Three or Two Things about Rebirth

"It is said that in order to respond to the Beijing Asian Games, the scale of our county sports meeting has been expanded." Han Meifen was infected by the noisy voices and her voice was very excited.

The two entered the stadium from the northwest entrance. Han Meifen pointed at a corner of the stadium and said, "Over there! There's a red flag waving over there. Could it be your second brother?"

Qiu Luming couldn't see clearly. Her keen hearing was particularly tortured in such an occasion. She subconsciously pulled her ears and told herself not to hear anything.

Finally finding a small group of people wearing the same gym clothes as her, she pointed and said, "Let's go over there!"

At half past eight, the teams from all units were basically in place, as were the staff. Some had cameras around their necks, some carried whistles and held starting guns, and some held small flags, notebooks, and red finish lines.

Han Meifen suddenly grabbed Qiu Luming's hand excitedly and looked in the direction she was looking. She saw the independent team of the County Public Security Bureau marching down the slope beside the road and walking to the basketball court outside the stadium which served as a temporary venue.

"My second brother isn't there."

"...I didn't say that."

"He should be in a separate honor guard. This year's honor guard is composed of retired soldiers. My second brother is the only policeman!" Qiu Luming said proudly.

Han Meifen was suddenly happier than Qiu Luming, "Your second brother is really awesome!"

Qiu Luming knew what Han Meifen was thinking, but to be honest, she would not match her with her second brother. She sincerely felt that Han Meifen was kind and gentle, and could be a friend, but she was not qualified to be her second sister-in-law. Her second brother was so outstanding, and Han Meifen was not worthy of him. She had an ordinary appearance, a cowardly character, and was not very smart, which would definitely affect the quality of her second brother's family's offspring.

But Han Meifen seemed to have never planned to do anything with her second brother. No, it was not that she had no plan, but she didn't dare. She didn't even dare to look Qiu Jiashu in the eye.

Qiu Luming suddenly felt a little sorry for Han Meifen.

She handed her backpack to Han Meifen and said, "Don't stay here with me in the sun. Go to the No. 2 Middle School stand. I'll come find you after the game."

"I'm not going. I'll wait for you at your unit's stand."

"OK then."

The leaders on the rostrum took their seats at some point, and the music changed to the athletes' march.

Qiu Luming was a little excited. She did not listen to the commentary of the male and female hosts on the radio. She just looked at the leading guard of honor that was already lined up on the runway. There were nineteen people in this guard of honor. There was a four-by-four square behind them and three flag bearers in front. The one carrying the flag in the middle was her second brother Qiu Jiashu!

Qiu Luming swayed his body left and right, trying to see more clearly, but the people around him were also looking around, and someone said:

Wow, these guys, all of them have straight legs, they look really good!

Hey, look, isn't that the guy carrying the flag the one who sang Green Apple Paradise during the performance?

What are you looking at? This is Qiu Jiashu from the Public Security Bureau, the one playing the accordion!

Oh, yes, I got it mixed up. This guy is really handsome, how did his parents give birth to him? Hey, all of them are handsome! The guy next to Qiu Jiashu is also very energetic!

Isn’t that Xie Yong’s younger brother? He served in the army and just returned from military service.

Hey, which unit are you from? Can I introduce you to my cousin?

Come on, how could anyone be interested in your short cousin?

My cousin has a good job!

......

Qiu Luming also saw Xie Zhi. He didn't know whose police uniform he was wearing, but he looked quite handsome, only slightly inferior to his second brother.

The broadcast music suddenly changed to a review march. At someone's command, the 19 members of the honor guard stepped out with their left feet at the same time. Applause broke out immediately, and then Qiu Luming could not see anything, even when he stood on tiptoe.

Behind the guard of honor was the guard of honor composed of elementary school students. Twenty big drums, twenty trumpets, and twenty small drums, started the march with a grand momentum.

Tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick...

dong dong dong, dong dong dong!

The coordination between the bass drum, snare drum and trumpet was so perfect that Qiu Luming couldn't help but follow the rhythm.

Behind them followed the student teams from the first and second primary schools. The primary school students were the most serious, wearing white shirts and blue pants, with red faces. The girls had huge flowers tied on their heads with gauze scarves that were bigger than their heads. When they marched, they lifted their feet high and swung their arms higher than their shoulders.

The team from No. 1 Middle School was relatively conventional, waving only small colorful flags in their hands.

The team of No. 2 Middle School was eye-catching. It had a team of 80 people. The boys wore white shoes and white sports suits, with their arms stretched out holding red flags. The girls wore white short-sleeved tops and white short skirts, and wore colorful garlands on their heads, with bells on the garlands on their hands.

Qiu Luming saw Qin Huifang sitting in the front row. This guy had a determined look on his face and it seemed that he wanted to regain the position he had lost during the performance at the sports meet.

Following them were the joint team of government agencies, the Forestry Bureau, the Grain System, the Electric Power Bureau, the Culture and Education Bureau, the Banking System, the Transportation Bureau, etc., and last but not least was the team from the Public Security Bureau.

As Qiu Luming's cultural and educational team stepped onto the runway, they heard slogans from the rostrum. When she turned around, she saw that the guard of honor had already passed the rostrum. She was in the leftmost row and could not see the audience, but she could see the general situation on the rostrum in the distance.

When the second Chinese team passed the rostrum, the girls' team actually stood still, changed formation, sang and danced, winning the warmest applause and cheers.

The cultural and educational team had only practiced together for ten days, and except for the two leaders at the front, the mob at the back was not good enough. When passing the rostrum, the leader shouted "Look to the right", and everyone changed their steps and looked to the right at the same time. All they could hear was the chaotic footsteps, like dumplings being dropped into the water, and there was a gentle laugh from the stands.

Qiu Luming had practiced with her second brother in private. He even praised her for her good marching skills and said she was qualified to be the team leader. However, the team always had the limelight from those people from the cultural center and she had no chance at all. She didn't want to fight for anything in this messy team, not even the leader. She just hoped not to be a drag.

The situation of other units was not much better. The team from the Forestry Bureau walked unsteadily and waved to the rostrum. Two teams didn't even change their marching step and just got through.

When the cultural and educational team was standing in the open space inside the runway, the Public Security Bureau team happened to pass by the rostrum. That was called a review. The team of forty people marched in neat steps and coordinated movements. Their cap badges and shoulder straps reflected bright light in the sun. Their white gloves made their movements even more uniform. The simple slogans of "One, two!" resounded through the sky.

After all the teams are standing still, the flag-raising ceremony will begin.

Qiu Luming discovered that his second brother was not only the flag bearer, but also the flag raiser.

The flags fluttered in the wind, and the sky, which was gloomy in the early morning, became cloudless without anyone noticing.

Qiu Luming feels proud and happy in such an environment. She rarely dreams of escaping. Now the years are peaceful and the country is prosperous and the people are safe. She could never have imagined that she could still live such a life.