Chapter 4 Chapter 1 The Girl Born on the Dragon Boat Festival

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 1925, a girl was born in the delivery room of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. This girl is no different from other baby girls, except that she is very petite and exquisite, and her round hands and feet are waving and kicking very vigorously, and her crying is very loud, everything has a sense of vitality. The weak and beautiful mother smiled. She knew that this day was the Dragon Boat Festival, the busiest day in the old capital midsummer.The sound of gongs and drums of the dragon boat race, the sound of chants, the sound of wooden paddles beating against the flowing water, and the cheers of the spectators can be heard in her ears. This is the background music that is both distant and approaching when her second daughter is born.

On this day, the misty poplar catkins are no longer flying, the old city walls with red jujubes are alive, there are bursts of crisp pigeon whistles in the air, butterfly kites are soaring in the clear sky, and the bells of all the temples are ringing , all the wind chimes under the eaves played the midsummer song.Season always shows her beauty calmly.Although poverty and decay are still eroding the ancient capital, old and new rich, new and old warlords are still ravaging the land and water, but after all, the Manchu Qing government was overthrown, after all, the Republic of China, after all, there are still revolutionary impulses and bright yearnings, and the joy of festivals is this No one is willing to give up the ancient nation.

Every household is filled with the fragrance of rice dumplings wrapped in reed leaves and the spicy calamus; on the forehead is dipped in realgar wine and written "Wang", the red egg bag woven with colorful threads and the small water chestnut wrapped with gold thread are hung on the neck, and the feet Groups of children wearing majestic tiger-toe shoes are the flowing scenery of the festival; women in full makeup, men in hardcover, and old men and women with white hair are unwilling to be lonely, flocking to the streets and the western suburbs, attending temple fairs and watching dragon boat races , This is the most beautiful day and the hottest day in life.

Warm bean juice stalls, pancake stalls, jujube dumplings, tofu nao, donkey rolls, sweet rice cakes wrapped in new lotus leaves, yellow loquats, and candied haws that should only be available in winter. The string of bright red will bring you unexpected joy. After leaving the Forbidden City with red walls, green willows, and golden glazed tiles, step on the dusty dirt road to the Summer Palace in the western suburbs, and watch the dragon boat races on Kunming Lake, beating drums, shouting, oars, and moving forward fiercely. China is the dragon. In the hometown of the dragon, the dragon is taking off!At this moment, is it forgotten or remembered with pain: this is the situation created by Lafayette with the funds for building the navy!This is a disaster-ridden and bullied nation!But no matter what, this suffering nation did not let go of the oars in their hands, and did not lose their struggle in the torrent!

On this day, Miss Chen's family didn't go to catch up with the excitement.At the age of four, she was wandering in the obstetrics corridor of Union Medical College Hospital with her father holding her little hand. "Daddy, Mommy is going to give me a little brother, right?" She raised her face and asked angrily. Father stopped in his tracks.He was of medium build, wearing a well-fitting suit, with regular features and a serious expression.However, the first impression he gives people is definitely not the kind of complacent, proud and unrestrained style of overseas students. His demeanor is habitually overly strict and self-denying, while eternal melancholy is carved on his brows.Hearing his daughter's question, he smiled, then bent down to hug her, and kissed her: "Babe, you are Daddy's good baby."

He loves Beibei.Beibei was born in Washington, USA.Last year, he returned to Beijing with his wife and daughter. He worked as the dean of Beijing Normal University, and worked in the Department of Foreign Languages ​​of Peking University and the English version of "Beijing Daily".He originally wanted to take Beibei to Kunming Lake, but this second child also seemed to rush to the world to watch the excitement. "Little brother is crying." Bei Bei, who was wearing a dress and little red leather shoes, seemed to announce the good news again. Yes, loud cries came from the delivery room.

