War Photographer's Notebook

At the edge of the Japanese Concession, after waiting for nearly two hours, Tao Canhua also came out of the small building next to the opium hall, carrying the piano bag and holding the erhu in his arms.

After the young man got into the car, Wei Ran stubbed out his cigarette, started the car and left.

"Did the devil ask you something?" Wei Ran waited until the small building behind him was completely blocked by the buildings along the way, and then asked with a smile.

"asked"

Tao Canhua replied somewhat at a loss, "I answered a question, and it gave me one ocean. Counting today's wages for playing the piano, it gave me a total of twenty-six oceans."

"The salary is not low," Wei Ran joked with a smile.

"Just as Jasmine and you expected"

Tao Canhua wiped the cold sweat from his brow, "He asked everyone in the book apartment, where did Miss go, and especially your background."

"How did you answer?" Wei Ran's casual tone made Tao Canhua relax a little.

"Same as what you guys taught me at the dinner table yesterday"

Tao Canhua grinned, "I said you came back from studying in Germany, you show off your study experience in Germany from time to time, look down on us, think we are uneducated, and you usually say a few words from your mouth from time to time everyone listen I don't understand German."

"If it asks something similar tomorrow, remember to say that I'm on my way back today."

Wei Ran slowed down the speed of the car a little while speaking, pointed to the outside and said, "Look, there is an ice drinking room there, do you see it?"

"I see." Tao Canhua nodded.

"If it asks tomorrow, you just say that when I was passing by here, I stopped the car and rummaged through your bag, and snatched four oceans from your pocket to buy soda."

Wei Ran said that he had stepped on the brake, pushed the car door and got into the rear compartment and continued, "You still have to say, you only made seven yuan by lying to me, and the rest was secretly hidden in Guqin's dragon before going out." In the pool."

As he said that, Wei Ran took out a stack of silver dollars from Tao Canhua's pocket with a little force, counted out four coins from it, and said in a low voice, "I'll return it to you when I get back, let's play."

Before the words fell, Wei Ran had already pushed the car door, closed the rear compartment with a little force, and then he weighed the few silver dollars in his hand with a proud face, and spit in disdain, and then stepped into the car. I left the ice room.

This so-called ice-drinking room would be a cold drink popsicle stand in later generations, but in this era, the grade of these things is somewhat higher.

Extraordinarily generous and bold, he bought a few popsicles and a few bottles of soda with one silver dollar. Wei Ran also bought a pack of Camel cigarettes. Then he left the ice room with the change and the things he bought, and got into the car walk away.

When he was far away, he took out another five silver dollars from his pocket, and handed it to Tao Canhua in the back row together with a popsicle, and said jokingly at the same time, "You can't talk to that devil about this part."

Hearing this, Tao Canhua grinned when he took the things, and then asked in puzzlement, "But why are you doing such a self-destructive thing?"

"I seem to be greedy for money, so that devil will find a way to bribe me and seek information from me to verify the authenticity of the questions you answered. As long as we have the same answers, he will trust you more and you will be safer. "

Wei Ran took a bite of the popsicle and explained while chewing, "Of course, by the way, I can get some money from that devil."

Tao Canhua secretly heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the words, he finally felt that he was "not fighting alone".But then, he asked again, "Why did that devil ask us about these things?"

"It must have been unkind." Wei Ran replied perfunctorily, he didn't want to hide it from the other party, he just didn't want to add too much psychological pressure to him.

Seeing that Wei Ran didn't want to talk about it, Tao Canhua touched the heavy stack of silver dollars in his pocket, and asked a little nervously, "Does little aunt know about this?"

"Do you want her to know?" Wei Ran asked casually.

"I don't want to hide it from Auntie." Tao Canhua replied, "You can't be ungrateful."

"Don't worry," Wei Ran comforted with a smile, "She must know, after all, we are protecting her."

"Yeah!" Tao Canhua breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded vigorously, and his whole body seemed a little more relaxed.

After chatting for a while and asking the devil the question Tao Canhua asked and his answer, Wei Ran took the initiative to change the subject and helped the other party divert their nervousness, "Where are you and Jasmine from?"

"Lu'an Mansion"

When Tao Canhua said this, he took the initiative to add, "People from Jin Province are Yan Laoxi's fellow villagers."

