War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1172 It Turned Out to Be a Ginkgo Tree
In the warm but dimly lit bedroom, a piece of Guanglingsan gently soothed the old man lying on the bed while reverberating repeatedly.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, and it seemed that it was only a moment. The song Guangling San ended, and the old man lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

"Are you Wei Ran?" The old man asked weakly.

"It's me." Wei Ran stood up and came to the bedside with the piano in his hand, "Old Master Tao, I brought you Youquan."

"sit"

Old Master Tao greeted Wei Ran angrily, and after Wei Ran sat on the side of the bed, he also raised a hand with difficulty, and gently stroked the Guqin Youquan that Wei Ran placed next to his pillow.

"The ancient material is newly made, and the sound is so powerful that the player is strong enough to let it go."

Mr. Tao took a breath and continued, "Although it is not easy to get this Guqin, no matter if it is a new one, there are bells for loose, pan and pressed. The four strings are especially powerful, which can be described as extremely strange. Such a new Qin will not be able to be measured in the future. so far."

"This is the record of this qin in the Tibetan Qin Record." Wei Ran muttered to himself.

"yes."

Mr. Tao looked obsessively at the guqin beside his pillow, "I've heard that kid from Luoxiang say that his senior brother Wei Ran is very good at playing the qin, and it's quite old-fashioned. Know the kid wasn't exaggerating."

"Old Master Tao praised it absurdly." Wei Ran said modestly, this piano music was taught by a metal book, and he really couldn't tell whether it was ancient or not.

"Son, how about playing Guangling San for me again?" Mr. Tao gently patted the iron frame bed under him, "There are piano tables and futons under the bed."

"It's an honor, shall I help you up?"

"I can't sit still, turn over for me." Mr. Tao said regretfully.

Hearing this, Wei Ran stood up, bent down again, and helped the old man turn over so that he kept the side lying position with the heart in the upper position.

After an extra glance at the monitor, he gently lifted up the fitted sheet on one side, and pulled out a thick piano table from under the bed. On this piano table, there was also a futon in a plastic bag.

Glancing at Mr. Tao who was looking forward to it, Wei Ran wiped the dust on the piano table with his sleeve, placed Guqin Youquan on it, and then took out a straw from the plastic bag that had a lot of dust on it. futon.

Sitting cross-legged at the piano table again, Wei Ran took off his black suit and threw it on a chair, then took off his watch and tassels and put the ring he was wearing into his pocket, and finally gave it back to him. The phone turned on silent mode, and then looked at the old man on the bed again.

Nodding slightly to each other, Wei Ran played his first qin piece, Guang Ling San, again.

This is obviously a qin music with impassioned melody and full of killing spirit, but a cloudy tear fell from the corner of the eye of the dying centenarian on the bed, and his eyes also moved from the guqin spring on the bed. To the open photo album next to the pillow.Obviously, he must have thought of something from the music.

Compared with the memories that have been unwilling to let go for a long time, this piano music will eventually end.When the quietness returned to this warm bedroom, Mr. Tao slowly resumed his supine posture, closed his eyes and murmured softly, "No regrets, this song Guangling San is enough. It is worthy of Youquan's piano."

"Old man, is there anything else I can do?" Wei Ran asked after smoothing the strings.

"Come here" Mr. Tao waved vigorously, and Wei Ran quickly got up, and sat on the side of the bed again holding Guqin Youquan.

"Do you remember when I wanted to spend 500 million yuan to buy this piano?" Mr. Tao asked as he put his hands full of age spots on the strings.

"Remember"

Wei Ran nodded, and when he was about to say something, Mr. Tao said, "I'm dying. No matter how much I like this guqin, it's still a thing outside of me. Besides, even if I get this guqin, I can't do it." Li Shimin's failure to bury himself with the Lanting Collection Preface.

However, Wei Ran, for the sake of a dying person, I still want to ask you for two things with the cheek. "

"Master Tao, please tell me," Wei Ran said seriously.

"It is said in the Tibetan Qin Records that Youquan's qin has four strings, especially Xiongjun. After I die, how about untying this string and leaving it for me to think about?" Mr. Tao said what he thought. The first thing you want.

"no problem"

Wei Ran simply nodded his head in agreement, Sui Xin usually played this piano in the library with the best silk strings he could find, since the old man wanted it, he gave it to him.

