“Miss, Master told me that you need me. Xinghua is willing to be Miss’s person, to help Miss gain a foothold in Dongzhou, and to protect the young master and the Dongxing South Line.”
Xu Zhuohua silently cursed Chen Hede in her heart. She had long been prepared to listen to Xinghua's opinion, but Chen Hede had told Xinghua first.
“Xinghua, this matter is very dangerous, extremely dangerous. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. But if you’re being forced by Chen Hede, I’d rather have no one else available than have you forced.”
Xinghua quickly grabbed Xu Zhuohua's hand, "Miss, I did it voluntarily, completely voluntarily. Master didn't force me, Miss, do you know that? I'm already thankful that I can find my own value!"
It's unbelievable that a maid who can't even read a single word could say such things and realize her own value.
Xu Zhuohua had to look at Xinghua with new respect.
“Xinghua, I’m so glad you think this way. It means you’re living for yourself now.”
Xinghua smiled and said, “Miss, I feel like I didn’t know anything before. Ever since you gave me some pointers, I’ve learned to live for myself. But since I started following Master, I’ve realized that I not only have to live for myself, but also for my country and my family, and I have to dedicate my strength to it.”
Xu Zhuohua suddenly opened her eyes wide and excitedly hugged Xu Zhuohua's shoulders, "Xinghua, who told you this!"
Xinghua was almost startled and explained, "No one told me that I was moved by what I saw the master, the son-in-law, and the second young master doing."
Xu Zhuohua was even more delighted, "That's even better! Xinghua, your thinking has already surpassed most people, you are the hope for the future of this country!"
The image of Xinghua represents most women of this era, and her awakening also reflects the awakening of many others.
This maid, who once bowed her head to serve tea to her master, now stands tall and straight like a bamboo in the wind, her eyes burning with a light that can pierce through the darkness.
Those smooth muscle lines are the medals etched by countless days and nights of gun-wielding training.
The transformation of apricot blossoms is just like a microcosm of millions of new women who have gone from their secluded homes to the battlefield and from obedience to resistance. Their awakening is like a spark that will eventually ignite a prairie fire.
See, many people are moved by what Chen Hede and Cheng Muyun did, and thus awaken to their true nature.
Looking at Xinghua's upright figure, Xu Zhuohua finally understood the almost stubborn light in Cheng Muyun's eyes.
The ink smudges left by Xiao Wuxin as he wrote furiously at his desk; the arms that Cheng Muyun intercepted even at the cost of infamy; Chen Hede's willingness to be killed rather than reveal the members' identities...
At this moment, all of this transformed into a scalding force that struck her heart. It turned out that there really were people willing to be moths drawn to a flame, using their own flesh and blood to ignite hope, even if the road ahead was full of thorns and even if they could be swallowed by darkness at any moment.
This is destined to be a journey that requires countless people to go forward one after another; when someone falls, someone else will take up the torch.
As more and more "apricot blossoms" begin to awaken, and as countless faint lights converge, they will finally illuminate this slumbering era, deeply planting the ideals of freedom and equality in every soul yearning for new life.
People need to give a lot and burn themselves out intensely in order to influence others and even promote their ultimate ideals to more people.
"Miss, why are you crying?" Xinghua reached out her finger to wipe away the hot tears on Xu Zhuohua's face.
Xu Zhuohua was moved to tears, unable to control her emotions, laughing and crying like a madwoman.
"I'm fine... I'm just so touched!"
Zhang Qi listened from the side the whole time and couldn't help but be moved by what the two were saying.
Live for yourself, and live for your country.
He clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of unquenchable heat coursing through his heart.
————
Xu Zhuohua waited for Xu Jixin for a whole month before he finished inspecting all the routes and returned to Dongzhou. Xu Zhuohua then invited him to his residence.
Xu Zhuohua stood under the vermilion porch of the Xu family's old house, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the buttons on his cuffs.
The low roar of a car engine came from outside the moon gate, and the bronze door knocker behind her suddenly vibrated with a clear sound, as if echoing the gradually clearing sound of leather shoes.
Xu Jixin stood up nimbly the moment the car door opened. The shoulder line of his custom-made suit was extremely crisp, and the charcoal gray cloak was lifted by a corner by the river wind, revealing a shirt embroidered with lotus flowers in silver thread underneath.
His deerskin gloves were polished to a soft sheen, and when he took them off, his fingertips traced a light brown arc in the twilight. He casually patted the gloves onto his secretary's briefcase.
“Three telegrams a day, Zhuohua,” he said with a smile as he stepped across the cobblestones, the sound of his heels clicking like the ticking of a pocket watch. “You think of me that much?”
Xu Zhuohua gazed at the traces of travel dust still lingering on his brow, but was instead captivated by his smiling eyes.
"I miss it so much that I can't eat or sleep."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jixin laughed loudly, still with that cynical attitude, the smile on his lips like a fisherman's hook, waiting for someone to take the bait.
Xu Jixin's smile deepened. He took long strides and walked step by step to Xu Zhuohua. "Second brother missed you too, my little sister. How are you? Have you been mistreated here?"
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