The Twelve Years: Song of the Unsung Friends

Shen House in 1967

"Later, your grandfather rebuilt the Shen Clan Shrine for me."

In the study, an old lady in her seventies made a conclusion. She is holding a pen, wearing a pair of fine gold-rimmed glasses, and a fine chain of glasses hanging from her face.

The old lady is sitting upright, with a straight back, correcting the postoperative report written by the students. There is a little boy by the light projecting his hand on the wall by the light. For a while, there is a butterfly and a wolf.

He talked about the thirty years of Guangxu, thirty-three years...

Suddenly, the little boy put his hands on his knees and looked at his grandmother seriously: "Is the story not finished yet?"

"Isn't it over?" The old lady put her pen on hold and took off her glasses.

"You just said that the fate between you and your grandfather will start from the 33rd year of Guangxu, when your grandfather saw your black and white photos. That is... from 1907 to 1918, only eleven years," he finally found a reason. Continue to listen to this legend, "But you said you want to tell the story of twelve years, don't you? There is one more year, let's tell another year."

Twelve years?

The old lady recalled, yes, it takes twelve years for the story to be complete. The husband has worked hard for many years and spent half of his wealth. He was misunderstood as a traitorous businessman and even misunderstood by people he had rescued because he wanted China to participate. Go during the First World War.

Finally, he did his wish. China not only participated in the war, but also became a victorious nation.

She subconsciously avoided 1919.

That year...

The old lady leaned back and put the blanket on her knees.

"In the winter of 1918, Germany surrendered and the First World War was over," the old lady recalled. "The army funded by your grandfather did not have time to go to the international battlefield and received this great news. In those days, our country has always been We have been invaded, ceded land for compensation, and civil strife continues. Our nation is too longing for a victory.

She smiled and said: "At that time, it was really a national celebration. There was no government organization at all. The people spontaneously marched and celebrated. There were endless firecrackers everywhere, and there were new era speeches everywhere..."

***

"The biggest happy event in the past 100 years!" Second Lord Han smiled, and poured wine to the Zhou Li tour who came from Beijing. "It's a pity that I came back early and missed the celebration. Come on, let's talk, it is said that there is a lively watching in front of the Forbidden City? "

"Yes, the Ministry of Education ordered the students to celebrate on holiday. Think about it, how strong the gale in Beijing in November is, Mr. Cai's voice became hoarse, but he still has to give a speech every day," Zhou Lixun laughed He took the cup, and gave a speech by Mr. Cai Yuanpei, Fu Dong's literary writer, who was leaning against the window, "'Now that the result of the Great World War, the Allied Powers have won victory, and all unequal darkism in the world must be eliminated. Replace him with Illuminati!'"

Fu Dongwen is smiling, and all the gentlemen present are smiling.

"It's just a pity that the millions of Dong Wen's military aid costs are nothing short of a trick." Zhou Lixun teased him.

"It's the best," he didn't care. "We won without a fight. Wouldn't it be okay to die fewer soldiers?"

Everyone laughed.

In the corner, only the second master of the Fu family was wearing a long gown, dressed awkwardly, but he felt the same joy. In fact, he came tonight to say goodbye. He didn't expect to meet Zhou Lixun from Beijing. Fu Dongwen's small apartment gathered a lot of brothers in the capital. Several of them had friendship with the second master of the Fu family in their early years, so naturally they forced him to stay.

In the living room on the first floor, everyone from the front door gave a speech about the military parade to be held in the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City at the end of the month, reminding Fu Erye to go. After all, the people here are handling official duties and business in Shanghai, and only the second master wants to go north.

On the second floor, Shen Xi and Su Qing sat on the sofa, waiting for the excitement downstairs to end.

"Is it cold?" Shen Xi and Su Qing had nothing to say, so they had to ask, "Can you add another charcoal fire? I'll let Wanan come."

"Can I see Mr. Tan? Is he there?" Su Qing asked suddenly.

Shen Xi shook his heart.

Yes...but because Fu Erye and Su Qing came to bid farewell, Tan Qingxiang deliberately avoided it, and never appeared in his bedroom. He was avoiding suspicion, after all, from the perspective of Fu Erye, he was also Su Qing's benefactor, and he could avoid it.

