October 1, 1949. Beijing.
In front of Tiananmen Square, we stood in the crowd of parade, listening to Chairman Mao solemnly declare to the world:
"The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China is established today!"
This resounding voice, spread inside and outside the Great Wall, spread north and south of the great rivers, flowing slowly along the river of history, inspiring one Chinese son and daughter after another.
I held up my homemade small red flag, shouting loudly with my aunt: "Long live the People's Republic of China!"
Yes, long live the People's Republic of China.
At this moment, my selfish grandpa, patriarchal father, and malicious stepmother were all thrown out of my mind.
In my eyes, in my heart, there is only the motherland.
May she prosper, may we Chinese sons and daughters work hard, strive for self-improvement.
Extra Chapter 1
A year later, we settled in the outskirts of Beijing, still raising rabbits and selling rabbit fur, life was still difficult, but we had no worries about food and clothing.
That day, I was teaching my mom to speak, when my aunt brought in a few medical staff members from the Zhenan guerrilla team.
Among them was a girl the same age as my aunt, who looked a lot like Pingping, with bright eyes and gentle smile, everyone called her An'an.
"Is Pingping your sister? Is she here?"
An'an hesitated for a moment, then said, "My sister, sacrificed..."
I opened my mouth, thinking of the girl who didn't even care to bandage herself, and my eyes turned red in an instant.
An'an comforted me, "Auntie, my sister saved three villagers that day, she sacrificed honorably."
I nodded vigorously, "You are busy, I'll go to the kitchen to see."
With little time, I cooked all the rice and noodles in the house.
Initially, they were reluctant to eat, but after coaxing and persuading, An'an wrote me an IOU, and finally everyone started eating.
I called my aunt into the inner room.
"Have you thought it through?"
I turned my back to her, slowly packing things, with a crying tone in my voice.
"Mom, everything is fine," she gently patted my back, "I am a medical staff, I don't have to charge into battle, it's not dangerous."
I held her hand tightly, looking at my aunt who was similar yet different from my memory, there were a thousand words in my heart, but not a single word came out.
The 28-day Battle of Chosin Reservoir, is recognized as one of the most brutal battles in the history of human warfare.
Countless casualties, rivers of blood.
I felt heartache watching it in the cinema, the reality was even more brutal than the movie.
However, I knew the danger, but I couldn't stop her from going to the battlefield.
At that moment, I suddenly regretted.
How I wished she was a little selfish, short-sighted, found a man like a village chief to marry, lived an ordinary life, wouldn't that be better.
She sensed what I was thinking: "Mom, the country is not peaceful, how can the people have ordinary days..."
I bit my lip and took out the rabbit fur vest I had just made, added it to what she was wearing, only three pieces in total, not enough.
In that battle, in addition to the martyrs who died in battle, a large number of soldiers died or were injured from the cold.
My aunt smiled and reassured me, "We will leave soon, we can exchange clothes when the time comes."
I put my vest on her: "Keep this one for yourself."
After turning the house upside down, I only found a few dried rabbit meat sticks for my mom to chew on, including our thick clothes, all given to her.
As my aunt left, she turned back and waved to us: "Mom, take care of yourself."
I held back the tears, nodded vigorously, "You must come back alive, we are waiting for you."
Extra Chapter 2
The following year, my mother was adopted by a childless elderly couple in the suburbs of Beijing.
And I, once again, met An'an.
In her once bright eyes, there was only one left, filled with tears.
"Auntie, from now on I am your child."
I wanted to say I have three children, no, I only have two daughters, no, I have no daughter.
My eldest daughter, sacrificed.
Before her fifteenth birthday, she died alone in a strange place.
Leaving only one thing, the rabbit fur vest I made for her.
I endured the pain in my heart, and calmly asked, "Did she say anything?"
"She said for you to live on, until the day when everyone can eat eggs."
After getting slapped by my dad, I vowed not to cry again.
But at this moment, my tears couldn't stop.
An'an was about to go to another house, I packed all the rabbit fur vests in the house for her, but she refused to take them.
"These vests saved many lives, but couldn't save..."
"Come back next time, I'll make more."
I didn't want her to carry guilt for protecting someone she desperately wanted to guard.