潞安
Wei Ran muttered to himself, he could remember that the back of the Guqin Youquan obtained by himself in later generations was written "Lu'an Qin Huazhu". The bad thing is the relationship between the township party.

"Where are you from?" Tao Canhua asked subconsciously.

"Outside the customs" Wei Ran Hu Zou said, using this topic, chatted with Tao Canhua from all over the world.

When Tao Canhua got back to Xuqingshu Apartment, he was dragged up to the second floor by Jasmine before he had time to catch his breath and began to interrogate him.As for Wei Ran, he gave everyone a sweet, bitter popsicle that would dye their tongues in various colors, and a bottle of cold soda.

Miss Meixiang was still absent, and life in the small building seemed a little more comfortable.However, the tense atmosphere of the imminent war has also diluted the freedom of "the boss is not there".

As the evening approached, when Yang's mother was about to prepare dinner, Xiao Su's mother rushed over in a rickshaw, first went around the small building, then went upstairs and downstairs, In the end, he yelled angrily, "This loser is really big-hearted, so he ran out to play at this time! Wei Ran! Wei Ran!"

"Here!" Wei Ran pushed open the door and answered.

"Get out of the car and go out with me." Xiao Su's mother ordered angrily.

"Where do you want to go, just call a rickshaw?" Jasmine muttered in a low voice, "Don't you like taking a car?"

"You ugly girl, if you don't speak, no one will treat you as dumb!"

Little Su's mother gave Jasmine a vicious look, and walked out while twisting the waist of the bucket, and said, "Why are you still sticking around like a fool? Why don't you drive?"

"The car is running out of gas, and I'm afraid I won't be able to drive it back."

Wei Ran said with a embarrassed face, "Miss is not here, we have no money to fuel the car, and I haven't been paid this month's wages, and today I sent Canhua to play the piano for Mr. Ueda, Jasmine, Uncle Mute, and Mama Yang I collected [-] cents, plus one yuan from Canhua to buy a barrel of oil, so I didn't embarrass the young lady."

"Hey--!"

Xiao Su's mother glared at Wei Ran, but there was a hint of satisfaction hidden on that ferocious fat face.

Before Wei Ran could continue to quibble, she waved her hand impatiently, "It's as if my old lady can't get enough fuel, hurry up! You'll give my old lady a good show later!"

Hearing this, Wei Ran exchanged glances with Jasmine, who was suppressing a smile, and Dumb Cao, and quickly got up and said, "You wait for a bag of cigarettes, Uncle Dumb and I will clean the car."

"Hurry up!" Xiao Su's mother said, and she had already sat down on the sofa.

There was no need to hint at all, Cao Yaba walked into the garage with Wei Ran, and Jasmine and Yang Ma quickly brought a plate of fruit and a pot of herbal tea.

In the garage, Wei Ran and Cao Yaba cooperated with each other and took out two tin barrels of fuel from the fuel tank of the car. They didn't smile at each other until the fuel gauge was almost back to zero.

Unscrewing the fuel tank cap, Wei Ran took the car key from Cao Yaba's hand, started the car and drove out of the garage.

After Dumb Cao helped to open the iron gate of the small courtyard, Xiao Su's mother also came out with a bag twisting her fat body, opened the door of the rear compartment and sat in.

When the car started running, Xiao Su's mother said with a smile on her face, "You did a good job."

"Someone is staring at us?" Wei Ran paused, and then added, "I mean in the small building?"

"No, that damn girl's books are monolithic."

Xiao Su's mother lit a cigarette on her own, and said in a puff of smoke, "You have to sing the play that should be sung, so that you have to explain, and I will also have to explain."

"What's the next scene?" Wei Ran also lit a cigarette and asked.

"Wait until I don't care about Taihua Building to listen to the opera. Today is singing Farewell My Concubine." Xiao Su's mother replied in a flat tone. There was no harshness or contempt in her words, but a trace of her expression. Somewhat contradictory kindness.

"I don't know the way." Wei Ran replied with a smile, "I don't even know where to go to refuel."

"Go straight ahead and turn right when you are told to turn right." Xiao Su's mother looked at Wei Ran suspiciously and asked, "What is the origin of your ghostly handsome young man?"

