Most of the time, Wei Lan couldn't figure out the big boy in front of her, who was several years younger than her.
She could always see a lot of aura from Li Mu that was impossible for him at his age. Just like when Li Mu stood on the stage and stroked the background wall through the silk cloth, she really couldn't understand how a young man in his early twenties could have such a strong sense of historical mission.
In the hearts of the older generation, the sorrow of the suffering of the nation during the War of Resistance was naturally filled in their blood and bones. But for the young people of this era, they had no chance to come into contact with that deep feeling. Most of their intuitive feelings about the War of Resistance were superficial. For example, they blamed and cursed the culprit, Japan, and applauded the atomic bomb dropped by the United States. Very few young people could be like Li Mu, who felt sad for an unknown peasant woman and child from decades ago in a photo.
Many things were easy to look at from a big perspective, but the more you looked at it, the more difficult it was. Just like many young people liked to talk about the international situation and the world's structure. They could talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in North Korea, the war in the Middle East, and the war on terrorism, any topic could be talked about for an hour or two. But among such people, nine out of ten did not know how much a pound of rice cost or how much an egg cost.
In Wei Lan's eyes, there were too few people who could calm their minds and look deeply, carefully, and belittle things. This was a skill that she had longed for and worked hard for a long time, but she couldn't learn it.
It was like on a night without clouds and mist, as long as anyone looked up at the vast Milky Way, they might be able to cross countless light years in the visual range, but it was extremely difficult to see even a little concrete.
Ordinary people could only see the outline of the craters on the moon and the huge craters on the craters. The details of any other celestial bodies could not be seen with the naked eye. At this time, only with the help of enough astronomical knowledge and professional equipment could they see the details of other celestial bodies.
For those who knew nothing about astronomy, if they were given a good enough telescope, they might not be able to see Saturn's rings in a year, and they might not be able to find Ganymede in ten years. However, those who could endure the loneliness and could concentrate on the smallest details could discover one tiny celestial body after another in the vast and boundless starry sky and name them after themselves.
Before she met Li Mu, Wei Lan felt that only as people grew older, their knowledge accumulated, and their experience increased, could they gradually retract their undisciplined vision. The reason why she couldn't look at the smallest detail like those extremely powerful people was because she wasn't mature enough. However, Li Mu had subverted this perception of hers.
For some people, it would take decades to light up that fire, but for others, it was as if they were born with a fire.
…
Before the official start of the press conference, the huge press conference venue was already crowded with media reporters. According to the staff, there were more than 800 media reporters present today. Basically, some well-known media in the world had come. The entire press conference venue was as lively as a vegetable market.
An hour before the start of the press conference, Li Mu met Chennault's daughter and two existing Flying Tigers members in the lounge prepared by the hotel.
In the conversation with them, Li Mu heard an extremely shocking oral history, especially from the two surviving members of the Flying Tigers. Although they were already in their eighties or nineties, they were in very good physical condition, and their thinking and ability to express themselves were also very clear. They clearly remembered many details when they were in the Flying Tigers and the whole process of almost every battle in the air.
Everyone, including Li Mu, Spielberg, and other main crew members, were shocked and moved by the oral history of the two veterans.
When the two talked about the biggest wish in this life, their answers were surprisingly consistent: they both wanted to return to Hua Xia in their lifetime, to return to the place where they had fought, and to see the people and things there again. In their own words, it was the place they had defended with their lives. It was a great comfort for them to see that the people there were now living and working in peace and contentment.
One of the old Flying Tigers, Paul Crawford, said that when they were in Hua Xia, they formed a deep comradeship with many Flying Tigers in Hua Xia. But after returning to the United States, many people gradually lost contact, and even many American Flying Tigers gradually lost contact. So he had another wish. He hoped that Li Mu could help find more existing Flying Tigers in Hua Xia and the United States.
Li Mu instantly thought of the words "Veterans Don't Die." This was a public welfare activity launched on the Internet in his previous life, intended to find the existing veterans of the War of Resistance and solve some of their problems in life. Li Mu used to pay great attention to this public welfare activity. When he found that many veterans were now in their eighties or nineties, they did not even have shelter from the wind and rain. When he found that those veterans who had fought for the country did not even have a few hundred dollars a month for subsistence allowances. When he heard that some veterans had been poor all their lives, and even had no money to see a doctor in old age, he, a man in his thirties, burst into tears.
