One evening at the end of December 1940, the cold wind was blowing on the Yangtze River. It was the dry season. The water level of the river was very low. It was flowing lazily to the northeast under the whipping of the cold wind. The water surface was densely wrinkled, and the Yangtze River in Nanjing in the distance was full of waves.
The bridge is already under construction. The huge concrete piers stand in the middle of the river, with pulleys, steel cables, and scaffolding on them. The workers are skillfully climbing up and down to do the work.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was wrapped in a thick coat and sat in the middle of the river, staring at the scene more than a thousand meters away, in a daze.
At this moment, underneath him was the rusty "Grasshopper". This pocket submarine still stood like this, half sunk in the sandbar. It had been "alone" in the middle of the river for five years, weathered by wind and rain, and stained with rust.
Most of the time, it is soaked in the water, with only the conning tower and a small part of the top of the hull exposed. In winter, when the water level drops, it is almost completely exposed.
At the beginning, because the downstream Yangtze River was still a military barrier to the confrontation between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was basically no commercial navigation and the place where the Grasshopper ran aground happened to be in the middle of the river, which was the dividing line between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so it did not have any impact on both sides, so it was
Because this small submarine was standing there, after the Northern Expedition, the Yangtze River was completely under the control of the Ming Dynasty. At this time, the Yangtze River's shipping role began to come into play, and some people suggested that this sunken ship should be dismantled to avoid causing danger to shipping.
However, hydrology experts recommend retaining it, because the Grasshopper is not a "sunken ship". It does not sink underwater like a reef, but is stranded on the water. Instead, it serves as a "lighthouse". Even if the submarine is dismantled, what is beneath the submarine will remain.
Anshazhou cannot be dismantled, so having such a submarine stuck on it is an obvious warning sign, letting ships know that there are shoals here and they can avoid them from a distance.
After the mechanics of the Yangtze River Fleet removed the weapons and remaining torpedoes on the boat, the shipping safety agency completely used the Grasshopper as a "lighthouse", raised its periscope high, and installed a
The warning light flashes red at night to warn ships not to come.
But in the fourth year, the Grasshopper began to sink rapidly, sinking more than one meter in half a year. If this continues, in less than a year, the Grasshopper will be under the water during the high water season, becoming a terrible "reef". Therefore,
It must be dismantled
Xiuxiu was well-informed and was the first to hear the news. She was actually quite sad after she told Xiang Xiaoqiang.
, Xiuxiu, just started his series of adventures in this time and space, and met Zhu Yourong, Zheng Yucong, Fourteenth Princess...
Xiang Xiaoqiang has lived in this time and space for five years. During this period, he has experienced countless ups and downs, countless storms and turbulence. In the lives of ordinary people, nothing can be experienced in a lifetime.
It all started with this little, injured submarine
Only then did Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly remember that in the past five years, he had never looked at it again. Neither did he, Qiu Qiu or Xiu Xiu, nor his wives. Everyone was only focused on experiencing those things.
Wonderful gale and gale, enjoying love and happiness, I didn’t even mention the Grasshopper number, just let it hang here.
Now, it was about to be towed to the shipyard to be dismantled and sold for scrap metal, and it was about to disappear somewhere forever. Only then did Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly feel that it was really necessary to revisit the place where it came from, at least to see it one more time and send it on its last journey.
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang sat alone on the command tower, leaning on the periscope and holding on to the railings, feeling the rough rust on it... Suddenly, he discovered a few words on the inner wall of the command tower under the railings.
He carefully moved his body over and leaned forward to see that the handwriting had obviously been there for a long time and was covered by rust. Xiang Xiaoqiang took out his handkerchief and wiped it hard twice to reveal the handwriting underneath.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, I read out with difficulty:
"Wang Jiajun - Yang Xiumei is here for a visit"
Won't?!
Xiang Xiaoqiang continued to search and found several more engravings:
"Li Zhongping - Su Xiaoyu, here we swear to be united forever, and we can learn from the sun and the moon."
"xxx——xxx, let's grow old together and never betray each other"
"The mountain has no edges, the heaven and the earth are harmonious, so I dare to be with you."
"Hold your hand and grow old together with me"
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't help but be moved as he read these crooked words carved on the steel plate.
——The Grasshopper, which I thought was lonely, has not been completely lonely in the past few years. It has become a holy place of love for young men and women! Whether they are passionate lovers or eloping couples, they will rent a small boat and come here.
The Grasshoppers on the sandbank in the middle of the river sit here hand in hand, just like Xiang Xiaoqiang is doing now, looking at the sunset in the sky, saying their eternal vows to each other, and using a knife to carve the love vows on the rusty steel plate...
The legendary story of the Grasshopper and the legendary love inspired by the Grasshopper have penetrated into the hearts of young people in the Ming Dynasty. Although this submarine has been rusty and dilapidated after several years of wind and rain, it has long been in the hearts of many young men and women.
It has been covered with a layer of romantic crimson...
But the protagonist in this story, himself, has completely forgotten about it in the past five years!
