illness. Riding my
new bike, I returned there with him.
The sick boy was four years old with a pale complexion, shortness of breath, engorgement of the
jugular vein and lower extremity edema. Examination revealed a diastolic rumbling murmur in the
apical region of his heart, which was enlarged.
The child had acute congestive heart failure due to rheumatic heart disease with mitral stenosis
and required treatment with digitalis agents. I advised RL that this kind of medicine could be found
only in the hospital. RL said as long as it was readily available, he could manage to get it. It turned out
that RL was chairman of the commune and had a wide social network.
I pointed out "ouabain" from the Vietnamese drug manual to RL. He was surprised at my
understanding of Vietnamese. I explained I had taught myself a little. RL wrote down the name of the
drug and immediately rode his bicycle to the town. He came back that evening, reporting that he went
first to the County Hospital without result, and then to the state-run pharmacy. The chief pharmacist
said it was available but had been packed for shipment to Mong Cai because no one had ordered it for a
long time. RL asked him to retrieve it from the bus station, saying he would return to pick it up the
following day.
Next morning, RL brought the ouabain. RL’s wife said the child had kicked up a fuss all night.
Finding the boy with a livid face, restless and constantly crying, I knew the situation was urgent. I
quickly drew ouabain, diluted it with a glucose solution and slowly injected it intravenously. The boy
soon calmed down. I told RL and his wife frankly that this condition was extremely dangerous if
treatment was delayed. All family members looked at each other with alarm.
Following daily intravenous injections and treatment with other drugs, the child improved
gradually.
Deng RL treated me to rice porridge for breakfast, rice for lunch and dinner, plus fried fish, or
fried peanuts, or scrambled eggs, every day for more than 10 days. This was not a menu that ordinary
farmers could typically afford.
One day, RL’s brother-in-law came to visit. When he inquired about the boy, RL’s wife
complained: "Isn't he almost the same?"
I heard and understood she believed I treated the child too slowly, giving just one shot per day, as
if I were extending treatment deliberately. I felt it necessary to advise her: "This medicine is very potent
and can only be injected once a day. In any case, all intravenous injection must be done slowly." But I
wasn’t sure if she accepted my explanation at that time.
Deng RL's brother-in-law was passing by on his way to the neighbor county Ha Coi to "consult
the fairy.” His daughter-in-law was sick and medication didn’t work. He had been told that the
Demigod Liu of Ha Coi was very efficacious and wanted to consult him.
The next day he returned and talked with RL and his wife in a low voice. He said that Demigod
Liu told him that there was a human skeleton buried under the bamboo clump on the left front side of
his house. The dead bones complained of discomfort because of too much rain recently. The demigod
said if the bones were removed to a dry place, his daughter-in-law would be healed.
RL asked, "Are there really bones buried there?"
His brother-in-law replied, "No idea! I have never heard of that but will go back and dig to see."
Then he said hesitantly, "Demigod Liu and I live far apart, separated by mountains and rivers. We are
strangers, so how can he know that there is a bamboo clump on the left front side of my house and
bones buried underneath? It is really strange."
About a dozen days later, RL’s brother-in-law came again. He said he had gone home that day and
really did find bones under the bamboo clump. Therefore, they prepared incense, candles and paper
money, and requested a master to help move the bones to a hillside. His daughter-in-law began
improving and the edema was almost gone. But, unfortunately, the edema recurred. Demigod Liu again
was consulted and this time told RL’s brother-in-law he had to seek help from another able man. This
was when he requested my services.
I have never believed in weird things. However, the fact that Demigod Liu said there were bones
buried under the bamboo clump that even the homeowner didn't know about yet found to be true, made
me feel incredulous. I should say that although current science can't explain such things, facts are facts,
which we must admit and then search for a cause.
It is best not to be self-righteous about respecting only scientific knowledge and dismissing all
else as "superstition”. If one could better understand such a “miracle” later, it could mean a great
advance in scientific knowledge. Aren’t there a few examples in the history of science? A
photosensitive film wrapped with black paper was found exposed by unknown "light”. At that time
scientists had no idea that some elements were radioactive which could make the film sensitized, so
they could not explain. However, the scientists refused to regard it as “haunted" but continued their
research which later resulted in the atomic theory.
In another instance, a bacterial culture medium displayed a few spots without bacterial growth.
Scientists didn't know about antibiosis between different organisms at that time, but they persisted with
research and finally developed the first antibiotic - penicillin, and a series of other antibiotics later. To
this day, there are few men and women in civilized society who have not benefited from antibiotics.
