War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1205 The Drunk Person and the Disappeared Person

On the afternoon of August 1937, 8, although the streets and alleys of Jinmen, which fell to the hands of the Japanese invaders, were almost covered with posters that flatter the sun and beautify the war of aggression, there were still sporadic anti-Japanese forces fighting like moths to the flame. heroic struggle.

But in the relatively quiet and safe British Concession, the banquet hall on the second floor of Xuqingshu Apartment is as lively as ever.

Apart from Jasmine who was in charge of playing the piano, at the card table not far away, Meixiang had already started a game of cards with the Someya couple who came and Walker, the manager of the foreign firm.

At the same time, in the kitchen on the first floor, a French chef specially hired in the morning was also preparing for dinner in a few hours.

In the basement with the windows sealed by the flower bed, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua were each using a boiled syringe, placed against the edge of the cork of the bottle of whiskey or red wine in their hands, and carefully drawing out a few tubes of wine from it. Then, the transparent liquor was extracted from the glass bottle containing medical alcohol and poured into the whiskey and red wine bottles.

After the bottles of foreign wine returned to their original liquid level, Wei Ran opened a wooden refrigerator and put them in one bottle after another.

In the busyness of each, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and everyone who played cards all afternoon was also attracted by the aroma of the dishes that Qiushi and Tao Canhua took turns serving in the restaurant on the second floor.

These dishes include both French dishes and some Chinese dishes made by Yang Ma herself.Even the wine that goes with the meal is a bottle of cognac that has not been spiked by Wei Ran.

"It's too boring to eat like this"

After drinking the first glass of cognac, Meixiang suggested while Qiushi was helping her pour the wine, "Why don't my cousin and Jasmine come up to join in the fun, how about we play fists and guess the number together?"

"I can do this!"

Walker immediately became interested when he heard the words, then looked at Someya Yukio, and asked quite proudly, "How is it? Do you want to play with me?"

"You will lose." Someya seemed to be equally proficient in this, "Miss Meixiang, let Mr. Wei Ran and Miss Jasmine come up."

"go"

Mei Xiang winked at Qiu Shi, "By the way, go to the banquet hall and bring the dice clock."

Hearing this, Qiu Shi immediately ran down according to the plan agreed last night, and called Wei Ran and Jasmine who had already made preparations and even ate a corner of sesame seed roll sauce meat pad in advance, and then Two more dice clocks and some dice were brought.

"Cousin called us over for a drink?" Wei Ran asked excitedly as he went upstairs.

"Mr. Sometani and Miss Junko are both masters of shaking dice cups, and Mr. Walker is even more of a master who once made Xiao Guanlian drink 14 glasses of wine."

While Mei Xiang praised her friend, she also reminded Wei Ran, "Don't be overwhelmed, just roll down the stairs like Xiaoguan did last time."

"That can't be!"

Wei Ran said frantically, "I have never been drunk before in Fengtian Mansion! Jasmine, roll up my sleeves!"

Hearing this, Jasmine who was standing behind Wei Ran rolled her eyes blatantly, and helped Wei Ran roll up the cuff of his left shirt.

When the two of them sat down, the people at the table began to play with the sumptuous food and wine.It's just that, when it's really played, Wei Ran can see that among these three, Junko Someya is the only one who can be regarded as a master who is really proficient in this way.

As for Walker and Sometani Yukio, who looked confident, although they looked like they could drink, their skills in rolling dice to make drinking orders were really not proportional to their confidence.

At the same time that the water was deliberately released and the two men drank a bottle of cognac with the meal, someya Junko also succeeded in rolling the dice, making Mei Xiang and Jasmine drink up another bottle of sweet wine with ease.

"Sister Qiushi"

Wei Ran hiccupped on purpose, and greeted with the excitement of meeting his opponent in his tone, "Go to the refrigerator in the basement and bring over the few bottles of good wine I hoarded a few days ago!"

"Master Biao, you'd better drink less."

The girl Qiushi looked quiet and honest on the outside, but what she said was stirring up the flames, "Don't blame me for not telling you, Mr. Someya and Mr. Walker have a good drinker, either of them can drink you to the table under."

"What did you say?"

Wei Ran waved his hand and said provocatively, "I must drink them all down today."

"Humph!"

Qiu Shi wrinkled his nose and snorted, and ran downstairs once again under the slightly satisfied expressions of Someya and Walker, and brought up a bottle of whiskey without filling and a bottle of half-and-half without filling. sweet wine.

When these two bottles of wine were also drunk one after another, Wei Ran, who had already been trained by Professor Alexei and that scumbag Jima, although his face was a little red, could continue to drink—— Even when he met Junko Someya, he was downed a whole glass of whiskey by the opponent winning four in a row.

Eating, drinking, and playing with the sumptuous meal, when the satiated crowd moved from the dining table to the card table, Qiu Shi, at the urging of Volker, poured a bottle of whiskey And a bottle of red wine was served.The way everyone fights for wine has also changed from punching and shaking dice to a more gambling poker game - stud.

Although Wei Ran knew how to play this card game called "Sand Crab" by these celebrities in the Republic of China, his card skills were not good after all.

Fortunately, the two girls, Meixiang and Jasmine, are really good at stealing cards, and Junko Someya has been drunk since she drank half a glass of whiskey at the table. After losing such a strong opponent, The drinking operation with Wei Ran as the core also went very smoothly.

During the poker games, the sky outside the window was getting darker and darker, more and more empty wine bottles were placed on the table not far away, and the smell of alcohol on the people around the table naturally became heavier and heavier.

At this time, accompanied by the crisp car bell, Guan Bingwen also rode a bicycle into the small courtyard of Xuqing Shuyu, and ran up to the second floor not long after.

"Xiao Xiaoguan is here?"

