1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 133 Watching the Flag Raising and Sitting on the Red Flag

The next day, March 26th.

Cheng Kaiyan woke up very early. When she opened her eyes, the room was dark and the yard outside the window seemed to be covered with a layer of black gauze. She could only see the outlines of various things in the yard.

I raised my wrist and looked at it. I could barely see the time through the extremely faint green fluorescence in the darkness.

Five forty.

"It's time to get up."

Cheng Kaiyan turned over and got up, moving very quietly to avoid disturbing Xu Yuxiu's rest.

There was a snap.

The chandelier was turned on, and the room suddenly lit up, which was particularly eye-catching in the dark yard.

Cheng Kaiyan picked up a new set of clothes hanging on the bedside cabinet and put them on. She walked to the window, picked up the mirror on the desk, and adjusted her clothes and personal appearance.

After talking with Wang Meng yesterday, he learned about the arrangements for the entire day.

The award ceremony officially began at 8:30 in the morning and lasted about an hour and a half. It was followed by interviews with reporters and a symposium on the winning works.

Due to Ms. Xie's willfulness, the symposium originally scheduled for the afternoon was moved to the morning, and the afternoon was given to the Children's Literature Award, so the time was compressed very tightly.

Cheng Kaiyan will help with roll call in the morning and attend the Children's Literature Award Ceremony in the afternoon.

He is busy today.

Due to time constraints, the awarding procedures for the Children's Literature Award and the Short Story Award are different.

The former only announces the shortlist for now, and the actual winning works will not be announced until the awards ceremony, while the latter has already determined the winners.

But now is not the time to think about these things.

The reason why Cheng Kaiyan got up so early was because he planned to take this opportunity to go to Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

The flag-raising ceremony during this period was probably not as entertaining as that in later generations.

Cheng Kaiyan guessed in her heart, then looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, put the mirror down and went out to wash up.

There was a light mist floating in the yard, and the wind was chilly to the bone.

After washing up with a toothbrush, it was already six o'clock. Cheng Kaiyan left a note and quickly headed towards Tiananmen Square.

Due to the urgency and the normal road conditions, Cheng Kaiyan finally saw the outline of Tiananmen Square in less than ten minutes.

Portraits of great men are hung on the tall and majestic red city walls, shining brightly in the first golden rays of the morning.

A group of people have gathered in front of Tiananmen Square.

They wore thick clothes, put on hoods and lay on the railings, waiting for the arrival of the national flag guard.

"It seems that even in the 1980s, there were still many people willing to get up early to watch the flag-raising ceremony!"

Cheng Kaiyan watched from afar and sighed.

However, most of these people should be outsiders who are visiting Beijing for the first time. As a great capital, Beijing has countless people traveling on business, and the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square is naturally one of the must-see attractions.

Cheng Kaiyan found a place to park the car and locked it, then trotted over and lay on the railing like these people, waiting quietly.

Speaking of the flag-raising ceremony, in fact, it was not taken very seriously after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

On October 1949, 10, the old man personally pressed the button and raised the first national flag in Tiananmen Square.

But in fact, there was no such thing as raising the flag every day at that time, probably because people were worried about wasting manpower and resources.

It was not until 1951 that the flag was officially raised every day.

At that time, the person in charge was Hu Qijun, a worker from the BJ Power Supply Bureau. He alone completed the flag-raising task for 26 years, from 1951 to 1976.

Hu Qijun was unable to work until May 1977.

The superior leaders instructed the Beijing City Garrison to officially take over the task of raising the national flag, forming the initial "National Flag Guard Squad" consisting of three people responsible for raising and lowering the national flag.

In another two years, the armed police force will take over, and the first set of standardized flag-raising ceremony will be officially established.

……

Time passed slowly, and the cold wind in the square made people's faces hurt.

Suddenly, a blond foreign student next to Cheng Kaiyan shouted excitedly in broken Mandarin: "Here I come!"

"Clap! Clap!"

The sound of uniform footsteps reached everyone's ears from afar.

Almost in an instant, everyone looked towards the center of Tiananmen Square with respect and expectation in their eyes.

The archway in the center of the Tiananmen Tower slowly opened, and three neatly-lined soldiers holding the national flag crossed the Jinshui Bridge and walked towards the square step by step along Chang'an Avenue.

The military spirit is high and the posture is upright.

"stand at attention!"

"Take a break!"

"Play the national anthem and raise the flag!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud and fiery voice came from the loudspeaker.

"Arise! People who will not be slaves!"

"Our flesh and blood..."

As the national anthem played, two soldiers held the national flag, turned around and raised their hands.

The bright red and dazzling gold, in the not-so-bright sky, looked like a burning flame slowly rising.

The national flag was raised to the top as the national anthem was played, and fluttered in the air with the sound of the wind.

Cheng Kaiyan looked up at the flag, feeling extremely excited.

This solemn ceremony symbolizes that the motherland shines with the sun and the moon, and displays the country's dignity and glory regardless of wind and rain.

……

After watching the flag-raising ceremony, Cheng Kaiyan, having fulfilled her wish, rode her bike to Dongdan to have breakfast.

