Chapter 2 May's Fresh Flowers (Part 5)

  At this moment, Zhang Songling and others did not realize at all that the big net woven by Zhang's conspiracy had quietly covered them. They were still immersed in the excitement of the successful performance, excited about the performances of everyone on and off the stage. The second half of the show, with tens of thousands of people rushing from all directions, the open-air theater and several nearby roads were completely blocked.

  Every single audience member had red eyes, mourning the disaster that the country and individuals were suffering at this moment. In the end, it was no longer just a solo performance by the students. The audience close to the stage also repeated the students' singing along with the rhythm of the music. The audience farther away could no longer hear what song was being sung on stage, but they clapped their hands and hummed softly along with the melody in the crowd. "The May flowers bloom all over the field. The flowers cover the blood of the martyrs, who fought hard to save this dying nation..."

  "The enemy's iron hooves have crossed the Great Wall, but the Central Plains still sing and dance in peace; 'friendly neighbors'... Ah, the humiliating surrender, forgetting the country and forgetting us..." The song was sung by a student from Beiping as the final piece, but it brought harmony to everyone on and off stage. Almost half of Huluyue was ignited by the singing, people sobbed, sang loudly, shouted, and fully vented their hatred for the war, their hatred for the inaction of the central and local governments, and their hatred for being a man who could not provide a safe place for his wife and children. Tears flowed like a spring.

  Even the heavens were moved by this melody filled with sorrow and indignation, and before anyone knew it, a fine rain began to fall. The audience, however, was still unwilling to leave, surrounding the students who had already taken their final bow three times, applauding continuously, asking them to play another piece, to let everyone become intoxicated in the music once again. It wasn't until the local security team's Captain Yue stepped forward, citing that the students had come from afar and needed to rest as soon as possible, that the charity performance was finally brought to a close. But the audience still spontaneously formed two human walls, escorting the students from Shandong and Beiping into the first floor of the Peace Hotel, before slowly dispersing.

  "I didn't expect the people here to be so aware." Lifting two full donation boxes up the stairs, Lu Ming, Li Di and others were discussing enthusiastically. According to everyone's rough estimate, at least one-third of the contents of the donation box was filled with silver coins and copper plates. Although these metal currencies are very inconvenient to carry, they are far more stable than paper money during turbulent times. Taking them to Beiping will allow the soldiers of the 29th Army to buy a few more million bullets to fight against the devils.

  "They have a deep understanding of the pain of national destruction and family separation, so they can naturally resonate with us!" Peng Xuewen was also deeply moved by the scene during the performance, but his face showed a few strands of anger, "But what's the use? Tomorrow when we leave, those who escaped will still escape, and those who surrendered will still surrender. No one will remember what we sang today!"

  "How can you be so sure! It's as if you're the only one awake in the whole country!" Fang Guoqiang heard Peng Xuewen speak, and felt uncomfortable in his heart, immediately frowning and retorting.

  "We were the sensation of half of Beiping on December 29 last year! But what about after that? Apart from Feng Zhi'an's high-pressure water gun, what else did everyone gain?" Peng Xuewen said with a lazy glance at Fang Guoqiang.

  "At least, you've sown the seeds of resistance!" Fang Guoqiang smiled, his eyes locking with Peng Xuewen's, filled with a mix of admiration and disdain. "At least, back then, you didn't make excuses to escape!"

  "I've never run away with my tail between my legs! I'm going to Nanjing to petition, asking the government to make a decision quickly!" Peng Xuewen immediately flew into a rage, defending himself in a voice that was almost a roar.

  "If you want to be a deserter, you can always find an excuse!" Fang Guoqiang continued in a cold tone.

  "You're the deserter, when I was facing the high-pressure water gun, you were still enjoying life somewhere..."

  "At least I'm heading north now, rather than south..."

  The students from both sides couldn't persuade the two of them, and they didn't have the energy to continue persuading. They either quickened or slowed down their pace, keeping a distance from them. Zhang Songling had been hit by a brick on his back and couldn't walk too fast. Peng Weiwei also didn't want to listen to her brother's endless quarrel with someone, so she voluntarily stayed behind the team to accompany him.

  "Who did you learn Japanese from? It sounds like that kind of thing!" The little girl didn't have so much national hatred in her heart, and the angle of her question seemed particularly unusual at this moment.

