Chapter Eighty Unforgettable Tonight

  PS: Today is Singles' Day, wishing all the big brothers with families eternal happiness. For those who are still single, don't worry, after all, we're celebrating today! Also, since it's Thursday, there's an extra special update chapter to repay everyone's enthusiastic support and add to the festive atmosphere. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for your support and encouragement.

  In the spring of 1921, the sky was shrouded in a thin mist mixed with gentle spring rain, and the whole earth welcomed the new spring under the layers of fog. In the continuous spring rain, China unknowingly ushered in a new year. Of course, not every place in vast China warms up immediately after the beginning of spring, nor does every place experience continuous spring rain.

  "Spring planting, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter storage", many places in China arrange their agricultural affairs according to these four words. After the beginning of spring, farmers in many areas will start the "spring planting" project, and the folk saying reminds us that "after the beginning of spring, rainwater arrives, early rise and late sleep". The growth of wheat crops is accelerating, and the joy in the hearts of farmers is increasing day by day. The workload in their hands is also increasing, and the busy spring plowing has quietly begun. Rape and wheat are the focus of farmers' concern and busyness.

  When the earth has gone through a long and cold winter and welcomes the warm spring, when the birds fly high in the sky and the flowers bloom with fragrance, the daytime gets longer, the temperature rises, and the important traditional Chinese festival arrives unknowingly. Repairing houses, preparing for the New Year's goods, buying new clothes... As the traditional Chinese New Year approaches, farm work is almost done, people have a lot of time to prepare for the Spring Festival, wealthy families are busy preparing for this and that, poor families also make do with preparations for the rare festival throughout the year, they can eat meat, wear new clothes, and the poor people's Spring Festival will be lively.

  There is a very happy superstition in China, that is, during the Spring Festival, you must eat well and dress well. After the beginning of the new year, every day will be as happy as the Spring Festival, so whether it's poor or rich, they all hope to have a good time during the Spring Festival, filled with happy expectations for the new year, of course, more is entrusted.

  From the south to Hainan City in Guangxi, north to Kuitun Mountain, east to Lvliang Mountain in Shanxi, and west to Kashgar City in Xinjiang, the autonomous region with an area of nearly 478.23 million square kilometers, whether it is the most developed Guangxi or the newly stabilized Xinjiang, both have unknowingly welcomed the Year of the Rooster. As they welcome the seventh year of development of the Party and the autonomous region, they also welcomed the eighth spring and autumn of the birth of the People's Army. Seven years of wind and rain, seven years of tireless efforts and shared joys and hardships, the 21st New Year of the people in the autonomous region is undoubtedly a good year for every family to smile together.

  It's not yet close to the Lunar New Year, but many factories have already started their ten-day holiday in advance. Workers are busy cleaning up the factory, inspecting and maintaining equipment, sealing off the workshop, and then happily taking their wages and year-end bonuses home for the new year celebrations. Government agencies are also preparing to summarize their work for the past year before officially starting their holiday, but first, they need to complete the task of gathering many passenger vehicles to send students from primary and secondary schools in the county seat and city back to their hometowns, so that children can also return home for the new year.

  Long-distance bus stations, public transportation hubs, train stations and ports have become the busiest places. Everywhere, travelers are dragging large and small suitcases, with many items still in their hands and on their backs. Of course, there are also small restaurant owners carrying trays and shouting to people to eat, seizing every opportunity to make money and get rich.

  There were no police maintaining order, but everything was still happening in an orderly manner. People boarded vehicles, trains or ships bound for different places with their tickets. Occasionally, a ticket scalper would flash by in a corner, with a civilian policeman closely following behind. If he dared to make any transactions with anyone, the ticket scalper's fate would be that of being caught and punished. Since he dared to take risks for personal gain, he might as well spend the Spring Festival in prison.

