Chapter 1 Leaving Home (Part 2)

  Just as Zhang Youcai's family was feeling sad and disappointed about the departure of their third son, Zhang Songling had a little bit of joy in his heart, taking the train from south to north which never arrived on time, stopping and starting on its way to Beiping.

  For the first time in his life, he didn't follow his father's arrangement and took charge of himself. Immediately after that, he "defeated" his most revered older brother for the first time in his life. The sense of accomplishment was incredibly satisfying. As for the pain of being away from loved ones, Zhang Songling hadn't felt it yet within a short period of time. At least, before the excitement of his first solo flight wore off, he wouldn't feel it.

  This excited mood seriously affected his emotions. So much so that when singing patriotic songs with newly acquainted companions, he couldn't bring out the original feelings of sadness, urgency and responsibility, but instead influenced everyone's performance, causing other companions to start running off-key!

  "Comrades, rise up and take on the responsibility for the fate of the world!"

  Listen! The wails of the masses fill my ears, look! Year after year, our land is lost!

  Do we choose "war" or "surrender"?

  We must be the masters and fight to the death on the battlefield...

  "Stop, Zhang Songling! Can't you be serious for once? You look like you've just eaten a big block of honey, where's the slightest hint of national crisis and family ruin?" Deputy leader Fang Guoqiang couldn't bear Zhang Songling's smug expression anymore, and he couldn't help but stop the practice song again, scolding loudly.

  "I, I've never learned it before, really never learned it!" Like a student who made a mistake, Zhang Songling touched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.

  In his mind, there were many ancient poems about going to the battlefield, such as "The beautiful wine cup of Pipa at night, wanting to drink, Pipa urging on horseback!", "Why not wear Wu hook, take fifty states of Guanzhong?", "Fu Bo only wishes to wrap the corpse back, why does Dingyuan need to enter the pass alive", these poems are either heroic or majestic, but have nothing to do with the tragic indignation that Fang Guoqiang needs.

  "Think about it carefully with your eyes closed, think about the students from Northeast and North China, think about how they watched their hometown fall inch by inch, but couldn't do anything to help. What would you feel in your heart? When the train stops again later, we'll have another performance at the next station. If you still can't find the feeling, just stay on the train and don't hold us back!" Seeing Zhang Songling's confused expression, Fang Guoqiang felt like his head was going to explode. He regretted agreeing with Zhou Ju, the other leader of the group, to let this half-grown kid join the Blood Flower Society. Wasn't he just asking for trouble? Look at that innocent face of his, probably thought going to Beiping to participate in the war effort was like a long-distance tour! And someone else would foot the bill, no need to spend a dime! Who knows what Zhou Ju and the others were thinking, who knows how this clumsy and heartless kid graduated from National Number One Middle School?!

  "Generally speaking, it's true that the expression on Little Zhang's face is quite far from the atmosphere the song wants to convey. However, his positive attitude towards practice is still worth encouraging." Another team leader, Zhou Ju, seeing Fang Guoqiang's tone becoming increasingly severe, quickly stood up from the adjacent seat and took over the conversation with a smile, "Let's take a break first, everyone, and share your experiences with each other. I'll go find the train conductor with Dafang to arrange the time for our performance later!"

  "Ah, haha, we can finally take a break!" Not only did Zhang Songling's feelings have nothing to do with the atmosphere of the song, but most people in the team were just "singing new songs and forcing themselves to be sad". As soon as Zhou Ju proposed taking a rest, they immediately expressed their approval with cheers.

  "This……" Fang Guoqiang was very reluctant in his heart, but he was dragged by Zhou Ju to the next carriage. As he watched his back disappear behind a row of seats, several young people in the team laughed and surrounded him, patted Zhang Songling's shoulder, and expressed sympathy for his encounter.

  "Don't mind him. That poker face, he looks like he's owed everyone a few hundred bucks!" The first person to take the initiative to stand up for Zhang Songling was Lu Qing, a second-year student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Shandong University. He had also studied at National No. 1 Middle School and was considered Zhang Songling's senior and schoolmate. He had a very fair complexion, with ten slender and straight fingers that looked like they shouldn't be on a man's palm.

  "You're absolutely right, Da Fang is in the student union and his nickname is 'Square J'. The second person who came forward to replace Zhang Songling was Tian Qingyu, a core member of Shandong University's Student Autonomous Association. He's lively and generous, and knows many secrets about the school."

  "No wonder I felt uncomfortable as soon as I saw him!"

  "Will he ever smile or not, you guys say, will he ever smile or not! Professor Zhu is also like this, how did he find such a guy to take us!"

  When he dug up Fang Guoqiang's old bottom, the other team members also spoke out one after another. You said a sentence, I said a sentence, and we slightly vented our dissatisfaction after being "oppressed".

  As the newly joined younger brother, Zhang Songling naturally chose to remain silent. In fact, he didn't think Fang Guoqiang's attitude towards him was particularly bad. The business families in Lu City emphasized "easy birth and education", except for a few large households, other families would not let their children directly learn how to do business with them. Usually at the age of ten, they would send their children to a reliable friend to be an apprentice, and entrust the friend to discipline them strictly, just like taking care of their own children. And the friend who received the entrustment would never go easy on them. Punishments such as slapping the palm, starving, and kneeling on the grinding stone were considered light, while more severe ones included using a hot poker to whip the buttocks. Even if the child's parents passed by and saw it, they would not stop it. On the contrary, they would think that the master was taking good care of them and that they would have a better future.

  Zhang Songling had never been an apprentice, but he had seen with his own eyes how his two older brothers were scolded by their master when they were apprentices. So the few words of verbal warning from Fang Guoqiang didn't count for anything. He just felt that he should integrate into this team as soon as possible, and not give Fang Guoqiang an excuse to send him back home again.