"Mr. Tan... I can go and ask." Shen Xi said.

"You tell him that I'm afraid it will be the last time in this life. The second master is going to settle in Tianjin." Su Qing said.

Tianjin? She was surprised: "Didn't the third brother give the Fu's house to the second master?"

Su Qing smiled and said, "Second Master also has a foreign-style building in Tianjin. He can go as he pleases, and it doesn't make a difference."

When I saw Su Qing for the first time, my second master was her benefactor, and the two talked softly and affectionately. However, Fu Dongwen had also carefully told Shen Xi about her love for the Fourth Master. That day, she desperately wanted to avenge the Fourth Master, and he couldn't fake it. What about Tan Qingxiang? Mr. Tan is her first man, there will always be special feelings.

Tan Qingxiang should also want to see her, and Quandang is an old friend recounting the past.

...

"I'll be back when I go," Shen Xi said.

She went upstairs, knocked on the door, knocked for a long time, even Peide looked out, and Tan Qingxiang opened the door slowly. There was no light in his bedroom, and he saw the light outside the door. He was squinted: "Everyone is gone? Are you hungry? Or do you want to clean up? I am hungry called Peide, and clean up is called Wanan. I have a headache, don't tonight called."

He closed the door and was blocked by Shen Xi: "Su Qing, I want to see you."

Tan Qingxiang was slightly startled: "What do you see me for?"

"I'm leaving soon, maybe I want to say goodbye to you. She said that she is going to settle in Tianjin, and you will follow us, whether in Beijing or Shanghai, it will be difficult to see her again."

Tan Qingxiang was silent for a while.

"Go, I'll be with you," she finished, thinking again, "If you think it is inconvenient for me to be there, I will guard you at the door. Just be careful not to do bad things..."

"What do you think of me?" Tan Qingxiang asked in a deep voice, "Fu Er is downstairs, what can I do?"

"Then are you going?"

"Go, wait, I wipe my face." He said.

Shen Xi was puzzled and couldn't imagine what the two would say or what would happen when they met.

As a result, when Tan Qingxiang followed her into the bedroom on the second floor, he sat on the chair next to the desk, and Su Qing was on the sofa. The two were silent, each with their own thoughts, sitting absently.

There is not even a sentence in language communication.

Shen Xi regarded himself as an ornament, flipping through the books by the shelf.

Half an hour later, she heard the voice louder downstairs. It should be because the door of the living room had been opened. Everyone was saying goodbye to Fu Erye. This was about to leave. She closed the book, and when she looked back, Su Qing and Tan Qingxiang also looked at each other for the first time tonight.

"Back then..." Su Qing said softly.

"Why?" Tan Qingxiang interrupted her.

"Qingxiang, you are the best person in the world," Su Qing looked at him sincerely, "but Qingxiang, I am an ordinary woman. Not everyone will live like you, San Ye and Si Ye. I can't I can't imagine it, and I can't accept it... my own man is ready to die for the country at any time. I am good, and I need a stable home to live a life without worries."

Forty million people, everyone is different.

Some widows jumped into the lake to marry the country for the former Qing Dynasty, some shed their blood for the overthrow of the Qing government, some shed their heads on the revolution, some sorrow for not being able to buy a bowl of hot porridge, some ran for the young and old at home...

What Su Qing wants to say is: Qingxiang, you are a selfless person for your country, and I am a person who wants a home.

There is nothing right or wrong, just the pursuit of difference.

"Qingxiang, I respect you, and I am grateful to you and understand you, but I can't be a person like Miss Shen, I can't be like you."

Tan Qingxiang said nothing.

Soon, Su Qing's maid came to pick her up.

From beginning to end, the two had only these few sentences, and the closest distance was five steps away.

Fu Erye was about to leave, and all the princes were also gone.

Shen Xi sent them out. From the door of the apartment to the entrance of the alley, Fu Dongwen said goodbye to the second elder brother. She and Su Qing were speechless. Finally, Fu Dongwen and his second brother stopped by the road, looking like they were about to finish their conversation.