Deng RL accompanied me to his brother-in-law's home. After examination I suspected the patient
suffered from nephrotic edema. As it was not practicable to send the urine for a lab test, I tried an
alternative method. Asking her and her sister-in-law each to collect their urine in small bowls, I drew
the urine with a syringe into two waste ampoules, held the ampoules with a bamboo clip and placed
them obliquely above a glowing charcoal to heat the upper portion of the urine inside. In a moment, the
patient’s urine solidified into a white mass, while her sister-in-law’s remained clear. Because the urine
became solid, it should be an excess of protein in the urine - proteinuria. This meant she most likely
suffered from nephrotic edema.
Everyone around was amazed. However, I knew that the disease was not easy to cure and frankly
told them so. Deng RL asked me to prescribe the needed medicine and said he would help to get it. His
brother-in-law was the commune public security agent and might have some friends help. Therefore, I
prescribed her a diuretic plus a Chinese herbal formula and told them to give them a try.
Unexpectedly, nearly a year later I learned that the patient had recovered and given birth to a baby
boy. Unfortunately, the edema returned. I was not in Dong Hoa at that time and did not know the final
outcome.
RL’s son, whom I had treated for congestive heart failure, became strong enough to get up and
walk. Assuming I no longer was needed, I was preparing to leave when Deng Rong of Dong Hoa came
to ask me back to treat his grandson's foot injury. RL and Deng Rong were of the same surname clan
and had known each other for some time. Deng Rong had noticed two small caliber rifles hanging on
the wall of RL’s hall and said to me, "See, RL is a person trusted by the Communist Party, so he has
these things." That reminded me that when I was in college, I attended militia training and had
practiced rifle shooting. So the two guns on the wall did not seem alarming and had not caught my
attention. Hearing what Deng Rong said, I sighed, “Oh, there is more to this story!”
Before I followed Deng Rong back to Dong Hoa, I reminded RL, "Later the child may have
shortness of breath again. You can ask the commune health worker Honggui to help inject ouabain (RL
had bought all the ouabain from the pharmacy). Honggui is able to do intravenous injection and has
watched me do it several times, so there should be no problem. Remind him that the medicine is very
strong, and the injection must be done slowly and never too fast."
Panic Stricken at the Police Station
After one or two months, Deng RL hastened to Dong Hoa to report that his son could not stop
vomiting. I followed him on my bicycle to his house where I learned that Honggui had given
intravenous ouabain to the boy. As Honggui had been in a hurry to leave, I was told he injected the
medicine rather quickly. Soon the child began to vomit continuously. They had failed in their efforts to
stop it. I suspected that because the drug was injected too quickly, the blood concentrations increased
rapidly and the vomiting center in medulla was activated. I happened to have chlorpromazine at hand,
so gave the child an injection and the vomiting soon ceased.
At this time Honggui also came and heaved a sigh of relief: "I just pushed the drug a bit faster and
didn't expect that it would be so terrible!" Now I believed that RL’s wife finally understood why I had
injected only once a day before.
In the afternoon, Deng RL took me and Honggui to the town to buy something. We each rode our
bikes and had just reached a street corner when a policeman stopped me: "Hmm! You are here again.

39楼 蕭振于 2020-03-03 10:03:56

编辑文：
Why did you run last time? " It's like being hit by a bolt from the blue. Deng RL and Honggui are too scared to know what to do. The police dragged me to the police station. He confiscated my money, watch, bicycle and bicycle certificate. After a simple inquiry, he locked me in a small cell. I feel like I've fallen into an abyss, and grief has overwhelmed me. It's all over! Last time I was allowed to "escape" from the police station, but this time I was arrested on purpose. I didn't dream of further flight, feeling that I would definitely be sent back to China. Will I be shot there because I am just sent back to the border, or will I be killed by the "mass dictatorship" and sent back to Kunming? These terrible scenes passed in my mind one by one. This time everything is lost! I decided not to blame duner or regret buying the bike. Even without Deng or a bike, I could be caught at any time. In my wandering years North, I sat on the edge of the abyss every day in Vietnam. I tossed and turned all night, and my previous hopes are now dashed. I feel like a tortoise in a desperate situation or a fish on a chopping board. What miracle will happen? I've been praying to God for help. The next day, when the door opened, I was still in a coma and was told to go out. I hobbled behind the police to the front desk. I'm surprised to see Deng there! The police spoke to duner in Vietnamese and handed me over to him. I went out with RL for no reason. He put me in the back of his bike and we rode off. Outside the city, RL explains, "yesterday you and we

原文：
Why did you run away last time?"
It was like being struck by a bolt from the blue. Deng RL and Honggui were too scared to know
what to do. The policeman hauled me to the Police Station. He confiscated my money, watch, bicycle
and bicycle certificate. After simple questioning, he locked me in a small cell.
I felt that I was falling into an abyss, grief overwhelming me. Everything was gone! Last time I
was allowed to “escape" from the Police Station, but this time I was arrested on purpose. I had no
illusion of further escape, feeling definitely that I would be sent back to China. There, would I be shot
randomly for just being sent back over the border, or would I be killed by “masses dictatorship” after
being sent back to Kunming? These horrible scenes passed one by one in my mind. This time
everything surely was lost!