"Auntie still doesn't know where your nephew came from?" Wei Ran responded with a smile.

"You better think it through"

Xiao Su's mother reminded her very bluntly, "When I listen to a play in Taihua Building, maybe someone will be curious about your background and ask you something."

"This question can't be asked in vain, right?" Wei Ran also responded straightforwardly, "Canhua can get a piece of ocean for answering a question, how much does Auntie think I can get for answering a question?"

"It's 20 oceans less?" Xiao Su's mother suggested with a smile.

"I'm a cultural person who went to Germany to see the world"

Wei Ran stretched out his hand and shook it back and forth, "One question is a hundred dollars, as long as Dayang doesn't wipe his ass paper, I won't even take a look if there is one less seed."

"Your kid can make more money than that white-eyed wolf who loses money!" Xiao Su's mother said with a smile on her face, "Nephew, how about I introduce some good-looking, young, widowed rich wives to you? Then you and Same as Meixiang, just let me draw two knives for hard work."

"forget it"

Wei Ran laughed at himself and said, "I'm just a silver wax gun. I can't afford to take care of those rich ladies, but I can introduce more of this kind of work that asks a hundred oceans."

Hearing this, Xiao Su's mother rolled her eyes, but the expression on her face became more and more satisfied.

Under the meticulous guidance of Xiao Su's mother, Wei Ran drove the car to the door of a foreign company, and she filled up the car with gas, and at the same time let her scold Wei Ran whether he secretly put the car in the car. The oil was taken away and sold for cigarettes.

After the performance of this play, Wei Ran, under the guidance of the other party, drove the car into the Sanbuer who had been here once again, and finally stopped at the entrance of a theater named Taihualou.

"You are waiting for me at the door." Xiao Su's mother whispered before opening the door, "Don't run around, lest the wronged species can't find you."

"That can't be it." Wei Ran said with a smile, "Where is the hundred oceans!"

Hearing this, Xiao Su's mother smiled, took her small bag and pushed open the car door, twisting her plump body and walked into the gate of Taihua Building proudly.

On the other hand, Wei Ran, when the other party walked into the Taihua Building, he immediately pushed the door and locked the car, took a cigarette with an antler holder in his mouth, and wandered around the busy street.

Stopping along the way, he bought some roasted seeds and nuts, half a catty of bacon and a section of sausage. Wei Ran made a detour to the food stall he had visited with Jasmine, and saw that it was still open. Only then did he politely buy five biscuit wrappers, and asked Uncle Meng to cut up all the bacon and sausage and put them in the biscuits.

Carrying the food and drink in a floral cloth bag he just bought, he slowly returned to the gate of Taihua Building. From a long distance away, he saw a man wearing a newsboy hat, suspenders, trousers, and white shirt near his car. The man was looking around and groping for something.

Regardless of the other party, Wei Ran found another ice room and bought a bottle of cold soda, then walked back to the car, opened the door and sat in.

Before he could put his things on the co-pilot's seat, the man in suspenders and trousers came over and asked kindly, "My friend, can I borrow a fire? I don't have a fire with my cigarette. "

"there"

Wei Ran raised his finger and pointed in the direction, "Isn't there a cigarette seller? They must have matches for sale. Even if you don't buy it, you won't refuse to ask them to use it."

"I..." the man in overalls grinned, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Wei Ran didn't give the other party time to react, he closed the car door with a bang, and then shook the window and slowly went up.

"Hey, hey! Wait, brother, wait." The man in the overalls had already pressed the rising car window with his hands while speaking.

Seeing this, Wei Ran immediately stretched his hand to the back of the waist vigilantly, drew out the small PPK pistol, pressed down the hammer to stop the opponent, "What's the matter? The robbery is on my head? I am shot dead Do you believe it or not?!"

"Don't, brother, don't get me wrong!"

The man in the overalls immediately let go of his hands and raised them up, and said with a smile, "I'm not a bad person, really not, I"

"What are you? Get away." Wei Ran used the car door to push the other person back a few steps while he was speaking. When he got out of the car, he hid the hand holding the gun behind the half-rolled car window. He said loudly confidently, "Where did you come from, old Tan'er, do you know whose territory this is? Dare to rob at the gate of Taihua Building!"

