War Photographer's Notebook

Early in the morning on August 8th, a rickshaw brought Xiao Su's mother, who was wearing a large kimono, over.

"Did the money-losing goods come back?"

As soon as Xiao Su's mother entered the door, she shouted at Wei Ran who was holding a watering can, and then added, "Is your hand really broken?"

"No." Wei Ran pointed to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall on the second floor, "It fell from there."

"Heal well"

Little Su's mother was perfunctory, and asked again, "Is that damn girl Meixiang back?"

"came back"

Wei Ran pointed to the upstairs, "I came back late last night, I guess I must have not woken up yet."

"I'll go up by myself"

After finishing speaking, Xiao Su's mother had already walked up the steps with wooden clogs. At the same time, she did not forget to mutter, "Does this book apartment have bad feng shui? Why is it so crippled?"

Resisting the urge to put the watering can on the head of this smelly old lady, Wei Ran soaked it in the fish tank in the corner and filled it with water. Qianmen cigarettes bought at a high price from Pike, continued to water the flowers while listening to all kinds of trash talking from Xiao Su's mother's loud voice.

Less than half an hour later, Xiao Su's mother happily walked out with a stack of brand new French currency in her hand, and said as she passed by Wei Ran, "My nephew, there is no need to send Canhua over to play the piano and sing songs this afternoon. "

"Okay." Wei Ran nodded casually, but he didn't look at Xiao Su's mother at all.

Xiao Su's mother scolded angrily, walked out of the yard with small steps, twisted and twisted, got back into the rickshaw and walked away.

Except that Tao Canhua didn't have to go out to work, this day was not much different from the past.

At 05:30 in the afternoon, in the basement of Xuqing Book Apartment, Wei Ran set up his camera and took a group photo of everyone in the book apartment, including the wounded.

After he put away the camera, Meixiang also went upstairs and changed into a kimono with Qiushi's help, and put a thick layer of white powder on her face.

At 06:30 in the afternoon, Mei Xiang got into the car with Jasmine's support, and when Jasmine, who was accompanying her, closed the door from the inside, Mute Cao and Wei Ran also got into the front and passenger cabs of the devil's car.

"Have you brought guns?" Meixiang asked while opening the closed car curtains.

Hearing this, Cao Duan reached out and took out two pistols from the holster around his waist and shook them.

What surprised Wei Ran was that this time, besides the three boxes, what the other party was holding was a Luger P08 pistol, which is absolutely rare in China in this era!

However, considering that Dumb Cao was once a soldier under Marshal Zhang, it made sense.After all, the Northeast King was the only one who was willing to spend his money, and had equipped his subordinates with such a batch of "hunchbacks".

"What about you?" Mei Xiang asked immediately when Wei Ran didn't speak.

"Did not bring"

Wei Ran shook his broken arm and replied bluntly, "I can't use a gun with a broken arm. Besides, aren't we going to the dance?"

Hearing this, Meixiang smiled, "If you haven't brought it, then don't take it, let's go."

"Don't worry, I will definitely do what I promised you."

Wei Ran confidently made a promise, he did not bring a gun, but in the food box of the metal book, there were not only the small PPK pistol and spare magazines, but even a bottle of the gun he bought from Dag The cyanide poison that Manali asked for, as well as the Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs he personally made by asking Volker to buy materials.

As for whether this thing can be used and who it is used for, it depends on the situation.

"Miss, give me my gun"

"No, I believe in my cousin." Mei Xiang waved her hand before Jasmine finished speaking, "Uncle Mute, let's go."

Hearing this, Cao Mute immediately started the car and drove out of Xuqing Letter Apartment, and drove towards the Japanese Concession with Yang Ma, Tao Canhua and the little girl Qiushi watching behind him.

In the carriage, Wei Ran didn't think about his cousin at all, and lit a cigarette on his own. His carefree look and the undisguised complacency between his brows made him look like a boy who was eating soft food.

And in the back row of the carriage, with the help of Jasmine, Mei Xiang, who was wearing a kimono, lit a small Japanese-style cigarette pouch with a golden mouth and gold pot and ivory stem, and leaned against the half-opened car window to smoke one mouthful at a time. Looking at the street scene outside, it seems that he is afraid that pedestrians and common people will not see him.

Such a blatant rush to the downstairs of Zhongyuan Company, Wei Ran flicked his cigarette butt at the same time, pushed the door and got off the car, and helped the ladies in the back compartment open the car door with a decent manner. There are two different people on the road.

Under the escort of Wei Ran and Jasmine, Mei Xiang, who was dressed in Japanese style in a kimono, ignored the pointing of the people around her and went straight up the steps.

Before the three of them could enter, a milk-white car also stopped at the entrance of Zhongyuan Company. When the door opened, Mr. and Mrs. Sometani, who were also wearing kimonos, also walked out.Especially Yukio Sometani, who still has a leather camera hanging around his neck.