I decided I should not blame Deng RL and should not regret buying the bike. Even without Deng
RL or the bike, I still might have been caught at any time. During my years of wandering North
Vietnam I was actually sitting at the edge of an abyss every day.
I tossed about all night, my earlier hopes now dashed to pieces. I felt like a turtle cornered in a jar
or like a fish placed on the chopping block. What miracle might still happen? I kept praying to God for
help.
The next day, I was still in a daze when the door opened and I was called out. I stumbled along
behind the policeman to the front counter. I was surprised to see Deng RL there!
The policeman talked briefly in Vietnamese with Deng RL and then handed me over to him.
Baffled, I followed RL out. He sat me on the rear seat of his bicycle and we rode away.
Out of the town, RL explained, "Yesterday you were suddenly arrested by the police, and I was
puzzled. Back home I discussed with family and friends a plan for your rescue. Today I went to the
Police Station and spoke to the chief, telling him, 'My son is dying. The County Hospital can do
nothing, so I went to Dongxing and asked the Chinese doctor for help. He treated my son for a few
days and my son has improved. I just went with him to town to buy more medicine, but then you
arrested him. What can I do now? Do you want to see my son die?’"
The police chief realized he needed to work with the commune in the future; besides, Deng RL’s
younger brother Deng RY previously had worked in the County Branch of the Labor Party and was
friendly with the chief. After reconsidering for a moment, the chief told Deng RL, "Then you should
control him well, don't let him run around. When your son is healed, you send the doctor back to
China."
So that his how RL got me out. Once again it was a miracle that I could not have imagined. Thank
God for having mercy on me again.
Fortunately, it was this particular case that Deng RL could use as my excuse. But if I were
arrested on other occasions (which might happen anytime!), how could I get free?
When we arrived home, RL's wife and father greeted us and were greatly relieved.
Deng RY reminded me that, in fact, people crossing the border were very common. Those living
nearby went to Dongxing to buy small commodities, people from there came to visit relatives, and
nobody cared. Catching the border-crossed Chinese was only aimed at those who stayed a long time
with their relatives. RL explained that he told the police chief he had gone to China to ask me to come
for temporary healing, an act of compassion they would not refuse.
After lunch RL asked, "Who is the owner of your bike?" When I explained it was Liu Fu,
chairman of Yen Thank Commune, RL said, “Then I am going to get the bike back.” Deng RL and RY
rode together to fetch the bike and brought it back with no trouble.
RL said the police chief had not been there, only the policeman who had arrested me. It seemed
that the policeman had arrested me just to get my bike and money. However, when the certificate
showed the bike belonged to Liu Fu, chairman of Yen Than commune, he knew he could not keep it. So
the policeman agreed to return the bike to RL but refused to return the money and watch.
I said: "Forget it, the watch is an old watch, money is but a dozen bucks. My personal freedom is
good enough."
I recalled the time when Liu Fu acted tough but talked softly to sell me his bike, even though I
was rather reluctant. Unexpectedly, what seemed wrong had turned out to be right. If I had purchased a
bike from someone else, how could I have gotten it back now? Therefore, whether an event is good or
bad we do not always know at the time. Time may give us better insight into the truth.
Deng RL’s son’s vomiting had stopped, so I was free to return to Tien Yen. For safety’s sake, RL
accompanied me until we had traveled beyond Dam Ha County.
Third Escape From ‘Catching the Chinese’ Raid
The Lunar New Year was coming and several of us "Chinese guys" got together in Daan’s hut to
eat fried dumplings; Uncle Daan was happily smiling all the time.
Just as the New Year ended, unexpected news came that the police searched and arrested bordercrossed
Chinese again. There were several nabbed in neighboring communes and counties. What
should I do? I remembered when I visited patients of Old Town some time back, I learned there had
been no border-crossed Chinese there for a long time. So I decided to go and hide out there temporarily.
Going there to the home of a familiar patient, I explained my situation. The owner readily agreed
to hide me upstairs. His house was one of the few with two stories. In order not to be seen by passersby,
all three meals a day were taken upstairs to me. I was moved with much gratitude.
In one corner of my hiding place were several old textbooks of a former private school: "Three
Characters Classics", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and "Comprehensive
Philosophical Phrases" etc. When I was a child I had seen them in my grandfather's house. I was too
young to understand them well at that time; later I had no more chance to see them. Now, surprised to
find them in this Vietnamese village, I was overjoyed and read them all with gusto. I felt that they
indeed contained many brilliant philosophical thoughts. In China the Cultural Revolution had swept
away "the four old", and Chinese culture experienced unprecedented ravages. Even traditional
children’s books like these were burned. Forgetting one's ancestors and contempt for one's own
heritage, there was nothing comparable in previous Chinese history.