  "I, I've never learned Japanese!" Zhang Songling couldn't help but laugh and cry when he mentioned this. He had never learned Japanese before, but was forced to follow Tian Huanzi's orders and managed to muddle through a few sentences. Who would have thought that these few sentences in Japanese almost got him killed by a brick, not to mention being surrounded by a crowd of people pointing and staring at him.

  "What did you study in middle school? English? In your Shandong province, isn't Japanese and German more popular?" Peng Weiwei was born with a curious mind, always eager to dig deeper into new things.

  "Hey, don't even mention it, just thinking about it gives me a headache! My middle school days were particularly unlucky...". Zhang Songling's face turned gloomy as he brought up this topic. The middle school he attended had a very unconventional style, and in order to broaden the students' horizons, they specially offered English and German courses. Moreover, students were required to choose one of them and attend classes regularly, without any excuses. Unfortunately, Zhang Songling was assigned to the German teacher. Throughout his high school years, he memorized a large number of disorganized German vocabulary. But when he walked out onto the streets, it was hardly useful at all. It would have been better if he had learned Japanese instead, at least that way he could help his family with business dealings with Japanese merchants.

  "In Beiping, there aren't many places where German can be used either. But in Nanjing, I've heard that there are many companies opened by Germans." Peng Weiwei sympathized with Zhang Songling's misfortune and tried to find a way out for him. "How about this..." She suddenly clapped her hands, extremely excited, "Why don't you just forget about applying to Beida and come with us to Nanjing instead? We can take the entrance exam for Central University together! The government has many German advisors, your German skills might be very useful!"

  "I don't have that ability. Just looking is fine, but saying it out loud is completely awkward!" Having interacted with Peng Weiwei for so long, Zhang Songling had gradually forgotten his initial reserve, shaking his head and laughing as he said, "Besides, I couldn't possibly go to Nanjing with you guys now. We've already come this far, we can't just turn around and head back!"

  "Why can't I?!" Peng Weiwei didn't expect Zhang Songling to speak so directly, she raised her head, and her big eyes were filled with disappointment.

  Zhang Songling's heart skipped a beat, and he let out a sigh. His words were tinged with sadness: "I met Big Brother Zhou and the others halfway, and I decided to follow them to Beiping to join the army. We're almost there now; if I suddenly change my mind, it would be...it would be..."

  Shaking his head, he smiled wryly with some helplessness, "It's just an excuse for one's own cowardice. Looking back on it later, I'm afraid my heart will never be at ease!"

  This is the most real thought in his heart. The debate between Peng Xuewen and Fang Guoqiang for two consecutive days has had a great impact on him. When he couldn't sleep at midnight, lying in bed, he asked himself if he was right or wrong to choose to follow Zhou Ju and others back then. He loves this country, loves this nation, although he is not clear about the reason for this love. He is not afraid of sacrificing his life for the country, not afraid of bloodshed on the battlefield, but fears that he will die unjustly.

  If twenty-nine is indeed a pawn for personal gain, as Peng Xuewen said, then Zhang Songling doesn't know what the point of this trip is anymore. But if he chooses to give up halfway, he's extremely reluctant and even more unwilling to be thought of by Fang Guoqiang and others as a coward who fears death.

  He didn't dare to say these words to Zhou Ju or Tian Qingyu, fearing they would laugh at him for being naive and timid. But in front of Peng Weiwei's bright big eyes, he didn't want to pretend anymore. "Honestly, I don't know who is right between your brother and Fang Guoqiang. But at least I have to go to Beiping to take a look, only then will I feel at ease!"

  "It's all that Fang guy's fault!" Peng Weiwei couldn't bear to blame Zhang Songling, nor did she want to blame her own brother, so she put the blame squarely on Fang Guoqiang's head. "It was him, he didn't understand reason, but still insisted on causing trouble! My brother was a deputy company commander in Song Zheyuan's student army for four whole months. What doesn't he see clearly?!"

  "It's not just because of what he said, I myself have been thinking of going to Beiping to take a look!" Zhang Songling didn't want to attribute his current confusion to others, smiled and added honestly.

  "So you don't believe me and my brother! You don't believe me and my brother, what's the point of borrowing study materials from me!" Peng Weiwei instantly turned cold, dropped Zhang Songling, and ran upstairs.

  "I, I didn't mean it that way!" Zhang Songling wanted to pull but didn't dare, his hand suspended in mid-air, twisted in an awkward manner.

  "Hurry up and go after her, silly boy!" Old Sister Han Qiu lightly kicked him from behind, reminding him in a low voice. "Don't tell me you don't know which room she's staying in!"