Thinking of this, Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't sit still. He held on to the railing and stood up carefully - the hull of the boat swayed slightly under his feet, and the steel plate under his feet made a "creep" sound. Xiang Xiaoqiang began to look at the control tower.
If there was anything that could be removed, he planned to remove one or two items from the Grasshopper as souvenirs and family heirlooms to be passed down forever.
Periscope? It seems good. After I fell into the water, I only survived by hugging this periscope. It can also be said that this periscope was the first thing I touched after coming to Ming Dynasty.
But... it's too big, too long. The whole periscope is more than ten meters long. Not to mention it is difficult to take it back. Even if it is dismantled, I don't know how to dismantle it. Xiang Xiaoqiang just wants to choose one that is easy to dismantle and hold, and at the same time
something with a certain meaning
Otherwise, just remove the handles under the periscope! At that time, Qiu Qiu was holding these handles to command the submarine and lead himself to avoid the Qing destroyers - but he didn't know how to get inside.
Do you know if it is filled with water? If there is water, everything will be rusted out in so many years.
Alternatively, you can also disassemble the propeller of the Grasshopper. The propeller of this mini-submarine is not too big and is made of copper. Take it back and polish it brightly, then install a wooden base and place it on the floor in the living room as a family
Souvenirs are also very beautiful
Alternatively, you can cut off the steel plate with the "Grasshopper" logo spray-painted on the control tower and take it back for no other reason than the three words "Grasshopper" on it.
…
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
There was a faint sound of a motor in the distance. With Xiuxiu's shouting, Xiaoqiang turned around and saw a small speedboat rowing in circles on the river. It quickly approached and Xiuxiu drove the boat in person and waved to herself.
Xiang Xiaoqiang also waved to her. They came together. They took a small speedboat and boarded the Grasshopper. They remembered each other for a while and the shipyard would come to tow it tomorrow. Xiuxiu was very sad and cried for a while while sitting on the Grasshopper.
Qiu Qiu originally wanted to come, but she has a baby to take care of, so she can't be as free as Xiu Xiu. Although Xiu Xiu is now more than two months pregnant, her belly hasn't grown yet, so she still wants to go wherever she wants.
There was a call sign on the radio just now. Xiuxiu needed to deal with the security team's affairs. Xiang Xiaoqiang wanted to stay on the Grasshopper for a while, so he asked Xiuxiu to go back first and come back to pick him up. Now, Xiuxiu is back.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that Xiuxiu was here to take him home. The sun was setting soon and it would soon become dark on the river. It would be difficult to sail the boat. Xiang Xiaoqiang held on to the railing and prepared to go down to the deck and then board the boat.
Unexpectedly, when Xiuxiu came over in a speedboat, she didn't mean to call him home. Instead, she threw the cable to Xiaoqiang, took it, tied it to the railing of the submarine, and then stretched out her arm to help Xiuxiu jump up.
Xiu climbed up to the control tower and said nothing. He just stood side by side with Xiang Xiaoqiang, blowing the river breeze, and stared at the small submarine absently.
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt moved again, stretched out his hand to hold Xiuxiu in his arms, pointed to the engraved words on the steel plate to show her, Xiuxiu took out a handkerchief, covered her mouth, and hugged Xiaoqiang tightly while looking at it, crying.
Watch it with her, as if every word was engraved by them, as if every pair of names were their names
"Your Majesty," Xiu Xiu choked and said, "let's take some fragments of the Grasshopper back... as a souvenir."
Xiuxiu and herself thought of going together... Xiang Xiaoqiang was very moved and nodded:
"That's for sure"
Xiuxiu shed tears, and after a long time, she choked and said:
"Then...where should we demolish..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt a surge of blood in his heart and blurted out:
"all!"
Xiu Xiu was startled and raised her head to look at him:
"Wang... Wangye? You mean..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was impressed by his sudden idea. He became excited and said loudly:
"Yes, that's right! I want them all! Let the shipyard collect scrap metal elsewhere! The Grasshopper can't give it to you! Just this boat, I keep it!"
A surprised smile appeared on Xiuxiu's face, staring at Xiang Xiaoqiang:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"
"Xiuxiu, take note," Xiang Xiaoqiang waved his hand and said carelessly, "When we go back, ask the Yangtze River Fleet to tell that shipyard. Tomorrow, we will come to tug the ship as usual, go to their dock to renovate it, and then give a price and send it to them.
I'll give you whatever money you have to pay for the check... Humph, it's a small broken boat, I'm sorry they don't dare to rip me off."
Xiuxiu wiped away her tears of surprise, threw herself into Xiang Xiaoqiang's arms, stood up on her toes, and kissed him hard.
"Your Majesty..." She murmured happily in Xiang Xiaoqiang's arms, "You know how happy Qiu Qiu will be... When I came, she asked me to say a few more words to Grasshopper for her...
Haha, from now on, she can come and talk to the Grasshopper every day, I'm afraid she won't come again... But, Your Majesty, after the Grasshopper is renovated, where should we place it?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang stroked Xiuxiu's hair and said while thinking:
"Well, it's easy to buy a private pier by the Yangtze River, or choose a place to buy and build a pier. That will be our family's private pier. From now on, our family's yachts, seaplanes, etc. can be parked there.
