War Photographer's Notebook

On this sunny morning, the songs and pieces of music in the basement were one after another, and everyone was beating the beat, singing those battle songs that were destined to become classics in the future.The little girl who claimed to be able to dance ballet also performed a naive big goose flapping its wings in circles under the waltz of flowers accompanied by Wei Ran and Ke Na.

Near noon, the sunlight passed through the glass window, casting a parallelogram-shaped spot of light on the table in the deepest part of the basement against the wall, which also happened to cover a piece of black bread and a piece of dried fish that were placed on the table for lunch. Of course, there is also a TK small pistol.

On the edge of this table, Ke Na was holding the bayanqin with Shostakovich's music signature, and sat on the small stool with her legs crossed.

At the entrance of the basement, Wei Ran, who was also holding the bayanqin to help accompany the children, was stunned, and subconsciously saw the little girl Anastasia among the children who was eating their fingers.

This little guy, who was as thin as a little monkey, almost stuffed her entire thumb into her mouth at this time, and there was still a strip of brushed saliva that was dyed golden by the sun hanging from the corner of her mouth.

But her big beautiful eyes looked at Ke Na who was playing the bayanqin with admiration at this time.And the brothers and sisters around her also beat the time with the accompaniment, and sang together the "Warrior Song" they learned on the radio.

"We have lunch today"

While speaking, Ke Na raised the piece of black bread on the dinner plate and shook it, "However, before lunch, how about letting me sing another song?"

"Sister Kona, what song do you want to sing?" Olga asked first, "You, Victor, have been accompanying you all morning, and we haven't heard you sing yet."

"me."

Ke Na lightly pressed the keys, and said with a smile after a series of impromptu music, "This song doesn't have a name yet, anyway, let me try it first."

After finishing speaking, the girl squinted her eyes and looked at the golden sunlight outside the window. While playing a soothing tune that no one had ever heard before on the bayan, she sang a song that no one had ever heard before.

On the white Neva, red fire

That cold ruin, there are a group of happy little guys

They moved every piece of rubble, with all their might
In the warm nest under the ruins, a red charcoal fire is burning

Those children, enduring hunger and cold, worked hard to live.

Dear children, we are the brave people of Leningrad.

Dear child, we will finally overcome the cold and hunger.

Dear child, we will surely usher in the dawn.

On the blue Neva River, wild ducks are flying.

In that nirvana city, there are a group of hardworking little guys.

They tore down every ruin and exhausted all their strength.

In the nest rebuilt on the ruins, there are delicious Christmas geese on the table.

Those children, they drove away the cold, hunger and invaders.

Dear partners, you will be the builders of this city.

Dear partners, you will be the defenders of this city.

Dear partners, you will continue to live in this city.

On the golden Neva River, there are barges setting sail.

That beautiful city, everyone has a common belief.

In the beautiful house on the shore, there is warmth and happiness.

Those kids, they've grown up.

Dear friends, how I miss you staying away from war.

Dear friends, I miss you so much that you always keep hope.

Dear friends, how much I miss you blooming new life in spring.

As Ke Na gradually stopped playing, Wei Ran also raised the camera in relief, pointed at the girl bathing in the sun and pressed the shutter, and also took a picture of the bird with a ring of teeth marks subconsciously stretching towards her. little hands.

When he put down the camera, those children who seemed to understand, but also didn't seem to understand, also gave warm applause.

“We should have lunch next”

Ke Na put down the bayanqin in her arms, called Wei Ran for help, and divided the bread into 22 equal-sized portions with a saw, and the dried fish was also chopped into pieces and thrown into the stewed meat. soup.

"Kona, what are we going to do in the afternoon? Do you want to continue singing?" A little guy named Sergey asked with his neck raised.

"We are going to prepare for the move in the afternoon." Kona paused, "Of course, we have to take another group photo."

"Let's start now!" said Alexander, who finished his lunch in two or three bites, "I'm done!"

"I'm done eating too!" Alyosha raised the enamel cup in his hand after him.

"Since the two of you have finished eating, go and power up the radio." Wei Ran said pretending to be dissatisfied, and the rest of the children immediately laughed when they heard this.

Alexander and Alyosha glanced at each other, and the two little brothers immediately moved to the front of the crude radio, one of them was in charge of stepping on the pedals, and the other was in charge of adjusting the antenna and channel.

Soon, in this warm basement baked by the stove and the sun, news from various front lines and Moscow came.

"Kona, take this. I will live in the air-raid shelter with my children in the future. I probably won't need this thing."

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already pulled out a red velvet cloth bag from his bosom, and the golden sickle and hammer pattern was embroidered on the cloth bag.

After taking a look at the heavy bosom furnace, Ke Na happily put it into her bosom, then pushed the small TK pistol to Wei Ran, "Take this, at least it can make people talk about it." A reasonable person would consider following your advice."

"I will give the other party a good enough suggestion then." Wei Ran smiled and took the small pistol that was only the size of a palm.

"Remember to give me a copy of the photo after it's developed," Ke Na whispered while sipping the broth.

"I'll give you one"

Wei Ran paused, and added, "Don't forget that we still owe Comrade Matvey 16 rubles. After the war is over, we will take our children to pay back the performance fee."

"I will remember"

When Ke Na said this, she put down an empty cup, took out a piece of red chalk from her pocket, got up and walked to the wall, and raised her hand to write down the agreement line by line.

After the war is over:
We will go to the zoo together to pay back the 16 ruble performance fee owed to Uncle Matvey

We're going to see a show at the Opera Marie together - if it's Cora playing, you have to be in the front row.

As soon as this sentence was written, the older children headed by Alexander couldn't help laughing.

"We still have to sing together!" Laishia couldn't help but reminded Kona who had put the chalk into her pocket.

"You write it yourself." Before Ke Na finished speaking, she had already taken out the small piece of chalk and handed it to the other party.

"We still have to sing together! Go outside and sing together on the playground!" Laishia wrote out her promise on tiptoe.

Taking the chalk from Lysia, Alyosha read as he wrote, "We will have a great meal together, white bread and beef, milk without water, sweets and honey."

"We will rebuild Leningrad together!" The little guy named Ivan wrote a new agreement.

"We will all live." The little guy Bogdan who joined the big family with Alexander and others said his agreement in a childish voice.

"Yes! We must all live!"

Wei Ran bent down to pick up the little guy, let him ride on his neck, and handed over the chalk, "Can you write it down yourself?"

"I can only spell my name," Bogdan said angrily, "but I can't write."

"Let me write it for you"

Ke Na took the chalk in Wei Ran's hand, and wrote on the wall the agreement that belongs to Bogdan and belongs to everyone.

"Let's take pictures here." Wei Ran looked at the line of people covered by the sun and made an abrupt proposal.

"Then let's take pictures here!" Before Ke Na finished her sentence, the children who had been dragged by Wei Ran more than once to take pictures immediately surrounded her in the middle.

After taking Bogdan off his body and handing it to Alexander, Wei Ran adjusted the angle of the camera and pressed the delay shutter, and then he quickly ran behind the children, leaving his own shadow in vain. on the film.