Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 423 - 421: Watching the Flag-Raising Ceremony

"Prepare well, it doesn’t matter if the foreign food is good or bad, just don’t let our own kids suffer."

With Uncle’s advice, Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian went to join the main group.

The two of them left a day early, taking the opportunity to see a flag-raising ceremony in Beijing.

Although Wang Fan had stayed in Beijing for more than ten years, he had never seen it, which was a bit of a regret. Conveniently, Zhuo Qianqian hadn’t seen it either, so they took this chance to make up for it.

They took the high-speed train, departing from Harbin at 5:30 in the afternoon and arriving in Beijing by 11:00 in the evening.

The experience of riding on Huaxia’s high-speed train is much more comfortable than flying.

As long as there is no extremely bad weather or unruly passengers, the punctuality rate of the high-speed train is astonishingly high.

At 11 p.m., Wang Fan promptly set foot on the soil of Beijing.

At that time, there wasn’t really a need to find a place to rest. They simply ate something at the high-speed rail station and headed straight to Tian’anmen.

Each carrying a small backpack, their luggage had long been sent ahead and was ready for them.

Upon getting off the train, Zhuo Qianqian excitedly said, "Let’s go, Boss. I saw online that if we wait until one or two in the morning, we can only see the back of people’s heads. Let’s go now."

"I need to charge my phone well, so I can live stream for my dad. He must want to see it too."

Wang Fan thought the same: "How about I stream for my uncle?"

Zhuo Qianqian chuckled, "No need, just pull everyone into a group chat, right?"

Wang Fan nodded, took Zhuo Qianqian, and got into a taxi.

The high-speed rail station is not close to Tian’anmen. Even with no traffic at night, it took more than an hour to get there.

Yesterday, Zhuo Qianqian had already made a reservation, so they prepared their ID cards and started heading towards Tian’anmen through security.

It was already 12:30 in the morning, but even at this time, many people were going with them.

Everyone’s face showed some excitement, as if they were all looking forward to the flag-raising ceremony that would take place in the morning.

Upon entering, many people were resting in place, some spreading out mats to lie on, some live streaming with their phones; there were old and young, men and women, and even many foreigners of different skin colors.

Wang Fan also had a mat in his backpack. After laying it out in an empty spot, he sat down to rest; the summer night in Beijing was dry and stuffy, fortunately, the ground temperature wasn’t as scalding as during the day.

Though there were many people, everyone was well-behaved, no one was making loud noises, even the children’s voices were deliberately kept low, without any loud commotion.

Time ticked by, and even though they had slept deeply on the high-speed train, Zhuo Qianqian was still sleeping sweetly against Wang Fan, while Wang Fan couldn’t.

It was as if he had a natural mosquito-attracting body constitution, even though he had sprayed mosquito repellent, several mosquitoes continued to buzz around him, occasionally getting up close and personal.

And it seemed mosquitoes were getting smarter; the old kind that buzzed incessantly was easily spotted, but these new ones were silent and could swiftly leave a series of bumps.

Infuriated, Wang Fan pressed a cross with his fingers on each bump before applying anti-itch mosquito medicine on them.

"It’s happening!"

With an excited shout, those who were squatting, sitting, or lying, instantly stood up, grabbing their stuff and began rushing.

Wang Fan hurriedly woke Zhuo Qianqian, gathered their things, and joined the crowd for a little jog.

Even so, by the time they reached the spot, there were already five or six rows of people in front.

Zhuo Qianqian was a bit annoyed; although she was tall for a girl, there were more than just girls in front, and her height offered no advantage.

Wang Fan, however, was taller than those people, able to see everything clearly in front of him.

At that moment, the streetlights and the lights of Tian’anmen had just gone out, and Zhuo Qianqian held up her phone to live stream to Uncle and Mr. Zhuo, both of whom watched with intense excitement.

Some children couldn’t see clearly in their parents’ arms, and many parents simply put their kids on their shoulders. Seeing this, Wang Fan squatted down and hoisted his girlfriend onto his shoulders.

Zhuo Qianqian was delighted, feeling like she was on top of the world.

Dawn was breaking, gradually lightening the horizon; with a command, the flag escort team marched out from Jinshui Bridge, crossed Chang’an Street, and headed towards the flag-raising platform.

Their powerful and rhythmic steps echoed like the sound of clashing swords and armored horses.

"So cool!"

"Of course, all the handsome guys are given to the country. What’s left here?"

"If I enlist now, does that guarantee a marriage match? I wouldn’t be picky, I’d follow orders."

The girl expressed her determination with two ’absolutelys’.

The flag escort team reached the flag-raising platform; the flag-bearer quickly secured the Five-Starred Red Flag to the flagpole rope, and the original murmuring immediately went silent, so much so that you could hear a pin drop.

At this moment, the sun was rising from the horizon, and simultaneously, the flag raiser’s arm swung forcefully.

The Five-Starred Red Flag unfurled in the wind, rising slowly along with the inspiring sound of the national anthem.

In that moment, time seemed to freeze, and everyone’s gaze followed that vibrant red, focused on the flag; Wang Fan was filled with pride and excitement, subconsciously humming along.

Even the shyest person couldn’t help but join in at this moment.

Initially, it was just humming, but gradually the sound grew louder as everyone sang along with that stirring music.

Wang Fan had never been shocked by electricity, but he was absolutely certain his current feeling was akin to being electrified. That tingling sensation made his blood surge, the volume of his singing growing uncontrollably.

Countless small Five-Starred Red Flags waved in people’s hands, as if everyone was using every ounce of their strength.

Uncle, tears streaming down his face, watched the live stream on his phone, wearing his cherished military uniform that he had preserved for years, and saluted with the most standard military gesture.

Mr. Zhuo also had tear-filled eyes, able to deeply feel the strong atmosphere even from a distance.

As the flag rose to the top of the pole, the national anthem concluded, but the solemn and respectful atmosphere lingered.

People lifted their phones and cameras to capture this unforgettable moment, many with tears in their eyes, moved by this profound patriotism.

Zhuo Qianqian climbed down from Wang Fan’s shoulders and immediately threw herself into his arms, crying her heart out.

Even many foreigners were moved to tears by the atmosphere.

Beside Wang Fan was a blond-haired foreign man in his forties or fifties, whose tears rivaled Zhuo Qianqian’s.

The man turned to Wang Fan and, in slightly clumsy Chinese, said, "You have a great and beautiful country."

Wang Fan looked up at the Five-Starred Red Flag fluttering in the wind with pride, "I know."