There, the Grasshopper stopped there. Later, when we got interested, we drove the Grasshopper to cruise the Yangtze River, and also drove it eastward into the sea... When the wind was calm, we would fish on the deck, but when there was a strong wind,
When the time comes, we go diving and play in the sea. We are not afraid of typhoons up to level 12, and no other yacht can compare with it... Haha, isn’t it great!”
Xiuxiu was also bewitched by him and felt relaxed and happy. When she and Qiu Qiu were in the Yangtze River Fleet, they spent all day "stealing and touching dogs" on the river, and had never gone to the sea to swim. That is, when they were in the Naval Academy, they once served on an ocean-going submarine for a short period of time.
I have been on a traineeship, but what kind of situation was that? How can it be compared with being a hostess, driving a submarine that belongs to your own family, and traveling around as you please?
…
While the two were hugging each other and "imagining", the sound of a motor came from the distance again. The two turned around and saw a slightly larger yacht approaching. The yacht looked familiar. They didn't even need to look at the flag.
Everyone immediately recognized that this was the private yacht of Yanping King Zheng Gongyin.
Xiuxiu raised the telescope and saw at a glance that on the upper deck of the yacht, Qiu Qiu was standing there steering the steering wheel with her hands in high spirits, wearing a cashmere cap crookedly, her hair fluttering in the wind. Behind her was Zheng Yuqing, who was also in high spirits.
, I was holding something in my arms and kept looking down at it. I liked it very much.
Xiuxiu smiled. Qiu Qiu couldn't help it. She came too. I'm afraid it was Cong Cong who encouraged her to come. Cong Cong "stole" her father's yacht.
Moreover, Qiu Qiu still couldn't let go of the baby, and carried the baby with her wherever she went. The baby was a daughter, and she was as cute as Qiu Qiu. Everyone liked her so much, and as soon as Qiu Qiu let go, everyone rushed to hold her.
It was as if they were all his own children. At that time, Xiang Xiaoqiang was thinking hard about the name of his daughter, but he couldn't think of a suitable name for Qiu Qiu. He didn't have much ink in his belly, and he was not good at naming. Not to mention Qiu Laohu, he thought
Their names are all "Cuihua", "Ruhua" and the like, not to mention Xiang Xiaoqiang, Qiu Qiu wouldn't let them use them even to death.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that his mother-in-law, Shang Xiaojun, was a prodigy. She was the most talented girl in Donglin back then and had been running an academy for half her life. Now she was a member of parliament. She would be easy to pick a name for. But he also thought that she was Xiuxiu's mother, so she could give Qiu Xiu a name.
The name given to Qiu’s daughter seemed a bit inappropriate no matter what – who was she to the child? Who was she to Qiu Qiu? Shang Xiaojun seemed to know it and didn’t say anything.
Finally, one time when Zhu Yourong came to play with her child, Qiu Qiu begged her to give her daughter a name. This also awakened Xiang Xiaoqiang. He knew that Zhu Yourong had read poems since he was a child and had received the strictest and best education.
She is a talented woman and she is the empress in public and the child's "aunt" in private. It is natural for her to name the child. Zhu Yourong likes this child very much and did not hesitate. He wrote two words generously:
Lingxi
She explained that this was Qiuqiu, named after the child's mother. The word "Qiu" means "water" in ancient times, and generally refers to pools, waterfalls, streams and the like in the mountains, which are full of graceful and graceful atmosphere.
Of course the big boss Qiuhu couldn't come up with the word "living water". It was named by Qiuqiu's late mother for Qiuqiu. Zhu Yourong liked Qiuqiu's name very much. He once recited the two words "Lingxi" and planned to give it to Qiuqiu.
Qiu is her cousin name, but now Qiu Qiu’s daughter needs a name, so she might as well give these two words to her daughter Qiu Qiu. Of course, she is more happy and is very grateful to Zhu Yourong.
…
The yacht slowed down and approached slowly. The sailors and guards on the yacht hurriedly dropped the anchor, then threw the cable over. Xiu Xiu drove a small speedboat to the yacht, and picked up Qiu Qiu, Zheng Yucong and Xiao Lingxi.
The Grasshopper family huddled on the slightly tilted control tower, with several adults protecting the infant Lingxi, forming a barrier against the wind for her.
Xiang Xiaoqiang complained:
"Oh, why did you bring the creek here? The wind is so cold on the river, and the child is so young. What if the wind blows back and gets sick?"
Qiu Qiu smiled and said:
"I think, the Grasshopper will be dismantled tomorrow, and I really want to take a last look at it! Talk to it. Cong Cong said that Xiao Xi should also take a last look at it and see what his parents were like when they first met.
If you don’t understand something, you can’t understand it. At least in the future we can tell her that she has no regrets after seeing it, hehe.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head, pointed at Zheng Yucong with his fingers, and complained: