Official records stated that before the War of Resistance Against Japan ended in total victory in 1945, Ye Sijin had led a team on a mission to rescue comrades imprisoned by the Japanese.
During the mission, they had encountered an unexpectedly fierce Japanese counterattack. Ye Sijin had died, the mission had failed, and the imprisoned comrades had gone missing.
Liu Chang'an remembered that Ye Sijin's favorite food was scallion oil noodles he made. The place she most wanted to visit was Jiangzhou in Junsha. She had told him that after victory, she would recite a poem from Qinyuanchun there with the comrades who were still alive.
Their impassioned singing, of course, would have been unlike any later performance—unlike in its stirring fervor and the surging passion in their hearts.
Ye Sijin had always looked forward to it.
Countless great figures would eventually pass away, leaving only Liu Chang'an to bear witness to it all. He gazed into the distance at the same angle as the statue, as if watching over the new world forged by his comrades who had fought alongside him in the past—the close friends, the strangers, and the nameless spirits.
"One day, every household will have jars full of rice and flour!"
"We'll have meat to eat every holiday!"
"The common people will never be bullied again!"
"Then everyone will live a good life!"
Liu Chang'an had been to the Capital and seen that towering monument.
Eternal glory to the people's heroes who died in the People's War of Liberation and the People's Revolution during the past three years.
Eternal glory to the people's heroes who died in the People's War of Liberation and the People's Revolution during the past thirty years.
And, going back as far as 1840, eternal glory to the people's heroes who died in the struggles since then to oppose domestic and foreign enemies and win national independence, as well as freedom and happiness for the people.
Even Liu Chang'an would rather live in peacetime, in these gentle, tranquil days, lively and cheerful as a young girl.
Though he never aged or died, he had never been a sage, and couldn't regard the common people as mere straw dogs. Liu Chang'an had always lived in the world of the present. Whenever the nation and its people faced an existential crisis, he was always willing to do something for them. He believed he was ultimately just a man who had lived a little longer than most, and had never thought of looking down on everything from an indifferent perspective.
It seemed that ever since he had first marched to war more than two thousand years ago, every invasion by foreign enemies and every resistance built on countless lives had proclaimed the same thing: If the enemy can come, so can we!
They simply couldn't surrender!
Liu Che might really have said that, but Liu Chang'an couldn't remember. What he did know was that Liu Che had acted on it—and succeeded.
No matter how long he lived, he still felt that the history of human civilization gave his own life the warmth of blood.
So many years had passed in the blink of an eye. Today, Liu Chang'an's memories had reached far back. He lifted his head to look at the sky and felt that some ancient aura hung over the city, so hazy and impenetrable, as if stirring his dormant memories awake.
So Liu Chang'an bought another little hen at the market.
The little hen had pure white feathers and a faint pink comb, the color of a young girl's lips. Its feathers felt warm and full, and the down beneath its wings was soft as velvet. Liu Chang'an recalled that in ancient times, some writers and scholars had liked raising hens, not just ducks.
People had plenty of entertainment these days. The ancients had been rather more bored, so it was no surprise if some had developed the occasional bizarre hobby.
The little hen from the market was cheaper, so he wouldn't feel as bad putting it in the trunk. Still, he stopped Zhou Dongdong from trying to lead it around on a string. The hen was going to die anyway; he should let it rest a little before then.
He took the jar out of the trunk. The centipede was completely lifeless. When he gently squeezed it, he could feel that the organs and muscles beneath its shell had gone stiff. Then Liu Chang'an tossed the little hen inside.
One little hen a day was no small expense.
I'm really broke... Liu Chang'an didn't sigh over it; he was simply stating a fact. Without even talking about the distant past, he had still had at least some savings a hundred years ago.
Everything was just a worldly possession. But the paintings, calligraphy, and other things he kept by his side had been gifts from close friends over the past thousand years, and each held special sentimental value.
During the years when war had ravaged the land, he had donated them all, since keeping them safe would have been difficult and he had plans of his own. To him, it mattered more that those friends' creations remained in the world. Whether they belonged to him was unimportant.
Not everyone was like him, seeing everything as dust that would someday return. Those extraordinary people likely all carried a desire to amaze future generations in their hearts. Whenever it was convenient, Liu Chang'an would honor their wishes and help them leave more moving ripples in the river of time.