His heart burst into ecstasy: what a boldness! He obviously believes in the Chinese people's "worship", although he also knows that the "little brother" is just the maids like Mama Zhang and Ma Li teaching Beibei to please the master.But he sincerely hoped that this child would be a son!Only sons can inherit the incense of the Chen family, and only sons can revive the Chen family's family business!He, Chen Yingrong, told the heavens, thanking the heavens for giving him a son! The foreign nurse gave him a blow: it was a girl. His face was gray.Don't blame the Chinese man in the suit.Although he was 13 years old, he set off from Guangzhou to Oxford University to study law and obtained a doctorate in law; later he went to Columbia University in the United States to complete a doctorate in philosophy; he studied in the West for ten years!Moreover, from the age of 13 to 23, it is the finalizing period of life shaping.But, no, a hundred times wrong, his heart is still an unchangeable heart soaked in Chinese tradition.This is not only because his foundation is a Chinese man with a traditional framework, but also because his heart matured at the age of 13, no, it became hardened.He can't forget that New Year's Eve, when the firecrackers shook the sky and the doors were full of festivities, a man rushed to the balcony crazily and jumped off the fourth floor!The little-footed woman stumbled towards the railing, screaming heart-piercingly, but everything was over.This is his father and mother.Stunned, he was dragged by his aunt to his mother's side, his thoughts were frozen, the night sky had no moon or stars, and the lights of thousands of houses on the ground did not belong to him!His father's suicide made him yearn for the cruelty and heaviness of life prematurely; his family was unlucky, and he was more eager than other men to have an early son.

Similarly, the grandmother of the Chen family, who has been widowed for seventeen years, has devoted herself to Buddhism and prayed for her grandchildren.Therefore, she was even more indifferent to the girl born on the Dragon Boat Festival.When Beibei was born in Washington, she happily sent eggs and ham to relatives and friends, and celebrated in a decent way.But how can you not even have two babies?She even made up her mind to ask her son to take a concubine. The girl's grandfather, however, was thrilled.He folded his hands behind his back and paced back and forth in his study.Rows of glass-door bookcases store classics from all over the world, Western-style hardcover books, Chinese-style yellow thread-bound volumes, exuding a cool and fragrant book atmosphere; antiques such as bronze, ceramics, ivory, jade, and Western sculptures are dotted among them. For more than half a century, his background and position have allowed him to travel all over Europe, America and Asia. He is the scholar and diplomat Mr. Liao Fengshu. Sitao, do not sign Zhuhai to dream the rest of your life.He and the grandfather who committed suicide by jumping off a building were close friends. Both families were originally from Fujian, and later moved to Guangdong.The Liao family is a well-known family in Huiyang, Guangdong, and his father became a wealthy businessman in San Francisco, so some people say they are a family of overseas Chinese in the United States.However, the Liao family is closely connected with the roots of their homeland. Although Liao Fengshu had studied in English and France and was proficient in seven languages, he accompanied Li Hongzhang on missions to the United States and Europe in the late Qing Dynasty. He is an envoy of other countries, but his foundation of Chinese studies is solid and profound. Chu Ci, Tang Poetry, Song Ci and Yuan Qu are easy to read, and he can export them into chapters. Another unique feature is that he advocates vernacular writing, and uses Cantonese dialect to laugh at it into high-grade "doggerel", which makes people laugh. It's amazing.

At this moment, he is reciting Qu Yuan's "Li Sao": "...Old Ran Ran is coming, I am afraid that the name will not be established. Drinking magnolia in the morning, and eating autumn chrysanthemums in the evening..." Reminisce about Qu Yuan on the Dragon Boat Festival, and put your own feelings on it. The noon sun diffused into the quiet study room, and the room was covered with gold, and he was overjoyed: This little granddaughter born on the Poet's Day must have a predestined relationship with poetry.He had to come up with a name for her.The eldest granddaughter Beibei, whose scientific name is Xiangju: Girls are named after flowers, and the Chen family can't avoid the custom; listen to the name he gave the eldest daughter: Chen Xiangci, isn't it elegant?The second granddaughter can only be named after a flower, and a hundred flowers bloom in May, oh no, Qu Yuan's life is too bitter for flowers that can withstand wind, frost, rain and snow!But if you don't experience suffering in life, how can you appreciate the word "precious"? "Meixu is three points less white than snow, but snow is less fragrant than plum." Xiangmei - the most beautiful flower and the best name.

He blesses the crying girl in Xiehe Hospital. Because of Xiehe Hospital, he suddenly remembered that on March 19 of this year, the funeral for Dr. Sun Yat-sen was held in the small auditorium of this hospital. The candlelight of the huge candle flickered, the melancholy singing of the choir was rippling, and 24 coffins were guarded. People carried the huge coffin out of the hospital slowly, the streets of Beijing were empty for thousands of people, the superstar died, and the whole country mourned together!Shuaifu Garden, Wangfujing, East Chang'an Avenue, Tiananmen Square, and Central Park are crowded with people, crying and sighing one after another.He was also an early member of the Tongmenghui. At this time, his younger brother Liao Zhongkai was also a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Executive Committee, a party representative of the Whampoa Military Academy, and the governor of Guangdong Province. He was known as the leader of the left wing of the Kuomintang.And Wang Jingwei, who was carrying the coffin, was his best friend.However, at the age of half a century, he is not optimistic about the future, how could he not "take a deep breath to cover his tears, mourning the hardships of the people's livelihood"!

