No matter what happens in the world, the only thing that can hold on to one's nature and still walk unhurriedly at one's own pace is time. Time is both ordinary and strange to people, ordinary because it has its presence in everyone, whether it is an emperor or a beggar, no matter where you are and what you are doing, it treats you equally. The strangeness is that everyone knows about its existence, but has never seen it itself. It can't be seen and touched, and it has traces of its leaves on everyone, but no one knows how it does it.

It is worthless when a person is young, but it is unusually precious when he enters the sixtieth year. History is innumerable in history where time has tried to stand still in itself, but all of them have failed. However, while time is fair for everyone, people often express different feelings.

Some people will use time like a white horse to feel that time flies too quickly when they recall, and they will disappear all of a sudden before they have carefully tasted it. However, there are also those who spend their days complaining about the slow flow of time. And now, most people in Harbin feel that way.

Time flies, and a month has passed since the massacre at the train station. This month's ups and downs not only dazzled the people in Harbin, but even the entire Chinese people were a little overwhelmed.

The lobby on the first floor of a Shandong restaurant on the central avenue of Harbin City was already full of people, some of them only ordered a bowl of white porridge and a plate of small pickles, and they had to take advantage of the unique hot pot in winter, but no matter what they ordered, they all had a common feature, that is, they all closed their mouths and kept their ears open to listen to the conversation in a big box on the counter.

“…… In view of the above considerations, our Boxer Rebellion will officially change its name to the Boxer Regiment. At the same time, it is announced to the people of the whole country that from today. Our Boxer Corps will officially take over the whole of Heilongjiang and exercise wartime military control with the ultimate goal of destroying the ocean. With the aim of expelling all Chinese foreigners, we will work hard for life! At the same time, the legitimacy of the Feng Army, which cooperated with the Japanese, the Red Party, which cooperated with the Russians, and the Nanking government, which cooperated with the Americans, was absolutely not recognized. And I advise all the warlords who have contact with the foreigners to immediately kill all the foreigners in the territory, otherwise our Boxer Legion will regard you as collaborators and traitors, and carry out the necessary actions under suitable conditions! ……”

An old man in a white suit put his wine glass on the table heavily, sighed, and said, "Alas! It's going to be eventful again! As soon as the life of the common people had stopped, the Boxer Rebellion had revived! ”

A small vendor selling cigarettes who was wandering back and forth in the lobby next to him hurriedly stopped him nervously. Concerned: "The old gentleman is very talking! Although the Boxers did not steal things or collect taxes, they could control people's mouths. Yesterday I saw a drunk man on the street scolding the Boxers for their perverse behavior, and I was ...... was dragged away by the patrol soldiers! ”

An old man who drank white porridge raised his head and answered: "I also saw this, the patrol soldier sent the drunk man directly to the coolie camp, and later I heard that he was sentenced to three months of hard labor by an old man called the judge, saying that he was going to build a railway. Saying that, he smacked his lips a little regretfully and said, "It's a good young man, I must be tired when I come out!" ”

"That's for sure!" On the opposite side, a young man in a cardigan robe gloated and smiled: "A few days ago, Qian Ji's boss harbored a foreigner in his house, and he was a coolie who was fined for fifteen days. The fat body of more than 200 catties is the tendon meat that has been trained into a body. This guy will only be able to come out in three months. That big bag must be a good hand! ”

The old gentleman smiled and nodded to the vendor in thanks, and said, "I have heard what you said." Thank you for your kindness to me, but it's different here! ”

"Why is it different?" The small trader was a little stunned and said, "The Boxers don't catch some people every day. What do you propagate to speak with facts, and to make false remarks at will...... ...... offense"

"Guilty of defamation!" A student in a tunic at another table looked up and answered.

"Yes, it's slander!" The peddler blinked and nodded.

Everyone laughed, this little vendor usually sells cigarettes. I don't know a single big word but is kind-hearted, and I am not old but I am a little old who has been tempered by the troubled times, and everyone sees him showing his innocence at this time. I think it's very interesting.

The old gentleman raised his hand and pointed, "Do you know what that is?" ”

The vendor looked back and saw that there was a plaque on the wall in the middle of the building. I was very curious, thinking that it had been more than half a month since the restaurant was opened in Shandong, and I ran here all day long, why didn't I find that there was such a thing suddenly.

The young man who looked like a student stood up, pointed to the plaque and explained to the vendor with a smile: "These four big characters are freedom of speech!" ”

"Huh?" The vendor was surprised, and looked at the students and then at the old gentleman, only to see that they were all smiling and nodding.