A few days passed safely in my new location and the security situation gradually eased. I thanked
the family and quietly returned to Dong Hoa.
Tingwen told me that one day a county policeman did come, but not to hunt down the Chinese
here, as virtually all had left. Instead, the policeman required that Tingwen lead him to Ho Er’s home
which was more than a kilometer north from Dong Hoa, because two border-crossed Chinese were
there. Tingwen had no other choice but as they proceeded he considered how he could foil this plan.
Walking and walking, Tingwen said slowly to the policeman, "I heard that Ho Er has two
shotguns. You know Ho Er is very crude and rash, if he 'bangs (fires)' over us, I don't know if you or I
will die."
The policeman also realized that Ho Er was well-known as a rash man. He began to slow his pace
and finally said, "Forget it!"
Ho Er was a somewhat mysterious local character. Nobody knew much about his background
except that he came to Tien Yen shortly before the Communist take-over in 1954. Word got around that
he was from Haiphong because he spoke with an accent. Many years before, it was said, a "ghost"
(here, the French) bullied him, so he killed the “ghost” with his bare hands and then fled to Tien Yen.
Soon the French retreated and Ho Er remained safely in Tien Yen. He lived alone on a hillside more
than a kilometer north of Dong Hoa and cultivated waste land by himself.
There were a lot of rumors about Ho Er: Ho Er ate yam with skin and peanut with shell; when
plowing he put a basket of yam on each side of the field, and grasped a handful of yam together with
mud and water to eat when hungry. Even more amazing, he once drove a water buffalo to pull a row of
lumber up the slope. He yelled and hit the buffalo but could not make it pull the lumber up. Ho Er was
angry and yelled at the water buffalo: "Well, if you can't pull it up, I will. But if I have to pull it up the
slope, you are going to die." He pulled, towed and crawled, his shoulders and knees injured and
bleeding, and he managed to pull the lumber up. Then he turned on the water buffalo and said: "You
damn it!" He punched the animal in the eyes, nose and mouth, beating the big creature to death, just
liked a modern version of Xiang Yu, the King of Chu! No wonder the policeman thought it wise not to
confront such a person!

40楼 蕭振于 2020-03-07 10:13:47

编辑文：
First time to Haiphong

In northern Vietnam, most of the overseas Chinese lived in counties like mengcai, Hakou, Baxia and Tianyan near the border of Guangxi Province in. There are also some Chinese in the county
Near Yunnan. When it comes to the mainland, China's population is getting smaller and smaller. However, the number of Chinese in Haiphong and Hanoi has increased again. After its establishment, the Communist Party of Vietnam regime, Vietnam and China signed a treaty, reserving that overseas Chinese only have identity to people in Hanoi, Haiphong and Nanding; the rest are classified as Han nationality, and ethnic minorities are in Vietnam. Because there are many overseas Chinese in Haiphong and Hanoi, I would like to visit there to broaden my horizons and look for new opportunities. One day, Mr. Qian visited Donghua and told me that the shipyard would send him to Haiphong minivan to pick up a batch of materials and equipment. He asked me if I would go with him. Recognizing a promising opportunity, I immediately agreed. The truck driver is a former policeman transferred to the shipyard. He was still wearing his police uniform, which was yellow. Qian said it would help us travel. Two teenage brothers accompanied us, carrying a pair of big boxes. Qian confided that the box contained goods smuggled from Dongxing by boys. He said the brothers were very active in helping their parents "do business" in coastal defense. Money sits next to the driver, and the rest of us stand behind the truck. It is a gravel road from Tianyuan to Haiphong. We approached honggai and walked along a rugged wind road to the coastline; from honggai to Haiphong, the road was even. When I stand

原文：
First Visit to Haiphong

In North Vietnam, most overseas Chinese resided near in the border of Guangxi province in
counties such as Mong Cai, Ha Coi, Dam Ha, and Tien Yen. There were also some Chinese in counties
close to Yunnan. Going inland, the Chinese population became less and less. But in the metropolitan
cities of Haiphong and Hanoi the number of Chinese increased again. After the establishment of
Vietnam’s Communist regime, Vietnam and China signed a treaty which retained Overseas Chinese
identity only for those in Hanoi, Haiphong and Nam Ding; the rest were categorized as Han, a minority
in Vietnam.
Because there were many overseas Chinese in Haiphong and Hanoi, I wished to visit there to
broaden my perspective and seek new opportunities.
One day, Qian visited Dong Hoa and told me that the shipyard was sending him to Haiphong in a
small truck to pick up a batch of materials and equipment. He asked me if I would like to come along.
Recognizing a promising opportunity, I agreed immediately.
The truck driver was an ex-policeman who had transferred to the shipyard. He was still wearing
his police yellow uniform which Qian said could be helpful on our journey. Two teenage brothers
accompanied us, carrying a pair of big boxes. Qian confided that in the boxes contained goods the boys
had smuggled from Dongxing. He said the brothers were very active in helping their parents “do
business” in Haiphong.
