Chen Zikun's family was arranged to stay in the Beijing Hotel, because the CPPCC did not officially convene until September 21, and before that, it was relatively relaxed, and relatives and friends could visit old friends.

That night, Zhou Enlai held a dinner at the Beijing Hotel for Chen Zikun and the CPPCC members who arrived at the same time, and the first person to pick up the wind and wash the dust, during the banquet I saw many familiar Kuomintang veterans, Song Qingling, Li Jishen, Cheng Qian, etc., everyone gathered together to talk about the future, all full of hope.

As early as the beginning of last year, the Kuomintang leftists set up the Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee in Hong Kong, referred to as the Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee, Chen Zikun was also an early member of the Kuomintang and a veteran-level person, and at the recommendation of Soong Ching-ling, he held a ceremony in a room in the Beijing Hotel to join the Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee, and was elected by the party to serve as a member of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee.

According to them, the CPPCC meeting was attended not only by members of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, but also by the China Democratic League, the China Democratic National Construction Association, the Peasants' and Workers' Party, the Zhi Gong Dang, the Jiusan Society, and some personages without party affiliation, and that the new government will be a truly coalition government.

"China will usher in a new era! We are all witnesses of the times. Cheng Qian, chairman of the Hunan Military and Political Committee, said.

A heroic man in a People's Liberation Army uniform who followed Cheng Qian's side also nodded approvingly: "The mind of *** people is impressive, when I fought a bloody battle with the ** coalition army in Siping, I formed a deep hatred, but they did not blame the past, but entrusted me with a heavy responsibility, appointing me as the commander of the 21st Corps. ”

Chen Zikun said: "Your Excellency is not General Chen Mingren, I have heard of the famous for a long time, I have never met, but I didn't expect to meet at the CPPCC meeting, the general resolutely revolted, so that the people of Hunan were saved from the disaster of war, which is very admirable." ”

Chen Mingren said: "Chairman Chen has tormented me, we were also inspired by you to revolt, you are our example and signpost. ”

Chen Zikun said: "Let's not praise each other, it's still *** wise and great, or we won't be able to come together." ”

Everyone laughed.

The next day, Chen Zikun took his family to the street to play, Chen Jiao was already at the age of graduating from high school, and gradually became sensible, two big eyes looked around, and asked: "Dad, you said that you pulled a foreign car before, where is the foreign car?" ”

There are few foreign cars on the streets of Beiping, and instead of human-powered tricycles, Chen Zikun beckoned to stop three tricycles and took his family to re-walk the road he had back then.

First go to the Willow Hutong Miscellaneous Courtyard outside Xuanwu Gate, here has been a thing, the miscellaneous courtyard was razed to the ground, no longer can find the traces of the year, a group of workers lay bricks on the original site, asked in the past, said that they want to build a school here.

Then go to Xuanwumen Shifuma Street, where is Lin Wenjing's Beijing residence, where Chen Zikun's first love is, after many years, the kind and talkative Uncle Zhang is no longer alive, and there are several families living in the courtyard, looking at this group of brightly dressed guests suspiciously.

"Who are you looking for?" Someone asked Chan Tsz-kun.

"If you don't look for anyone, just look at it." Chen Zikun knew by looking at the clothes of these residents that they were poor people in the vicinity, and before the liberation, the world was chaotic, and whoever robbed the empty house belonged to whom, he could understand.

My house was occupied, and everyone's mood was slightly affected, Yao Yilei said: "I remember, there is a small building on my house on West Chang'an Street, go and see if it is also occupied." ”

When I came to the former mansion of the Yao family, I saw that there was a sign of a certain office of the Beiping Military Management Committee hanging in front of the door, and there were sentries standing guard, so I couldn't get in.

"Let's go, go to your Uncle Xue's house." Chen Zikun didn't complain, and took his family directly to the Ziguang Depot in Hair Hutong, where the weeds on the walls and eaves along the street were pulled out, and it looked like a new look, and the gate of the depot was painted with new paint, and there was a glorious plaque for the revolutionary military family on the door.

