4am.
"Yue Ling, wake up quickly." Jiang Qiao gently patted Fairy Bai on the cheek.
"What's wrong?"
Fairy Bai opened her eyes and took away the hand on her face.
"I'll take you to a fun place." He said with a mysterious look on his face.
Fairy Bai turned to look out the window. The sky was still dark: "Are you sure it's now?"
"Yes, yes, get up and change clothes quickly. If you delay any longer, you might miss it."
Seeing that he didn't look like he was joking, Fairy Bai nodded and put on his pants in front of him.
He didn't sleep at night and had to take her somewhere. Are he planning to give her a surprise like he proposed to her last time
With random thoughts in their minds, they went into the bathroom to wash up, and then the two of them walked out of the hotel hand in hand. It was still a bit cool in the early morning in the Imperial City in April, but they were not ordinary people, and they didn't feel cold even if they were wearing single clothes.
On the broad street, many shops were lit up all night long, and the streets were not deserted. Whether it was cars or people, they all exuded the vitality unique to the imperial capital.
Jiang Qiao hailed a taxi on the side of the road. As soon as he got in the taxi, he said, "Master, Tiananmen Square, we are in a hurry."
"Want to watch the flag raising?"
Jiang Qiao looked at Fairy Bai. He originally wanted to hide it from her, but the taxi driver revealed his purpose as soon as he opened his mouth. But now he doesn't seem to be able to control that much.
"Well, it shouldn't be too late to go now, right?"
The taxi driver looked at the time and said, "Now, I can see it, but the location may not be very good."
He had been driving a taxi for more than ten years, and he could tell at a glance that the man and woman in front of him were probably not locals, otherwise he would not have asked this question.
"many people?"
"Well, there are huge crowds of people every day. Many people have been staying here since yesterday. I have sent several groups of people there before picking you up."
Jiang Qiao didn't mean this answer. After all, it is the most solemn and high-level flag-raising ceremony in the motherland. Every day, countless people like him come from all over the country just to listen to the national anthem and watch the national flag rising. All the hardships I endured before were worth it.
"If you want to see the flag-raising ceremony, go through the security check and wait until the square is officially opened to the public. Don't worry about anything and just run forward. Otherwise, you may not see the flag-raising ceremony and can only see the backs of the heads of those in front."
The taxi driver drove steadily while imparting his many years of experience as a local.
"Yeah, I understand."
Nearly twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped at the entrance closest to the flag-raising platform. Jiang Qiao took a casual look and saw a long queue of people there.
From this point of view, the taxi driver's words were indeed true, and there were even more people than he imagined.
The two passed the security check and queued up with others. Occasionally, they could see a group of neatly dressed soldiers walking past with strong steps. Seeing this scene, they would not feel scared, but would feel reassured.
It is now more than an hour before the flag-raising ceremony. Some of the people in line are drowsy, some are chattering, most of them are playing with their phones with their heads down, and the sky is getting brighter as countless people wait.
Jiang Qiao stared at the Tiananmen Tower in the distance and fell into deep thought. It was his first time in the imperial capital. The majestic and solemn Tiananmen always had an inexplicable plot for the Chinese people.
This is Tiananmen.
"Caigou, are you in a daze?"
"No, I was just thinking about something." He shook his head and asked, "Do you know where this place is?"
"Tiananmen, you... No, it's a symbol of our country." Fairy Bai shook her phone. Just now in the car, while the guy was chatting with the driver, she secretly searched a lot on Baidu.
"Yes, it is a symbol of the country. For ordinary people, this is a place of pilgrimage, and we..." Jiang Qiao pointed at all the people queuing up and said, "We are all pilgrims."
The sky gradually gets brighter, and you can slowly see the soldiers on duty opposite standing like statues.
As time went by, more and more people gathered around. The passage opened forty minutes before the flag was raised, and the people in line immediately pushed and ran inside.
Jiang Qiao always remembered the taxi driver's words and rushed forward with the crowd. The two of them were lucky enough to rush to the first few rows due to their physiques that were far beyond ordinary people, but behind them were all black heads.
Only then did Fairy Bai agree with what Jiang Qiao had just said. They were all here for pilgrimage, otherwise there would be no such energy.
In the crowded crowd, Jiang Qiao protected Fairy Bai in his arms until just before dawn, when a guard of honor solemnly walked out from the central door. Their firm eyes, tall posture, and high-spirited military temperament were all that they saw. Everyone in this scene showed excitement in their eyes.
Then the national anthem was played and the national flag was raised. Without any patriotic education at all, the love and respect for the motherland and nation of countless people present surged, and tears filled their eyes unconsciously.
"I can feel the infinite love for this country in your hearts." Fairy Bai whispered.
Another wish was fulfilled, and Jiang Qiao sighed quietly: "In order for this flag to be erected in the world, I don't know how many revolutionary ancestors sacrificed."
"Well... I have read that period of history carefully." She said softly, "Although I cannot empathize with you the same way, I admire this sincere love."
Jiang Qiao smiled slightly and looked at Hong Qi with tears in his eyes: "I will not regret entering China in this life. I will still be a flower farmer in the next life."
Fairy Bai couldn't stop sighing. Such deep patriotic sentiments are almost rare to see in Ziweixing, and in this country, almost everyone is like this. If this kind of strong belief can be concentrated in one person, I am afraid it will soar in a day.
"If I have the chance, I would also like to take you to see the grandest military parade." He said suddenly.
"Were they the videos you showed me online to scare me in the first place?"
"Yes and not quite."
Jiang Qiao said: "A large part of the reason for the current prosperity of the country comes from those big logs."
"I know, you let me see history, and you took me to visit the Great Wall and watch the flag being raised. Don't you just want me to have a sense of belonging to this era?"
"No, it's about having a sense of belonging to this country."
Jiang Qiao squeezed her hand and said softly: "Yue Ling, you are not just a passerby wandering in time and space, you are my returnee when you stop here."
She lowered her head to see Jiang Qiao holding her hand in his, and then looked at the red flag waving in the wind in front of her. She suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of belonging in her heart.
"Caigou, please take me to see other things. I want to know more about... things about this country."