Mr. Tao laboriously turned his head to look at Wei Ran's piano case, and then slowly shifted his gaze to Wei Ran's face and said, "The piano case containing Youquan is from the huanghuali sticks that my father dismantled at home. Made with materials from the case. Wei Ran, I want this violin box to be used as my ashes after death, are you willing?"

"There is nothing to be reluctant about." Wei Ran smiled, and said in a gentle tone, "The piano box is easy to get, but the piano idiot is hard to find."

"Qin crazy? What a qin crazy." Mr. Tao took a breath and tried to pull himself together and asked, "I heard that kid from Luo Xiang say that you are still a drunkard?"

"Yes." Wei Ran nodded, "I also learned a piece of Liezi Yufeng recently. If you want to listen to it, I can play it all."

"Can they listen too?"

Old Master Tao asked, "That kid Luo Xiang doesn't have much talent in playing the piano, but his father Guangling has some talent. Unfortunately, he is just as mediocre as me after all."

"Ms. Chen once said that guqin pleases oneself"

Wei Ran smiled and replied, "Since it's for myself, what does it matter if I do nothing?"

"You kid is more open than me." Mr. Tao waved his hand with difficulty, "Go, call them in."

"Wait a moment." After Wei Ran finished speaking, he glanced at the monitor again, then got up and opened the door and raised the curtain.

"Mr. Liu? Teacher Chen?" Wei Ran only called out twice, and Chen Luoxiang opened the door of another room diagonally opposite.

"Master Tao called everyone to come over." Wei Ran pointed to the door behind him and said.

Under his greeting, Chen Luoxiang was the first to come out to help lift up the cotton curtain, and then his master Mr. Liu Lao and Chen Guangling walked out from inside one after another.

However, what surprised Wei Ran was that behind these people, there were actually three young men and women in formal attire with party emblems and an upside-down breastplate on their chests.

The youngest of the three, who appeared to be the youngest, was also carrying a DSLR camera with a stand attached to it.The other two were carrying a computer bag respectively.

Since Mr. Liu and Chen Guangling's family didn't introduce them, Wei Ran wisely didn't ask any more questions, but politely let these people into Mr. Tao's room.

Taking advantage of Mr. Tao whispering in Mr. Liu's ear, the three formally dressed men and women went around to the other side of the hospital bed and set up their SLR cameras. They pointed the camera at Mr. Tao on the bed, and then the three of them stepped back a few steps and stood still. It's in the corner of the room.

After a moment of preparation, Mr. Liu sat on the side of the bed, and with the help of Chen Guangling, helped Mr. Tao, who insisted on sitting up, to lean against the wall at the head of the bed.

Seeing Mr. Tao looking at him, Wei Ran nodded, put Guqin Youquan back on the piano table, sat down cross-legged, and seriously played the second piece he knew - Wine Maniac.

In the chaotic and hazy qin music, Mr. Tao and Mr. Liu who was supporting him looked at each other, and then refocused on Wei Ran's hands playing the qin.

When the song ended, Wei Ran paused and played Liezi Yufeng directly.At this time, the faces of Mr. Liu and Chen Guangling and his son were already full of surprise, but it was Mr. Tao.But stretched the frown that had been frowning all this time, and slowly closed his eyes.

"drop--"

Almost at the same time that Wei Ran finished playing the song Liezi Yufeng, the detector placed on the bedside table also showed a horizontal line representing the end.

"Old Tao? Old Tao? Uncle Tao?" Mr. Liu, who was over sixty years old, called softly a few times, but the old man leaning against the wall never opened his old eyes again.

"Liezi Yufeng, calm and kind." Chen Guangling sighed, "The old man probably also left behind the wind."

Grandpa Liu wiped the corners of his eyes, "Nephew and daughter-in-law, go to the room just now and get the shroud. Guangling and I will change it for the old man. Luo Xiang, go get a pot of hot water."

"Hey! I'll go right away." Chen Guangling's wife responded, wiped the corners of her eyes, and left the room first with her son Chen Luoxiang.

Watching the mother and son leave the room, Wei Ran stood up and picked up the guqin and placed it beside Mr. Tao, carefully took off the fourth string of the guqin, folded it in half, and gently It was tied to Mr. Tao's wrist.

In addition, he took the piano box, carefully cleaned out the buffer sponge inside and cleaned up the residual glue, and Wei Ran put the box at the feet of Mr. Tao.

