Dr. Li Wenliang has been gone for one month and three days.
Many people's memories of him are gradually fading away, like snow melting by the Tonghui River.
However, there are still many people who remember the long whistle he blew.
They gather in the comments section of Dr. Li Wenliang's Weibo, forming a unique color in the Chinese internet with different voices.
Dr. Li used to joke about himself as having a "voracious appetite," and fried chicken and ice cream were his favorites. He would even run 1000 meters in slippers just to eat an orange.
Many of his Weibo posts can be seen as personal food diaries.
After he passed away, many people mourned him with his favorite chicken leg.
Some simply posted a string of chicken leg emojis.
Others posted a photo of a specially bought chicken leg, accompanied by a caption about their daily life.
Just like the UP host Xu Da SAO, who had previously made a chicken leg meal for him, people hoped that Dr. Li could come back and eat something good.
In Dr. Li's Weibo comments section, there are not only records of food but also various aspects of daily life, like a diary.
Just like the ancient poem: "The person has already ridden the yellow crane away, leaving only the Yellow Crane Tower here."
Although Dr. Li's Weibo will no longer be updated, the "Yellow Crane Tower" he left behind provides a place for people to continue writing their diaries.
All the various states of the world, the ups and downs of society, are gathered in this small corner of the internet, which was rare before.
The sincere words that can only be seen in late-night moments in the circle of friends are abundant here.
The overworked office workers who stay up late come here to curse capitalism and discuss international affairs. It feels like walking into a late-night restaurant and saying to the owner, "Boss, fill it up."
"Dr. Li's Late-Night Restaurant"
Students studying at home will write about him in their essays and proudly show off. Before leaving, they won't forget to say, "That night, I secretly wiped away tears for you, and I wanted to ask heaven to let you stay."
In these words, there is the sincere goodwill of a child.
Among those who appear here are also volunteers who have joined the frontlines of the fight against the epidemic.
They will record their daily tasks here and chat with Dr. Li about their lives.
In these various diaries, there are various styles of writing.
There are poems like: "The bright moon doesn't know that you have gone, and it still shines on the reading window late at night."
There are also short sentences in modern poetry style: "I will be a person with a grave in my heart." Although the styles are different, the thoughts are the same.
Spring flowers are blooming, but some people are forever stuck in winter. But this doesn't prevent people from writing letters to those in winter.
Among these diaries, there is a type that leans more towards being a letter. People will report various recent news to Dr. Li in heaven.
"Dr. Li, the cherry blossoms at Wuhan University have bloomed."
Some people come with the spring and kindly tell Dr. Li, "Let me know when you will come back to the mortal world. I will go see you and be your friend."
Some people pick a few cherry blossoms and put them in their rooms, accompanied by photos. Presumably, they want Dr. Li to see them and feel better.
In addition to these, people also report the latest news related to the epidemic to Dr. Li in the distance. There is sad news and good news.
For example, Dr. Mei Zhongming, Dr. Li's colleague, also passed away, and both the "bright" and "bright" lights in the world have been turned off by the disaster.
Yesterday, Dr. Zhu Heping was also confirmed to have passed away. Along with Dr. Jiang Xueqing before, there have been four doctors who have died at Wuhan Central Hospital.
Immediately after, someone wrote a poem to pay tribute to Dr. Li Wenliang and Dr. Mei Zhongming:
Under the ancient qin terrace, there is no brightness,
The whistle blower has died before and after.
After this, how can we dare to listen in early spring,
The plum blossoms fall, and the oriole's song is gone.
As the social situation gradually improves, Dr. Li will also be notified as soon as possible. The return of peaceful days is also his wish.
There is also the belated recognition of "National Advanced Individual in Epidemic Prevention," which has been forwarded to him and delivered to heaven on his behalf.
The appearance of these diaries is not difficult to understand. Because Dr. Li used similar words to record his daily life before.
He would forward many lottery Weibo posts and participate in Weibo polls. Today, he would complain about high prices, and tomorrow he would look forward to the birth of a baby.
He loved to add funny dog heads to his tweets and use unedited simple photos as his profile picture.
