In the long river of time, a pair of small cotton shoes often carry endless warmth and memories.
On a snowy winter day, Xiaofeng walked on the road wearing his mother's newly made cotton shoes. Despite the cold weather and hunger, every time he looked down at these comfortable and warm new cotton shoes, a warm current surged in his heart. Xiaofeng's thoughts drifted back to his childhood, when he and his friends were playing and having snowball fights in the snow, and the laughter and joy seemed to echo in his ears. As he walked, Xiaofeng thought of the "little girl selling matches" again. He couldn't help but feel how lucky he was because of the new cotton shoes made by his mother, which gave him a warm support in this cold winter. Thinking about the fireplace and hot dishes at home, Xiaofeng quickened his pace and walked towards the direction of home.
On a sunny morning, my mother was drying a blanket for my grandmother. Xiaofeng curiously asked his mother why the cotton quilt needs to be sun dried even if it is not wet. His mother gently explained that the sun dried cotton quilt will be warmer because the sunlight has penetrated into the cotton. At noon, when his grandmother was taking a nap, Xiaofeng saw her cotton shoes and had an idea. He thought to himself that there was also cotton in the cotton shoes. So he gently placed his grandmother's two cotton shoes in the sunlight. After Grandma woke up, she put on her cotton shoes and asked with confusion, "Oh, why is it so warm inside the cotton shoes?" Xiaofeng smiled and replied, "Grandma, there's a lot of sunshine inside the cotton shoes!" At that moment, warmth not only flowed in the cotton shoes, but also in the hearts of the grandparents and grandchildren.
And in the distant Beidahuang, a group of southern youth came to this unfamiliar land. They saw for the first time the cotton rubber shoes to be uniformly distributed. Chen Huiying suggests that everyone report a larger size because in winter, you need to wear several pairs of woolen socks and insoles under your shoes. One of the young people reported size 40, but the shoes were too big and uncomfortable to wear, causing them to walk sluggishly. During the exercise, the person behind stepped on the shoe and tore open a large hole in the heel. Later, he asked for size 39 again, and after continuous adjustments, he finally put on size 36 cotton rubber shoes, which fit well and were warm. These cotton rubber shoes accompanied him through the cold winters of Beidahuang.
In the autumn of 1944, General Yang Yong lived with Chen Hexiu in Danguai Village, Qingfeng County. The general noticed that Chen Hexiu was still wearing single shoes with exposed toes in winter, and couldn't bear it, so he wanted to give him a pair of military cotton shoes. However, Chen Hexiu firmly refused. He was afraid that General Yang Yong would persuade him again, so he quickly walked out of the house. General Yang Yong had a sudden idea and gave the cotton shoes to Chen Hexiu's mother, deceiving her that they were given by the logistics department of the Eighth Route Army. After learning about it, Chen Hexiu blamed his mother for being tricked, but he still decided not to wear these shoes and kept them as a family heirloom. After liberation, these cotton shoes were donated to the country and became precious revolutionary relics, witnessing that magnificent history.
In the corner of memory, there is also a story about cotton shoes. When I was a child, 'I' was skating on the frozen river, but the ice bike collapsed and my cotton shoes were filled with water. I dare not go home, so I have to go to my grandmother's house. Grandma said that after finishing the meal, you can dry the cotton shoes by grilling them with firewood, which won't delay going to school. At night, grandma put the cotton shoes into the stove and covered it with a stove lid. But the next morning, the cotton shoes were baked into black and sticky soles. I had to wear Uncle's big shoes and stuff cotton to make do with going to school. In the following ten days, Auntie Er and Grandma made a new pair of cotton shoes for me. These new cotton shoes not only warm my feet, but also my childhood.
A pair of cotton shoes, whether new or old, ordinary or with special significance, all tell warm stories in time and become eternal memories in our hearts.
