On the way to Tiananmen, Li Long carried a backpack and held a child in his arms. Li Jianguo asked:
"Why not leave some of the things in that backpack behind? Carrying all that with a child in your arms is hard work. Let me hold Mingming..."
"We need everything in here." Li Long smiled. "The camera-we ought to take a picture when we get to Tiananmen, right? Snacks for Mingming and Haohao-they'll need something if they get hungry along the way. And the things I wouldn't feel safe leaving at the guesthouse..."
The things he wouldn't feel safe leaving behind were, of course, the money. Li Long had acquired this backpack as spoils. It was sturdy, held plenty, and looked quite fashionable.
All the valuables, including the money, were inside, so naturally Li Long had to keep it with him.
When Li Juan and Li Qiang learned that Li Long had brought a camera, they grew particularly excited. People didn't talk about checking in at tourist spots yet, but visiting Tiananmen without taking a picture really wouldn't do.
When they reached Tiananmen Square, Li Long was a little surprised.
There really weren't many people in the square. Whether at the flag-raising platform, across the open square, or outside the memorial hall and the Forbidden City, there were few people.
"Tiananmen! Tiananmen!" Li Qiang pointed at Tiananmen and spoke excitedly.
Li Juan said nothing, but she was just as excited as she gazed at Tiananmen.
The Tiananmen they had seen in textbooks, on coins and banknotes, and in other places finally merged with the towering, magnificent building before their eyes.
"Long live the People's Republic of China" and "Long live the great unity of the peoples of the world"-the two lines stood out clearly. The huge portrait of Chairman Mao