  The more he remained silent, the more everyone felt that Fang Guoqiang's behavior was over the top. Not to mention the determination shown by the young guy when he refused to go home with his brother yesterday, which was truly admirable. Just because of his age and being the youngest among them, as well as their junior, he shouldn't have been treated so harshly. Students from our National No. 1 Middle School, no matter how stupid, are smarter than those spoiled brats from No. 7 and No. 10 Middle Schools. Moreover, he was one of the top ten in his grade and had received a personal recommendation letter from the principal.

  Long before deciding to join, Zhang Songling had already gained some understanding of this team. Listening to the lively discussion of everyone, he deepened his understanding on the basis of what he originally knew.

  The team is called Xuehua Society, a progressive group within Shandong University. Most of the main members are freshmen and sophomores, while the two leaders, Zhou Ju and Fang Guoqiang, will graduate this year as seniors.

  In March this year, more than 20 Japanese warships were dispatched to the sea off Qingdao, showing off their military power. The students of Shandong University were deeply stimulated and angrily shouted out the slogan "Willing to shed hot blood for the country's difficulties". The Blood Flower Society organized several benefit performances and prepared a large amount of food and supplies for the Third Army stationed in Shandong.

  The Japanese in Qingdao threatened but failed to achieve the expected effect, instead provoking the Shandong people's bloodlust. Unwillingly, they shifted their troops to the vicinity of Beiping, attempting to coerce Song Zheyuan into separating from the central government and becoming autonomous. The backbone members of the Blood Flower Society deeply felt that national calamity was imminent, so they raised another batch of donations, which were delivered to the 29th Army in Beiping.

  However, for the Chinese team, just relying on financial support is far from enough. Young people with passion in their hearts deeply understand the country's chronic illness and the numbness of its people. Therefore, they are willing to use their passionate voices to awaken this nation, to awaken this ethnic group. After voting at a meeting, they decided to organize a team of backbone members to go to Beiping themselves, allowing soldiers to see with their own eyes and feel with their own bodies the sincerity of Shandong students. Let the soldiers stationed in Beiping know that they are not just fighting alone; the people of Shandong are behind them, and all the people of China are standing behind them!

  The whole team sang and boarded the northbound train, singing all the way. They sang in the carriages, on the platforms, while eating, and even while walking. From Qingdao they sang to Jinan, and from Jinan they sang to Lucheng, Liucheng. The passengers in the carriage also spread the sparks of enthusiasm along the way. Of course, this may just be a one-sided fantasy of the two team leaders and most of the students from Blood Flower Society, but at least for now, every performance has received enthusiastic responses from the passengers.

  Many gentry and ladies generously donated money and goods, entrusting the students to bring their own support for the war effort to Beiping. Many middle school students who took the same train also stood up and actively helped the Blood Flower Society. Even someone like Zhang Songling proactively asked to join the team.

  However, the two leaders Zhou Ju and Fang Guoqiang were very active in accepting donations, but refused to allow most of their classmates to join halfway. They believed that showing support for the defenders of Hebei and Beiping with just themselves and their Blood Flower Society companions was enough. Middle school students were still young and should not shed their hot blood on the battlefield, but should wait until later to contribute to the revival of China's mountains and rivers.

  The only exception is probably Zhang Songling. Not only because he performed the most actively and outstandingly after meeting the members of Xuehua Society. Nor is it just because he was quick with his abacus and contributed a lot to the statistics of donations. There is also an undeniable reason that he graduated from National No. 1 Middle School this year, while the vast majority of the backbone of Xuehua Society come from the same middle school.

  The senior brought the junior, both emotionally and rationally, without any flaws. So despite Deputy Leader Fang Guoqiang putting on a poker face, he couldn't veto the majority's opinion. According to the democratic principles they had just learned, the backbone of the Blood Flower Society made the deputy leader a true minority for once. At the same time, they secretly encouraged the young junior, expecting him to make an even more outstanding performance and prove that Fang Guoqiang's vision was short-sighted.

  After a brief discussion, everyone's attention returned to the main topic. However harsh it may be, Fang Guoqiang's criticism was not nitpicking, and his younger brother's talent in vocal music was indeed not worthy of praise.

  "We are unwilling to be slaves, but rather wish to soar to the sky!" Someone hummed the graduation song again and gestured with their eyes for Zhang Songling to follow them.

  "We are the fragrance of peach and plum today, and tomorrow we will be the pillars of society!" Someone hummed softly, trying to make the tune as smooth as possible so that Zhang Songling could remember the lyrics and rhythm.

  "We are singing in harmony today, but tomorrow we will stir up a great wave of national self-salvation!" Someone beats the rhythm with one hand and gently pats Zhang Songling's back with the other.

  The warmth of that hand and the melody of the lyrics, both entered Zhang Songling's heart. He smiled and raised his head to follow the rhythm of everyone, "Giant waves, giant waves, constantly growing!"

  "Comrades! Comrades! Quickly summon your strength and take on the responsibility of the rise and fall of the world!"

  "Comrades, rise up and take responsibility for the fate of the world!"

  Listen! The wails of the masses fill my ears, look! Year after year, our land is lost!

  Do we choose "war" or "surrender"?

  We must be the masters and fight to the death on the battlefield...

  The singing voice along the old railway, slowly northward, northward.

  Note 1: The Third Route Army of the Northwestern Army, Han Fuqu's direct subordinate army. Expanded to the Third Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army in 1938.

  Note 2: Graduation Song, lyrics by Tian Han and music by Nie Er, written in 1934, influenced young students across the country at that time.