This voice doesn't matter, not only the passers-by saw the excitement, but even the two big and three thick doormen at the gate of Taihua Building looked over, and then rolled up their arms and sleeves, each carrying one. The baton came over.

"Misunderstanding! A big misunderstanding!"

The overalls hurriedly explained, "Reporter! I'm a reporter! A reporter from Fengyue Pictorial! I don't even have a strong body like a wheel, so how dare I rob me!"

Glancing unnoticed at the two doormen who had already walked to the front of the car with their sticks, Wei Ran put away his gun, picked up the sesame seed cake on the dashboard, took a bite, and asked cursingly, " Then why are you sticking your hand through the window of my car? To grab my pancakes or my bacon?"

As soon as the words came out, not only the people around watching the excitement burst out laughing, but even the two doormen who were about to start beating up followed suit, and on the second floor opposite the Taihua Building, Mr. Ueda who had changed into a long gown also laughed. Secretly scolded a fool.

"Master, sir, you are really joking, I really mean no harm."

The overalls were talking, and he carefully approached Wei Ran and said, "I'm really a reporter, I just want to ask a few questions."

"What's the question for the special code? Get out!" Wei Ran waved his hand angrily, "If you get the special code, I'll beat you!"

"Okay! I'm going, I'm going!"

Seeing these words, the overalls couldn't continue the conversation, so he had no choice but to leave the circle of people who had already started to get lively.

"The two brothers are in trouble"

Wei Ran turned his head and greeted the two doormen politely, then bent down and took out a bag of fried peanuts from the car and handed it over, "Come here, take it and eat."

Seeing this, the two doormen quickly pinned the batons in their hands to their belts, and each grabbed a handful of peanuts from the paper bag Wei Ran was holding.

After chatting away, the two doormen were sent back to continue to stand guard, Wei Ran also got into the car again, and ate the sesame seed cakes for dinner with big mouthfuls.

About half an hour later, when Wei Ran was full of food and lit a cigarette after dinner, the overalls came closer again.

"what are you"

"This Lord, this Lord!"

The overalls interrupted Wei Ran's scolding very politely, reached out and handed over a silver dollar, and said with a smile, "I really didn't rob you, I recognized that it was Miss Meixiang's car, and I just thought about it." Ask a few questions."

While talking, the overalls handed over another ID, "Look, I'm really a reporter, a reporter from Fengyue Pictorial, and our newspaper office is in these three places. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to our newspaper office?"

"Okay." Wei Ran was unexpectedly happy, "Which street is your newspaper office in, I'll go right away."

"Hi! Hi! I really just want to ask a few questions and go to a newspaper."

The overalls panicked, and while quickly putting away his so-called press card, he said, "I won't let you answer in vain, who will have trouble with Yuan Datou, right?"

"What do you want to ask?" Wei Ran asked, weighing the silver dollar in his hand.

"I want to know, where has Miss Meixiang been recently? I think the Xuqingshu Apartment doesn't seem to be accepting visitors recently, is it?"

"stop stop"

Wei Ran shook the silver dollar in his hand, "What the hell are you asking for so much money, why are you sending the beggar?"

As he said that, Wei Ran threw the silver dollar in his hand to the other party, and said braggingly, "My cousin offers me [-] oceans a month, is that a big deal for you? Where should I play?" go."

"Hey hey!"

The overalls hurriedly took the ocean thrown by Wei Ran, gritted his teeth and said, "Why don't you make a price, as much as you say."

"One Question 150 Oceans"

Wei Ran pretended to be greedy and said, "As for the two questions you just asked, it cost three hundred oceans, and you can't do without a penny."

"Three, three hundred?" The overalls widened his eyes.

"If you don't have money, what kind of reporter are you?" Wei Ran changed his face faster than a dog, and waved his hand in disgust, "Don't come here to provoke me, or you will be killed with a single shot."

The unexpected high price obviously made the overalls lose his mind for a while, he glanced behind him almost subconsciously, then nodded and bowed goodbye Wei Ran once again mixed into the crowd.

"Three hundred oceans," Wei Ran muttered to himself, wondering if the other party would be willing to take the money.

After waiting for less than 10 minutes, the overalls came over again, looked around like a thief, and then took out a stack of French coins from his pocket, "Three hundred, three hundred is three hundred!"