If it weren't for his passing, he would probably open Weibo after work and leave a few comments about his daily life in the comments section.
And in passing, he might also encourage himself and add a few muscle emojis: "It is our duty as doctors to save lives and heal the wounded."
In the holy city of Jerusalem in Judaism, there is a remaining ancient protective wall called the "Wailing Wall."
Every Sabbath, people come here to mourn, and many believers stuff pieces of paper with wishes or condolences into the cracks in the wall.
Now, Dr. Li Wenliang's Weibo comments section has become a "Internet Wailing Wall."
The previous grief has turned into bricks.
People leave tearful words here, indicating "remembering the sorrow, not forgetting."
In our daily conversations, a "crying" emoji is often just a footnote to small complaints, small excitement, and other small emotions, without much emotional expression.
However, in Dr. Li Wenliang's Weibo comments section, the "crying" emoji has regained its true meaning.
It represents real sadness.
For example, the following comment:
"Good night, I don't want to cry, but I can't help it."
Dr. Li Wenliang's passing has caused permanent trauma to some people's tear ducts.
For them, reality is much crueler than a TV drama. In a brain-dead drama, the deceased can still be resurrected and reborn, but once Dr. Li left, it was forever.
These words that touch people's emotions appear particularly frequent at night.
After "good night," there are countless sorrows that cannot be expressed. Even big men are no exception.
In this world, joy is diverse, but sadness is generally the same - self-pity and pity for others.
In Dr. Li Wenliang's Weibo comments section, there are many people who mourn the tragic experiences of others. In their eyes, the epidemic has taken away the fresh lives that yearned to live.
After being baptized by numerous personal tragic examples, many people have become somewhat numb. But when they come to the familiar "Little Li's" Weibo, they still feel heartbroken for Dr. Li's fate.
Dr. Li's Weibo comments section is also a tree hole for people to express their personal grievances.
After all, his experience is a microcosm of countless victims. Those who speak here are all living, flesh-and-blood individuals.
This crying wall may remain on the internet for a long time. In the future, you may be able to open Weibo in front of your children and tell them a story: "Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a doctor named Li Wenliang..."
I believe that the vast majority of people have complained about the current state of the internet ecosystem.
Looking around, there is a lot of negativity, with trolls and haters constantly appearing. If you're not careful, you'll face criticism for not aligning with the party or face online violence.
However, in Dr. Li Wenliang's Weibo comments section, it is as pure as the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming:
People come here with the same purpose, with faith and goodwill in their hearts, to mourn a departed soul and talk to him.
And this pure land is just like the large-scale mourning that happened before, a miracle created by the collective conscience of the Chinese people -
People mourn him out of conscience, commemorating a doctor who dared to tell the truth, and grieving for the injustice he suffered.
Elsewhere, if you vent personal grievances under the shadow of the epidemic, you will likely be criticized: "In times of national crisis, what you're complaining about is nothing. Do you have a sense of the bigger picture?"
However, here, people adhere to a consensus: everyone here is a living person with seven emotions and six desires.
Even if you come here to complain about personal relationship problems, no one will give you a hard time, but rather sympathy and encouragement.
Even without flowery words, faced with a comment about missing one's grandmother, there will be a simple "keep going."
And for those who have already started to forget the past, they will not be despised here but understood:
Forgetting is a common human trait, just guard your own heart.
If we were to find a metaphor, it would be like entering a special version of Weibo heaven. At a glance, you can see the most precious quality of the current internet:
Goodwill.
And this collective goodwill, the source is the seed of goodwill left behind by Dr. Li Wenliang.
Dr. Li once had a belief and a wish. He said:
"In the coming year, I hope to be a simple person, able to see through the complexities of the world without leaving a trace in my heart, and maintain enough equanimity."
Perhaps it is this simplicity that has created such a space for discourse away from the noise in the complex world.
For this, we owe him an extra thank you.
After Dr. Li's passing, his circle of friends' background was posted online.
The background image shows a group of tadpoles swimming under lush trees, revealing visible vitality.
And his WeChat signature is: "Theories are gray, but the tree of life is always green."
Now, his tree of life is in the sky, visible when you look up. So, don't forget.