Dimensional Bookstore

2012, autumn. The sky was clear and the weather was crisp. It was a rare good weather.

Liang Meiru sat in front of the dressing table in the bedroom, carefully looking at the familiar yet strange old man reflected in the mirror.

Her skin was loose, her eyes were cloudy, her eye bags were sagging, her face was full of wrinkles and age spots, her dry white hair was tied into a small bun at the back of her head, and her whole body exuded a decadent atmosphere from the inside out.

Is this her?

Why is she so old?

She still remembers what she looked like when she was 16 years old, with snow-white skin, black hair like clouds, clear eyes, and youthful beauty. At that time, she was a carefree and uneducated rich lady, who ate, drank and had fun every day. Her biggest worry was that a talented woman stole the limelight. But now she can't even remember what the talented woman's name is.

Now thinking of her first sixteen years, she can't help but wonder, was that her? Was she so shallow and ignorant before?

The sound of car engines and trivial noises came faintly from the window. She knew without looking that the yard was full of cars and the living room was already crowded with guests.

Because today is her 90th birthday.

Outside the door are powerful politicians, vigorous soldiers, wealthy businessmen, and scholars with many students all over the world, and now they are all here for her.

Although she is old and weak, and her beauty is gone, she is the unique protagonist today.

It is worth it to be able to do this.

She stood up, carefully smoothed the wrinkles on the bright red cheongsam, straightened her back, and showed an elegant and reserved smile to the mirror, and you can vaguely see her youthful demeanor.

She pushed open the bedroom door and slowly walked into the living room. She was elegant and classical, as if she had traveled from the Republic of China. The elegance of her body did not disappear at all because of her age, but became more mellow and charming like aged wine.

"Mom, happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, grandma!"

"The old birthday star is here! Happy birthday, old ancestor!"

"The green tree is a thousand years old, and the walking stick is eternal; the bright moon is a lotus pond, and the fishing line is long. Happy birthday, Mr. Liang!"

"I wish the old leader good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the South Mountain!"

At one time, countless greetings penetrated her ears, and she responded with a smile one by one.

There are not only her descendants here, but also her students, and students of students. Her eyes passed through the center of the crowd and suddenly fixed on the face of a young man.

This is undoubtedly a new face. Liang Meiru has never seen him at a birthday banquet before. But his face is very familiar to Liang Meiru.

He looks gentle and handsome, gentle and elegant, and has the typical appearance of a scholar. Liang Meiru thought for a long time but couldn't find any memories related to him in her mind.

"Young man, what is your name? Have we met somewhere?" She couldn't help asking.

"We met a long time ago, but you may not remember it." The young man smiled slightly, looking at her with nostalgic eyes, "My name is Le Jing."

'Le Jing. ' Liang Meiru chewed the name slowly in her mouth, and something flashed through her mind like lightning, which frightened her and changed her color in an instant, "You are Le Jing?!"

Liang Xiao had never seen Grandma Zeng so confused. Seeing her pale face, she suspected that she would faint in the next moment. She hurriedly patted Grandma Zeng's back: "Grandma Zeng, are you okay?"

Not only her, but others also stood up and surrounded Liang Meiru in the middle, vying to ask about her well-being. There were also a few people who looked at Le Jing, who was separated by the crowd, with suspicious and vigilant eyes.

Le Jing touched his nose helplessly. He didn't expect Liang Meiru to still remember him. After all, they only met a few times back then.

He stayed in this plane from 1938 to 1942, and witnessed how China turned defense into offense, how it struggled to seize lost territory from Japan, and how it won the war with an overwhelming advantage.

He, and those who were lucky enough, finally waited for the dawn when the black fog dissipated.

The war was over, leaving behind a devastated country.

But he knew that this country would eventually rise from the ruins, he knew how this nation would be reborn, and he knew how hardworking and brave the people of this country would be.

So he sent a letter to the country. It recorded the modern history of China on Earth in detail. Now that history has changed, he only hopes that this letter can provide our party with some experience of success or failure, so that China can take fewer detours. Then he left here.