  The highways in the city are spacious, but at this time they still seem a bit crowded, especially when the traffic lights are on, and even more so, there are long queues of cars on the road. Drivers always think that their side is all green lights, but reality is fair, whoever should go will go. Of course, taking the train doesn't have to be so troublesome, but the speeding trains can't compare to the anxious hearts of travelers returning home. Their thoughts had already flown back home, but the trains and cars are still rushing along the road with a whooshing sound.

  No matter whether it's on a long-distance luxury bus, or in an urban public transportation vehicle, or sitting in a train carriage, people who have worked hard for a year and reaped a bountiful harvest are all in high spirits. Along the way, they constantly chat and laugh with each other, exchanging stories about their work, looking forward to seeing their children's report cards when they get home, missing their parents who are waiting at home, and expecting praise from their fellow villagers for their achievements... However, more often than not, the phrase that appears most frequently is still "Conductor, where has the bus arrived?" or "When will we arrive in a certain place?"

  Unlike ordinary people, for some, the Spring Festival is a labor day. As the Lunar New Year approaches, there's still a festive atmosphere in the army, but what ruins it is the simplified procedure for taking out live ammunition, meaning they can take out real bullets to carry out tasks at any time. But who wants to have an emergency during the holidays? Some things still rely on the police: maintaining order, punishing crimes, ensuring safety, directing traffic, coordinating venues for entertainment (such as setting off firecrackers), etc. The police are always the busiest and never get a break. Among them, the armed police force is the most hardworking and selfless. Once a major accident occurs, there aren't enough police to handle it, and mobilizing the army is too cumbersome. Therefore, only the armed police force can be the main force protecting the Spring Festival, while the police are just the exhausted vanguard...

  "When the Spring Festival arrives, business is booming, and the streets are bustling with people. Whether it's a city with skyscrapers or a remote rural town, as long as it's the end of the year, there will always be a wave of shopping fever, especially in rural towns. During the Spring Festival, they welcome back migrant workers and students who have returned home, and every family is busy preparing for the New Year. They can't help but go out to buy things, even if the students have uniforms provided by the school. Who would want their child to wear a uniform during the Spring Festival? So, when shopping for the New Year, they inevitably buy new clothes, shoes, bicycles, watches, and other gifts for their children who have worked hard all year. As people's living standards improve, these items gradually become part of the students' gift lists. That's why business owners say that as soon as the Spring Festival arrives, business is guaranteed to be good, and everywhere is bustling with people, even in small towns."

  Plump chickens and ducks, meaty fat pigs, rolling eggs, and buckets of edible oil, as well as fresh fish, are the first things people buy at the market. Afterwards, they stroll through the vegetable market, rarely buying fresh vegetables except for seasonings. At the end of the year, it's time to eat delicious food and drink spicy soup, and after the new year begins, some green vegetables are bought to stimulate appetite. However, by this time, people have already indulged in meat, fish, and oil, and not many buy radishes or green vegetables.

  Of course, many young and strong people at home did not go out to work, naturally raised pigs and fed cattle, and by the end of the year, they prepared a large number of New Year's goods. The meat products that needed to be eaten during the New Year were already marinated, and the house was cleaned and tidy. After everything was ready, they went to the street with a big bag on their back to buy some ingredients or other goods. Many people even brought their wives and children together to go shopping. The whole family strolled around, looking at new clothes, new shoes, and other good things that they liked and wanted to buy. They bought some supplements for the elderly, new clothes, snacks, and toys for the children, which made the whole family happy all day long.

  Of course, before everyone returns home, they will not forget to buy incense, paper money and clothes for the dead. According to people's common understanding, since we have a good life here, those in the other world should also have a good year. However, there is one more thing that must be bought, which is firecrackers and fireworks. To bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new spring, it is necessary to light firecrackers, otherwise how can we talk about "the sound of firecrackers bidding farewell to the old year"?

  Time spares no one, but people forget time. Time flies like a white horse passing through a crevice. When everything is ready, the new year's festival arrives slowly and formally. People wear new clothes, hang lanterns, prepare food, and celebrate the New Year. Every family starts the new year in a lively atmosphere. Of course, "every year is similar to flowers, every year people are also alike". Zhang Yu couple spent their tenth Spring Festival together, but this year's Spring Festival is no longer just two people, but three.