Qian sat up next to the driver, while the rest of us stood in the back of the truck. From Tien Yen to
Haiphong was a gravel highway. Approaching Hon Gai, we followed a windy and rugged road along
the coast; from Hon Gai to Haiphong the road was more level. As I stood in the truck, against the wind,
looking forward, my heart was full of hope. The two brothers enjoyed horseplay all the way. They had
pre-packed gravel and soil which they tossed at Vietnamese girls passing on the roadside. The girls
shouted and cursed them loudly as they watched the truck speed by. The brothers laughed
mischievously, bending to and fro.
We arrived at Hong Gai at noon for lunch. Hon Gai was the capital of Quang Ninh Province at
that time and was well-known for high quality anthracite coal. There were only a few blocks in the
town center, but in the suburbs were a lot of residential huts which housed many ethnic Chinese.
Not far west of Hon Gai was the famous Vinh Ha Long (Halong Bay). Under the blue sky we saw
more than a thousand rocky peaks of varied sizes and weird shapes jutting up from the endless sea. It
was said that some of them had large caves, like the Seven Star Cave and Reed Flute Cave of Guilin,
China. These caves had many Karst geological formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars
and other shapes. Compared to the landscape of Guilin, the seascape of Ha Long Bay looked even more
beautiful and peaceful. If we might take a boat ride between the peaks, how amazing it would be!
There was an island along the coast of Ha Long Bay where our truck traveled along a side road.
Inland was a sanatorium where it was said Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia had lived for some
time. After several ferry trips, we arrived at Haiphong in the evening.
Qian took me to his Cousin Luc’s home. Luc lived on the second floor in the side apartment of an
old-style house. The family of three was crowded into a bedroom and small living room, a total area of
about 20 square meters. His son was a high school student who usually slept in the living room; now he
let us sleep there.
Cousin Luc was a truck driver for a printing house and his wife was a cotton mill worker. They
welcomed us warmly. At dinner they treated us to rational pork and a fish bought from the free market.
They told us if we had come the previous month, we could have had another kind of fish then plentiful
on the market. Those fish had been confiscated from Taiwanese fishing boats detained after crossing
the border. All fish were taken and a fine was levied.
What surprised Haiphong residents was that these fish were all of the same kind and almost of the
same size. It was said that the Taiwanese fishermen sprinkled a certain kind of bait on the sea to lure
one type of fish to bite. Haiphong people learned from such things, admiring the scientific
advancements of the outside world and realizing that even fishing involved science.
Our hosts recalled the horrific scenes when U.S. aircraft had bombed Haiphong a year earlier. In
order to resume production immediately after the air raid, the government required that all workers hide
in a nearby air-raid shelter. The aircraft roaring and the bombs exploding were in close proximity and
all but deafened their ears.
Cousin Luc said it was really "life hanging by a thread" at that time. His niece Hu Mei, hiding
under a small bridge, unfortunately was hit on the back by shrapnel, causing a massive hemorrhage.
She cried desperately, “This time I will die!” As feared, she succumbed on the way to the hospital.
I was frightened to hear all of this. Alas, the cruel war!
During the next two days, Qian showed me around Haiphong, North Vietnam’s second largest
metropolis and principal harbor. The urban area was rather large, perhaps 10 or 20 streets, but there
were few shops and few people on the street. An auditorium-style building called the "Great Concert
Hall" plus the small square in front was the city's most distinctive landmark. Most buildings were built
during the French regime. They appeared old and dark, some damaged and not repaired.
We visited two department stores, possibly the only two. One was just a single shop with a front
counter and a shelf behind displaying daily necessities, mostly domestic products such as clothes,
footwear, toothpaste and plastic products. The quality was rough; the toothpaste, for example, was only
contained in a zinc tube without painting and trademark.
Most commodities were sold by coupons. I was told there were foreign aid items from China, the
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe available from time to time; they typically sold out quickly but then
were resold. As for high-end goods such as bicycles, sewing machines and radios, only a few people
who got the coupons could buy them; they were not displayed in the stores.
We went to a pharmacy where some medicines were displayed on the counter and shelves. I
noticed some prettily packaged antibiotics and other drugs imported from Communist countries, and
even some from France and Japan. The descriptions on the packages were printed in various languages
but I had a general understanding of what they said. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, I bought
as much as I could with the little money I had with me
There was a bookstore. Although it was also a single shop, the stock was more complete than in
the department stores, including some Chinese books from China. I purchased an acupuncture manual
and a “Handbook of Internal Medicine”.