It was seventy years later when he came here again. Things have changed. Most of the people he knew have left, leaving only cold words in history books, telling future generations about that legendary past.

What comforted him was that after many historical turning points, China in this time and space was completely different from Earth.

Without the stagnation or even regression of national development caused by the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, China this time took fewer detours. Its economic and technological development level was more than 20 years ahead of China on Earth, and its economic aggregate was similar to that of the United States. Experts predicted that at least in the next year, China would surpass the United States in all aspects and enter the intermediate stage of socialism ahead of schedule.

Although Liang Meiru was not familiar with Le Jing, she was the only one who was still alive among the people Le Jing knew, so Le Jing successfully sneaked into Liang Meiru's birthday party through Victor's confusion technique.

Liang Meiru had seen many strong winds and waves in her life, so she quickly calmed down, waved away Liang Xiao who was supporting her, crossed the crowd and quickly walked to Le Jing, frowning and carefully studying his appearance.

Slowly, her brows opened, and she looked at Le Jing with a look that seemed to be crying and smiling, and her lips trembled as she said, "It's you. You're back."

The young man lowered his eyebrows and smiled calmly: "Well, I'm back." He asked calmly: "Happy birthday. How have you been in these years?"

Liang Meiru was startled by the tenderness in the young man's eyes. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like this. It seems that to the young man, she is not the respected Mr. Liang, but a little girl who needs his care.

But in front of him, she was indeed a little girl.

She didn't expect to see him again.

When they first met, she was only 16 years old and he was just a bookstore owner. Although he later started a business with his father in partnership, to her he was just an insignificant passerby. So in the end she didn't even know when he disappeared.

She truly understood the importance of this man when she was 53 years old.

By that time she was already in a high position within the party and had the authority to access some top-secret information.

But if it weren't for her father's relationship, she wouldn't be qualified to view this information. This information has always been known to only a few people within the party, and it has been the biggest secret since the founding of New China.

It was in this book that she re-saw the bookstore owner who had long been vague in her memory, and learned about his terrifying identity buried underwater.

Time traveler.

The Republic of China won the Anti-Japanese War, and the economy, culture, and science and technology took off after the war. His shadow was behind every rejuvenation decision made by the country.

Not many people know his name, and his contributions will not even be recorded in history books, but he is indeed the uncrowned king hidden in the shadow of China.

He gave 20th-century China a chance to cheat. Since then, the country has completely entered the fast lane, and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable.

She had lost her composure just now. Many people here were human beings. At this time, she didn't know how many times she was spinning in her heart. She must not reveal any flaws!

This man must not exist!

She touched his face with a sad smile on her face: "You look very much like an old friend of mine. Even the names are similar."

After a pause, she answered Le Jing's question with the calm attitude of the elderly: "I'm fine. I have a family full of children and grandchildren, a prosperous life, and so many filial children." Her nostalgic eyes looked at the familiar ones one by one. A proud smile swept across her face. Even the most astute person could not see any flaws on her face. "The most important thing is that I have realized my ideal, so I have no regrets."

Le Jing asked: "What is your ideal?"

"The country is free, the people are liberated, and men and women are equal." The old man Su raised his eyebrows, and his eyes were as clear and moving as when he was a girl. "I am the successor of Mr. He's ideals. Mr. He's ideals are my ideals. Now I put this ideal As it spreads, I have countless successors, and my ideal has been realized.”

"Is Mr. He Mr. He Xiaowen?" Liang Xiao couldn't help but interjected.

"Yes, that's Mr. He Xiaowen. She used to be my teacher."

Mentioning the famous name He Xiaowen, everyone present could not help but stand in awe.

Back then, He Xiaowen sounded the clarion call for women's liberation with her article "Fuck the Three Obediences and Four Virtues", and responders immediately gathered. Under her call, countless women devoted themselves to that tragic war and played an unparalleled role in post-war reconstruction, practicing their advocacy of equal rights. Later historians generally regard Mr. He Xiaowen as the spiritual leader and mentor of the feminist revolution.

Now that she has said this, Liang Meiru looked at the curious eyes of the juniors, smiled softly, and slowly told them about her experiences over the years.