  "Are you two real brothers?"

  "Not us, we just share the same surname. We have a chance to know each other and work together..." When the three of them sat down at the table, Zhang Yusheng was already prepared to respond to all the questions that could be asked by the first guest who had inserted himself between the two brothers during the lonely Spring Festival holiday.

  "Is this really how you've been spending Spring Festival for the past decade? Is it like this in America too?"

  "No, in the country there was a year when we were a group of people living together, and at that time they were called security guards, a group of brothers!"

  "But you...you just eat two dishes, one is braised pork belly and the other is stir-fried eggs..."

  "All I can make is scrambled eggs, and Zhang Yu's specialty is of course his favorite dish to eat and cook, braised pork belly!" Zhang Yu said sincerely to her: "The chef and some of the inner guards are on a big holiday, usually we order takeout, but on New Year's Eve, we'll cook ourselves and taste something fresh, just the two of us will spend the Spring Festival together..."

  "Zhang Yu, is this true?"

  Zhang Yu nodded helplessly, fidgeting with his chopsticks, ready to start eating at any moment. In previous years, the Spring Festival was always a grand affair, and by this time last year, Zhang Yu had already finished all the braised pork belly. But this year was clearly different. After becoming an orphan, Li Xiao Ran suddenly became Zhang Yu's good friend and sneaked in to see what the two richest and most powerful people in the autonomous region, even China, would eat on New Year's Eve. However, what he saw was a pathetic sight: two people, each cooking one dish, barely scraping together a meal for the Spring Festival, and then continuing to order takeout until the chef returned. How bleak!

  "After the New Year, I must find a way to invent a refrigerator, otherwise, after the wine shop closes, we'll have to do it ourselves!" Zhang Yu took a close look at the two dishes on the dinner table, which had been their fixed New Year's Eve dinner for many years. Tonight, they looked particularly unappetizing. Only then did he notice a lovely lady sitting beside him. He turned his head with a smile and said to Li Xiao Ran: "Why don't you show us what you can do? You won't be able to make just one dish, will you?"

  Li Xiao Ran didn't respond, but instead glared at Zhang Yu with a fierce gaze before hastily picking up two plates of dishes and rushing into the kitchen. Before long, the sounds of running water, chopping vegetables, and sizzling stir-fries filled the air, accompanied by the aroma of delicious food wafting out to where Zhang Yu sat, hinting that tonight's New Year's Eve dinner would be quite different from usual.

  "I'm telling you, bro, why don't you just take her in already! Otherwise, with that loose-lipped girl, once she goes back to work, won't she go around broadcasting our situation everywhere? Two geniuses like us, together we know and can do everything... except cooking..."

  "Shut up!" Zhang Yu retorted with a random curse, playing with the chopsticks in his hand and saying sarcastically: "You still have the nerve to say that? In your time, wasn't women's liberation all the rage? Logically speaking, you should be a good man who is busy with work and family, yet you can't even cook. Back then, it was also a patriarchal society, these household chores should be left to women, otherwise they would only have one purpose - giving birth to children, how could that be?"

  "Stop talking nonsense, I'm being serious!" Zhang Yu Sheng said mysteriously, pulling Zhang Yu closer to him and whispering in his ear. "You're not getting any younger, it's time you found a woman and settled down, especially when you've met someone as outstanding as this female teacher - she's the best of the best! If I were you, I wouldn't be able to wait!"

  "There's a knife hanging over my head, I'm not unwilling, but with Xiaoran, I both love and fear her. I always feel like there's something special in my heart for her, but can't quite put it into words..."

  "Just admit you have feelings, I'll go find Yuran and spend New Year's Eve with them, you two can just enjoy your little world together!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yusen stood up with a mischievous grin, sending a particularly meaningful glance to Zhang Yu, the implication couldn't be clearer: "A single man and woman, living together in one room, something will happen...", followed by a sly laugh before leaving Zhang Yu's residence.

