The moon shines

After Mingtai sent Fang Mengwei away, he walked slowly along the boulevard. Before he knew it, the setting sun had fallen from the nearby treetops into the distant dust, burning the sky into a blood red.

The night is coming.In the darkness, only the foreign language bookstore with independent power supply was lit.The moment when day and night meet is the time period when people's consciousness is the most relaxed, but Mingtai is as vigilant as the most experienced hunter.He saw a familiar figure hurrying towards the foreign language bookstore.

"Mulan." Mingtai, who was hidden in the shadow of the trees, called to Xie Mulan, who was still tens of meters away from the bookstore.The trees here are dense and it is a blind spot that cannot be seen from the windows on the second floor.

Mulan was so preoccupied with the people on the second floor of the bookstore that she didn't even notice Mingtai standing by the roadside.Startled by his small voice. "Teacher Ming? Why are you here?"

"I just came out of the bookstore." Mingtai said while looking in the direction of the bookstore. "Mulan, do you have time? I want to say a few words to you."

"Tell me." Xie Mulan also glanced in the direction of the bookstore, nodded her head, and stood facing Mingtai as if listening to her teacher's teachings.

Still a child, Mingtai thought. "Are you going to ask Professor Liang for advice?" He pointed to the book in Mulan's arms.

Just as Mulan was about to nod her head, she suddenly thought of something and immediately became vigilant: "Did my little brother call you here?"

Mingtai shook his head: "I was the one who reminded your little brother to persuade you not to get too close to Professor Liang."

"Why!?" Mulan was surprised, and hugged the book in her arms even tighter.

Obvious defensive posture.Mingtai glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and then asked: "Want to hear the reason?"

"Yes!" Xie Mulan nodded firmly. Since the July [-] incident, Mingtai, who organized the evacuation of students in her heart, is considered "one of her own".

"Well, I told you not to cry." Mingtai smiled slightly.

"I'm not a child!" Mulan raised her head.

Mingtai stopped laughing and asked her, "Have you read Professor Liang's article?"

"Of course!" Xie Mulan replied without hesitation. "What he wrote, what I can see, I have read!"

"Oh, tell me how much of his article you understand?" Ming Tai asked.

"This..." Xie Mulan hesitated for a moment. She had read a lot of things written by Liang Jinglun, but when she read them, she always had a young girl's longing for idols, and only admired the incomprehensible theories and analysis. How could it be possible to ask her to say one, two, three suddenly at this time?She was eager to argue: "Professor Liang has written so many articles, how can I explain clearly in one or two sentences?"

The expected answer made Mingtai smile knowingly: "Okay, don't be nervous, this is not an exam, it's just a chat among friends."

Eh?Xie Mulan looked up at him.

Mingtai teased: "Why are you so surprised? You talk about freedom and progress every day, but you can't even treat your teacher as a friend?"

"How could it be?!" Mulan retorted guiltily, "I have always regarded you as a friend."

Mingtai nodded: "Well, since we are friends, I'll be blunt. You not only admire Professor Liang, but also love him, right?"

Xie Mulan was shocked. Although many people knew about this matter, no one had ever been as straightforward as what Mingtai said.Her face turned red all of a sudden.In the end, he poked his neck and admitted: "Yes! I love him!"

"Then what do you love about him? His appearance, his demeanor, his knowledge, his status as a progressive teacher?" Ming Tai asked.

"All, all! I love this person, I love everything about him!" Mulan said softly but firmly, the night covered her panic well.

"What about his pain, weakness, and even some ugly parts? Do you love it too?" Mingtai asked.

Mulan opened her eyes in confusion and anger: "I can trust Mr. Liang's character! How could it be..."

"How can you describe it as ugly?" Mingtai took her words. "I don't intend to slander Mr. Liang, but human nature is multifaceted. Have you ever seen something without a shadow?" He shook his head without waiting for Mulan's answer. "Love is blind and free. Of course I don't." It will interfere with your admiration for Mr. Liang. I'm just a little worried..."

"What?" Mulan asked subconsciously.

"You confuse love with revolution." Mingtai hit the nail on the head, "Mr. Liang is handsome and well-versed in both Chinese and Western cultures. It's not surprising that you love him. There's nothing wrong with your yearning for the light and progress, but you have to figure it out, love Mr. Liang , and the pursuit of progress is not necessarily connected."

"Teacher..." Mulan hesitated to speak.

Mingtai smiled helplessly, "Mulan, do you think that your younger brother, your eldest father, and your father have done a lot of things that are sorry for the people and the revolution? Do you think they are backward?" , Reactionary, is it a stumbling block to your pursuit of progress and freedom? You feel pain for being born in such a family, and you want to draw a line with such a 'feudal family'?"