Finally, she looked at the girls at home with a warning: "Since ancient times, society's requirements for women have been much looser. As a man, he must make progress and support his family. Nowadays, it is even more required to have a house and a car, while women only need Just dress up and marry a good man. Society encourages women not to struggle. Women are indolent, vain, shallow and ignorant. This is a trap, this is a trap!" She took a breath and ignored the embarrassed faces of some of the men present, with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, "So compared to men, women are more likely to be careless. If you want to make progress, you will be more likely to fall back into comfort and become a man-dependent person."

She took a deep look around the young girls, taking in all their expressions of thinking, confusion, questioning, or disapproval. She sighed, and as a forerunner, warned her with sincerity: "The so-called women Independence is not only financial independence, but also ideological independence. I have done everything I can, and the next step is up to you.”

Le Jing looked at the worried old man and comforted him: "You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith, and from now on you will have the crown of righteousness." Save it for you ①"

Liang Meiru was stunned for a moment and said cryptically: "You and I share this sentence."

Although the world will never know the name of the young man in front of him. But in her heart, there is always a crown of righteousness reserved for him.

Liang Xiao was a little confused when she saw the tacit understanding between the two. She had automatically replaced the old friend mentioned by Grandma Zeng with her first love, and secretly wondered in her heart whether this handsome boy was the descendant of her first love? But now she felt that it was not the case when she saw the interaction between the two. Based on her understanding of Grandma Zeng, although she had tried her best to hide it, she still saw that she was quite respectful to the young man. With Grandma Zeng's qualifications, there were very few people in China that she respected. Who exactly was this young man?

Le Jing stood up, and his smile slowly overlapped with the smile in Liang Meiru's vague memory, "Since you are doing well, then I should leave."

Liang Meiru was stunned for a moment, and wanted to keep her, but found that this was actually the most suitable ending for the two of them.

She also stood up, smiling with a lost smile: "I'll see you off."

Le Jing waved his hand: "How can an elder send off a younger person?" He looked at Liang Meiru gently, "Goodbye."

Liang Meiru understood, and she whispered: "Goodbye."

Both of them understood that this farewell would be a farewell forever. The so-called once-in-a-lifetime meeting is nothing more than that.

Liang Xiao saw that after the young man left, Grandma Zeng sat alone on the chair and fell into silence. Everyone looked at each other, arguing with their eyes, and chose to talk about other irrelevant topics at the same time.

Even those big figures who were in power in the outside world did not dare to disturb Grandma Zeng. After all, although Grandma Zeng's temper was a little better now, she had accumulated a lot of prestige. These students had been scolded by her before. Seeing that she was in a bad mood at this time, they naturally did not dare to offend her.

"Sorry, because I met an old friend today, I couldn't help but lose my composure." Liang Meiru came out of silence, and the corners of her mouth bloomed with the same smile again, and it seemed that she had recovered her former spirit.

No one here dared to blame Liang Meiru, so they all said it was okay.

"Xiao." Liang Meiru looked at her most satisfied granddaughter and said softly, "Play a song."

"What song?"

Liang Meiru closed her eyes slightly and said solemnly, "'Heaven Shines on China', at the highest volume."

Let this song be a farewell to that person.

"How lucky I am to be born in your arms, my blood flows, your magic and beauty..."

As soon as Le Jing walked out of the courtyard, a deep and affectionate singing voice came from behind.

"God bless China, God bless China

It cannot be crushed by wind and rain, and it blooms in suffering

Sincerely pray, God bless China

May you be safe and prosperous forever

God bless China, God bless China

Auspicious clouds float in all directions, and glory spreads to the world

Sincerely pray, God bless China

May you be safe and prosperous forever

Sincerely pray, God bless China

This is my deepest expression to you..."

He slowly raised his head, the sun was high in the sky, the wind was fine, and it was a good weather.

God bless China.

The young man closed his eyes and smiled devoutly and peacefully, saying silently: "God bless China."

The wind and rain cannot crush it, and it blooms in suffering.

The author has something to say:

① I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, and from now on, there will be a crown of righteousness reserved for me. ——"The Bible. 2 Timothy"