If it was a poor child or teenager, then given food, clothing, and the opportunity to receive education, he still had decades to change his fate.
If it was a poor youth, then given a job opportunity, he also had decades to work hard.
If it was a poor middle-aged or old man, then given a subsistence allowance, at least it could give him some security in his later years.
But if it was those veterans who had sacrificed their lives for this nation during the War of Resistance, and now suffered the ravages of reality, what should be given to them to comfort their old and traumatized hearts and souls?
When the young people of this country were fanatical about various celebrities, would someone bow to them in front of them, even if it was just a salute?
The year of victory in the War of Resistance was 1945. Fifty-eight years had passed since then. Even those who were born in 1945 were now 58 years old, not to mention those who had fought bravely against foreign enemies between 1937 and 1945 with broadswords and guns.
Even if they had carried guns on the battlefield at the age of 18, they would be at least 70 or 80 years old by now …
Thinking of this, Li Mu's heart suddenly felt like it was being cut by a knife. He didn't know how many of the veterans who had participated in the War of Resistance were still alive, but what was certain was that every day in the future, the number of veterans would only decrease.
One day, all the veterans who had participated in the anti-Japanese war would pass away. At that time, no one would be able to personally tell others about the history of the past. How they carried guns and rushed into the battlefield when they were still in their teens; how they used their flesh and blood to resist the invaders' tanks and cannons; what kind of spirit they used to sacrifice their lives and shed their blood for this nation …
Thinking of the remaining people who might be struggling at death's door in a shack in the village, or picking up abandoned bottles and cans from the city's garbage dump, Li Mu felt as if there was a mountain pressing on his heart, and he couldn't breathe for a long time.
Li Mu temporarily said goodbye to the two veterans and Mr. Chennault's daughter. He came to the corner of the hotel's fire stairs alone and lit a cigarette.
At this moment, Li Mu felt that he really had to do something. Making a movie was just to clear their names and make their history known to the public, but for the veterans who were suffering, such a movie wouldn't play any substantial help to them. If they saw such a movie in a shack or next to a garbage dump, it would be a more painful thing for them.
Therefore, Li Mu took out his mobile phone and wanted to make a call to China. He wanted to ask a suitable person to help him travel around the country to count how many veterans of the War of Resistance were still alive. He wanted to see how these veterans were living, how many people were struggling in misery, and what kind of help they needed.
But holding the phone, Li Mu used the time of a cigarette, but he still didn't make the call.
It was too difficult.
There were too few veterans. They were like black pearls scattered in the ocean. If he wanted to find them all, the workload was not something that could be completed by one person. He must establish a complete system and establish a hardware platform that could run this system perfectly.
In other words, this was a big project with both software and hardware. If he only developed the software, it would be useless if the hardware platform couldn't work. But if the hardware platform was fine, but the software was not scientific and reasonable enough, then the efficiency of the whole system would become very low.
It was difficult for anyone to do such a thing, unless he was the leader. So in this case, there was naturally no need to make a phone call.
Li Mu sighed softly, lit another cigarette with the cigarette butt, then threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his toes. At this time, a voice suddenly came from behind him, "The omnipotent Li Mu, what problem did you encounter?"
Li Mu turned around subconsciously and saw Wei Lan standing behind him with a smile on her face. He said in surprise, "You don't make a sound when you walk?"
"You didn't hear me, did you?" The smile on Wei Lan's face looked like a doting sister to her younger brother, but there was also a bit of heartache. She reached out to touch Li Mu's face and said softly, "Did you feel a little suffocated after listening to the two old Flying Tigers talk about their history?"
Li Mu nodded. "I felt a little suffocated."
Wei Lan comforted him. "Actually, you don't have to feel so heavy. Look at how long they have lived, and they are living well now. This is something to be gratified about."
Li Mu sighed deeply and said, "You feel very gratified to see that the two of them are living well, but I think about the existing veterans in our country. I don't know how they are doing now. Although most of them may be taken care of by the government, the country is so big, and there must be some veterans who have been left behind. It's very likely that an old man begging on the street in the city is a veteran who once carried a gun to the battlefield. When I think of them, I always feel that I should do something for them."
Wei Lan looked at Li Mu's solemn expression and couldn't help but go forward and gently hug him. She put her face on his shoulder and said in his ear, "Darling, try not to think too deeply about this kind of thing. If you think too deeply, it will be too heavy. I'm afraid that these heavy history will add too much psychological burden to you …"
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