"Miss Meixiang!"

Junko Someya greeted her in Japanese, Mika who heard the call also turned around slowly, once again pretended to be the royal sister, responded politely in Japanese, and bowed to the Someya couple.

"Is this coquettish bitch the famous prostitute Meixiang?"

At the gate of Zhongyuan Company, a shirtless and barefoot rickshaw driver spit out thick phlegm and whispered contemptuously, "Look at her virtue, she is just like a special code devil."

"Come on"

Another rickshaw driver stretched his companion, "After all, it's just a bitch, whose kang is not warm? Everyone thinks that?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the rickshaw drivers who agreed with him became more and more unscrupulous.

"Leave them alone"

Mei Xiang stopped Jasmine who was about to teach those rickshaw drivers a lesson in a low voice, and then glanced at Wei Ran who seemed to have not heard the gossip at all, then switched back to Japanese, and continued to chat with the Someya couple at the door.

Even Yukio Someya took off the camera around his neck and asked Wei Ran to help him. He took a group photo of the couple and Meixiang at the entrance of the Zhongyuan Company before giving up.

Before the two groups of them could walk in, another car drove up, and this time it was Walker, the manager of a foreign company in a tuxedo, who got out of the car.

"Miss Meixiang! What a coincidence, it turns out you are here to attend this banquet." Walker greeted Meixiang from a distance, and the two even hugged lightly.

When the two separated, Walker immediately asked, "Miss Meixiang, is Miss Andy here? I haven't been able to contact her these days."

"I'm afraid you can't contact her," Mei Xiang said with regret as she stood on the steps.

"What did you say?"

Walker is obviously also a drama star. He asked in Chinese with a panicked look, "Could it be...could she...she be..."

"Please don't get me wrong, Mr. Walker."

Mei Xiang hurriedly corrected, "Half a month ago, Andy heard that there was going to be a war, so he didn't come back with us. She has already gone to her grandma's house in Zaitong Port. I guess she may have arrived by this time."

“Fortunately so”

Walker breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked, "Do you know when Miss Andy will be back?"

"I don't know that"

Mei Xiang spread her hands helplessly, "But when she went, she only asked Miss Gu and I to borrow two large yellow croakers each. I guess it won't take long. She will come back after she has spent all the money."

"If there is any news about Miss Andy, please inform me in time," Walker said with great sincerity.

"I need to ask Andy's permission first"

Before Meixiang could finish her sentence, the third car stopped, and as the door opened, a big fat man with a bald head and a fierce face came out first.

This fat man in a suit wore as many thick gold rings as there were fingers on his hands, and a golden pocket watch chain hung on his chest.

The fat man just turned his head and took a look, and the rickshaw drivers who were talking happily just now quieted down immediately, and some of them even pulled the rickshaw to hide in the distance.

"Father, get out of the way, the door is blocked."

"Hey hey!"

The big fat man with a fierce look immediately smiled on his face as he was urged from behind. At the same time, he moved his fat body out of the way with extra flexibility, allowing the girl in the carriage to get out.

Is it Guan Linglu?Wei Ran glanced at the girl in the western dress and raised her eyebrows.

"That fat man is the father of the brothers and sisters of the Guan family, and he is also a big traitor." Jasmine introduced in a low voice against Wei Ran's ear, "He specially works for devils."

After Jasmine finished speaking, Guan Linglu had already urged his father to enter the Zhongyuan Company.It's just that neither the girl nor her father seemed to recognize Meixiang, not only didn't say hello, they didn't even look straight at her.

"Shall we go in too?" Someya Yukio suggested.

"Let's go." Mei Xiang also echoed, and walked into Zhongyuan Company with Jasmine carrying a cosmetic bag and Wei Ran empty-handed.

Riding the elevator all the way up, Meixiang just said without a word, "The three elevators in this building were all built by Mr. Zhu Qingheng, who is from Huaxia."

After saying that, she changed the topic to today's banquet and started chatting with the Sometani couple and Walker.

Along the way to the fifth floor, Jasmine was stopped first and led to a small hall specially designed for "servants" to rest.

Wei Ran, on the other hand, perhaps because his gentle temperament fooled the gatekeeper, no one stopped him and he was able to follow him into the Golden Boat Dance Hall where there were already many people.

However, there is a second card here, and this time you can only swipe your face. Although Wei Ran bears the name of Meixiang's cousin, he still led him to the banquet hall after a careful body search corner rest.Obviously, although he can come in, he is not qualified to end.

However, this fulfilled his wish and he was able to observe the dance from the perspective of a bystander.

Contrary to what he expected, although there were bad people in this dance, there were no devils in military uniforms, at most men and women in kimonos.