  Zhang Yu looked at his older brother who had left, then looked at Li Xiao Ran who was busy in the kitchen, and could only shake his head and mutter to himself: "A wife is like a garment, a brother is like a limb. Garments can be changed, but how can limbs be severed? But I'm feeling lonely now, so I'll put on my garment first!"

  Of course, Zhang Yu naturally knew that his older brother Zhang Yusheng also had someone special. One accidental illness led to a hospital stay, and he inadvertently sparked something with a nurse. It was an old-fashioned love story, but it was especially precious because of their different identities. A passionate romance may not have been possible, but the sincerity and depth of their feelings for each other were enough.

  "Where's your older brother? He wouldn't have left in embarrassment, would he?" With a steaming hot dish and a smile on her face, Li Xiao Ran placed it on the dinner table, but was puzzled as to why Zhang Yu Sheng wasn't there.

  "He left first, by the way, you sit down too! I usually can't eat many dishes, and besides, come sit next to me, who told you to sit opposite!" After several months of getting along, Zhang Yu often didn't have much advantage, but this time was still very intimidating. Li Xiao Ran could only mutter under her breath and obediently sat down beside Zhang Yu. "Let's eat, I'll try your cooking skills! By the way, I declare that the New Year's Eve reunion dinner officially begins!"

  Zhang Yu had already eaten several mouthfuls, but Li Xiao Ran on the side was still rubbing her hands together, lowering her head without speaking or moving her chopsticks. "You wouldn't have put poison in the dish, would you? I... why aren't you eating?" Zhang Yu said, handing the chopsticks on the table to Li Xiao Ran.

  "Damn it!" Zhang Yu finally realized when he had messed up the mood of the Queen of Hearts. The term "reunion dinner" was so sensitive, especially for Li Xiao Ran who had become a complete orphan this year. The two words "reunion" were like an electric shock to her ears. Although Zhang Yu was also considered an "orphan".

  "Xiao Ran, listen! Eat quickly, otherwise I won't be able to eat either, and then I'll have no choice but to eat you!" After being stifled for a long time, Zhang Yu finally squeezed out these unimaginable words. Usually strict and powerful in both military and scientific research, as well as in his work at the Ministry of Industry, Zhang Yu was always a big man, but now he had to humble himself to comfort a woman, which really made him feel embarrassed.

  "Did you eat me?" Li Xiao Ran lifted her head, tears streaming down her face, and looked at Zhang Yu. Her big eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and her white cheeks were slightly flushed with anger, making her lips look like they were about to drip with dew...

  Zhang Yu didn't respond to Li Xiao Ran's questioning, instead he put down his chopsticks and opened his arms wide, pulling Li Xiao Ran into a tight embrace. He tilted his head slightly and leaned in for a kiss. It wasn't until their lips touched that Li Xiao Ran realized what was happening. She widened her eyes and tried to push Zhang Yu away, but she couldn't resist him. Her half-hearted attempt only seemed to fuel Zhang Yu's desire, and he took another deep breath before kissing her again. This time the kiss left Li Xiao Ran breathless, and she closed her eyes as tears fell silently down her smooth skin.

  Soft yellow light enveloped the dining hall, and in the quiet air, only each other's urgent breathing remained, along with the small dishes on the table emitting hot air, the aroma was overwhelming but no one had the heart to savor it, the beautiful woman present was enough to serve as this year's best New Year's Eve dinner.

  "Xiao Ran, will you marry me?"

  After a passionate kiss, Zhang Yu let go of the panting Li Xiao Ran, and casually plucked a flower from the nearby potted plant. He then got down on one knee, holding up the makeshift "rose", and loudly proposed to Li Xiao Ran.

  Just as Li Xiao Ran had barely caught her breath, Zhang Yu launched an even larger-scale bombing attack, and her heart suddenly started racing wildly and irregularly. Amidst the surprise and excitement, she felt a little shy, pouting with her rosy lips, and asked in a very cute way: "Why do I have to marry you?"

