The Martyrs Cemetery in Beijing rarely welcomes grave-sweepers on holidays like National Day, but on this day it welcomed a handsome man and woman. ,"pure"
Both of them were dressed in black, and the girl next to the man was wearing a black skirt. She looked young, but her expression was solemn and her steps were rare for her age. She was holding a bunch of white chrysanthemums in her hands. As she was going up the steps, she would turn her head from time to time and look at the man next to her with distressed and worried eyes.
The two of them were walking hand in hand. On both sides of the steps, the wind made the grass and trees rustle, and they were solemn and lush but also had a desolate mood. Xia Shao followed Xu Tianyin up the steps, turned around a mountain road paved with floral marble slabs, and saw another short step in front of her.
There are only three steps. When you look up, you can see the spring flowers blooming on both sides, and the white stone tomb in front. The tomb is rectangular and looks like a coffin placed quietly. The coffin is high, placed on eight small steps, and is surrounded on three sides by fences made of white stone. The tombstone alone is as tall as a person. The coffin behind the tombstone needs to be looked up at.
When you look up, you can see the blue sky.
This relatively quiet, independent and large mausoleum in the Martyrs Cemetery is the resting place of Xu’s eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law.
Solemn and solemn, it makes the eyes of those who see it warm.
Xia Shao felt that Xu Tianyin's hand was sweating while holding her. In the hot weather in the morning, his hand was worryingly cold. Xia Shao glanced at him worriedly, and unconsciously raised her energy. Xu Tianyin turned to look at her, his eyes in the sun were as dark as the deep sea that was impenetrable. But when he looked at her, there was a glimmer of light. His lips were pursed tightly, and he held her hand tightly and walked up the steps.
Above the steps, a tall tombstone has a photo of a couple. The man's age seems to be much the same as that of Xu Tianyin this year, and even his eyebrows are somewhat similar. But there was a smile on the man's lips, with some subtlety and cultural temperament unique to that era. He was polite, elegant and broad-minded.
Xu Tianyin is not particularly like his father, he is more like his mother. His mother was an extremely beautiful woman. The black and white photo captured her in her mid-twenties, the most beautiful years of a woman who was a mother.
The woman's smile was beautiful, as gentle as warm wind, and her eyes looked at people, making people's hearts soften.
The cemetery is usually cleaned and the ground is very clean, but the photos of the two are still covered in dust. Xu Tianyin stepped forward and wiped his hands on the photos of his parents. He didn't use a tissue, just wiped it with his fingers, little by little. Looking from the side, it is like a son who is still alive, gently touching his parents' cheeks.
Xia Shao lowered her eyes slightly, took a deep breath of mountain breeze, and suppressed the pain in her nose. When she raised her eyes, she saw Xu Tianyin retreating. He was still holding her hand. The ring on her hand was cut into pieces by the dappled sunlight falling from the gaps between the branches.
The man turned to look at her with a heart-wrenching gaze. His usually unexpressive emotions became solemn today, "This is my parents."
Xia Shao nodded gently, looked at the smiles of the couple on the tombstone, smiled and said softly: "Uncle, aunt."
"Mom and Dad." Xu Tianyin looked at Xia Shao and corrected her.
Xia Shao was slightly startled, then nodded, "Dad, Mom."
She stopped being playful and pretentious with Xu Tianyin today. He brought her to meet his parents. In front of the two deceased elders, the concept of the world can be temporarily put aside today, just hoping that today the wishes of the people who miss him and the people who have passed away can be fulfilled.
Xia Shao smiled, but was startled when she raised her head. Xu Tianyin looked at her, his eyes slightly startled, then he turned around and held her in his arms. The man's breathing had always been heavy, but now he became cautious, making the person he held a little nervous.
Xia Shao put the flower in her hand aside and let Xu Tianyin hold it. Listening to his almost inaudible breathing in the mountain wind, feeling the heavy heartbeat in his chest, she raised her hand with some distress.
She originally planned to comfort him, but she heard his voice.
"Today is not their death anniversary." The man's voice was hoarse, but Xia Shao was slightly stunned. But what Xu Tianyin said next stunned her even more, "Today is my birthday."