Alas, eventful autumn. He was a little dazed: how did you think of this?But he is materialistic and indifferent, and he knows that life and death are common things in the world. The hospital only shows the two poles of life so clearly.He only wishes: the Yangtze River is vast and vast, and the waves behind push forward the waves ahead! He murmured: "Baby, since you were born on Poet's Day, you must be able to compose poems and compositions when you grow up. Otherwise, wouldn't there be Qu Yuan who died at the bottom of the river?" "Baby" became his pet name for this little girl in the future, no matter how old she was, she would always be his baby. On this day of the year, the Luke Air Force Base on Ford Island, located in the center of the Pacific Ocean, is exceptionally quiet. To reach Luke Airport by water, one must pass through the long and narrow passage of Pearl Harbor to enter the inner lake and reach Ford Island.In addition, the weather here is smooth, the climate is pleasant, and the flowers bloom all year round, so after intense training, sometimes there will be a quiet paradise. A tall and straight U.S. Air Force officer walked casually on the grass by the lake with a bit of leisure and comfort.He is Chennault, the commander of the 19th Fighter Squadron stationed here.The vicissitudes of the years and the flying career have carved criss-cross lines on his face prematurely, but this does not affect the chicness of this 35-year-old man. On the contrary, he has a deep and mature charm. He is quite romantic. A mustache.His chin is slightly forward, which people say is the characteristic of a strong-willed person. He is indeed very stubborn, unyielding, and will not give up until he reaches his goal.But his life path was by no means smooth sailing. At the age of 27, he transferred from a lieutenant to the communications team and started his flying career. Over the past few years, there were setbacks and more obsessions. He clearly realized that he loved the sky, his life and career belonged to flying.However, entrusting him with important tasks began when he was ordered to this island two years ago.He is the squadron leader.This means that he is not only an outstanding pilot, but also a talented air force commander.He led his squadrons in new tactical training. He was keenly aware of the role of the rising air force in future warfare. He could not tolerate the stupid contempt for the air force from the navy and anti-aircraft artillery. During a combat exercise, he commanded fighter jets. A long line of anti-aircraft guns suddenly swooped down on the beach, scaring the anti-aircraft gunners to flee in all directions, in a panic.As for him, he is chasing and playing in the air only 200 meters above the ground, the usually invincible artillery colonel commander!It was ingeniously mischievous, and of course it would attract criticism, but he was right, ahead of his time, and he used the form of a fighter group to thwart a huge bomber that he thought was unrivaled!How could he not sigh: "A soldier always has such a preference for his first important task, just like a young man cherishes his first love." The memory of his first love is hazy.He married early and had children, and he had many children.As the squadron leader, he can bring his family. His sixth son was born on the island.A military career plus family fun can satisfy a middle-aged man, but his body and mind are still burning with youthful passion. He thinks that the years on the island are the happiest time he has been in the Air Force, and it is his The last burn of the fire of youth.He didn't know at that time that the fire of his life was once again burning with the most intense and lasting flame, and his life journey bordered China, no matter in career or love. The sun was shining golden and the grass was green. He was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, his eyes closed, and suddenly he remembered a friend's joke that he was the black eye of China.He smiled, but his eyes were dark brown, and his hair was really black.There is absolutely no Chinese blood in his blood, but his ancestors are French.China?He has never been there.From the Great Wall, flying dragons, porcelain, men with braids, women with bound feet, among bits and pieces of knowledge and rumors, he clearly yearns for this magical yet stupid, civilized and barbaric place.He imagined China, in the golden dizziness, there was a pair of innocent black eyes, his heart was suddenly soaked with wet tenderness: "Oh, bright black eyes, pure black eyes, baby's eyes." It was as if someone whispered in his ear: "This is your black eye." He didn't know at that time that according to an ancient Chinese legend, an old man holding a red thread under the moon would tell a passerby: His wife just came in and out. The legend of Chen Xiangmei and Chennault should start from this day. On this day of the year, the United States in the western hemisphere is still full of moonlight.An American military officer is writing stories about China with great interest at his home.The tall, thin and straight figure is very similar to Chennault's, but he is even thinner, almost skeletal, but he has abundant energy and indomitable will.In the summer of five years ago, he took a boat with his wife and son to Beijing, China. He has been appointed as the first language