In addition, there are many dancers here. At this time, these dancers in kimonos are performing Japanese dances under the spotlight. People in the audience are also holding wine glasses and chatting in groups.

It can be seen that from the beginning to the end, Volker stayed not far from Meixiang, and the Someya couple never let Meixiang leave their sight.

Not long after, the ghost Ueda also entered the dance floor. However, this guy was not wearing a kimono at this time. Instead, he was wearing a well-tailored suit. There was even a girl who looked to be in her early 20s wearing an evening dress. Hold his arm.

Looking left and right at the rest of the people resting here, Wei Ran got up and took a few steps to the corner, hid behind a large decorative vase, took out the telescope in the metal book and took a quick look at it.

Then put away the binoculars and put on the cigarette case, leaning against the pillar and lit a cigarette.At that moment, he had already seen clearly the appearance of the girl holding Ueda's arm, and after some memories, he firmly remembered her appearance and characteristics in his heart.

While he watched with cold eyes, the ghost Ueda greeted Mika with his female companion, and started socializing with Mika's introduction.

This devil is not simple
Wei Ran murmured to himself, he could naturally see that Ueda spent so much effort and went around such a big circle, all of which was to expand his network through Mei Xiang's network.

Not only that, after getting to know some people, this Ueda said goodbye to Meixiang politely.After the dance ended, he took his female partner and found another beautiful woman also wearing a kimono, and continued to make friends with the people in the dance hall as before.

Sure enough, when the second song ended, Ueda took his female companion and changed to a kimono woman again to continue to expand its social circle.

This dance was simply beyond Wei Ran's expectations, and it was also beyond the expectations of Meixiang and others. Even until the end of the dance, Ueda had no second contact or communication with Meixiang or any woman in kimono.

When the dance ended, Wei Ran immediately joined Mei Xiang who had just drank a lot of wine, and helped her go out.

"Do you want to vomit?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"Get out of here first," Mei Xiang urged in a low voice.

Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately quickened his pace, joined Jasmine who was waiting near the elevator entrance, and together supported Mei Xiang to take the elevator downstairs, and got into the car driven by Cao Yaba.

Almost at the same time as the car door closed, Mei Xiang closed the curtains of the car. Seeing this, Jasmine also immediately closed the curtains of the cars in other directions.

Immediately afterwards, Meixiang began to take off her kimono, revealing the breeches and shirt she was wearing underneath.

"Uncle Dumb, stop where the street lights can't reach." Mei Xiang covered her mouth after she finished speaking.

Seeing this, the mute immediately pulled over and stopped only a hundred meters away from the Zhongyuan Company behind him.

"vomit--"

As soon as Mei Xiang opened the car door, she vomited it out, and Jasmine immediately handed over her handkerchief and patted Mei Xiang's back.At the same time, Dumb Cao also walked around to the rear of the car, took out a thermos and a cup from the trunk, poured a cup of water after pouring the cup with the cold water inside, and handed it over.

Taking advantage of Meixiang's mouthwashing time, Dumb Cao took out a clean white towel, soaked it in water from the thermos, and handed it over.

By the time Jasmine rinsed her mouth, wiped it clean with a towel and returned to the compartment, Dumb Cao had already put away the thermos in her hand and got into the cab again.

"Go to the river." Mei Xiang said, handing the towel to Jasmine, and said to herself, "The organizer of today's dance is a businessman recruiting nuclear weapons."

"I'm afraid Ueda's identity is also different?" Wei Ran, who was sitting in the co-pilot, asked in an affirmative tone without looking back.

"His identity is a businessman from Fengtian"

Meixiang snorted coldly at this point, and spit out of the window without any image, "And he also said that he is from my hometown, and most of those who also helped him introduce contacts, like me, are all courtesans from Fengtian. "

"Isn't he afraid of revealing his secrets?" Jasmine asked puzzledly while helping Meixiang light a cigarette, "Anyone will check with the lady afterward."

"Do I dare?"/"Cousin dare not"

Mei Xiang and Wei Ran said the same sentence in unison.

"Why?" Jasmine looked at Meixiang in confusion, and then at Wei Ran who was sitting in front.

"You tell me," Meixiang finished, and took a long drag on her cigarette when she got irritated.

"Whoever speaks out is a leaker"

Wei Ran frowned and said, "Ueda is confident that my cousin will help him keep it a secret. Everyone in the book apartment, including Xiao Su's mother who doesn't live in the book apartment, is his hostage. This devil is right We're playing a conspiracy, which is disgusting, but effective."

"Are we just letting it dictate?" Jasmine clenched her fists and asked.

Wei Ran lit a cigarette unhurriedly, and asked with almost certainty, "Cousin must have a way?"

"Let's go to the river first." Mei Xiang waved her hand in a puff of smoke, "Let me sober up first."