A set of three: fried liver, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks.

After eating, I burped and then rode my bike straight to Ye Shengtao's house.

The two had agreed to go together.

The sound of car bells passed through the deep alley and arrived at the courtyard.

There were two Red Flag sedans parked at the door. They were barely visible to ordinary people. Their streamlined black bodies reflected the light in the early morning.

In addition, there were two armed guards standing at the door.

Cheng Kaiyan was stunned. An important person is coming!
The two armed guards at the door saw Cheng Kaiyan parking the car and heading towards the gate, and immediately reached out to stop her.

He shouted sharply, "Stop! What do you do?"

"Comrade, I was invited by Mr. Ye."

Cheng Kaiyan quickly explained.

When the guard heard this, his eyes widened and he looked him up and down.

He soon let down his guard because he smelled a familiar scent from the young man in front of him.

soldier.

"Mr. Ye invites you? Comrade, please wait a moment."

The guard said calmly, signaled to another person with his eyes, and turned to go into the house.

……

In the yard, Ye Shengtao sat with an old woman with gray hair and well-dressed clothes.

We chatted while looking at the beautiful scenery of the crabapple blossoms in the yard.

At this time, the guard came trotting in and reported what had just happened.

"Cheng Kaiyan, is this the young man you mentioned before, Old Ye?"

This old lady is Ms. Xie Wanying, also known as the "Century Old Man", and she also has another familiar name.

Bing Xin.

It is derived from the idea of ​​a heart as pure as ice in a jade pot.

Regardless of her character, Ms. Xie is indeed a well-deserved master of children's literature in China. She has written works such as "Stars and Spring Water", "Letter to Young Readers", "Little Orange Lantern", "Praise of Cherry Blossoms", etc. Of course, the most famous one is "Our Wife's Living Room", which has been criticized by many people.

He also held important positions, such as an important position in the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and vice president of the Children's Welfare Foundation, etc.

"Yes, one of his articles is among the finalists for this year's National Excellent Children's Literature Award."

When mentioning Cheng Kaiyan, Ye Shengtao couldn't help but smile on his wrinkled face.

After his daughter-in-law mentioned it to him last time, Cheng Kaiyan came more frequently during this period. With him accompanying her to chat and interrupt, Ye Shengtao felt much better.

But there is only one bad thing, the Dahongpao has been eaten clean by that kid.

"Oh, is it so?"

When Ms. Xie saw the expression on her old friend's face, she knew in her heart that this young man named Xiao Cheng had a close relationship with her old friend.

“It’s called Night Submarine and it’s very well written,” Ye Shengtao praised.

"Really? Let him in. It's a good opportunity for me to see him."

Ms. Xie flipped open the document and took a glance. She indeed saw the name and then instructed the guard.

"Yes!" A few minutes later.

A tall young man, wearing a military coat on the outside and a navy blue Zhongshan suit underneath, strode in.

"Good morning, old man. Have you eaten?"

As soon as Cheng Kaiyan entered the room, he saw the old woman next to the old gentleman, but he didn't know her, so he greeted Ye Shengtao directly.

"I've finished. Kaiyan, please sit down and have a cup of tea first."

"Don't bother me, I feel like I'm at home here."

Cheng Kaiyan was not polite at all and moved a stool to sit down and drink tea.

Ms. Xie, who was standing by, had already sized him up for a while, and said to her friend with a smile, "He is indeed a handsome man, Old Ye, you have good taste."

"Ha ha,"

Ye Shengtao did not comment, then looked at Cheng Kaiyan: "Kaiyan, let me introduce you, this is Ms. Bing Xin."

"Hello Hello."

Cheng Kaiyan's heart moved. It turned out to be this person!

It was very famous, "Our Wife's Living Room". After her death, her tombstone was splashed with paint by her grandson and no one dealt with it for a long time.

"Hello, young comrade, don't be so reserved. I'm your teacher's friend."

Ms. Xie looked at the handsome young man with a smile and spoke kindly.

Ye Shengtao coughed lightly, "It hasn't come to that yet."

Since it was still early, the three of them sat in the yard drinking tea and chatting.

With Cheng Kaiyan around, Ye and Xie stopped talking about those things and focused their attention on today's award ceremony.

Cheng Kaiyan just listened but didn't say anything, but she became more clear about today's specific arrangements and procedures. Today's award ceremony was held on the third floor of the People's Hall, which was the Golden Hall for meeting foreign guests.

……

It's eight o'clock.

The three of them got up and walked outside. The car at the door was ready.

"The time has come, let's get in the car, Comrade Xiao Cheng. We are able to go there by car thanks to your teacher," Ms. Xie joked.

"That's right, this is my first time." Cheng Kaiyan replied.

As the highest-specification sedan in the country, the Hongqi brand sedan has been the first choice of many leaders since its inception in 1958. It has participated in countless major celebrations, but naturally not everyone can ride in it.

Shanghai brand cars are mostly equipped for mid-level officials or for receiving foreign guests.