When Chen Luoxiang and his mother brought the hot water and shrouds, Mr. Liu said, "Comrade Xiao Yang, let you read Mr. Tao's will, I will cause you trouble."

"you're welcome"

Among the three young men in formal attire, the oldest one politely agreed, and at the same time, together with her other two companions, they turned the badge on the chest to the front in unison, and at the same time , Comrade Xiao Yang also put on a pair of white silk gloves, and took a stack of documents from his companion.

"Shall I go out to avoid it first?" Wei Ran asked in a timely manner.

"Stay here and listen." Old Mr. Liu kept Wei Ran.

"Next, I will read Comrade Tao Canhua's will during his lifetime."

Comrade Xiao Yang, who was pointed at by the camera, paused for a while, and read aloud, "According to Comrade Tao Canhua's last will:
My name is Tao Canhua. I was born in 1920. I will be [-] years old this year. I was sober when I made the will, and I was accompanied by a government notary. Since I am old and the days are numbered, I made this will to express my concern for the affairs of the deceased and the property. willingness to deal with.

[-]. After the death, there will be no banquets and no condolences. The body will be cremated and the ashes will be buried in the ancestral grave by Comrade Liu Buzhuo. There is no need for monuments or sweeps.

348. A total of [-] volumes in seven book boxes, including all the books and piano scores collected during his lifetime, were all given to Comrade Chen Guangling.

47. A total of 40 boards of qin wood were collected during his lifetime, of which 7 boards were given to Comrade Liu Buzhuo, and [-] boards were given to his disciple Chen Luoxiang.

[-]. A set of real estate owned by him during his lifetime was given to Comrade Wei Ran free of charge as a thank you for the kindness of being buried with the stringed and piano box.

148329.51. Another deposit of [-] yuan was used to pay notarization fees, cremation, transportation and other expenses, and the remaining balance was donated anonymously to the Huaxia Children and Teenagers' Fund. "

After a short pause, Comrade Xiao Yang, who read out the will, continued, "This will is in quadruplicate. It has been justified by the Notary Office of Heping District. The content is true, legal and valid. The notaries are Yang Mengmeng, Zhang Zichao, and Liu Ning."

When the woman finished reading all the contents of the will in a serious manner, Wei Ran looked in surprise at Chen Guangling's family and Mr. Liu who seemed not surprised by this.

"Old man Tao called me before and said that if you are willing to give him the piano box as a coffin for his eternal rest, he will repay this kindness by giving you this house."

Chen Guangling sighed and explained, "He also said that he used to practice Guangling San in this house when he was young.

He sincerely hopes that you can accept this house, come here when you have time, and play Guangling San with Youquan. "

Another job as a cemetery guard
Wei Ran sighed secretly, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally took out the pen from the metal book under the cover of his pocket, and signed his name on the four wills respectively.

When Mr. Liu and Chen Luoxiang in the room also signed their names, Mr. Liu waved his hand and said, "Luo Xiang, nephew and daughter-in-law, you can take Wei Ran to the next door to rest, Comrade Xiao Yang, please trouble me." You guys, I prepared grapefruit leaf water in the next room, go wash your hands. Guangling, let's change clothes for Mr. Tao."

"I'll stay too," Wei Ran said, "Even if I can't help you, I can give Master Tao a few more shots of Guangling San."

"Alright, then stay here." Mr. Liu nodded his head and agreed.

When the others left the room, Wei Ran sat on the edge of the piano table again, using the Guqin Youquan, which was missing a string on the bed, to play the incomplete Guangling San over and over again.

After half an hour of busy work, Mr. Liu and Chen Guangling helped Mr. Tao clean his body and put on a dark blue gown.The photo album that was originally placed by the bed was also put into the emptied piano case.

Handing over the work of holding the piano box to Mr. Liu, Wei Ran bent down and picked up the tall and thin old man on the bed with ease, led him downstairs by Chen Guangling, and finally sent him into a van that seemed to belong to a funeral home .

Watching Mr. Liu and Chen Luoxiang disappear at the end of the street with the car of the funeral parlor, Wei Ran turned his head and looked at the unknown big tree in the yard. In the cold winter wind, a golden leaf fell from the tree. It swirled and fell, and finally landed in Wei Ran's outstretched palm.

"It turned out to be a ginkgo tree." Wei Ran sighed with regret, and put the fallen leaf into his pocket.

(End of this chapter)