At lunchtime, Qian and I stopped in at a state-run cafeteria. The printed menu showed only two
choices: noodles with meat or without meat. Using money and food coupons, we paid 100 grams of
food coupons per bowl. We were hungry, so Qian and I each bought two bowls. The noodles were
rather fresh, unlike those sold by the Tien Yen cafeteria which had an odor of cockroach excrement. I
was told there also were private rice porridge and noodle shops, but a guide was necessary to find them.
Walking on the street, I sometimes heard people speaking Cantonese. Qian said that in the past
Cantonese speakers were more prevalent and their economic power was strong; now all their assets had
become "communist property". He explained that because Vietnam was at war, the government could
provide limited jobs but did not allow private business. Therefore, many people relied on sneaky ways
to conduct small business or handicrafts for a living. The government turned a blind eye. Some of these
entrepreneurs were very skillful, such as using scrap copper and waste iron to weld and assemble a
bicycle of better quality than the "Unified" brand.
The father of the two teenage boys invited us for dinner. He lived on China Street. As the name
indicated, China Street was the home of many overseas Chinese. I was told that when North Vietnam
became Communist, the name of China Street was retained but most other street names changed. Some
were named after anti-French “heroes” or “patriots”, such as Phan Phoi Chau Street, Li Thuong Kiet
Street and Le Loi Street. Others were named for heroes who had historically resisted Chinese
aggression; the most famous was Hai Ba Trung Street. The two Trung sisters were heroines who
resisted the invasion of Ma Yuan, the famed General Fubo of the East Han Dynasty (25-220 AD).
Although they ultimately failed, the sisters still won the respect of Vietnamese people.
China was now strongly supporting Vietnam. Although the Vietnamese government was grateful,
old grudges and rivalries of the past 2,000 years were not forgotten
On the fourth day, we bid farewell to Cousin Luc’s family after breakfast, took the truck full of
cargo and returned to Tien Yen. Haiphong had not met my expectations of being a truly "metropolitan
city".
Healing Hemorrhoids in Haiphong
Qian learned that I had been very successful in healing hemorrhoids in Dam Ha, so he solicited
patients for me in Dong Hoa, promising a cure for 100 dong. My first patient was a villager there. With
Qian assisting I performed “ligation-atrophy”. The operation went smoothly, the hemorrhoid fell off
and the patient was healed after a week.
The news spread, keeping Qian and me busy healing a few more cases, the patients being relatives
of Dong Hoa villagers from a neighboring commune. Eventually, some residents of Haiphong,
informed by their relatives in Tien Yen, invited me to treat them. I went with Qian on the shipyard truck
or went with friends by bike.
At this time my friend Adong asked me to treat his cousin in Haiphong. Riding our bikes to the
Haiphong ferry, we saw three persons there who appeared to be Eastern Europeans. They wore rough
clothes, old shoes and old rectangular watches. Adong laughed and said, "I’ve no idea where the 'Gwei'
(Cantonese used to call foreigners ‘Gweilo’ or ‘Gwei’, meant ‘Ghost’) come from. They are poor
'Gwei'!"
I interjected, "East European Poles and the Czechs are not worse off than those from the Soviet
Union."
Adong agreed. He said East European countries were partly "capitalistic” with some of their
people involved in dazzling and dissipated entertainment. Then he told me a story: A student was
selected to study in Poland. Ready to go, he boarded a plane, but was pulled off and sent back home. A
year later, his father was informed that his son was in Poland engaging in "corruption" (pornography)
and would be sent back soon. The father and family were baffled because their son had never gone to
Poland! Later they learned that the son had been replaced there by an impostor.
We did the operation for Adong’s cousin the same day we arrived in Haiphong. The operation
went well.
Next day, Adong took me to visit his old classmate Ho who bought a roast duck to treat us. We
were rather overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, but Ho said, "Life has improved!" He explained that
recently the Vietnamese government had relaxed control of the economy and allowed people to engage
in small business. A family-run roast duck shop was opened nearby and prospered. There were also
several Chinese who found an old ice making machine. They repaired it and ran an ice shop, which in
turned led to the opening of two cold drink shops. "I’ll treat you to drink iced sugar water tomorrow."
Ho said.

41楼 蕭振于 2020-03-07 10:28:45

编辑文：
It seems that as long as the authorities do not strangle the people, but let them breathe, the people will work spontaneously and the economy will improve. We bought medicine from the drugstore and went to the bookstore. At a glance, we can see that there are Shaoji's version of "the cultivation of Communists" on the exhibition boards of Liu Zhongguo and Vietnam. In China at that time, Liu Shaoqi was defined as "traitor, traitor and scab maker" and became the number one goal of "the whole party wants to fight, the whole people wants". However, in Vietnam, his works appear in this eye-catching exhibition. What'd you mean by that? A Dong took me to a new congee shop and ordered a bowl of chicken fish noodles. We each had a ball and shrimp and a cup of tea. Three ingots per bowl, twice as expensive as a roadside shop. Good service, lots of customers. Boss Li knows Adong and comes to our table to chat. A Dong congratulates him: "business is good, boss Li!" Boss Li said with a wry smile, "it's better to do it secretly than before. But you still have to take care of those who have power. Even the garbage truck driver, you can't offend him. " "Why do you want to please the garbage truck driver?" "If you don't, he may complain that there is too much water in the garbage, or the broken bowl, or the glass may hurt him, and then throw away your garbage. What can you do? Even if the garbage is OK, he will still punish you for parking the truck 20 or 30 meters away, so you have to move all the garbage away and take your bag alone. " I can see, like in China, the prisoners of war

原文：
It seemed that as long as the authority did not choke the people too tightly, but let them take a
breath, then the people would spontaneously exert themselves and the economy would improve.