Ye Shengtao himself may not be as good as Lu, Guo, Mao, Ba and Cao in the field of literature, but his rank is very high, a senior cadre, and there is no problem in carrying a Hongqi car to attend official business.

Everyone set off, Cheng Kaiyan and old man Ye Shengtao sat in the same car.

Accompanied by the roar of the engine, the scenery outside the car window receded backwards.

"Thanks to you, a small shrimp like me can ride in a car, but it's a pity that I don't have a camera to take a look at it."

After getting in the car, Cheng Kaiyan looked at the interior of the car and said with a smile.

The car interior in front of you is very simple, but under the plain surface, all the workmanship, seat materials, and softness are top-notch, and there is even a layer of soft red carpet under the car.

…………

Ten minutes later, the vehicle drove across Chang'an Avenue and finally arrived at the Great Hall of the People.

The Great Hall of the People in front of us is located on the west side of Tiananmen Square and has a large building area.

The facade of the building is in the shape of a "mountain", with the two wings slightly lower and the middle slightly higher. It has doors on all four sides and is surrounded by 134 circular columns, which is extremely beautiful.

This People's Hall was built in 1958. It was completed in just ten months from project approval to construction, which was a miracle in that era.

Today's two award ceremonies were held in the Golden Hall on the third floor of the Great Hall of the People, which is a place for receiving foreign dignitaries and has extremely high standards.

As the two highest literary awards in the country, it is not surprising that the award ceremony is held in the Golden Hall.

There were many people attending the award ceremony at the entrance of the People's Hall, including literati and scholars, journalists, award-winning writers, staff of the Writers Association, as well as leaders and cultural officials.

"Dear guests, please show your ID to enter the hall!"

The uniformed staff at the door were checking various documents one by one.

"Buzz~"

Two Hongqi cars arrived at the door, attracting a lot of people's attention.

"Hongqi sedan? Which leader is coming?"

"It should be Mr. Mao and his team. Mr. Mao is hosting today's award ceremony."

Tang Minghua stood in the crowd and discussed quietly with her colleagues from the Ministry of Culture.

At this award ceremony, two national literary awards were presented on the same day, attracting a lot of attention.

As the department in charge of the national culture and arts, the Ministry of Culture will naturally not miss this celebration.

Tang Minghua happened to work in the Ministry of Culture. She was a mid-level leader of some importance and was tasked with participating in the celebration.

"Go up and have a look."

Tang Minghua stood in the crowd and gave the order.

……

Look aside.

When the vehicle stopped, Cheng Kaiyan got out first, then went to the other side, opened the door, and helped Mr. Ye Shengtao out of the car.

"Slow down, watch your step."

Cheng Kaiyan helped Ye Shengtao get out of the car slowly.

"Okay, I'm not at the point where I can't walk yet!"

Ye Shengtao looked at the young man beside him and said helplessly.

Although he said so, the old man still felt very happy in his heart.

After all, in his eyes, Cheng Kaiyan was similar to his eldest grandson who died young.

Another identity is that of his future student.

"Let this child support you. You are already over 80 years old, why don't you admit your age?"

Ms. Xie walked up from behind and said.

At this time.

A beautiful woman with a plump figure and a graceful figure, wearing a women's suit, walked towards the crowd with graceful steps, speaking loudly.

"Mr. Ye! Madam Xie!"

"Welcome to this award ceremony. I am Tang Minghua, deputy director of the Foreign Cultural Liaison Bureau of the Ministry of Culture. I have long admired you two literary masters."

"Hello, Director Tang!"

Ye Shengtao looked at them carefully, two surnames came to his mind, and he greeted them calmly.

"Mr. Ye, just call me Xiao Tang or Ming Hua. The director can't take on that responsibility."

Tang Minghua said with a smile, her shrewd and capable eyes flashing across the three of them.

She also noticed a young man with his head slightly lowered on the side, but he quickly passed by without paying any attention.

"So she's the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ning family. I was wondering why she looked so familiar."

Ms. Xie smiled and stretched out her hand to shake her hand.

The three of them chatted.

After Cheng Kaiyan helped Ye Shengtao get off the car, he stood aside and watched his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.

He didn't want to hear or see anything because the level was too high.

Of course, no one cared about him.

This situation did not last long.

When Director Tang, who had a pretty face and a graceful figure, saw Mr. Mao Dun coming, he said goodbye and turned away.

As the time was almost up, Cheng Kaiyan entered the venue with Mr. Ye Shengtao.

……

All the lights in the Golden Hall on the third floor of the People's Hall were turned on.

The row of nine golden crystal chandeliers above the head are particularly beautiful and dazzling.

The staff in the hall were busy. After Ye Shengtao and the other man made arrangements for Cheng Kaiyan, they left for something.

Cheng Kaiyan grabbed a drink to pass the time while waiting for the opening ceremony.

“Kaiyan! Here, here!”

In the distance, Wang Meng stood next to a group of writers.

After seeing Cheng Kaiyan's tall figure standing out from the crowd, he immediately waved enthusiastically and greeted him.

Then he motioned for him to come over quickly.

(End of this chapter)