Chapter 142 Yearning
The capital has much more to offer than just this.
For the old couple, the capital is a lifelong obsession, a dream that they long for but is out of reach. From their youth to their gray hair now, their hearts are always full of love and yearning for this sacred place.
Knowing that they had to get up at three in the morning the next day to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, the old couple went to the mall after dinner and bought an alarm clock to bring back to the hotel, for fear of missing this solemn moment.
At 2:30 in the morning, the old couple finished washing up and started knocking on the door next door.
Wang Xiuren opened the door and saw his father-in-law and mother-in-law, who were neatly dressed and had their hair combed. He could only resign himself to waking up his wife and daughter.
Originally, the family of three planned to set off after washing and putting on their clothes, but the old couple thought that this was disrespectful to the leader and forced them to tidy up their clothes and hair before going out.
In order to get to Tiananmen Square as quickly as possible, Lin Ting hailed two taxis on the road next to the Friendship Hotel.
My father-in-law has spent a lot of money just to see his company grow! Wang Xiuren thought.
"Don't dawdle! Get in the car."
Lin Ting got into the car first with his wife. Looking at his daughter and son-in-law who were still standing there, he urged them to get in while closing the car door.
After hearing this, Wang Xiuren came to his senses, quickly picked up his daughter, and pulled his wife into the taxi behind.
We arrived at Tiananmen Square at exactly three o'clock.
After arriving at the square, the old couple started running forward as fast as they could. Wang Xiuren and Lin Qiu could only follow closely behind them, holding their daughter's hands.
After running out of breath, the family finally squeezed into the first row at the front, but a little to the left.
Lin Qiu originally thought that his family had arrived early enough, but when he looked around and saw the crowded square, he couldn't help but sigh: "Luckily I followed my father and mother, otherwise I would probably not be able to squeeze in later."
Lin Ting raised his head proudly and said, "Everyone wants to come to Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony, but we have to come early."
Zhou Qing suddenly pointed at a group of foreigners not far away and said in surprise: "Why are foreigners coming to watch the flag-raising ceremony?"
"I guess he also admires our beloved leader!" Lin Ting had a proud expression.
"Sha~"
Wang Xiuren stamped his feet. It was so cold in the capital!
Lin Qiu quickly put on his daughter's hat and scarf, leaving only a pair of sleepy eyes.
Although the temperature was nearly minus ten degrees Celsius at this time, it still couldn't stop everyone's enthusiasm, and everyone was waiting for dawn with hope.
While waiting, everyone started singing.
At first there was only a weak voice, then slowly a group of people joined in, and finally all the Chinese people in the square were singing loudly together.
From "The East is Red, the Sun is Rising" to "We sing the East is Red, we stand up and take charge of our own destiny", from the dark night to the dawn.
Starting at seven o'clock, everyone gradually quieted down and looked silently in the direction of Tiananmen Square.
After Lin Ting had tidied up his own appearance, he urged his family members to tidy up their appearance as well.
He lowered his head and saw his granddaughter wearing a hat. He lowered his voice and said to her, "Shanshan, the national flag will be raised soon. Let's take off our hats first! We can put them on again after the flag is raised."
Wang Shan looked at him in confusion and took off her hat obediently. Soon her ears turned red from the cold.
"Daddy, the weather is so cold, should we let Shanshan wear a hat?" Lin Qiu was afraid that his daughter would catch a cold.
Lin Ting glanced over and said, "This is the rule!"
Lin Qiu was so embarrassed that he shut up.
Not long after, a fully armed flag guard team escorted the national flag and marched slowly out of Tiananmen Square, walked onto the Jinshui Bridge, crossed Chang'an Avenue, came to the white marble national flag base, and saluted with guns.
As the loud national anthem played, the bright five-star red flag rose slowly at the moment the sun jumped out of the horizon. At 2 minutes and 7 seconds, the national flag rose to the top of the flagpole, and a new day of the Republic began.
After the national flag guard returned to the camp, many people still stood there, gazing at the Chinese red with deep affection.
"Grandpa, why are you crying?"
The clear childish voice attracted the attention of people around.
It turned out that Lin Ting had been crying since some point.
He took the handkerchief handed over by his wife, wiped the tears from his face, lowered his head and looked at his granddaughter's concerned eyes, and replied: "Because grandpa's dream has come true."
After Lin Ting calmed down, the family started taking photos in Tiananmen Square. There were photos of individuals, elderly couples, a family of three, and also group photos of five people.
After taking the photos, Wang Xiuren led everyone to a nearby breakfast stall and ordered the capital's traditional breakfast of fried liver and soy milk.
Maybe it was because of the huge difference between the north and the south, Lin Qiu's family really couldn't stand the taste, so they could only order fried dough sticks and tofu pudding again.
The fried dough sticks were fine, fried until golden and crispy, but when the tofu pudding was served, the family was shocked again.
It turns out that Beijing's tofu pudding tastes salty!
The whole family picked up a spoon and tried it, and found that it tasted quite good. The tofu was white and tender, and the marinade was salty and rich.
After filling our stomachs, we immediately headed to the second stop of the day - Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.
Lin Ting and Zhou Qing have the utmost respect and love for this great leader.
This great man who saved them from the abyss of darkness could be said to be the faith of their generation.
Lin Ting and Zhou Qing walked into the stately gate with solemn expressions, and the family of three followed behind them, restraining their expressions.
The interior of the memorial hall is elegantly decorated, solemn and dignified.
As they walked in, what caught their eyes was a 350cm-tall statue of Chairman Mao sitting upright. Lin Ting and Zhou Qing stared at it intently and stayed there for a long time.
No one disturbed them and allowed them to express their emotions.
Wang Shan stood not far away, looking at her grandparents’ backs. She didn’t know what they were thinking, but that picture was frozen deep in her heart.
After the old couple came to their senses, they took out money from their pockets, bought some chrysanthemums and presented them to the greatest leader.
When paying homage to Chairman Mao's remains, Lin Ting burst into tears again, and Zhou Qing kept wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.
In the solemn and quiet atmosphere, Chairman Mao lay quietly in the crystal coffin, great and peaceful.
Lin Qiu and Wang Xiuren couldn't help but have tears in their eyes. Although they didn't have the same profound experience as their fathers, they also had great respect for this great man in their hearts.
After coming out of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the old couple took Wang Shan to talk about that period of history, the stories around them, their aspirations, their respect for the great man, and their love for this country.
Wang Shan may not understand it now, but she will understand it in the future:
Pure love, only for China.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