  "Ah, ah!" Zhang Songling was suddenly awakened and rushed up the stairs like his butt was on fire. Han Qiu shook her head and smiled at his back, turned around, saw Tian Qingyu with a mischievous grin on his face, and pinched his waist fiercely, "Look at you! What are you looking at? Can you be smarter than him?"

  "Haha, haha!" Tian Qingyu's thick skin made him not take this little attack seriously. While laughing, he put his arm around Han Qiu's shoulder, "This kind of thing is only interesting when you figure it out yourself. If someone else teaches you, it doesn't feel as great!"

  "You're so experienced!" Han Qiu's words were more like a playful tease than an accusation.

  "Or else, or else after a while, you can pretend to be angry. I'll have an excuse to come to your room and find you?" Tian Qingyu looked around, making sure no one was paying attention, and suggested in a low voice.

  "Go die!" Han Qiu lightly spat at him, and her wet face was instantly filled with happiness.

  The two of them were so engrossed in their own little world that they didn't notice and ended up going up the wrong staircase. By the time they realized their mistake and turned to go back down, Tian Qingyu had already been bumped into by Lu Ming, who was rushing up the stairs in a hurry.

  "Tian Pangzi, how did you run to the fourth floor? Something bad has happened!" Long pointed at Lu Ming, not even having time to change out of his wet clothes, and panted loudly.

  "What's going on? Have we already started fighting with the Japanese up ahead?" Tian Qingyu was startled and immediately thought of the worst-case scenario.

  "No! Don't joke around!" Lu Ming was so anxious that he stomped his feet, took a few deep breaths, and then continued to add, "The coachmen have all run away. The horse carriage and our rough luggage on the carriage are also gone. They left a message with Zhu Boss for you. Said sorry to everyone, but didn't want to continue accompanying us to make trouble in Beiping. Also said, let you hurry back home too, don't keep walking down this dead-end road!"

  "Bullshit!" Tian Qingyu was furious, and he rushed downstairs, "I'll go catch them. Those three bastards took so much money from me. When I get back to Qingdao, I'll definitely find someone to deal with them!"

  "Where are you going to chase? They're driving a horse carriage, and they've already run away long ago!" Han Qiu followed Tian Qingyu for several steps, pressing his waist with his hand, panting and questioning.

  "Then I'll have to find them and ask for an explanation!" Tian Qingyu also realized that he couldn't run faster than the horse carriage, so he stopped in his tracks, his eyes reddening. The Swiss gold watch on his wrist had cost him 150 big yuan, half of which he had paid as a deposit to the carriage company. He had planned to show off in front of his companions, but who would have thought that the driver would run off with their rough luggage halfway through the journey, leaving him empty-handed?

  "Don't chase anymore, it's no use chasing. As long as you're by my side, I'm at ease. What luggage, watch, are all external things!" Han Qiu quickly walked up and hugged him, softly comforting him.

  "Do you all know?" Tian Qingyu was stunned, and a red flush instantly spread from his eyelids to the base of his neck.

  "Fool, I've been following you every day, can't you see what's missing from your body?" Han Qiu stomped her foot and responded in a low voice. "I know why you're doing this, and I understand what you're thinking, so I didn't expose you. After the war is over and we return home, I'll help you buy an even better one. My uncle is in the jewelry business in Shanghai!"

  "Xiao Qiu!" Tian Qingyu didn't know what to say, hugging Han Qiu's slender waist, tears slowly streaming down his face.

  "Let's go back, don't be angry anymore. The two of us will go out and rent a car again, the kind that costs one yuan per day." Han Qiu wiped away her tears on his shoulder and suggested with a smile.

  "Ah!" Tian Qingyu's heart was gradually filled with warmth, nodding his head in agreement. He still had several dozen silver dollars in his luggage, plus a jade Buddha pendant around his neck, which would be enough to hire three carriages. From here, it was less than 100 miles to Beiping. If they hurried, the carriage could reach its destination in two days.

  "Hmm, hmm, hmm..." A sudden, ill-timed cough burst into the world of the two. Lu Ming, who was being treated as air, covered his mouth and said in a low voice: "The taxi fare will be split between me and Liu Jing. Don't tell anyone exactly how much it is. But you two need to hurry up and change your clothes, Fang Guoqiang and Peng Xuewen are waiting for everyone on the second floor restaurant!"