Page 384 - SELECTED WORKS OF CHEN YUN Volume I

380 CHEN YUN

in the midst of adversity he never expressed the slightest complaint or regret;
he was truly exceptional.
It is my responsibility as an uncle to counsel you on a certain matter,
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and you may copy this part of the letter for Niyun and ask him to heed
its message as well. You and Niyun should under no circumstances take on
an affectation as children of revolutionary heroes. This kind of behaviour in
front of your fellow countrymen or doing anything improper or illegal is
absolutely impermissible. You must remember that communists have only the
same rights as common people do under the laws of the state, and, moreover,
they should be exemplary in observing these laws. The activities of members
of a revolutionary party should have the sole purpose of serving the people;
there must be no thoughts of reward. Whoever considers rewards does not
qualify as a communist. Your father and I are not heroes, and you are not
children of heroes. You must very firmly keep this in mind. You must
remember that the true heroes are the common people throughout the
country, and it was only because they opposed the reactionaries and support-
ed the liberation army that the People’s Liberation Army was able to liberate
all of China. You must abide by the law and behave yourselves. Not the
slightest illegal behaviour can be permitted. To write this in my first letter
may seem discourteous, but I feel deeply that it is my duty to admonish you.
I will probably be making a trip south, but the date is not yet fixed. I
do not know if your father will be able to take time off from his work, but
I will set a date if possible so that we can get together.
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If Zhangliantang and Xiaozheng are still without a telegraph office,
please provide me with an address. That way, if anything urgent comes up,
I will be able to telegraph you, as it takes two weeks to get an answer to a
letter. Your last letter of June 10 arrived on June 17.
Please relay my respects to your grandmother and my regards to your
mother. With best wishes for yourself!