Chapter 205: Encounter!

At 2:50, Lu Fan came downstairs with sleepy eyes, seeing his sister Lu Yao already chatting happily hand-in-hand with Li Zimeng, so he walked over and said with a smile, "You two are full of energy! How should we go?"

Li Zimeng pointed to the yellow shared bike outside, "It's three kilometers to the square, so of course we'll ride it. Along the way we can also see the night scenery of Jingcheng."

In the early morning, the city still not fully awake remained slightly hazy; around Tiananmen Square, visitors from all over the country were pouring in from every direction to the center of the square, the cold night unable to dampen people's enthusiasm!

Under the moon and stars, the three pedaled their shared bicycles, happily riding along the street.

Lu Yao happily said, "Brother, I've been studying in Jingcheng for three years and still haven't seen the flag-raising; I've been waiting for you to come with me."

Lu Fan said while riding, "The national flag is the most vivid symbol of a country, showing the nation's character and dignity; I've also longed to see it for a long time! Li Zimeng, I didn't expect you haven't seen the flag-raising either."

"No one's come with me; I have no motivation alone!" Li Zimeng said with a laugh, but in fact, this was her eighth time watching the flag-raising!

Along Chang'an Street is a no-parking zone for shared bikes; the three, like other tourists, parked their bicycles in the designated areas on the east and west sides of Qianmen, then queued through the security entrance on the south side of Tiananmen Square to enter the square.

Both sides of Dong Qianmen Street and Xi Qianmen Street were especially busy, as various shared bikes flooded in, filling the shared parking zones on both sides of the roads; some, for convenience, even parked in the no-parking zones, while staff busily organized the shared bikes.

The three arrived relatively early, and with it being deep winter, they managed to squeeze into the front of the queue with difficulty.

Dawn faintly appeared, the east about to brighten. As the city just woke from sleep, on Tiananmen Square, beneath the ornamental columns by Jinshui Bridge and on the open ground before the Monument to the People's Heroes, countless people stood on tiptoe, waiting.

Although the square in the predawn winter was bitterly cold, a special enthusiasm surged through the crowd, a fervent anticipation rising——

The buglers of the military band blew the reveille in unison; the stirring, bright bugle call pierced the sky, conveying confidence and grandeur for striding into a new era and embarking on a new journey!

The thrilling moment arrived! At 7:31 a. m., the stirring bugle call pierced the sky; the flag escort formation, composed of honor guard members, marched forward with strong, resonant steps, stepping out from Jinshui Bridge and advancing in synchronized pace.

Three detachment chiefs drew their swords and performed the sword-raising salute; ninety troops held their rifles, guarding the flag as they marched forward majestically—like a forest of bayonets, yellow sashes, black leather boots, together with their upright, heroic bearing—their footsteps shaking the street, stirring firm confidence; their stern, solemn faces soaring with the lofty ambition of rejuvenation; their sharp, bright eyes revealing steadfast determination!

"Salute to the flag!" With the detachment chief's loud command, the flag guard and honor guards performed the rifle salute.

This is the grandiose pledge to advance into a new era; this is the shared voice building new dreams!

Their appearance was splendid, their debut shocking! The crowd burst into thunderous applause and cheers, people frantically capturing the exciting moment with their cameras and phones.

The flag rose slowly to the top of the pole, and the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Feelings of gain, happiness, safety…… On the square beneath the red flag, the dreams of countless ordinary people gather here, stirring a mighty force of the nation striving and advancing.

The sun rose in the east, all things renewed. In the solemn strains of the national anthem, countless reverent gazes rose together with the fluttering red, lifting the flag to the top of the high pole……

"The five-star red flag flutters in the wind, how glorious the victory song!"

The melody of 'Ode to the Motherland' lingered long in Tiananmen Square, tens of thousands of peace doves flew toward the sky greeting the morning sun, bathed in the first ray of dawn, Lu Fan, like everyone else, faced the flag with full hope, believing that tomorrow's motherland will surely be better!

At this moment, Lu Fan's heart surged, a strong emotion welled up—"I and my motherland cannot be separated even for a moment!"

Before a great nation, an individual is like a tiny droplet of water, a speck of dust, rooted in the vast land of the motherland. Although ordinary and insignificant, even a modest effort must be given unreservedly to the motherland, binding one's fate tightly with the nation!

The crowd gradually dispersed, and Li Zimeng led the Lu siblings to pay respects at the memorial hall.

In the central hall, a crystal coffin lay amidst a blooming flower arrangement, the body covered with the party flag, solemn and dignified; visitors coming to pay their respects came in an endless stream.

……

Hearing Lu Fan's stomach growl, Li Zimeng laughed, "Want to try something local, like douzhi?"

Having heard its fame, Lu Fan declined, saying, "I've heard stir-fried liver and braised tripe are good; why not try those?"

"Come on, I'll show the way! I'll take you to an old shop that's been operating for decades!"

Half an hour later, the three arrived at the Anlelin Road intersection; Li Zimeng pointed at the sign and said, "Don't judge by the modest storefront, but the stir-fried liver is absolutely authentic—cleaned tripe, carefully selected ingredients, generous, attractive color, savory flavor, delicious to slurp down—nothing beats it!"

Lu Fan entered with interest; seeing the surroundings were indeed unimpressive, but he looked forward to the taste.

Li Zimeng skillfully ordered three portions of stir-fried liver, plus stewed tripe and meat buns.

A few minutes later, the dishes arrived.

Lu Fan hastily took a bite; how to put it? It wasn't quite to his taste, but the buns were big, the meat substantial, and the flavor excellent.