We bought medicine from the pharmacy, and then went to the bookstore. At a glance we saw Liu
Shaoji's "On the Cultivation of Communists" on the display board, in both Chinese and Vietnamese
versions. At that time in China, Liu Shaoji had been defined as a "renegade, traitor and scab", and
became the number one target that "the whole party has to crusade against and the whole people want
to kill.” Yet here in Vietnam his works were featured in this eye-catching display. What did it mean?
Adong took me to a newly opened porridge shop and ordered a bowl of noodles with chicken, fish
balls and shrimp plus a cup of tea for each of us. It was three dong per bowl, which was twice as
expensive as the roadside shops. Service was good and there were many customers. The boss Lee was
acquainted with Adong and came to our table to chat.
Adong congratulated him: "Good business, Boss Lee!"
Boss Lee smiled wryly and said, "Better than secretly doing it as before. But still you have to take
care of those people who have any power. Even the garbage truck driver, you cannot offend him."
"Why should you curry favor with the garbage truck driver?"
"If you don’t, he may complain that the garbage contains too much water, or the broken bowl or
glass may wound him, and then refuse your garbage. What can you do? Even if the garbage is OK, he
still may punish you by parking the truck 20 or 30 meters away so you have to move all the garbage
bags there by yourself."
I could see that, like in China, those with power in Vietnam had a way to gain money and other
favors.
A Careless and Aborted Rescue
My friend Feng Gang of Haiphong invited me to treat his friend’s hemorrhoid. During the
treatment I stayed in Feng’s place most of the time. It was a two-story building with dozens of tenants.
Feng Gang and two other Chinese families lived at the end of the second floor. Each family occupied
its own small room but shared a small living room where I slept for a few days. My friend’s family
chatted with me about acupuncture. They hoped to learn it from me but the time was too short.
It was difficult for me to communicate with my family in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Then I
learned that I could mail a letter directly from Vietnam to Hong Kong. That way I could send letters to
my wife Yu Ou and my sister and through them transfer the information to Guangzhou. I wasn’t writing
anything that would cause trouble, so it didn’t matter if the letter was inspected by Vietnamese police.
I was anxious to find a local address where letters could be sent to me from Hong Kong. Feng
Gang offered immediately, saying he had a Hong Kong connection. One of his relatives went to Saigon
when the French retreated in 1954, and moved to Hong Kong later. They still kept communication.
Gang said when he received a letter from Hong Kong he would ask someone to bring it to me in Tien
Yen.
I was overjoyed. It seemed that in Vietnam, an overseas relationship was not regarded with as
much suspicion as in China. I was very grateful to Gang for his willingness to help. Now I could
correspond with my wife as well as my sister, and through them be linked to my family in Guangzhou.
“A letter from home is more valuable than gold”. After that, every time I got a letter my joy was
indescribable.
Gang forwarded several letters to me and everything went well until a very unusual incident
happened. Now that Yu Ou and I had re-established communication, she was understandably anxious to
rescue her husband. A friend of her father was a captain who was sailing to the port of Haiphong. Yu
Ou asked him to take that opportunity to contact Feng Gang and try to take me out.
The captain had been to many countries around the world but had never dealt with Communist
authorities. With no sense of caution, he asked the local shipping company in Haiphong for help and
was taken to the Police Bureau. A policeman was sent to knock on Gang’s door, saying that a man from
Hong Kong wanted to see him. Gang wondered who it was.
Gang uneasily followed the policeman to the Police Bureau and saw the strange captain. The
captain asked Gang to inform Zeng Qing Si that he wanted to bring him to Hong Kong. Gang was
alarmed and prevaricated that he didn't know Zeng Qing Si. It was true because I had never revealed
my identity to anyone, but now he suspected that Deng Third was Zeng Qing Si. Even if I was in
Haiphong at that time, there was no way I could go to Hong Kong with the captain. The police would
arrest me on the spot. Those like the captain who had never lived under a Communist regime had no
idea how to handle such a situation.