Chen Zikun stepped forward and knocked on the door, and a girl in a Lenin suit opened the door and looked at them: "It's Uncle Chen's family, right?" ”

"How do you know?" Chan was a little puzzled.

The girl said: "My mother said, you may be happy to come these days, it's really right, come in." ”

As soon as she entered the door, Xing'er greeted her and smiled: "Da Kunzi, I said you just now, I really said that Cao Cao Cao arrived, this is my daughter Sibao, and now she works in the army's art troupe." ”

Chen Zikun smiled: "Okay, I joined the army at a young age, by the way, what about Baoqing?" ”

"He's a busy man, he went to a meeting in the district, but he is a celebrity in the district, an activist in a transportation company, and I heard that he will be a people's representative." Xing'er smiled, beckoned everyone to come into the house and sit down, let Sibao pour tea, and began to pull around.

In the past, every time Chen Zikun entered Beijing, he was talking about how he was and what the general trend of the world was, but now it is the other way around, Xing'er is talking, her mouth is not idle, full of new terms, what workers' and peasants' alliances, political consultations, socialism, ****.

Chen Zikun interjected with a smile: "Xing'er, you are making a lot of progress now." ”

Sibao said: "That's it, my mother is a street activist." ”

was chatting, Baoqing came back, he was wearing a blue canvas overalls, carrying a lunch box, his head was shaved shiny, and his waist was straight when he walked, and he had long lost the decadence of the year.

"Yo, the Great Kunzi is here, I have been looking forward to your coming." Baoqing's voice is like a bell, revealing spirit.

"Baoqing, our brothers have met again, you don't look old at all." Chen Zikun stepped forward to hug his old friend, and the two looked at each other and laughed.

Baoqing took a step back, looked at Chen Zikun with gray temples, and said with emotion: "Brother, you are really old." ”

Chen Zikun said: "No way, I have to worry about the 30 million fathers and elders in Jiangdong, it's strange that my hair is not gray." ”

Xing'er said: "Don't worry about that, now that Lao Jiang has run away, imperialism has also run away, in the future, we will focus on construction, building a socialist New China, and the whole country will work together, so you don't have to work hard." ”

Chen Zikun said: "What Sister Xing'er said is reasonable, when the country is unified, there will be less internal friction, and you can concentrate on construction." ”

Baoqing said: "I'm hungry, let's eat, there is no preparation at home, go down to the restaurant, and invite me to the east." ”

Chen Zikun said: "Yo, Baoqing is developed." ”

Baoqing said: "No, the People's Liberation Army is here, my good days are also here, now our family is a revolutionary military family, and I am a model worker in the district, and the organization plans to set up a new transportation company, and I will be hired as the deputy manager." ”

Chen Zikun said: "Then dare to be kind, the eldest son joined the army?" In which troops? ”

Sibao hurriedly said: "The eldest brother is a combat hero of the Fourth Field Army, and now he is a correspondent in Wuhan with Deputy Commander Wang. ”

Xing'er said: "By the way, there are still awards at home, Sibao quickly take them out and show them to Uncle Chen." ”

Bao Qing said: "Coincidentally, the big bolt was injured and hospitalized in Wuhan, and I met an old acquaintance, guess who?" Wang Dongliang! Deputy Commander Wang! ”

Chen Zikunqi said: "He has become a deputy commander, not bad, I remember that after Feng Yuxiang was defeated in the Central Plains, the army was partially absorbed by Zhang Xueliang, and Wang Dongliang was transferred at that time, probably after the Xi'an Incident, he joined the Communist Party...... Cast into the light, he is on the right step, and I have the opportunity to meet him. ”

Baoqing smiled and said, "It's easy to do, let the big bolt arrange." ”

Suddenly, Chen Zikun remembered that he seemed to have seen Zhao Jiayong at the station, so he asked about other old friends.

Baoqing sighed and said: "Zhao Jiayong has always been mixed with Li Junqing, and he doesn't have much contact with us, it seems that he became a station police again, and was retained by the new government after liberation." ”

"What about Li Junqing?"

