Zhao Tianlei quickly ran over to take pictures.
"When dawn breaks, we’ll take another one," he said.
The summer sky brightens early.
But it still wasn’t fully light.
"Mom, wait a minute, you stand next to the flag-raising platform, and I’ll take a photo of you," Zhao Tianlei said.
"Grandma, it’s starting, it’s starting!" Da Bao called out.
At the sound of Da Bao’s voice, they all instantaneously turned to look in that direction.
"Let’s move a little closer," Mrs. Zhao suggested.
The flag guard soldiers dressed in military uniforms came out.
Yun Xiaoxiao followed along.
They witnessed a flag-raising ceremony.
In the twenty-first century, watching a flag-raising ceremony would indeed be swarmed with huge crowds.
But in this era, there were only a scattering of people watching the raising of the flag.
Mrs. Zhao watched the national flag slowly ascend while listening to the anthem, feeling a distinct sensation.
After the ceremony, the flag guard quickly departed.
"Mom, stand here by the watchtower, and I’ll take a photo," Zhao Tianlei said.
Mrs. Zhao stood as instructed by Xiaoxiao.
It was said that when the nation was established, the Great Leader stood right there to announce the founding of the country.
They had to capture this moment in a photo, to later show it to the folks back home.
They also took pictures by the People’s Heroes Monument.
"Wife, I’ll take one for you too," Zhao Tianlei offered.
Yun Xiaoxiao posed without objection.
"Mom, shall I take one of you and Dad?" Da Bao asked.
Like them, there were only a few people taking pictures in the plaza.
Even though the country had opened up, not many were there taking photographs.
"Sure," Mrs. Zhao agreed.
"Dad, I am hungry," Xiao Bao said, rubbing his stomach. At this time, they would usually be having breakfast, but they had not eaten yet.
"Let’s go eat," Zhao Tianlei said.
If they were hungry, they needed to eat.
After all, they had the whole day free and could take their time to explore.
It seemed it had been a long time since the family went out together for a day.
Zhao Tianlei took his family to a nearby noodle shop, ordered zhajiang noodles for everyone, and also got everyone a tea egg.
The authentic zhajiang noodles, with boiled noodles, were not dry but rather chewy, and tasted pretty good with the sauce.
The taste of the tea eggs wasn’t as good, though.
"Where shall we go after this?" Mrs. Zhao inquired.
Surely they couldn’t make them climb the Great Wall, could they?
"Xiao Bao, we’re going to climb the Great Wall, do you want to go?" Zhao Tianlei asked.
Climb the Great Wall?
"Xiao Bao is too young. Climbing for several hours will be too much for him," Mrs. Zhao said.
Not just Xiao Bao, Xiaoxiao would struggle too.
"Should we still go and take a look?" Zhao Tianlei pondered.
In the end, they bought quite a lot of snacks, and thankfully they had brought water bottles with them and filled them up. Then, they took a bus to climb the Great Wall.
Before even starting the climb, Da Bao and Xiao Bao were already excited.
"Mom, is it really long?" Xiao Bao asked.
Did that even need answering?
"We’ll have to walk for several hours. Make sure you wear your hats, and if we’re lucky, we might even see the sea," Mrs. Zhao said.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao had never seen the ocean, despite how old they had grown.
The two brothers were a bit thrilled at the thought of seeing the sea.
How could they not be excited?
I’m encouraging you now, but when you’re tired or hungry, we will return to the city.
We’ve brought you here to witness the invaluable treasures left to us by our ancestors.
"Mom, if we get tired, we’ll rest," Zhao Tianlei said.
Mrs. Zhao nodded in agreement.
Yun Xiaoxiao looked at the Great Wall, her gaze extending into the distance, noting that many parts of the wall had not been renovated or repaired.
Yet it remained one of the most impressive structures near the capital.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao began to climb energetically, as if the challenge was a small matter for them.
But the children, the Great Wall really is very long. With buses and cable cars available, one could still spend several hours without being able to finish the climb.