Chapter 653: The prosperous times as desired (1)
[Extra Story of the Republic of China]
October 1, 2024, on top of the mountains.
Zheng Kaisheng, wearing a black windbreaker, sat on a big rock. As far as the eye could see, there were towering mountains, flying red flags and shining five stars.
All around, people were talking and smiling.
He raised his hand to block the sunlight coming through the clouds. Perhaps because it was too dazzling, tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
This year, he is twenty-four years old.
Last night's dream was of the desperate July 10, 1937. He ran out of ammunition and food and died by the bayonet of the Japanese pirates. His suicide letter was sent the day before.
The weather was not good that day, it was gray and gloomy, far from being as bright and sunny as today. What we saw before our eyes were not green mountains and white clouds, but corpses and bloody soil.
Caught in a dilemma both internally and externally, he could not see the future of his life or the future of his nation. He could only repeat in his mind over and over again to make himself believe that if the enemy was driven out, his country would be safe forever.
"What's wrong with you?" The young man next to him, who was about 20 years old, saw the tears sliding down his eyes and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Zheng Kaisheng wiped away the tears and smiled, "It's okay, something got into my eye, just blink a few times and it will be fine, thank you for your concern."
After sitting for a while, the young man next to me left and a man and a woman sat down instead.
The boy squatted in front of the girl and pinched her ankle, "Does it hurt here?"
"Yeah, it hurts so much, you have to hold me up when I get down."
"I'll carry you down."
"Carry me? I guess we can't walk more than two steps. Let's roll down together."
"Am I so weak in your eyes? Don't underestimate me." The boy rubbed the girl's head.
"Xiang Zaihe! Your hair is a mess! I worked so hard to tie it into a perfect high ponytail!" The girl glared at him, dissatisfied.
"Yes, yes, I was wrong. Would you like some water?" Xiang Zaihe unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him, then sat next to Zheng Kaisheng.
Zheng Kaisheng just thought he looked familiar at first. When he heard the girl calling his name, he stared at him, "Your name is Xiang Zaihe? Xiang as in Xiang Yu, Zai as in great virtue and great things, and He as in peace?"
"How did you know?" Xiang Zaihe was surprised, and his eyes flashed with surprise when he looked at him, "Zheng Kaisheng?"
It really looks like him, exactly like Old Zheng when he was young.
"Yes, carry on the past and forge ahead into the future, creating a prosperous era." When they looked at each other, Zheng Kaisheng saw the complex emotions in his eyes and was a little bit unbelievable. "Jing Xishan rose up in rebellion, do you remember?"
Xiang Zaihe hugged him fiercely, "Old Zheng, it's really you!"
Among the five people, Lao Zheng was the first to die in Northeast China.
Waking up from a dream of broken walls and corpses all over the ground, he suddenly had a memory of gunfire. He got up and searched for information online, unable to sleep all night.
Zheng Kaisheng hugged him back, then stepped away and opened the QR code on his phone, "Let's find a place to talk after we go down?"
"Okay." Xiang Zaihe scanned the code with a smile, and pointed to the girl next to him, "My girlfriend, Ye Aohan. Aohan, this is my old friend."
An old friend who has known each other for a lifetime.
Although Ye Aohan didn't understand why, he still greeted him, "Hello."
"Hello."
Zheng Kaisheng tilted his head and asked in a low voice: "Is it what I think?"
"It's her, but only the her of this era." Xiang Zaihe replied in a low voice.
It would be better if there was no memory of that period. It was not a good thing to have lived through hardships and pains, and to be together less and apart more than I had imagined. He was never able to go back to see her and the children until his death.
"That's good. Are we the only ones who remember it?"
There is a red flag waving beside me, and the sunlight shining on the flag makes the red color even brighter.
Xiang Zaihe took the water from Ye Aohan's hand and took two sips. "I checked. Except for the eldest and the boss, they didn't make it to the end."
It was getting dark, and the three began to go down the mountain.
Xiang Zaihe carried Ye Aohan on his back and said, "Hold tight."
"You better hold me up."
"You won't fall, don't worry."
Zheng Kaisheng looked at them with a smile, put his hands in his pockets, and followed the crowd down with them.
"Hua Zhige, we're waiting for you downstairs!"
"Got it!" Hua Zhige responded, looked at his friends who were running wildly in front of him, and walked down slowly.
Zheng Kaisheng turned his head and saw his face clearly in the dim light. He asked, "Zhonghua is your surname, and Zhige is your military?"
Hua Zhige turned sideways to look over, feeling as if he were in another world. "Yes, buddy, you look like an old friend of mine."
"Are you an old friend who has stood firm in the midst of chaos, maintained stability under his command, worked together with one heart, and never lost his original intention?" Xiang Zaihe heard his voice and smiled, "Hello, Xiang Zaihe."
Hua Zhige stopped and stared at them closely.
"Lao Hua, it's getting dark, aren't you going down the mountain?" Zheng Kaisheng smiled.
Hua Zhige followed them and suppressed the doubts in his heart.
"Xiang Zaihe, you guys are so weird." Ye Aohan said.
"I haven't contacted a friend for many years. We were role-playing and this was our secret code for meeting up."
"Oh."
"What about them?" Hua Zhige asked.
"I don't know, we just met." Zheng Kaisheng shook his head, "The world is really strange."
"Since the three of us have seen it, the other two will see it too."
After walking for a while, Ye Aohan said, "Xiang Zaihe, put me down. It doesn't hurt so much anymore."
"No, why, are you worried about me or worried about falling?"
Zheng Kaisheng added: "Old Xiang can't carry his girlfriend. When he gets old, she will be used as a topic of conversation."
After hearing what he said, Ye Aohan asked, "How many years have you not seen each other?"
"About ten years."
"You haven't seen each other for ten years, but you seem to know each other very well and your words are very familiar."
Zheng Kaisheng nodded, "We had such a good time before."
After getting down the mountain, Xiang Zaihe took Ye Aohan to the pharmacy to buy medicine, while Zheng Kaisheng and Hua Zhige waited outside.
Zheng Kaisheng nodded, "How old are you this year?"
"23, what about you?"
"24. Still a year older than you."
"So, Lao Xiang should be 25 this year?"
"I'll find out later if I ask."
The two chatted incessantly.
Xiang Zaihe helped Ye Aohan out, "Aohan is going home tonight. I have booked a restaurant. Can the three of us go have dinner together?"
"Row."
After sending Ye Aohan to the car, Xiang Zaihe said, "Let's walk over there. It's not far."
The three of them walked towards the restaurant and ran into four or five people when they entered.
The man walking in the middle made eye contact with the three people opposite him and couldn't help but stop.
"Qiu Pei, what are you standing there for?" The person next to him called him sideways.
Hua Zhige smiled at him, "Lao Zheng, Lao Xiang and I are going to have dinner, are you coming?"
The face was familiar yet seemed like something out of a dream. The moment their eyes met, everyone was trying to confirm each other's identity, with doubt followed by certainty.
It was as if an invisible hand brought them all together and put them on the path of recognition.
Yan Qiupei nodded and said to the people who came with him, "I met an old friend. I won't be with you tonight. Let's make an appointment next time."
Several people looked at each other and said, "Okay, I'll kill you next time."
Yan Qiupei walked up to them and patted Hua Zhige on the shoulder, "What's going on?"
"We haven't figured it out yet. Let's talk inside." Hua Zhige shrugged.