"People are beautiful again now, and they are ** people." Xing'er said lightly, and seemed to be very unkind to Li Junqing.

"Oh, see you later." Chen Zikun didn't continue this topic, it was getting late, everyone went out to eat, Xing'er said that you can go, I will take the children to eat at home, Baoqing has a face: "On the day of reunion, it is not good to have one less, all of them will go." ”

The two families came to Donglaishun Restaurant and asked for a private seat upstairs, a hot pot made of pure copper, and a thin slice of mutton like a cicada's wings was placed on the plate, and the blue flowers on the plate could be seen, which was really like a work of art.

Baoqing raised his glass: "First glass, let's wish long live Chairman Mao and long live Commander-in-Chief Zhu." ”

Chen Zikun said: "Okay, this proposal is good. ”

After drinking the first cup, Baoqing poured the second cup and said, "The second cup, Brother Haihai, he is not blessed, he can't drink with us." ”

Chen Zikun was a little gloomy, spilled this glass of wine on the ground, and said: "This cup of wine, not only to Brother Dahai, but also to Ziming." ”

Baoqing said: "Yes, respect them two, the Zhao family is a loyal martyr, and they are the heroes of our miscellaneous courtyard." ”

In the third cup, Baoqing said: "This cup, I wish our brothers better and better." ”

This hot pot is really hearty, Baoqing asked for two catties of white dry, and Chen Zikun drank it, it was not enough to drink it, and he asked for two catties, until his tongue was big, and it was not easy to speak.

"Big, Da Kunzi, I've lived a hard life all these years, a huge car factory is trampled in my hands, the Japanese scrape, the Kuomintang scrape, and in the end there is not even a car left, my little son died miserably, but if there is two dollars in his pocket, he can't hurt him...... Say a thousand words and ten thousand, thank you***, thank Chairman Mao and his old man, without our People's Liberation Army, the hard life of our poor people will not end. ”

As he spoke, Baoqing's tears fell, the man didn't flick when he had tears, no matter how hard and tired he was, he didn't shed tears, and now he has a good life, but he shed tears.

After drinking, Baoqing was already drunk, Xing'er was very embarrassed, and apologized to Chen Zikun: "Baoqing is really, the night pot at the bedside is not a guy who holds wine, let you see the joke." ”

Chen Zikun said: "Baoqing is happy, he has been holding back for too long, I understand." ”

The two families went back separately, and Xing'er and Erbao carried Baoqing home, and kept counting him all the way.

Baoqing said: "I'm not drunk, I'm sober, I'm fifty years old, except for the wedding day, I haven't been so happy in my life, I raised my eyebrows." ”

Xing'er said: "You are a coolie who pulls a cart, and you still drag words, do you know what it means to raise your eyebrows?" ”

Baoqing said: "I don't know, I understand everything, over the years, the old brothers have been better than me, Da Kunzi is a big official, Xiao Shunzi is a Shanghai Tang tycoon, not to mention Li Junqing, no matter if he is a Kuomintang Japanese***, he can get on top, just count me as the most unproductive, Xing'er, you followed me, I really wronged you, if you married Da Kunzi, you can't suffer so much with me." ”

Xing'er said: "Phew, what are you talking nonsense, there are so many wives of Da Kunzi, I followed him, that is really unlucky." ”

Baoqing said to himself: "Now it's my turn to develop, the district leader said, approve me to be a probationary party member, and I can become a regular after a period of inspection, and I will have to attend the people's congress on behalf of the transportation company in the future, and I will slowly go out of production." ”

Xing'er said: "What do you mean to be out of production?" ”

Baoqing muttered a few words, his feet were empty, and he tilted his head and fell asleep.

……

When Chen Zikun returned to the Beijing Hotel, it was already half past eight, and the staff were very anxious, and when they saw him coming back, they greeted him and said: "General Chen, you can come back, and I have received a notice from my superiors that Chairman Mao will meet you in Zhongnanhai tomorrow." ”