"..." Xia Shao opened her mouth slightly but was speechless.
She had never known her senior brother's birthday. It was not that she had never asked, but when she first asked, he only said that it was not his birthday.
At that time, Xia Shao didn't know Xu Tianyin's childhood experience, but he could already feel that his life experience was extraordinary. Since he didn't want to say it, she didn't ask again and just waited for the day when he wanted to tell her.
I just didn't expect that this day would be at this time.
She only felt the man holding her, his voice hoarse and his arms shaking slightly. He rarely showed emotions on weekdays, but at this moment he was filled with hoarse self-blame and regret, "I said I wanted to go to an amusement park, but there were none in the country at that time, so they took me on vacation abroad. The next night, something happened."
The next night
That's the day after your birthday
Xia Shao was shocked and couldn't describe it in words.
In childhood, there is no child who does not look forward to his birthday. What a joy it is that his parents agree to fulfill his request and take him to his favorite amusement park. However, it was this decision to go abroad that caused him to lose his parents and his childhood. Together with the night he lost his parents, this became his nightmare, binding him and unable to escape.
Therefore, he doesn't celebrate his birthday.
Over the years, he has only come to visit his parents on this day. In his eyes, the anniversary of his parents' death is no different from this day.
"I killed them." The man's voice was hoarse, sounding like the growl of a wild beast.
"It's not your fault. There are many children in the world who make such demands to their parents, and there are also many parents who meet their children's demands. Not everyone will encounter such misfortune, and the blame is on the cruelty of the murderer." Xia Shao felt heartbroken and patted Touching the man's back, her energy flowed along the meridians, soothing his emotions. Not wanting him to break into a cold sweat that day again, she asked, "Do you know who the murderer is and what his purpose is?"
"Foreign terrorist organizations, my first mission is to kill their leaders." Xu Tianyin's voice was very low, as cold as freezing point.
Xu Tianyin's father was already in an important position when he died. The terrorist organization's assassination had many purposes. Although this incident was not made public in the country, it caused tension in the relationship between the two countries during that time. In the end, due to national affairs considerations, Xu Tianyin's father was posthumously named a martyr, and his parents were allowed to be buried together in the Martyrs Cemetery. In this matter, the Xu family received a lot of compensation, which is the so-called political benefit. But this kind of treatment planted a seed of darkness in the boy who lost his parents for more than ten years because of the impunity of the murderer.
Twelve years later, he went on a mission for the country. Enemies meet on a narrow road, and their first mission is to assassinate the leader of a terrorist organization. That battle made him famous because he completed the impossible task - he not only assassinated the leader of a foreign terrorist organization, but also brought all the top leaders of the organization to death.
One person's mission destroyed an organization. No one knows how he did it. They only know that the people he killed died in terrible circumstances, their faces were distorted, and they suffered a lot of fear and pain before they died.
From then on, he would complete many tasks that were considered impossible. From then on, his great military exploits were unknown. He was like a shadow living in the darkness, and his military exploits were only recorded in files.
Ten years passed like this, until he was awarded the rank of major general based on his military exploits. Mr. Xu couldn't stand it anymore and didn't want him to live a dangerous life abroad anymore, so he signaled his help and asked him to walk in front of people from behind. Became the youngest provincial military region commander after the founding of the Republic.
It was then that they met by chance in a bar and later discovered that they were from the same family. They met and fell in love for four years, and today, they stood in front of his parents' tombstones.
Xia Shao hugged Xu Tianyin. She had never been so grateful to someone as she was at this moment. She thanked Mr. Xu. If the old man hadn't contributed, even if he was awarded the title, given this man's temperament, he would probably still choose to live a dark life. Lonely, cold, until the road ahead ends.
Fortunately, they met.
Fortunately, he was willing to tell her what happened today. She believed that telling him would make him feel much better. She also firmly believed that from now on, his happiness would be her lifelong pursuit.
"Senior brother, let's give the second elder a bouquet of flowers." Xia Shao said softly.
Xu Tianyin was silent for a while before nodding. The two held hands together, placed the bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone, and stepped back together to bow.
