Chapter 240: The Flag-Raising Ceremony

Veterans need to work and eat, too.

There were quite a few veterans working all sorts of jobs in the Capital.

Renting a cheap yet decent house wasn’t easy in the Capital. The cost of living here was relatively high compared to other places.

To solve their problem with the Chen Family, Yun Jiao’s family needed to find tenants for the house who could handle trouble, stand their ground, and wouldn’t cause any damage.

Knowing the Chen Family’s nature, even if they knew Chen Wei had sold the house, they wouldn’t just let it go if it was unoccupied. They’d probably be shameless enough to break the lock and move right in.

Therefore, the house had to be occupied.

And veterans were indeed the best choice.

In the end, the Yun family all thought it was a good idea and unanimously agreed.

As it happened, Elder Wu knew where to find such people.

"I know a transport company that was founded not too long ago. It was started by a few veterans, and most of the people there are veterans. You could go ask them."

Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe said, "We’ll go ask tomorrow."

With a solution for the house, everyone felt much more relaxed. They chatted and laughed as they ate.

After that, they weren’t in a hurry to find tenants. Since they were already in the Capital, the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square was something they couldn’t miss.

At around three in the morning, Yun Jiao was plucked from her warm bed.

Bleary-eyed, Yun Jiao had never woken up this early before, and even her hair seemed to radiate resentment.

Yun Linhai held her and said, "Jiaojiao, we have to go to Tiananmen Square now. If we wait any longer, it’ll be too crowded to even get in."

Don’t ask how they knew. They’d gone once before, at around six in the morning.

Boy, were they shocked that time. The square was a sea of people, and since they were inexperienced and arrived late, they were pushed all the way to the outermost edge.

In the end, they could only see the red flag from a distance after it was raised high into the air.

So today, they were determined to make up for their previous failure and stand at the very front!

Yun Linhai simply wrapped Yun Jiao up in a towel, hoisted her onto his shoulders, and took off running.

"Hurry, hurry! We have to get a good spot today."

The sky was still dark, but everyone in the Yun family, except for Yun Jiao and a few of the other little ones, was full of energy.

Even the two elders were the same.

It was clear just how strong their conviction was to see the flag-raising with their own eyes.

When they arrived at the square, they spread a blanket directly on the ground and sat down.

"Jiaojiao, you can go back to sleep. We’ll wake you when it starts."

Yun Jiao yawned, her head already nodding. Without even hearing what her dad was saying, she groggily drifted off to sleep.

As time passed, she could sense the growing noise around her, but with her family nearby, she didn’t wake up.

Not until her dad picked her up and started running frantically.

Yun Jiao woke with a start. ’What’s going on?’

A tuft of hair sticking up on her head, she looked around and was surprised to find that everyone around them was running frantically too.

"Faster, faster! It’s starting in an hour."

"Hahaha... Sleeping directly in the square last night was definitely the right call."

"How come there are more and more people coming to see the flag-raising now!"

"Duh. It’s not just people from the Capital anymore. Anyone visiting the Capital makes it a point to see the flag-raising."

’Oh, so there’s no danger.’

Yun Jiao’s mouth hung slightly open. She couldn’t quite understand why so many people would come to watch a flag-raising.

’It’s so lively.’

When Yun Linhai stopped, Yun Jiao, sitting on her dad’s shoulders, saw a vast sea of people.

’There are so many people.’

As the time drew near, the flag-raising honor guard, dressed in military uniforms, marched forward in neat formation, looking valiant and heroic.

Their movements seemed rigid and somewhat mechanical, yet when they performed them, there was a unique kind of beauty.

As that brilliant splash of red rose and fluttered in the wind, everyone’s gaze followed its ascent.

It was as if, at that moment, regardless of age or gender, the only color in anyone’s eyes was that splash of red.

Despite the huge crowd in the square, everyone wore solemn, excited expressions, and no one made a sound.

Yun Jiao felt it—a sense of unity she had never experienced before.

’This... really is a magical, yet captivating country.’

It was an experience that she, a Merfolk who had always lived in solitude, had never had.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, that brilliant splash of red was unknowingly reflected in Yun Jiao’s clear, bright eyes.

After the flag-raising ceremony, everyone began to leave, though they still wished it could have lasted longer.

So many people, willing to sleep here overnight, all gathered together just to watch that splash of brilliant red rise high into the sky.

Not a single person complained; there were smiles in everyone’s eyes.

But...

There were too many people. They had been watching the ceremony so intently that Yun Jiao and Yun Linhai, who was holding her, were separated from the rest of their family by the crowd.

He was frantic with worry.

Most importantly, at this critical moment, Yun Linhai desperately had to pee.

A grown man, his face flushed red from holding it in, he held Yun Jiao, completely at a loss.

Finally, he spotted a few soldiers on guard duty and hurried over.

"Soldier, please help! Can you watch my kid for a moment? We got separated from our family, and I really have to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he left Yun Jiao there and bolted.

Yun Jiao: ???

"Jiaojiao, wait for Dad to come back!"

Leaving Yun Jiao to stare blankly at the two soldiers on duty.

A moment later, Yun Jiao understood her situation. She raised a small, tender hand and greeted the two of them.

"Hello, big brothers."

The two men didn’t speak. They stood ramrod straight, and though they glanced at her, they mostly kept their eyes fixed forward.

Yun Jiao didn’t mind. She squatted down beside them.

The combination of stoic tough guys and a cute kid attracted quite a bit of attention.

Someone with a camera aimed it at them and snapped a flurry of pictures.

Yun Chenbei had also been separated from the group and happened to be walking this way.

The moment he saw them, he subconsciously raised his camera and took a picture. Only then did it belatedly dawn on him—wasn’t that his little sister?!

"Jiaojiao!"

Yun Chenbei ran over, but one of the soldiers on duty gave him a sharp look and raised a hand to stop his approach.

"Halt."

Yun Chenbei stopped in his tracks.

Yun Jiao paused for a second, then her eyes lit up with a happy surprise.

"Fourth Brother!"

Seeing that they knew each other, the soldier returned to his post.

Only then did Yun Chenbei walk over, a little awkwardly. He glanced at the two soldiers before squatting down to ask Yun Jiao,

"What are you doing here?"

Yun Jiao took his hand. "Dad went to the bathroom, so he left me here."

Yun Chenbei understood. ’That makes sense,’ he thought. ’When it comes to safety, there’s probably no place safer than this.’

"Then let’s wait here for Uncle."

And so, the lone squatting figure of Yun Jiao became two, both of them resting their chins in their hands.

When Yun Linhai returned, he profusely thanked the two soldiers before leaving with his daughter and nephew.

"Bye-bye, big brothers~"

Yun Jiao now understood a little better why so many people admired soldiers.