"Teacher! I..." Mulan was taken aback. She didn't know why Mingtai could see into her inner thoughts. She had never told anyone about these thoughts!Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, and she kept shaking her head: "I... I don't hate them... They're not bad people... I just... I just don't know what to do..."

What a child!Mingtai sighed: "Actually, how much do you know about what they did? Not to mention how much money your father and dad raised for the army during the Anti-Japanese War, just think about what you personally experienced. The person leading the team is not your little brother, how many more students will die?"

Mulan looked at Mingtai, ignorant, she seemed to understand and she didn't seem to understand.

Seeing her like this, Mingtai sighed again: "I just want to tell you that family members will always be family members. They are not only good people, but also the people who care about you most in the world. If you pursue progress and revolution, then you have to do better. Know what they really mean—they're not an excuse to abandon your family. Not every fighter is on the front line, and not everyone who's at the front is a real fighter. There are countless People who sacrifice their lives and even die are still stigmatized! In addition to blood, revolution also needs brains, don’t confuse love with faith, sticking to faith is much more cruel than romantic love.”

Mulan opened her eyes wide again, and she tentatively asked, "Mr. Ming, are you..."

Mingtai shook his head: "I'm not. I'm just your little brother's friend. He's afraid of losing you, but I'm afraid he'll be sad. As a person, he's never reluctant to embarrass others, he only embarrasses himself." He paused, The voice was a little lower: "I also came from your age, and I made the same mistakes. Mulan, if I say it, you should think about it."

====

Fang Mengwei felt like he was dreaming until he left Xishan Prison.Even if he lifted the white cloth with his own hands, it was still difficult for him to connect Uncle Cui, who always had a soft smile, with the lifeless corpse in the morgue.

Uncle Cui is dead.

Fang Mengwei couldn't find any words to describe his mood. There was a lot of noise in his ears. He walked aimlessly amidst the chaotic noise, until a voice passed through the meaningless noise clearly. Sounded: "Meng Wei!"

Uncle Cui!

Fang Mengwei turned his head suddenly, only the dark night behind him.And he has unknowingly walked to his door.

At the train station that day, Cui Zhongshi stopped him, hesitated to speak, but finally said: "Take care of the president."He agreed casually, thinking that those words were just a routine entrustment when parting, but only after thinking about it today did he realize that it was Uncle Cui's last words.

Uncle Cui's eyes flashed in his mind over and over again. It was the eyes of farewell, but he didn't see it!

He didn't see it!

Fang Mengwei's throat rolled, sadness, anger, and remorse all rushed into his heart, as if a plug had been added to the outlet of emotion.

He clearly knew... He clearly knew that Uncle Cui was suspected of communism, why didn't he insist on sending Uncle Cui's family to Shanghai?This idea is like a seed that falls into fertile soil. Once it falls, it grows wildly in the chest like a wild vine, and it almost kills people.

Desperately, he pushed open the concealed door, the light in the living room was on, but there was no one there.The piano is still in the living room, not even closed.In a daze, Fang Mengwei seemed to see the scene where his father played "Ode to the Virgin Mary" and his elder brother sang along. After ten years, the elder brother even took the initiative to make peace with his father in order to save Uncle Cui.And he also thought that with his father coming forward, Uncle Cui would be safe and sound.

Can……

Eldest brother sang the Ave Maria as if it happened just now, but Uncle Cui's body has become icy cold.It's useless, there is no god in this world, a dead person is dead, and will never be able to come back to life.Fang Mengwei raised his arms to cover his eyes, and the faint smell of sulfur lingered from his cuffs, which lingered for a long time.

He thought he would not be able to sleep the whole night, but not only did he fall asleep, but he was as heavy as dead.

The "self" in the dream appeared again, but this time he was much younger than him.He looked younger than he is now, dressed in military uniform, returned to Beijing from the East China Sea, and ran to a place called "Meiling" before he had time to rest.Meiling's name is Suimi, but there is not a single plum tree.Maybe there used to be, but now they have all been reduced to scorched earth.

And he frantically looked for a familiar figure in that scorched earth.

For three days and three nights, I searched without eating or drinking, but I couldn't find anyone alive or dead.Until 12 years later, that person returned from Jiangzuo.He regained it but didn't know it, until he lost it again, he didn't know that the person he was thinking of had been planning everything for him by his side.

Lost and regained, gained and lost again.Since then, there has been no joy in his life.

"Meng Wei has been asleep for almost three days..."

"The fever is gone, he should be waking up soon. Deputy Director Cui... it's a big blow to him."

The voice of the real world, familiar and strange.

Fang Mengwei opened his eyes.

He is going to find him.

The author has something to say: Although I don’t like Mulan, I really don’t want her to die