As for wealth and assets that could easily be put to use, donating them to help resist an invasion when the nation fell and its land was torn apart was only natural. Some old friends who had started businesses had taken quite a few silver dollars and banknotes from Liu Chang'an, and a considerable amount had been taken to Taiwan as well.
A few years ago, a tomb where he had once hidden during the Han Dynasty was excavated, revealing a dazzling hoard of gold. Liu Chang'an couldn't exactly run over and claim it... even though he did want the seal bearing his name that had been unearthed with it.
"Little Liu, you buy a chicken every day. Is it because you're taking the college entrance exams and need to build up your strength?" Old Lady Liu came over.
"That cheongsam you're wearing today is really cute." Liu Chang'an complimented her. He picked up the red string that had been tied around the little hen, fashioned it into a flower, and fastened it to the hairpin in Old Lady Liu's hair. "Black and red—elegant and dignified."
"You're such a tease. At my age, you go and put a red flower in my hair?" Old Lady Liu pulled off the string and tossed it back to him, then patted Liu Chang'an on the shoulder. "Do well on your exams and get into a good school. I'll give you a basket of eggs."
Liu Chang'an eagerly agreed.
Tomorrow was another day off. Liu Chang'an was wondering if he should visit the secondhand bookstore to look for books when An Nuan called.
After school that afternoon, An Nuan had stayed behind to practice volleyball. Ma Benwei had sneaked onto campus and livestreamed the daily training of An Nuan and the Affiliated High School girls' volleyball team. No one paid him any mind until a school sports teacher spotted him and kicked him out.
Ma Benwei's Bentley was parked outside the school. He livestreamed as he waited for An Nuan, with the stream titled, "How to Ask the Affiliated High School's Internet-famous Volleyball Beauty Out." His viewer count surged. Compared to the random women he usually "ran into" using a ride-hailing app, An Nuan's looks, figure, and fame gave her a much greater sense of allure and challenge. Some Affiliated High School students also joined in, egging things on in the chat.
After An Nuan left school, she ignored Ma Benwei's advances and took a taxi home. She had no idea he'd followed her to the entrance of her residential compound and was still messaging her, asking her to come out and meet him... When she'd taken the taxi, she hadn't hidden her phone number or given it much thought. After all, she rarely used ride-hailing services, and the chances of something like this happening seemed low.
"I'll come over," Liu Chang'an said.
"No need... I just find it annoying, so I wanted to tell you. Whatever you do, don't come over. You'll end up fighting with someone again! I won't let you fight."
Ma Benwei was different from Chen Changxiu. Chen Changxiu was a student, and if they fought on Affiliated High School grounds, the school could always step in and handle it. It wouldn't interfere with the college entrance exams happening so soon. But people like Ma Benwei, who were out in society, were harder to control. An Nuan understood that much. Still, whenever something like this happened, she liked telling Liu Chang'an and seeing how he would react.
"It's my fault for not walking you home."
"Hmph, at least you know it. Anyway, I won't let you come. I'll forgive you this time, but if you do come, I'll stay mad at you—one hundred and fifty points' worth!"
"Got it."
"Don't just brush me off! I've already blocked his number. He can't keep waiting around forever. The college entrance exams are a few days after the Dragon Boat Festival, and I only have a few more days of school."
"All right. From now on, I'll walk you home after school every day."
"Hehe, that's more like it. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Then go eat. I'm going to take a shower."
Liu Chang'an cooked some rice. He hadn't bought any rice today, so he added extra potatoes and sweet potatoes to cook with it. The fragrant meal went down well with some dried cilantro he'd made earlier. After washing the dishes and tidying up, he took out his phone, searched for a few livestreaming apps, and found Ma Benwei's room.
Ma Benwei was popular and had a large audience, so his stream was easy to find. Liu Chang'an didn't usually watch livestreams and wasn't interested in streamers.
Loneliness was a normal part of life for everyone, including Liu Chang'an. Most people could distract themselves by joining in the bustle around them. They probably dealt with emptiness and loneliness that way, or found watching livestreams entertaining. But for Liu Chang'an, lonely moments were simply quiet times for the soul, not an unbearable negative emotion.
He silently watched Ma Benwei's stream as he walked toward Juyuan at Xiangnan University.
Today, his steps were faster than usual.
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