Su Qing's hands protruded from the cuffs and held Shen Xi's hands: "It would be great if you could speak a little bit badly about me with Mr. Tan, but it's a pity that you didn't learn to speak behind your back, Miss Shen."

Shen Xi smiled complicatedly.

"I was born in Rouge Lane. The older ones had seen the Eight-Nation Alliance Army," she said suddenly of Rouge Lane. "They told me that when the Eight-Nation Alliance Army entered Beijing, there were no shadows of men. They were left behind. In Beijing, serving those foreigners and subjugating national slaves is that feeling... Therefore, the women in Rouge Lane know that women cannot rely on men. They have to rely on themselves to have a chance to survive and live a good life."

She said again: "But my vision is narrow, and I can only realize this. The second master said, "Ms. Shen, after you are loyal, you are naturally different from me." She stopped suddenly, her eyes flushed unexpectedly, "No matter what. Back then, it was true or not, you were the only wife in name of the Fourth Master, back then...I was jealous of you."

"It's fake, it's all fake." Shen Xi explained immediately.

"I know, Miss Shen," she smiled, "the second master said."

Shen Xi was speechless.

"Farewell, take care." Su Qing let go of her hand and walked to the side of Fu Erye.

Fu Dongwen personally sent his second brother into the car.

In the night, a car drove away. Fu Tongwen could not see the car, so he took her shoulders and walked back: "Tan Qingxiang is afraid that I can't sleep tonight."

"That's your sister-in-law, you still make this kind of joke."

Fu Tongwen laughed: "Qing Xiang's obsession is nothing but an affair."

"In the beginning, did Tan Qingxiang want to marry her?"

"You know? Just said that?"

"I didn't say specific, it's almost the same," she said.

"He wanted to marry. Su Qing didn't even see him. Later, he went directly into the Fu's house in a sedan chair," Fu Dongwen said with emotion. "It is still the first time they met after Su Qing married to the Fu's house today."

No wonder.

The two returned to the house, and Wan An was cleaning the house.

No trace of Tan Qingxiang and Peide.

"Mr. Tan went to bed again?" Shen Xi asked strangely.

Suddenly, a girl's scream came from upstairs. It's Peide.

Fu Tongwen went upstairs first, and Shen Xi and Wan An hurriedly followed to the third floor. As soon as Fu Tongwen was about to shoot the door, the door was opened by Tan Qingxiang. In the room, Peide sat on the bed, staring wide-eyed, looking at people outside the door with lingering fear.

Tan Qingxiang was naked to the upper body. He just buttoned his belt and carried his shirt in preparation for coming out.

...

Fu Tongwen stared at him unbelievably: "What is this?"

"Mr. Tan...you, you..." Wan An stammered speechless.

Shen Xi couldn't help laughing.

Tan Qingxiang immediately pointed at Shen Xi: "Don't laugh, listen to me." He looked back at Peide, wanting to say something decent, but finally gave up, "This kid is too naive, I take off my clothes. I'm going to sleep, she hides me in the quilt... I haven't screamed yet, she screamed out first. Shen Xi, you will teach you carefully in the future, according to the rules of a Chinese girl, where is there a Tibetan man in the quilt. Scared. I……"

Tan Qingxiang became more and more aggrieved when he spoke, and pushed away the three people in the way.

As he ran downstairs, he put on his shirt: "Do you want to eat? Do you want fried rice cakes?"

Shen Xi hurriedly closed Tan Qingxiang's door and forced a smile.

"Pretend to be confused," Wan An mumbled, "I can see it all, isn't Peide good?"

Fu Dongwen smiled and shook his head without comment.

But Shen Xi didn't understand what he meant, and still those two words: obsession.

Just like he couldn't let go of the dream of family and country, she couldn't afford to save people's hearts. People must have a barrier that they cannot pass before they can be trapped in the dunya, otherwise they would have long since returned to the mountains and forests and everything would be empty.

In Su Qing's heart there is always a fourth master who walks along the street.

Tan Qingxiang always remembered the 14-year-old Su Qing, Xiao Su San who lived in the west wing of Shihua Pavilion.

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This chapter is Wednesday, and a chapter has been added before