Li Zimeng asked, "Where shall we go to play later?"

Lu Fan said, "You go about your own business; I want to climb the Great Wall!"

Li Zimeng quickly replied, "I've never climbed the Great Wall either; let's go together!"

Lu Yao also wanted to go with her brother, saying she hadn't been there either.

Just as they were eating, two people suddenly entered the shop; seeing Lu Fan's table, they exclaimed in surprise, "Lu Fan, what are you doing here?"

Looking up, they saw it was Wang Yujia and a man; he smiled and greeted, "You're here for stir-fried liver too! Wang Yujia, is this your boyfriend? Won't you introduce him?"

Wang Yujia hastily said, "No boyfriend, this is my blind date for today, named Chen Xu. Lu Fan, great—two beautiful ladies keeping you company for a meal!"

Now Chen Xu felt awkward, glancing embarrassedly at Lu Yao, unsure what to say.

On the contrary, Lu Yao generously said, "Hello, nice to see you again; would you like to join us?"

Hearing that, Wang Yujia plopped down and said, "Lu Fan, won't you introduce these two beauties?"

Lu Yao covered her mouth and laughed, then said, "This sister, I'm Lu Yao, Lu Fan's real younger sister! This is my friend, Li Zimeng."

Wang Yujia immediately smiled, saying, "No wonder you resemble Lu Fan; turns out you're little sister Yao Yao! Are you here to play in Jingcheng with Lu Fan?"

Lu Yao laughed, "I'm studying in Jingcheng; my brother is on a business trip."

"Wow, impressive! Which school does Yao Yao attend?"

"Tsinghua."

"Wow, that's great! Leave your WeChat so we can hang out later!"

After adding WeChat, Wang Yujia said to Li Zimeng, "This young lady is Yao Yao's classmate, right?"

Li Zimeng laughed, "I'm not that young! Hello, I'm Lu Fan's friend!"

"What kind of friend? Couldn't you be Lu Fan's girlfriend?"

"No, just ordinary friends; I work at the Ministry of Education."

Wang Yujia roughly understood, but no matter how she looked, she found Li Zimeng displeasing to the eye!

The two men were left aside; Lu Fan, more adept at social graces than Chen Xu, took the initiative to chat: "Hello, I'm Lu Fan, working in Qinchuan Province; pleased to meet you!"

"Hello, I'm Chen Xu!"

Lu Fan proactively ordered two portions of stir-fried liver and meat buns, smiling, "Let's eat together; I'm friends with Yujia, and she's a really good girl!"

Wang Yujia immediately said upon hearing it: "Lu Fan, do you need my help? I don't take a liking to this silent gourd; we two have already reached an agreement—just to handle the errand, meet up, have a meal, then each go our own way, each find our own mother!"

Upon this word being eaten, Chen Xu couldn't help but glance at Lu Yao, as if relaxing a bit.

Wang Yujia suddenly asked: "Lu Fan, what are you going to do after eating?"

"Want to go climb the Great Wall!"

"Me too, I've never climbed the Great Wall!"

Hearing this genuine Beijing accent, Li Zimeng was speechless; this excuse is terrible!

In contrast, Lu Yao was smiling very happily, feeling glad for her brother!

After the meal, Wang Yujia said to Chen Xu: "Task completed, you can go home; just say I didn't take a liking to you!"

"Unexpectedly, Chen Xu said: 'It's fine, I haven't climbed the Great Wall either; can you bring me along?'"

"Wang Yujia was somewhat speechless, helplessly saying: 'You can come along, but only as friends!'"

After leaving the shop, a seven-seater business vehicle was parked at the entrance; Wang Yujia said: "It's inconvenient to hail a ride now, this is a car I borrowed from a friend; let's go, Great Wall, I'm coming!"

Lu Fan didn't think much, wasn't pretentious, directly got in the car, but Li Zimeng saw through the car's situation.

Along the way, Wang Yujia was very active, constantly introducing the scenery along the route, and also pulled Lu Yao aside to whisper.

Upon reaching the foot of the Great Wall, Lu Fan gazed at the continuous, undulating Great Wall, majestic and magnificent, imposing and grand, a sense of pride welled up spontaneously!

Feeding horses at the Great Wall gulch, the cold water harms the horses' bones; across myriad miles, where to go? Building the Great Wall across the desert; the majestic Great Wall resembles a giant dragon, solitary and solemn, standing in the mountains.

Winter snow combined ingeniously with pine, stone, and clouds, appearing ancient and weighty, adding more historical sediment. Coupled with magnificent sunrise, crystal-clear ice icicles, and glazed rime, this place is adorned into an absolutely beautiful fairyland on earth.

The two gentlemen walked ahead, chatting from time to time.

Chen Xu asked: "Lu Fan, which part of Qinchuan are you from?"

"Yingjiang City, Ningyang Xian!"

"That's indeed a nice place; if you have time, you must definitely go see it."

"Sure, warmly welcome; if you come, I'll take you to eat authentic Yingjiang cuisine!"

"Then it's settled; let's leave each other contact information!"

After exchanging phone numbers, the two also added each other on WeChat; Lu Fan lowered his voice and said: "Wang Yujia is very pretty, go for it!"

Hearing this, Chen Xu's mouth corner slightly lifted, revealing a faint smile, and he softly responded: "Haha, she doesn't take a liking to me; actually I also don't take a liking to her. Fate is a wondrous thing; sometimes it's far away in the heavens, making one feel out of reach; sometimes it seems near at hand, within grasp." After saying that, he gently shook his head, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness and emotion.

"Please, readers who approve of this book, give five-star ratings, vote three times to push the rankings, thank you all!"