"Mom and Dad, if you hear me calling that, don't laugh at me." Xia Shao smiled herself first, her cheeks slightly pink in the mountain breeze, dyeing the dense branches, making her look a bit delicate, "Don't worry, although After you, I am many years late, but after this, I will take care of my senior brother. You know well, and wish him peace and happiness. I will visit you more with him."
Although she wanted to say something more sensational, Xia Shao felt that it was too pretentious and these words were enough.
However, it was these words that seemed so simple to her that made the man turn his head to look at her. Above the blue sky, there was a blazing sun shining in his eyes. In the ultimate darkness was the ultimate light, which made people feel weak. False eyes.
The man hugged her tightly again, this time longer than before.
The two didn't leave the cemetery until noon. When they left, the man held her hand all the way, as if he was afraid that if he let go, she would disappear.
Xia Shao smiled. After walking out of the Martyrs Cemetery, there was still a long way down the mountain. The car stopped at the bottom of the mountain. She deliberately refused to leave and said with a smile: "I'm tired, you carry me."
Xu Tianyin turned his head and looked at her skirt. Seeing that it was a long skirt, he nodded and squatted down without saying a word. Xia Shao smiled and stepped forward, hugging the man's neck. On the way down the mountain, there was a young man and woman walking slowly on the roadside. The girl lay on the man's back, holding a flower branch in her hand, and tickled him with a smile. The man was not ticklish at all, but when he saw that she was having fun, he turned to look at her, with soft eyes and a faint smile on his lips.
This time, the smile lasted for a long time, all the way to the bottom of the mountain.
At this time, the sun was just right, the sky was blue, and it was noon.
…
Noon.
In the Xu family, there was a family dinner.
This family banquet was held in an attic with a beautiful environment of pavilions, waterside pavilions and a red wall. This red wall blocks the noise of tourists outside and the festive atmosphere. In today's republic, there are only a few places where national leaders can live, and the Xu family is one of them.
The attic faces a wide lake, with weeping willows on both sides. The weather is hot at noon, listening to the chirping of cicadas and the lake breeze blowing, a family dinner is eaten in silence.
The old man sitting at the main seat, wearing a simple white Tang shirt, sat majestically in the chair and ate his food slowly. This majestic old man is Mr. Xu Kangguo.
The seat next to the old man's left hand is empty. Below him are his second son Xu Yanshao and his daughter-in-law Hua Fang. Xu Yanshao is a little stout, but he has a ruddy complexion, a good temperament, and the majesty of a high position between his brows. At only fifty years old, he is now a member of the Central Committee of the Republic and a provincial and ministerial official. His wife Hua Fang is the director of the Archives Department of the Supreme Procuratorate.
The two of them were enjoying the scenery in the empty Xu family. But even so, Mr. Xu has very high requirements for the status of family members, and he still retains seats for the eldest family. For a banquet like today, even though the eldest family has been gone for many years, there is still a seat on the left hand side of the old man.
After the second bedroom, there is the third bedroom of the Xu family. It is said to be a three-bedroom house, but it is actually the daughter's married family. Mr. Xu's youngest daughter, Xu Yanying, sounds a bit like a man's name, but this is also the old man's high demand for his daughter to be as good as his men.
Xu Yanying serves on the Beijing Party Committee, and her husband Liu Zhenghong serves as deputy secretary of the provincial party committee. Every year, she comes back to spend the holidays with her husband.
The Xu family, with only two and three bedrooms, is an absolute political family among families in the Republic. Family members are at the national, provincial, ministerial, and departmental levels, and their ranks are so high that no one can surpass them.
What's more, there is a third generation in the Xu family.
The third generation sat on Mr. Xu's right hand side, but the first chair was still empty. There was a young man sitting in the second chair under it. The man looked about twenty-seven or eighty years old. If Xia Shao were here now, he would be surprised. This man's facial features are similar to Xu Tianyin's, but the man's temperament is obviously more gentle. There is no coldness between his eyebrows, but an innate noble demeanor. His smile is quite handsome and elegant.
The man is Xu Tianzhe, the only son of the second wife of the Xu family. Xu Tianzhe is Xu Tianyin's cousin, two years younger than him. He is twenty-seven years old and has been appointed as the local mayor. The twenty-seven-year-old young mayor is also considered the best in the Republic and has a bright future.