officer of the US Army stationed in China.He fell in love with his old capital, Beijing, but traveled to Shanxi and Shaanxi to work as the chief engineer of a construction company!I have seen Yan Xishan and used Feng Yuxiang's bathtub to take a bath in Huaqing Pool.He loves to travel alone, visiting beautiful but dirty towns, staying in inns where the courtyard is crowded with mules, camels, pigs and chickens, and the beds are full of bedbugs. "Steamed bread" (mantou), he walked barefoot in the mud, and he nearly died in a sweaty carriage full of soldiers.He ventured into the barren cave dwellings in the north, and traveled to the south of the Yangtze River twice, traveling all over Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunan.Broad bean flowers, bamboo forests, chestnut trees, pagodas, wind chimes and sailing boats are natural Chinese paintings that fascinate him; farmers, boatmen, tycoons, syphilis patients, erhu players, and opium ghosts are Chinese figure paintings that confuse him. When he returned to the United States in 1923, he was already fluent in Chinese. He wrote many stories about China for magazines such as "Asia" and said with emotion: "I am a Chinese now."He pronounced his name as Stilwell.History, enlightenment, prestige.It seems infinite.At this time, his heart was throbbing, he missed China, and he couldn't suppress his desire to go to China again.That year, he was 42 years old!In the following year, he really went to China again, and his second and fifth son was born in China.He didn't know at that time that when he was almost sixty years old, he would go to the war-torn border between China and Myanmar!Seventeen years later, in Chongqing in the early summer, a woman happily went up and down the stairs with her jade arms wrapped around the arms of two men. She thought she had a reliable arm to help China resist the Japanese.These two men were Chennault and Stilwell.These two Americans are indeed trying their best to turn the tide, and they can be called friends of the Chinese.However, the two of them, who are both very stubborn and confident, seem to be a pair of natural enemies. Since then, they have launched a protracted contest on each side!But in any case, these are two Americans who are closely related to China's destiny.That woman was Song Meiling. Stilwell probably knew that the female reporter who covered the Burma Road news was called Chen Xiangmei, and he didn't know about Chen Xiangmei's marriage to Chennault. He never had the chance to meet her.However, his shadow deeply and intermittently affected her during life and after death. At least, after she wrote in English and Chinese, he was not an insignificant character in her writing. On this day of the year, the 28-year-old Soong Meiling is still in the dilemma of marriage and love. She is no longer the "little lantern" in her childhood, the naughty female student at Wellesley Women's University, her blood and skin Restless desire for power.Four years ago, at the party held by Song Ziwen on Molière Road in Shanghai in the winter, the up-and-coming Chiang Kai-shek fell in love with her at first sight, and then wrote letters and proposed marriage tirelessly. However, his parents and second sister Qing Ling strongly opposed it, and only the eldest sister Ai Ling supported her. , and what puzzled her was not that he was already a man with a wife and son, but what was important was whether this man could become a big climate? On this day of the year, Chiang Kai-shek, who was far from being able to ascend to the position of prime minister's successor in terms of qualifications, strength, and prestige, was violently agitated by his ambition.He won the trust of Sun Yat-sen in the ups and downs of the revolutionary trend and became the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy; he regarded the completion of the first Eastern Expedition and the settlement of the Yunnan-Guangxi Army as his personal achievements and heavy political capital.Right now, he has to grasp the situation, take advantage of the situation, and win in the chaotic Kuomintang factional dispute.He also likes the sound of drums and shouts in dragon boat races on the Pearl River, but what he admires more is to win the first place by any means!Two years later, he finally held the power of the party and army alone in the bloody situation, and held a grand and ostentatious wedding with Soong Meiling in Shanghai.In the following 22 years, it has been answered that "success or failure is turned around, the green hills are still there, and the sunset is red several times". During this period, after the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance, did Chiang Kai-shek, Song Meiling, Chennault, and Stilwell have only inextricable relationships?Criss-crossing, ups and downs, grievances and grievances are inseparable, a side of history is projected in these tangled conflicts, at least, they are figures that cannot be erased in modern Chinese history. Chen Xiangmei, a girl who was born on this day of the year, her life trajectory intersects or collides with them wonderfully. She does not belong to anyone, she walks her own path. The little girl who just fell to the ground finally calmed down.Her slick black eyes looked at the world sensiblely, and the excitement and sadness of the Dragon Boat Festival continued.