An'an saluted me again
I watched her leave, despite her unsteady steps from the injuries, her back remained resolute.
Although I couldn't hold on until the day when everyone can eat eggs.
But I knew, because of thousands of An'ans like her, that day was not far away.
Extra Chapter 3
During the night, I packed up, and eventually returned to my hometown.
My aunt's memorial tablet needed to be placed in the ancestral hall, her name needed to be written in the family records.
The changes in the village were not significant, the village chief's house was open, the salty duck eggshells were replaced by Chairman Mao's portrait.
The village chief frowned, and after hearing me out, shook his head directly: "That's not possible, the ancestral rules cannot be broken. Unmarried women must not enter the ancestral hall!"
"I came here not to negotiate with you."
My aunt sacrificed for the country, if even she was not worthy of entering the ancestral hall, then there was no point in having the ancestral hall.
"Never, never, unless you pass over my corpse!"
My grandpa, don't know where he got the news from, walked in with his walking stick.
After not seeing each other for three years, he was bent over, his hair turned white, but what didn't change was his conservatism and harshness.
"The rules of the Huang family for hundreds of years, how can they be broken because of a disobedient daughter, and you, an adulterous woman..."
The village chief's wife retaliated: "Huang Lao San, the village affairs are not up to you."
Afterwards, she signaled me to stay out of trouble.
The village chief glared at her, his face softened a bit, but his words were not amenable:
"The old ancestral rules, unmarried women entering the ancestral hall will bring bad luck.
"In that case, the back of the village is a treasure land, let her be buried there sooner."
He referred to the treasure land as the Huicun Huitang, the chaotic cemetery of the whole township.
I was furious and laughed sarcastically: "Such a good treasure land, better left to you, village chief."
"You..."
He slammed the table: "Alright, from today onwards, you are no longer part of our village, as for where your short-lived daughter will be buried—ah!"
I grabbed a teacup from the table and threw it with force.
At the same time, the door was kicked open, An'an walked in with a few soldiers, followed by the belated township head.
"An'an, why are you here?" I was surprised.
An'an immediately supported me, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, "We will escort your daughter into the martyrs' cemetery."
Extra Chapter 4
As soon as I got off the car, I went to the township government.
I donated a primary school in my aunt's name, and invited the township chief to preside over the matter of my aunt entering the family records and ancestral hall in the village.
The township chief readily agreed, he even went to the Military Affiliates Center to apply for the title of martyr for my aunt, and coincidentally met An'an there.
I didn't expect to see this scene in the village.
Now, I would like to see who can stop revolutionary martyrs from entering the family records and ancestral hall!
The day my aunt entered the martyrs' cemetery, similar to when we left, a heavy rain poured down, but everyone in the village who could move came.
The epitaph was written by a respected elder in the township:
"Red candle memorial, strong will to revive, the sage's virtues extend for three thousand li; Green mountains preserve history, fame endures forever, martyrs' great achievements rank first."
I recited it over and over again in my heart, as if I could see the scene when my aunt left.
That girl who was not good with words, guarded our homeland with her flesh and blood.
Her short life, warmed countless people, what she left me with was that sentence——
"Mom, the country is not peaceful, how can the people have ordinary days..."
Yes, from now on the people will have ordinary days.
It's just a pity, my aunt will never see it...
Extra Chapter 5
Later, I settled down in the village, heard that the village chief and his wife divorced, and the village chief's wife became a teacher at the primary school.
After her class, she would come to chat with me, today she said grandpa fell into the ditch while drunk, tomorrow she talked about uncle beating stepmom again, the day after tomorrow my dad had his leg broken for stealing things...
By the end, she burst into tears: "Why don't good people live long..."
I hadn't eaten for two days, the warm autumn sun shining on me, but I didn't feel any warmth.
In this life, I forcibly changed my mom's fate, completely cut my dad out of her life.
When I took her away, my life entered a countdown.
But the thought that my mom would have a happy and fulfilling family, a bright future, it was all worth it.
It took me a lot of effort to finish speaking with a smile, then slowly closed my eyes.
The prosperity of the motherland, my aunt and I will never see it, but my mom will, and millions of Chinese people will.
Yes, millions of Chinese people will see it!
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