[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.