The captain saw he was getting nowhere and backed off. The policeman sent him away but asked
Gang to remain for questioning. Gang denied all knowledge of the captain’s request. Returning home,
Gang was still anxious and preoccupied, but understood that he could no longer forward letters to Deng
Third. When Gang told me what had happened, I apologized again and again, and told him that I had
no advance knowledge of the captain’s mission.
I was moved by Yu Ou’s eagerness to rescue her husband but greatly troubled that she had made
such an awful blunder. I wrote a letter right away, admonishing her, "As you have spent five years in
college (Yu Ou had been in Communist prison for five years), it's sensible but foolish enough to do
such a thing."
I had been wandering Vietnam for several years, and was using the fake name and identity, but
now all of a sudden everything was exposed! I suspected that even if it were not so exposed, both
Chinese and Vietnamese agents must already have the ins and outs about me. Anyway, my situation
would be more difficult after that, and even Feng Gang might be stalked. A channel of communication
which I had exerted every effort to build up was now blocked.
After my letter to Yu Ou was sent, I regretted blaming her so much, realizing the pain she would
feel. Even without my complaint, when she learned of the unhappy result of her effort, she undoubtedly
would be greatly hurt and remorseful.
A Troubling Trip to Haiphong
There were signs afterwards that my worry was not unfounded. A few months later, Qian invited
me to go to Haiphong again to purchase equipment for the shipyard. He took the opportunity to make
appointments with two hemorrhoid patients.
We stayed in Haiphong a couple of days. The two hemorrhoid operations were successful, but two
other unusual things happened.
One day, while Qian was out doing business, I went to visit Feng Gang. As I approached the
entrance of his building, a woman about 50 in Chinese garb came over and asked in Vietnamese, "Who
are you looking for?" Somewhat startled, I answered in Vietnamese, "Mr. Gang." After entering his
home, Gang told me the woman was a member of the residents committee. I was taken aback: There
were also residents committees in Vietnam! It seemed that the ubiquitous control network of the
Communist Party was similar in Vietnam and China, but in China it was more strict and dense. From
that time, I realized I should visit Gang as seldom as possible.
Before departing Haiphong, Qian and I went to the truck parking area to pick up his load.
Unexpectedly, a man about 40 years old came over and greeted me (rather than Qian) in Cantonese. I
do not recall exactly what he said, but his appearance and demeanor were quite odd. He had a short fat
face, liked to bow and nod his head, and rolled his eyes quickly. A faint smile appeared on his mouth
corners when speaking. The man didn't say much and then left.
Qian watched us closely, kept silence, then whispered to me: “Let’s go! He is a policeman!”
I was immediately on guard. Fortunately, all the goods were loaded, so we started out.
Approaching the ferry, Qian told me to go in front and mix with the Vietnamese. We left Haiphong
safely and had no problem when we crossed on the Hong Gai ferry. After staying overnight in Qian’s
friend’s home, next day we crossed the Tien Yen ferry with greater ease. After all, it was far from
Haiphong. Both Qian and I supposed that the policeman just gave me a signal and let me go, although I
didn't know why. Anyway, the Vietnamese police were not active in arresting border-crossed Chinese.
But I now realized I must be more careful if I needed to go to Haiphong later.
Healing and Sightseeing in Hanoi
An overseas Chinese in Hanoi, through his relatives in TienYen, asked me to help treat his
daughter's hemorrhoids. Traveling with Qian and Adong, I first took the bus to Haiphong, then the train
to Hanoi.
As in China, a travel certificate was needed to buy a long-distance bus ticket. With the assistance
of a friend, I spent 10 dong to buy a fake certificate. Adong helped me buy a bus ticket. As this was my
first time taking a bus, I inevitably was a bit timid. Fortunately, it was not as strict as in China; nobody
checked the certificate when we got on and off the bus.
The train from Haiphong to Hanoi was the older French style with a narrow gauge rail span of one
meter. It was slow and sometimes shook violently. There were only benches on both sides of the car.
Many passengers sat on baggage or stood.
The patient was an employee of a large hospital in Hanoi. Because she was on a waiting list and
required to stay in the hospital for a long time, she and her family decided to ask me for help. The day
after arriving, we successfully completed the operation. The following day one of her hospital coworkers
visited her. She came out to meet him. When he learned the operation was only the previous
day, her co-worker asked in surprise, "You don’t need to rest in bed?"
While monitoring her recovery, my friends and I took the opportunity for touring this historic city,
my first visit to a foreign capital. Taking in the sights, I dreamed about visiting the capitals of other
countries as well. Little did I know that after 20 more years, my dreams would come true!
On Hanoi’s wide streets were a number of two- or three-story buildings. They were gloomy and
old, with few shops open for business. Pedestrians were few. On one side of a major street all the shops
were ruined, evidenced by their broken facades. In the middle of the street was a large bulletin board
with more than a thousand names written on it, names of those purportedly killed in a blanket bombing
by the U.S. B-52 aircraft.

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