Explore Chapter 43 of 'Moment in Peking' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
The days of calm had passed. Since the Japanese occupied Nanjing, the city of Hangzhou had been shrouded in an atmosphere of unease. Mulan and Sunya lived in a secluded house by West Lake, where they could hear the distant rumble of artillery every day. Their children, A Tong and A Man, had grown up; A Tong was fifteen, and A Man was thirteen. Mulan often taught them to read and write, telling them stories from history that the children listened to with great interest.
One afternoon, the air raid siren suddenly sounded, its shrill wail tearing through the sky. Mulan quickly grabbed the children and, with A Man, fled into the air-raid shelter in the courtyard. Sunya followed behind and closed the shelter door tightly. Overhead, Japanese planes roared past, dropping bombs. The earth trembled, and clods of soil fell from the shelter walls. Mulan held the children tightly, praying silently in her heart. A Tong was afraid but forced himself to stay calm, while A Man buried her face in her mother's arms.
After the air raid, they emerged from the shelter to find a house by West Lake destroyed, with rubble and smoke everywhere. Mulan knew that Hangzhou was no longer safe. After discussing it with Sunya, they decided to leave Hangzhou and seek refuge inland. They packed only the essentials-a few changes of clothes and some dry provisions-hired a horse-drawn cart, and hurriedly set off on their journey.
The road was filled with refugees, families with the elderly and children streaming in an endless procession. Mulan recalled her own flight from Beijing to Shandong more than twenty years ago, and a flood of emotions surged within her. History seemed to be repeating itself, but this time it was even more tragic and heroic. She looked at her husband and children beside her, and felt a surge of strength within her. She knew that the Chinese people must unite to overcome the powerful enemy.
The cart moved along the canal, where the willows on both banks still hung green, but people's faces were filled with sorrow. Mulan hummed an old ballad softly, and the children joined in. The song drifted on the wind, as if carrying a message of unyielding hope. Sunya silently took Mulan's hand, and everything was understood without words.