  "Marry me, it's a revolutionary necessity." Zhang Yu said, turning his head and thinking of an explanation, "Being friends is too limited, let's be husband and wife! If not successful, then we'll become adults..." With a playful smile, Zhang Yu immediately took out a ring that had been hidden on him for a long time, even his older brother didn't know about it, and directly put it on Li Xiao Ran's ring finger.

  "Huh? You're really shameless... I hate you!" Although she said that, Li Xiao Ran was a girl after all, and she curiously stared at the sparkling ring on her hand with wide eyes. This was the legendary wedding ring, the most popular must-have item for weddings in the autonomous region.

  "I've asked many people, and they all say that autonomous regions are now very popular with this dazzling thing, so my good wife must also follow the trend of the times! However, these diamonds are really eternal, but one is enough to make a person bankrupt. You won't accept my ring but not me, will you? I've been kneeling for a long time!"

  Zhang Yu teased her a bit, and Li Xiao Ran's face turned even redder, like a bright red apple. She nodded shyly to indicate that Zhang Yu could get up, then quickly buried her head, afraid that Zhang Yu would see her frighteningly red cheeks. But Zhang Yu was not a good person, and as soon as he sat down, he pulled Li Xiao Ran into his arms and gave her another suffocating kiss without saying a word.

  The lanterns have just been lit, the night is deep but people are not quiet, every household is brightly lit, eating snacks and chatting about family affairs, waiting by the radio to listen to broadcast programs, the whole family staying up all night. Or they can't wait any longer, and start setting off fireworks early, adding more excitement to the upcoming New Year's Eve, the streets and alleys are bustling with people who love excitement, the thunderous firecrackers and dazzling fireworks, decorating the last night of the old year.

  "Ten... nine... eight..." The city square and the courtyard of our home gathered more and more people, everyone shouting together in countdown. "Three... two... one... New Year's here!" Cheers almost simultaneously burst with the skyrocketing fireworks, colorful fireworks lit up the entire night sky, strange lights shining on the whole land.

  In a quiet sentry post in Xinjiang, the sentry did not hear any sound at this moment, but he knew that tonight would be the last day of the old year. At some point during his shift, there must be the first second of the new year, but what he remembered more was that special times required him to pay extra attention to guarding his post...

  The fierce waves crashed against the coast, and the collision between the turbulent waves and the rocks always produced a particularly loud sound. The high-splashing water droplets flew into the air and fell with a "hula" sound. The restless sea had not forgotten the soldiers guarding the lighthouse on a certain island in the South China Sea. In the midst of the turbulent waves, there seemed to be thoughts of family members mixed in, perhaps even the expectations of loved ones... But the roar of the waves remained unchanged, and tonight's duty was no different from any other night, even though today was New Year's Eve, and tonight was a reunion night...

  Unlike the cold Xinjiang sentry, and different from the isolation of an island, in a bustling street in Chengdu, people who are excited to the point of forgetting everything will not notice that there is still a fire truck parked on the street. The firefighters inside are also celebrating the Spring Festival at this moment, but they cannot cheer or sing loudly. They can only close their eyes and rest, quietly experiencing another unforgettable night in their hearts. As long as a fire breaks out, they will set out immediately...

  There are many, many more people like them. For a better Spring Festival for more people, for an unforgettable tonight for more people, they silently pay out. Of course, whether it is the person who is silently paying at this moment or the person who is being protected, they are all happy because they are already living in human form, living with dignity, and can live such a day. Chinese people, in a country where sovereignty has fallen and dignity has been lost, really need too many, until the whole country.

  However, the beautiful new year has arrived, and regardless of wealth or status, everyone is filled with expectations for the new year. Of course, for some people, there is also this unforgettable, priceless "golden" evening...

  PS: This chapter is indeed written a bit poorly. If it's really not good enough, please forgive me. I've done my best for the protagonist's love story.