Although the levels in the political and military circles cannot be compared, Xu Tianzhe is still a little behind compared to Xu Tianyin, who is now the commander of the group army with the rank of major general and holds military power.
In the seat below Xu Tianzhe, which was also the last seat in the Xu family, sat a girl. The girl is only 20 years old, and she is still in college. Her name is Liu Lan. Her features resemble those of her mother, Xu Yanying, but she looks very cheerful and somewhat arrogant.
Although the Xu family is very particular about table manners, they don't stop talking during meals. It's just that this day has always been dull for many years.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Xu. The old man is always in a bad mood on this day. Moreover, everyone in the Xu family knows that Xu Tianyin will pay homage to his parents on this day, so there are always fewer people on this family reunion day.
The Xu family is used to this. On this day every year, the family eats in silence without anyone speaking.
But this year, someone spoke up.
This person is Liu Lan.
"Isn't my cousin serving in the Beijing Military Region? I thought he would come back this year." The three generations of the Xu family are all only children. Although Liu Lan has a foreign surname, she is also Mr. Xu's granddaughter. As the only girl in the family, she is naturally favored and her status is very unusual. Therefore, on this day, her parents did not dare to speak, but she dared to speak.
Everyone at the table was stunned. Liu Zhenghong and Xu Yanying looked at their daughter at the same time, with hidden warnings in their eyes. After warning their daughter, the two went to target the old man.
Sure enough, Mr. Xu raised his eyes and glanced at his granddaughter. Although his eyes were majestic, he sighed, "Let him go. This is a knot in his heart. If he can't untie it, he won't come back."
Seeing that the old man was not angry, Xu Yanying and her husband breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he had started talking, Xu Yanying sighed, "What a pitiful child Tianyin! The eldest brother and sister-in-law have been gone for more than twenty years, and this child still can't get out. I don't know when this knot will be solved. God Yin was so cute when she was little..."
Xu Yanying is forty-six years old, with faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, a slightly rich figure, and her eyes and facial expressions are full of tenderness and melancholy when she speaks. She was only in her early twenties when her eldest brother was killed, a little older than her daughter is now. When she was a child, her father taught her children to be strict. Even though she was the daughter of the family, she did not receive much special treatment. Her father spent the same amount of time educating her as he did educating her two brothers. Her mother and eldest brother loved her the most. The brother and sister had a good relationship, but they never thought that her mother died early and her eldest brother also died early.
That poor child was fine before going abroad, but when he came back he seemed a changed person. From then on, I went to Hong Kong to recuperate and stayed there for twelve years. After he came back, he entered the military world. He only performed missions outside and was exposed to danger all year round. It was another ten years since he left.
The eldest grandson of the Xu family has the least relationship with the Xu family. If it weren't for the fact that a seat is always reserved for him at family gatherings, it would seem like there is no such person in the family.
Xu Yanying came first because her eldest brother loved her, and secondly because she felt sorry for Xu Tianyin. She had always cared about her nephew. But among the three generations of the Xu family, it is obvious that his daughter has a better relationship with Tianzhe, the second brother's son. The two brothers and sisters rarely met Tianyin and talked little.
Therefore, Xu Yanying was a little surprised that her daughter took the initiative to mention Xu Tianyin today.
But then she saw her daughter smile strangely and said: "Mom, I think my cousin is not as pitiful as you said. He is living a happy life now. Didn't you hear that he has a girlfriend? I am the one who made the video of the proposal. Look, I don’t think cousin Tianzhe can do that romantic thing! He proposed at the opening ceremony of Beijing University, and I don’t think cousin Tianyin is cold at all.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone at the table fell silent.
No one spoke for a moment.
Naturally, the Xu family knew about this matter and had seen the video. But so far no one has expressed their opinion, and no one has mentioned it in front of the old man.
The second and third bedrooms all wanted to know what the old man’s attitude was. I just didn't expect that it would be brought up today.
Therefore, Xu Yanshao and Hua Fang, Liu Zhenghong and Xu Yanying, and Xu Tianzhe and Liu Lan from the third generation of the Xu family all looked at Mr. Xu at this moment.
The old man frowned.