The old gentleman knew that he was puzzled, and said with a smile: "I know that you must be looking like now, why do the Boxers promote prudence and prudence in the city every day, but this restaurant dares to blatantly contradict it?" ”

The little trader hurriedly said: "Yes, this old shopkeeper is a good person." I was displaced to the door of the restaurant half a month ago, and the stench of being seriously ill was no different from that of calling Hanako, and it was the old shopkeeper who personally carried me into the house and gave me treatment to pick up a life. Isn't he killing himself by doing this now, old man, you are a cultural person, help me persuade the old shopkeeper! ”

Everyone didn't expect that there would be such a story in it, and they couldn't help but be a little moved. The old gentleman patted the hand of the small trader with emotion and said, "Child, you don't have to worry. The old shopkeeper of this Shandong restaurant is not an ordinary person, he was the number one in the Boxer Rebellion that entered Beijing back then. Do you think he dared to put up such a sign without the support of the Boxers? ”

The little trader was a little confused, and said inexplicably: "Why is this?" The Boxers did not allow them to speak outside, and encouraged people to speak inside the house, didn't they slap themselves in the face? ”

"What did you say?" The peddler had not yet received an answer from the old gentleman, but he unexpectedly angered the other one. Also adjacent to the old gentleman's table, a lady in a fiery red dress stood up at the table near the counter, strode up to the vendor, grabbed his neck and roared, "What are you bastards talking about?" Do you want to insult Commander Wang of the Boxer Legion, or do you want to insult the old shopkeeper of this shop? ”

A woman at the same table with her frowned faintly and said softly, "Hongluan, come back!" I've been a soldier for a month, why can't you change your bandit nature! ”

The little girl named Hongluan reluctantly let go of the vendor, snorted heavily, and returned to her seat. The elegant woman got up gently, gently helped the old gentleman and the students on the table, and said, "The young and ignorant little maid has caused trouble for a few people!" ”

The people at the two tables hurriedly got up and saluted with a somewhat complicated expression, and she didn't lower her voice when she spoke just now, and the two sensitive words "soldier" and "bandit" entered the ears of these people. Now the whole of Heilongjiang is a Boxer, and if you say that you are a soldier, you must be a soldier of the Boxer. Just now, I and the others were still talking about them, but I didn't think that they had been listening silently on the sidelines. This scene is frightening and embarrassing at the same time!

After apologizing, the woman ignored them, and fiddled with the intricate tea set in front of her, not taking into account the fact that the restaurant here was not a teahouse.

The two tables were silent for a while, and finally the curiosity of the small trader took over, and he gently pulled the old gentleman's sleeve and whispered, "Sir, you haven't said this yet...... What is the paradox? As he spoke, he looked back several times in fear, and his feet were also in a posture of exerting force one after the other, as if he was ready to see the little girl Hongluan coming, and immediately ran away.

The old gentleman glanced cautiously at the elegant woman, and saw that her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be not interested in everything around her, immersed in the world of tea. looked at the "freedom of speech" plaque above, and couldn't help but shake his head because he was too careful about himself, and then said: "You may not know that the old shopkeeper of this restaurant is not only an old man of the Boxers, but their family also has an extraordinary relationship with the current Commander Wang Zheng Wang of the Boxer Army. In the early days when the Boxers banned speech, they arrested many people who didn't know how to speak, and for a time the entire city of Harbin was in a big rage, and everyone was in danger almost to the extent that all the grass and trees were soldiers. During this period, some relatives and friends who were arrested did not know where they learned about the relationship between the old shopkeeper and Commander Wang, and they asked someone to help intercede. The old shopkeeper is a kind person, and he can't bear to see so many people being convicted for their words. So he took the initiative to contact Commander Wang, who was still in Harbin at the time, stated the interests and put forward the remarks, this thing cannot be blocked, and it is the best policy to follow Dayu's water control side. After careful consideration, Commander Wang agreed to the old shopkeeper's request, but only agreed to issue ten plaques. He also promised that as long as he spoke in a place where a plaque was hung, he would not be allowed to obey the forbidden law. That's why we dare to talk here without worrying that any soldier will take us away at any time! ”

"Oh! I understand! The peddler slapped his hands in realisation and said, "This plaque must have been hung up three days ago!" ”

"Why?" The student wondered.

The peddler was triumphant, pointed at them, and said, "Because it's only been overcrowded since three days ago!" ”

Everyone was stunned and burst out laughing. (To be continued......)