The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Cannot Forget, Never Forget

Han Xiaoqing returned and had the photographs developed.

She had also gone to the Shencheng library to look up relevant historical materials and data.

She took out the lesson materials she had prepared on the plane and began to give all the children at home a ”class.”

Ye Chen and Ye Ling were also present, listening with rapt attention.

Han Xiaoqing began with the Opium Wars, detailing the treaties Hua Country was forced to sign after each war, the amount paid in reparations, the priceless cultural relics that were plundered, and the number of people who died.

She recounted everything in detail, using the photographs of relics she had taken abroad and the related museum records to supplement her lecture.

Pingping, An’an, and Cai Wenjun were still too young to understand.

However, they took away one simple fact: foreigners in the past were very bad, had killed many people from Hua Country, and had stolen a lot of Hua Country’s money.

Yang Minmin, Ye Chen, and Ye Ling were older, so they could understand.

”After listening to my lecture, what’s your takeaway?” Han Xiaoqing asked. She didn’t want the people of Hua Country to forget their humiliating history.

Forgetting it would be an even greater disgrace and cause more harm than the original humiliation itself.

Only by acknowledging shame can one find the courage to move forward.

It must be remembered.

Yang Minmin raised her hand. ”Aunt Xiao Jing, I know.”

”Go ahead, Minmin,” Han Xiaoqing said with a nod. ”After the lesson, I have gifts for everyone.”

Yang Minmin stood up, her back ramrod straight, and answered, ”It tells us that an isolationist policy is a dead end and that weakness invites aggression. In this new era, we have to study advanced science and technology. Only when we’re advanced and developed will those foreigners not dare to bully us.”

Ye Ling added, ”Not only will they not dare to bully us, they’ll even be afraid of us. When we’re strong enough, we’ll take back what they stole from us. Beijing was once sacked by the Eight-Nation Alliance. The magnificent Old Summer Palace was burned and looted. This is all history, and we have to remember it.”

Ye Chen shouted, ”I’m going to join the army! I’m going to kill the foreign devils and the little Japs!”

Hearing their answers, Han Xiaoqing felt her efforts hadn’t been in vain. ”Right now,” she said, ”your primary mission is to study hard, to learn, and to push the frontiers of science and technology. The competition, both now and in the future, is all about technology. If you don’t study hard, those bandits will come back to burn, kill, and plunder us all over again.”

The children’s small faces turned solemn. ”We’ll remember.”

After the lesson, Han Xiaoqing handed out the gifts to everyone.

Ye Ling looked at the lesson materials Han Xiaoqing had prepared. ”Sister Xiao Jing, can you lend these to me so I can copy them?”

”Why?” Han Xiaoqing asked. ”What do you need them for?”

Ye Ling replied, ”I’m starting eighth grade after the break, and one of our summer homework assignments is to report on a meaningful activity. I think your lecture was excellent, and I’d like to copy it down to present to my classmates and teacher.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”Of course. Not only can you copy the materials, but I can also give you the photos of the relics in overseas museums. That will make your presentation even more convincing.”

”Thank you, Sister Xiao Jing,” Ye Ling said gratefully. ”My parents used to hound me all day to study hard, so much that I thought my ears would grow calluses. But now I understand why I have to. It’s to avenge our ancestors, to be able to stand tall with pride, to make our country strong for the future, and to ensure that the next generation never has to endure the same suffering and humiliation.”

Han Xiaoqing encouraged him, ”Good. That’s wonderful. You can have all of these materials.”

Just then, Yang Minmin raised her hand. ”Auntie, one of my summer homework assignments is to write about an old story from Shencheng. I was originally going to write about Shencheng’s traditional pastries, but now I want to write about the war. Do you have any suggestions?”

Han Xiaoqing thought for a moment and said, ”Then write about the two great battles that took place in Shencheng. The first was the Songhu Resistance, also known as the January 28th Incident, which occurred on January 28, 1932. Japan instigated this first conflict to divert international attention and pressure the Nanjing National Government. During this conflict, the Chinese army resisted under the leadership of Cai Tingkai and Jiang Guangnai. And although it ended with the signing of the ’Shanghai Ceasefire Agreement,’ it ignited the people’s patriotic passion.”

”The second was the Battle of Songhu, also known as the August 13th Campaign, which took place from August 13 to November 12, 1937. It was the largest and most brutal battle of the War of Resistance. In this battle, a total of about one million soldiers from both China and Japan were thrown into the fight. The Chinese army fought back under the leadership of Jiang Jieshi. Although they failed to achieve a decisive victory due to a disparity in military strength, they shattered Japan’s plan to ’conquer China in three months’ and demonstrated the tenacious will of the Chinese people to resist.”

”I can take you to the library to find historical materials and photographs. Many moving and heroic deeds took place during these two battles. Those heroes sacrificed their lives, but as long as we remember their stories, their spirit will be immortal, and the Chinese Nation will endure forever.”

Yang Minmin’s eyes shone brightly. ”Aunt Xiao Jing, I get it now. I’ll write about this for my project.”

Wu Lingling looked at Han Xiaoqing with admiration. ”Ziqian, I hope our children will be as smart as Minmin one day.”

Yao Ziqian nodded, his eyes welling with tears and his voice choked with emotion. ’So many people haven’t forgotten our heroic martyrs,’ he thought. ”Yes,” he managed to say.

Seeing his reaction, Yang Minmin asked, ”Uncle Yao, why are you crying?”

Yao Ziqian wiped away his tears. ”My grandfather had three brothers. Two of them died in the 1937 Battle of Songhu. In those days, a million soldiers from Yue Province marched to fight the Japanese, singing ’Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon’ all the way to Shencheng to join the resistance.”

”This year, during the Ghost Festival, my parents are coming from Yue Province to pay their respects to my two granduncles. My grandfather was very supportive of me moving to Shencheng to settle down. He only had one request: that I pay respects to our ancestors every year.”

Yang Minmin never expected her homework assignment to make her future uncle cry.

It only proved that her project was all the more meaningful.

”Uncle Yao, do you know how to sing ’Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon’?” Yang Minmin asked. ”A song that the revolutionary martyrs sang all the way to battle must be incredibly inspiring, and the one that best reflects the spirit of Yue Province.”

Yao Ziqian smiled, gratified. ”That’s right. Almost everyone from Yue Province can sing it. It’s the song that best expresses our love for our home and country. Well then, how about I sing a few lines for you a cappella...”

Yao Ziqian perked up at the mention of his hometown.

He had studied metaphysics under a master since childhood, but he had also kept up with the four arts—the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and had a good grasp of music.

He gently tapped out a rhythm and began to sing in Cantonese, ”Standing on the white sand beach, I gaze into the distance, my longing endless. When will you ever return? The waves roll on and on, boundless. My tears of longing have run dry. My beloved, oh my beloved, can you hear me...”

Even without any accompaniment, Yao Ziqian’s clear, bright voice was beautiful to hear.

Wu Lingling gazed at Yao Ziqian with pure adoration. ’Is this really my future husband?’

He was so handsome and multi-talented. She wished she could marry him right then and there, just to lock him down before anything could change.