Immortal
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, ten years have felt like a dream.
Over the past decade, some have lived unfulfilled ambitions and accomplished little; some have embraced the world and achieved countless accomplishments; some have been separated from their wives and children and lived alone; some have lost their brothers and fought alone.
Ten years is too long. Some people bear the burden of national and personal grievances. When it all comes to an end, they softly murmur, "Things are no longer what they used to be, and everything is over."
Before she could speak, tears streamed down her face.
In the blink of an eye, it was 1945. The war ended, but the chaos was not yet over. Zhong Shuhuai, Ji Yuxing and others still rushed to the front line to safeguard the peace of their country and restore the glory of the prosperous age.
During the eight years since Zhang Chenglin left, Jiang Yuanxing's health deteriorated, and three years ago he finally fell ill and became bedridden, no longer caring about company affairs.
Over the past eight years, Jiang Yuanxing has handed over all his assets to Jiang Xiaoxiao and Jiang Guanyu.
Since Lu Yuecheng left that year, Jiang Guanyu has gradually become taciturn and ruthless in the business world. Jiang Xiaoxiao rarely sees him at the Jiang family home. She works like crazy every day, as if this can reduce her longing for him.
But some longings are already etched into the heart along with love, and no matter what methods are used, they cannot be erased even a little bit.
If there's one person who hasn't changed in this chaotic world, it's Jiang Xiaoxiao. She's still the same as before, seemingly carefree, and her friends always smile broadly when they see her, as if nothing in this world can bother her.
August 12th was Jiang Qingju's birthday. The man who stood next to Zhang Chenglin, full of vigor, finally grew white hair at the age of 45 due to years of fighting on the battlefield.
He was the same age as Jiang Xiaoxiao and only ten years older than Zhang Chenglin, but every time he stood with Zhang Chenglin, the aura that Zhang Chenglin exuded always made him seem much more mature than the two of them.
For this day, everyone in the Chiang family came from all over the country to celebrate this very important year in the eyes of the Chiang family.
After the banquet ended that evening, Jiang Qingju saw the last guest off. When he returned, he saw Jiang Xiaoxiao and Xu Wenwan standing in the courtyard, whispering to each other.
The three of them have walked together for half their lives. Jiang Xiaoxiao and Xu Wenwan, the two sisters-in-law, are still as close as they were when they were young, and Xu Wenwan and Jiang Qingju's relationship remains as strong as ever.
"What are you doing?"
Jiang Qingju walked up behind them and asked in a serious voice.
"Who?!" Jiang Xiaoxiao and Xu Wenwan were both startled by his voice. Jiang Xiaoxiao jumped back several feet. "I'm telling you, people can really scare each other to death!"
Jiang Qingju's expression was unreadable. "If you two hadn't done anything wrong, would you be afraid of people scaring you?"
"Tch." Jiang Xiaoxiao walked to Xu Wenwan's side, pulled her and prepared to leave, muttering to herself, "Mind your own business and you'll die young."
Jiang Qingju was speechless after hearing her words, and finally said helplessly, "Jiang Xiaoxiao, when are you going to get married?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Wenwan's heart sank.
Few people knew about Jiang Xiaoxiao and Yan Jiangshang's affair, and even fewer in the Jiang family. Back then, quite a few people at school knew about it, but they just treated it as a spectacle.
When I went back to school a while ago, some of my former professors asked me how Jiang Xiaoxiao and Yan Jiangshang were doing.
But no one knew that Jiang Xiaoxiao and Yan Jiangshang had never seen each other since he graduated in 1937.
Jiang Xiaoxiao remained silent. Xu Wenwan, with a stern face, repeated the same sentence: "Those who meddle in other people's business will not live long."
Jiang Qingju: "..."
"Miss, there's a letter for you." The maid came in from outside, holding an envelope with only one name on it—Jiang Xiaoxiao.
There was no recipient information or sender information; it was clear that someone had written the letter and personally delivered it to the mailbox outside the Jiang family's house.
Jiang Xiaoxiao slowly tore open the envelope along the edge. Inside were two sheets of red-headed letter paper from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, filled with notes on Yan Jiangshang's contributions to the Party over the four years from 1937 to 1941.
...
On July 6, 1937, he followed Xu Xuanming to annihilate 500 Japanese troops in Chaoyang District, Beiping, achieving a great victory.
On July 24, 1937, he followed Xu Xuanming to annihilate 800 Japanese troops in Fengtai District, Beiping, achieving a great victory.
On September 15, 1937, he followed Xu Xuanming to cover the evacuation of Beiping civilians from the war zone, and then they retreated together to Zaozhuang, Shandong.
...
On October 18, 1938, he led 300 soldiers to defend Xuzhou and annihilated 450 Japanese soldiers, achieving a great victory.
...
Jiang Xiaoxiao was delighted after reading it and wanted to share it with Xu Wenwan.
As her fingertips twitched slightly, she sensed something else inside the envelope. Jiang Xiaoxiao rubbed the envelope open and saw a separate sheet of paper inside, also with a red header.
This sheet contains only a few lines of text, written in the middle of the page, giving it a very formal and standardized appearance.
