eurekapd Chapter 238 An Old Man and an Old Woman Visit Beijing
Chapter 238 An Old Man and an Old Woman Visit Beijing
Grandpa Lu Kaipu said: "Brother Kuang, I have never been to Beijing since I was a child. When I was a child, my family was poor and I worked as an apprentice in a drugstore. I heard that the drugstore owner's ancestors also opened a drugstore in Beijing, and fled to Pingzhou County during the war. I am so old that I can still travel so far to visit Beijing. I am an old man and I will be satisfied even if I die, hahaha."
Grandma Chen Yalu said: "I am about to be buried, but I can still go out and take a walk to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of my motherland. I have no regrets, hehe."
We talked and laughed along the way, stopped to rest every two hours, got out of the car to get some fresh air, pee, and look at the scenery along the roadside, and before we knew it, we arrived in Beijing.
The driver, Xiao Sun, asked: "Do you want to take a detour to Chang'an Avenue and take a look at Tiananmen Square from a distance?"
"Well, the sun is setting now. Tiananmen Square should be very beautiful under the setting sun." Grandma Lu Jingde said a little excitedly.
Driver Xiao Sun was driving slowly on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue with all the windows open. The Tiananmen Gate Tower looked particularly beautiful under the setting sun. Tiananmen Square was crowded with people and the five-star red flag was flying high.
"When the sun rises, the national flag rises. When the sun sets, the national flag falls. If you come a little later, the five-star red flag will be lowered," said Dr. Zhang.
Everyone stared at the Tiananmen Gate Tower in silence. Grandma Lu Jingde couldn't help but hum the "March of the Volunteers". Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, and Grandma Chen Yalu also hummed along:
Rise up! People who refuse to be slaves! Use our flesh and blood to build our new Great Wall! The Chinese nation has reached its most dangerous moment, and everyone is forced to make the final roar! Rise up! Rise up! Rise up!
We are united as one, braving the enemy's fire and advancing. Braving the enemy's fire and advancing! Forward! Forward! Forward! !
At 6 p.m., Xia Juxiang asked the four elderly people for their opinions: "Should we have dinner at the hotel? Or should we have the hotel deliver the meal to the restaurant in Jingfu after arriving there?"
Grandma Chen Yalu said, "Let's go to Jingfu to eat. When we get there, put down our luggage, wash up, and then eat slowly and calmly. This way we will feel more comfortable."
Grandma Lu Jingde said, "Ya Lu is right. When eating in a restaurant, there is a lot of noise and it makes you feel rushed. It's easy to eat too fast and make your stomach uncomfortable."
"Okay, let's go to Jingfu for dinner." Xia Juxiang said, and called Yuan Daoqin: "Daoqin, I'm your aunt Juxiang. There are eight of us, and we will arrive at Jingfu in about an hour. You can start cooking millet porridge now, and ask the restaurant to deliver the meal at 7 o'clock."
"Aunt Juxiang, I got it. I'll go light the fire and cook the porridge now. Don't worry, and be careful on the road." Yuan Daoqin said.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Grandma Lu Jingde and her group of eight arrived safely at the Jing Mansion. Yuan Daoqin welcomed Grandma Lu Jingde, Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, Grandma Chen Yalu, housekeeper Zhang Guilan, Xia Juxiang, and Doctor Zhang into the restaurant at the entrance of the Jing Mansion.
Xia Juxiang asked the four elderly people for their opinions: "Should we go back to our rooms to wash up and rest for a while before having dinner, or should we have dinner first and then go back to our rooms to rest?"
Grandpa Lu Kaipu said: "It is better to wash your hands and sit in the restaurant for a while, eat dinner, and then go back to your room to rest. It is not advisable to eat dinner too late."
"Okay, everyone wait a moment, the food will be served soon." Xia Juxiang said.
Yuan Daoqin, Xia Juxiang, and Zhang Guilan hurried to the kitchen and brought the food to the table: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with Beijing sauce, fried knife fish, eggplant with sesame sauce, large Beijing steamed buns, flower rolls, and soup dumplings, and a bowl of millet porridge for each person.
Everyone was eating and chatting, enjoying the meal very much. Grandma Lu Jingde said, "I was right, it's more comfortable to eat at home." "Yes, yes, when you are away from home, you are afraid of not being able to adapt to the climate, not being able to eat well, and not being able to sleep well. Now, Beijing is like home, all the worries are unnecessary, hahaha." Grandpa Kuang said.
After eating and drinking, Xia Juxiang and Yuan Daoqin arranged rooms for everyone, and helped Grandma Lu Jingde, Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, and Grandma Chen Yalu with their luggage and made their beds. They also introduced the bathroom facilities in detail and the precautions when using them.
Dr. Zhang's room was deliberately arranged next to Grandma Lu Jingde and Grandpa Kuang's rooms to prevent emergencies.
After washing up, Grandpa Lu Kaipu and Grandma Chen Yalu lay on the bed in the bedroom of the Jing Mansion, looking at the beams, as if thinking about something.
Grandpa Lu Kaipu said: "Ya Lu, look at this beam, it must be made of top-quality wood. The ancients built courtyard houses with a wooden structure. The beams, columns, rafters, purlins and squares formed the skeleton of the building.
The wooden structures are connected by mortise and tenon joints to form a whole. Such a structure can withstand a certain amount of deformation, so the wooden structure has strong earthquake resistance. "
Grandma Chen Yalu said: "Nowadays, people build houses with bricks, stones, and reinforced concrete. Is this advanced or backward? I don't understand it, and I don't want to bother thinking about it. Go to bed quickly. We have to go to the Forbidden City tomorrow. It is said that the houses in the Forbidden City are more interesting."
The elderly people sleep little, so early the next morning, Grandma Lu Jingde, Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, and Grandma Chen Yalu got up and strolled in the first and second courtyards of the Jing Mansion.
Yuan Daoqin took Xia Juxiang and Zhang Guilan to a vegetable market near Jingfu and purchased some fresh vegetables, fruits, rice and flour. He also let Xia Juxiang and Zhang Guilan familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment.
Yuan Daoqin, Xia Juxiang and Zhang Guilan returned to the capital with bags of various kinds. Half an hour later, a sumptuous breakfast was served: boiled eggs, fried dough sticks, soy milk, tofu pudding and corn porridge.
After breakfast, Yuan Daoqin suggested: "Since the elderly are old, they can't swim all day like the young people. How about swimming for half a day and resting for half a day to help recover their physical strength?"
Grandma Lu Jingde, Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, and Grandma Chen Yalu nodded in agreement.
"Okay, our itinerary today is to visit Tiananmen Square, Tiananmen Tower, the Forbidden City, and then taste the famous Beijing roast duck."
The driver Xiao Sun opened the car door and carefully helped Grandma Lu Jingde, Grandpa Kuang, Grandpa Lu Kaipu, and Grandma Chen Yalu into the car. Doctor Zhang, Zhang Guilan, and Xia Juxiang loaded the items needed for going out into the car. Yuan Daoqin sat in the passenger seat, and the group of nine rushed to Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
The driver, Xiao Sun, said, "Xiao Yuan, when we get to Tiananmen Square, I won't go to the Forbidden City. I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot at the exit. Call me if you have anything, okay?"
Yuan Daoqin said: "Okay, I'll call you when we get out."
When we arrived at Tiananmen Square, the tour guide Xiao Jiang, who had been booked in advance, was already waiting for us near the Huabiao Pillar in front of the Tiananmen Gate Tower.
After the tour guide Xiao Jiang greeted everyone, he immediately directed everyone to line up and take photos with the Tiananmen Gate Tower, then took group photos, individual photos, etc.