Chapter 57 Appendix The spirit flag of life is fluttering

After brushing shoulders with death, Li Ximin left a precious memory for himself and every living life.Different from the reading of other texts, it may be thrilling, exciting, full of suspense, or full of anger, but you must accept the ending of the story calmly.Reading Li Ximin's personal experience of the rest of his life after the catastrophe, it seems to accompany the entire Chinese nation to experience the heart-wrenching "5.12" Wenchuan Earthquake again!It also seems to be accompanied by Li Ximin, passing through the dancing of butterflies like spirits, feeling the struggle and tenacity of life once again.

Jack London's short story "Love of Life" is loved by many authors, including Lenin, because it reveals the simple truth of human life and human dignity.The dignity of human existence is paramount, but human life is so fragile. This is the meaning of the spiritual flag of life fluttering in the wind and rain.Therefore, I would rather regard it as the Chinese version of "Loving Life". In that black May of 2008, when Li Ximin was buried under the rubble in the earthquake, news spread like wildfire.When we learned about this misfortune on the Internet and in the blogs of friends, the disaster of one person and the whole nation was involved like a chain.A full 76 hours!Those three days and three nights belonged to the survivors, and belonged to a miracle of life!During those 76 hours, how did Li Ximin survive under the ruins?Now we know.His whole body seemed to be frozen in hell, only his right hand could move, and the room for movement became smaller and smaller. When the water in his body was gradually drained and a layer of blisters formed on his lips, he felt like urinating, but he couldn't move his most precious thing. He drank urine into his mouth... Fortunately, life still belongs to Li Ximin, who was born in a soldier, and his tenacious will and strong physique made him persevere.What is even more fortunate is that no falling body can solidify Li Ximin's thoughts. His left eye was covered with blood. With his right eye, which was barely open, he was at the gate of hell for 76 hours. But he re-examined the world and life outside the ruins.

A lonely life is almost meaningless. Only when life encounters and collides with life can it produce qualitative meaning.Li Ximin's loneliness and fear of loneliness under the ruins (the spiritual loneliness of the writer's profession has long been known), is enough to imagine, let alone a lot of his pen and ink.The proprietress of Xinhai Villa and a man approached the ruins several times and had conversations with Li Ximin; comrade Yi Yanduan and volunteer Xiao Xi had several anxious conversations in front of the ruins in order to save him...including instructor Zhao of the Air Force Rescue Team, Fan The dialogue between the platoon leader and two soldiers who risked their lives to sneak into the ruins and Li Ximin constitutes the most detailed and exciting part of the work.When Li Ximin, who brushed shoulders with death, hid again in the Sheshan Forest Hotel in the scorching summer, and typed out the memory of life and death word by word on the computer, the resentment, resentment, excitement and gratitude in his heart might still seem like yesterday.However, the passage that moved my heart and even brought tears to my eyes was not under the ruins, including driving through the unpredictable neon-lit streets of Shanghai in a small car after being rescued, nor was it that he, his wife, children, and family members were rescued after the robbery. When we met, it was not Li Ximin's reflections on life and life, but his memories of his tribe, family members and comrades-in-arms during the 76 hours under the ruins.His grandfather, grandmother, father, mother...that is the source of Li Ximin's life, and it is also the spiritual banner of life that our nation raises high.Those fleeting memories are like stones sunk in the river bed. Once the truth comes out, no matter the edges and corners or smoothness, they are all a kind of original ecological truth.The chapters in this part are by no means the literary supplementary notes of the survivor Li Ximin, but must be a true portrayal of his 76-hour journey to hell, at least I firmly believe so.

No matter what title Li Ximin has because of his occupation, as an individual life, he is as humble as you and me.Looking at his childhood experience in the mountain village of western Fujian, including the small days after he traveled far and wide and settled in Shanghai, he can feel the true meaning that life is the basis of survival.Li Ximin has always played the role of a "fugitive" throughout his life. His joining the army and changing jobs are historic "escaping", and he has succeeded time and time again.Thankfully, in this all-important "escape", he succeeded again!Suffering is a form of survival.Just imagine, if it wasn’t for the impoverished mountainous area in western Fujian that endowed Li Ximin with a special quality of life, it would be hard to imagine that he could survive those 76 hours under the ruins… Writers like to say “thank you for the suffering” and “thank you for life”, maybe this is the reason .

Li Ximin, who was buried under the ruins, in order not to fall asleep, deliberately scratched the iron nails with his still movable right hand from time to time, or pressed his head down, so that the iron plate inserted into his left cheek would cause deeper pain... Just like the bloody iron nails and iron sheets, they cut open our spiritual wounds that may have been scabbed, and bring us the pain of our hearts again, to remind us that we are still alive and that life is so beautiful!