Yan Jiangshang was born on October 3, 1915, in Foshan City, Guangdong Province. His father, Yan Minghui, was a soldier, and his grandfather, Yan Zhengye, was a businessman. In June 1937, after graduating from Shanghai Chinese Literature University, he joined the Communist Party of China. Over the next four years, he made countless contributions to the Communist Party of China, winning 52 battles from Beiping in 1937 to Nanjing in 1941. He ultimately sacrificed his life in the Battle of Nanjing on August 12, 1941, at the young age of 26. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China posthumously conferred upon him the titles of revolutionary martyr and national hero.
After reading it, Jiang Xiaoxiao swayed and almost fell. Xu Wenwan, who was beside her, quickly caught her and asked with some concern in her voice, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Qingju took two steps forward and stood beside her, asking again, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao used the strength in Xu Wenwan's hand to recover for a while, and then handed the paper to Xu Wenwan to look at.
Xu Wenwan felt a pang of sadness after reading it, and for a moment she couldn't find the words to comfort Jiang Xiaoxiao.
All I could do was raise my hand and gently stroke her back, silently giving her strength.
*
Three days later, news of Japan's surrender spread throughout the country through various media channels. People across the nation cheered and spread the news, celebrating the final victory achieved by countless revolutionary heroes and countless Chinese people who had worked together and fought hard for eight years.
After leaving the ceremony where the Japanese signed the instrument of surrender, Dai Zining went straight to the hospital.
A year ago, Sheng Dongsheng was hospitalized due to illness, and his condition never came under control. Over the past year, he gradually relinquished his power and stopped worrying about matters within the Party organization.
But he had paid a heavy price for this victory, and Dai Zining still wanted to bring him the news as soon as possible.
That day in Beiping, the heat was unbearable. Sheng Dongsheng lay on his sickbed, his face pale, turning his head to look at the glaring sun outside.
He was already terminally ill, and the doctors gave him ultimatums time and time again. He knew he didn't have many days left to live, but he still stubbornly held on.
He knew what he was waiting for, and everyone else knew what he was waiting for.
He was simply waiting for the ending that everyone was hoping for.
Dai Zining arrived even faster than the newsboy's "Extra! Extra!" outside the window. As soon as she entered the ward, she said without any hesitation, "Japan officially signed the surrender document today. Justice has ultimately won this battle."
A genuine smile appeared on Sheng Dongsheng's pale face. He stopped looking out the window and turned to look at her, saying, "I have finally seen the dawn for countless people who remained in darkness. It is the dawn of the new China, the dawn of the Communist Party, and the dawn that belongs to each and every one of us. I have no regrets in dying."
“What are you saying?” Dai Zining looked at him seriously: “You are a hero of the country and a hero of the people. You should be with the people to see the country become prosperous and the nation revitalized.”
Sheng Dongsheng smiled and shook his head: "You know, I've waited for the ending, and I have no regrets."
Dai Zining closed her eyes, concealing the pain in her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Sheng Dongsheng looking at the sun outside the window once again, gently reaching out his hand.
Not long after, his hand fell to his sides, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Dai Zining stared at him, frozen in place for a long time, before finally stepping forward and tucking the blanket around him.
Sheng Dongsheng's funeral was extremely grand, with many high-ranking party officials in attendance. Ji Yuxing, along with his wife and children, helped with the funeral arrangements.
He stood tall in the Party Central Committee for more than ten years and knew many prominent people. After he passed away, those people came from all directions to see him off on his final journey.
To Ji Yuxing's surprise, he actually saw Zhang Shengmin among these guests.
"Long time no see, Ah Xing." Zhang Shengmin greeted Ji Yuxing with a smile, as if he were an old friend.
"Brother Shengmin," Ji Yuxing called out to him in return, his expression serious.
“I never received the news of Ah Lin’s sacrifice,” Zhang Shengmin sighed. “I only found out a while ago when my grandfather wrote me a letter asking me to return to Shanghai. It’s such a pity; he should have had a brighter future.”
“Yes,” Ji Yuxing lowered his eyes, concealing some of his nostalgia for his deceased friend, “It’s a real pity.”
“I’m just curious, after all he’s sacrificed for the Communist Party,” Zhang Shengmin’s tone grew colder, “has the Communist Party ever acknowledged him?”
Ji Yuxing did not answer this question. He moved his lips but could not find the words, so he remained silent.
"No one can deny that he is a hero of this country and a hero of the people."
Dai Zining's calm and composed voice came from behind, and her short sentence melted away Zhang Shengmin's hostility.
Zhang Shengmin looked serious, greeted Dai Zining, and then smiled and said, "Madam Dai's words are of utmost importance, so thank you very much, Madam."
“No need to thank me,” Dai Zining nodded slightly. “There is no reason why the heroes who stayed in the darkness for the country and the people should not be recognized. This is the glory and commemoration they deserve in their lives.”
After leaving Sheng Dongsheng's house, I heard the newsboy shouting, "Extra! Extra! The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has published the list of fallen heroes. The heroes will be remembered forever!"
Zhang Shengmin stopped a newsboy and bought a newspaper.
Today's newspaper didn't have much content; it just showed a monument in the middle with the inscription "Monument to Revolutionary Martyrs."
Zhang Shengmin quickly scanned the lines and finally found Zhang Chenglin's name on the second-to-last line.
Looking up at the sky, the sky, now free of the smoke of war, is an incomparably clear blue, heralding the beginning of a new and prosperous era.
Heroes are remembered and will live on forever.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