"take away"

Wei Ran waved his hand in disdain, "This is just a butt wiping paper. I don't even think it's big enough. If you really want to ask, you can bring real money over here, and use burning paper to fool people."

"Yes! You are the uncle, I will change it right away." The overalls were completely lost in temper by Wei Ran, and he turned around decisively and left again.

This time, after waiting for less than 5 minutes, he ran back with a leather bag.Perhaps Qian Zhuang was cowardly, but this time he not only came back, but also stretched out his hand and opened the co-pilot's door and got in.

"Three Hundred Oceans"

The overalls shook the leather bag in his hand, "How about answering one more question for me?"

"Get out of the car, get out." Wei Ran changed his face again.

"you"

The overalls hurriedly said, "This is not a one-off deal. If I can't guarantee it, when will I come to you again?"

"Have you ever thought about it, you got the news from me and published it in the newspaper, I might lose my job?" Wei Ran said mockingly, "I lost my job and went to your house to eat and sleep at your house? "

"That's two questions, I will definitely help you keep them secret!"

The overalls gritted his teeth and said, "The same two questions, where did Miss Meixiang go? Did she sneak away because she saw that there was going to be a war?"

"Give money first"

Wei Ran stretched out his hand towards the other party, then greedily pulled the small bag in the other party's hand, and took out one after another silver dollars from it.

While the overalls were waiting helplessly, Wei Ran opened each envelope, licked his lips greedily, took out a few envelopes and blew them hard, and listened to them.

It took a full 10 minutes to verify the authenticity of these silver dollars, and then Wei Ran swiped all of them into the leather bag, and replied, "You can think about it. If I answer, you won't have the chance to go back on your word." The money is coming back."

"I can't go back on my word!" As the overalls spoke, he even took out a palm-sized notebook and a pencil from his pocket.

"My cousin and her friends went to see a theater in Peking, and they might be back in four or five days."

Wei Ran stretched his hand into the bag and pulled the silver dollars while replying, "You can't run away. My cousin can speak Japanese. Whose business is this? Even if the devils occupy Tianjin, what can we do? Not yet." Still doing business?"

"Who did she go to Peiping with?" The overalls asked subconsciously, and then saw Wei Ran stretching out his hand in front of her.

"What are you looking at, give me the money!" Wei Ran urged impatiently, "One question is 150 oceans, are you ashamed to ask for nothing?"

"I" grinned in the suspenders, "You didn't answer the whole question, it's not a new question."

"Let's not do that, I only recognize money."

As Wei Ran spoke, he took out his pistol and pointed it at the other party again, "After answering the question, you can either pay the money and continue asking, or get out of the car and get out."

"Then I want to talk to you next time, how can I contact you?" The overalls asked without asking for money.

"Do you know the opium den at the entrance of the Japanese Concession?" Wei Ran asked with his leather bag on his stomach.

"I know, I know for sure."

"I'm going there at two o'clock every afternoon recently, and you can just find my car when the time comes."

Wei Ran patted the bag, "One question costs 150 oceans. I don't choose silver dollars or gold bars, but you should remember two things."

"What, what are the two?" The overalls asked immediately.

"First, don't sneak up on me when there are people in my car."

Wei Ran raised his second finger and said, "If your tabloid reveals the news you got from me or destroys my job, as long as I see you, I will definitely kill you with one shot."

"Don't worry, don't worry a hundred times!"

The overalls made a promise not confidently, and then saw that Wei Ran had no intention of returning the purse to him at all, so he could only resign himself to his fate and push open the car door, nodding his head and running away without a trace.

Looking down at the heavy leather bag in his arms, although Wei Ran's face showed pride and greed, he secretly raised his vigilance in his heart. Three hundred oceans is by no means a small number. It is obvious that the other party is so willing to spend money. I want to catch a big fish.

Suppressing the worries in his heart, Wei Ran pretended to be vigilant and looked left and right, then raised all the car windows without too much heat, and patted the small pistol on the dashboard.

“What a greedy guy”

On the second floor opposite to Taihua Building, Mr. Ueda in a long gown, after listening to the report of the overalls, put down the binoculars he had been holding up to peek at Wei Ran just now, and muttered something in Japanese with great satisfaction.