Mei Xiang greeted with drunken eyes, "Why are you here? Are you here?"

Guan Bingwen asked with a smile on his face, "Sister Meixiang, can you lend me your car? My sister and my father quarreled again, and I plan to drive her to her classmate's house to hide."

"Borrow my car again?" Mei Xiang asked drunkenly.

"Hey." Guan Bingwen scratched the back of his head silly, "You can borrow it from me? I'll send it back in two hours at most,"

"It's not impossible"

Mei Xiang said, picked up the wine bottle and poured a glass of semi-sweet wine for Guan Bingwen, "Come, let's have a drink with everyone, sister, I will lend you the car."

"Sister Meixiang, I'll wait, I have to drive later." Guan Bingwen said with a embarrassed face.

"Come on, I'll hiccup for you!" Wei Ran hiccupped before finishing his sentence.

"Let me come"

Qiu Shi, who had been pouring wine for everyone just now, rolled his eyes, took the cup from Mei Xiang's hand, "I'll toast everyone for Brother Guan."

After saying that, the girl drank the glass of wine in one gulp.

"it is good!"

Wei Ran was the first to say hello, poured himself a glass of wine and said, "Come on, let's all have a drink!"

Under the leadership of a drunk, the other two half-drunk didn't even think about it, they picked up the wine bottle and poured it for themselves in unison, collided with everyone's glasses, and followed Wei Ran's rhythm with a particularly bold drink up.

"Oh!"

After the glass of wine was finished, Volker was the first to lie down on the wine table and lose consciousness.

"How can I get sister Qiushi to drink for me!"

Guan Bingwen seemed to have just realized it, took the wine bottle handed over by Qiu Shi and poured himself a glass of wine, "Come on! I'll toast everyone! I've done it!"

After finishing speaking, Guan Bingwen brought the goblet to his mouth, gritted his teeth and frowned, and drank it. At the same time, he couldn't help but muttered in his heart, "This grape juice is sour and sweet, and it's quite good." drink".

"Drink! Drink!"

While yelling to create an atmosphere, Wei Ran filled the Someya couple with wine, then filled himself with whiskey, and took the initiative to move over.

"drink"

Yukio Someya, who had been doubled seeing things for a long time, touched Wei Ran with a wine glass, and then moved it to his mouth.

However, before he finished his glass of wine, he slipped under the table.Junko Someya, who was a little less able to drink and relied entirely on her poker skills, couldn't finish the glass of whiskey, so she got up in a panic, and ran into the bathroom with Jasmine's support.

Seeing this, Meixiang winked at Mama Yang who had been standing at the door of the small kitchen on the second floor, and after the latter went downstairs, she said, "Xiaoguan, I'll borrow the car when I get off. I'll lend it to you, you have to Take Mr. Walker back for me. By the way, how about taking Qiushi to the Italian Concession and helping me get back the dress I ordered last month?"

"Of course"

"Let Canhua go with me!" Qiu Shi deliberately said loudly, and Guan Bingwen, who hadn't finished speaking, also let out a disappointed "Huh?"

"Then let Canhua and... go with you."

Mei Xiang, who smelled of alcohol, got up staggeringly, patted Guan Bingwen's cheek lightly, and teased with a smile, "In case you bully sister Qiushi."

"How could I do that?" Guan Bingwen didn't know whether it was because he was shy or because he was touched, his face turned red.

"All right"

Meixiang waved her hand, and said as she staggered upstairs, "Qiushi, go downstairs and let Mama Yang and Uncle Mute come up, send Someya and his wife to their car, and Uncle Mute take them Send it back."

"I'll go down and call someone!"

Qiu Shih had already run downstairs before she finished speaking, and not long after, she called Tao Canhua, Dumb Cao, and Mama Yang to come up.And Wei Ran, who also drank a lot, was sitting on the sofa in the living room like a transparent person.

Under the busy work of these people, after Yang Ma and Cao Yaba helped Someu and his wife get into the car, Cao Yaba babbled and pointed to the fuel gauge of Someu's car that was about to bottom out.

It's no wonder the fuel gauge of this car is bottomless. When they were playing cards upstairs just now, Dumb Cao had already secretly pumped out the oil in the fuel tank by a big bucket.

"Since there is no oil, let's refuel"

Guan Bingwen said after sending Volker into the milky-white car he was about to borrow, "Go to the foreign firm in the French Concession, mention my name when the time comes, and you can fill it up directly."

"Ugh!"

Dumb Cao forcefully sent out a fairly clear response, and at the same time nodded honestly, got into the cab and drove out of the yard first.

"Get in the car too"

Guan Bingwen glanced at Qiu Shi and Tao Canhua who was pulled out by Qiu Shi, and after beckoning them to get into the car and drew the curtains, he was the second to drive out of the yard.

Belonging to the third floor, in the living room where the lights were not turned on at all, Mei Xiang, who smelled of alcohol, burped, looked at Wei Ran who was sitting on the sofa next to him smoking a cigarette, and asked very soberly, "Didn't you drink too much?"

"no"

Wei Ran shook his head, he really didn't drink too much, he drank real wine for dinner in the afternoon, but since the game started, Qiushi was given the job of pouring the wine.

Doesn't this girl have the final say whether she pours wine with added ingredients, grape juice, or iced brown sugar water?
Hearing this, Mei Xiang smiled, and said abruptly, "Do you dare to help me kill someone?"

"Who?" Wei Ran asked casually, "Ueda or Gu Chuan?"

"Neither of them." Mei Xiang shook her head, "It's a woman."

Seeing Wei Ran looking at her in surprise, Mei Xiang slowly lit a cigarette, "You don't want to kill women, do you?"

"Tell me who the other party is first." Wei Ran took a puff of cigarette and asked, neither was in a hurry to refuse, nor was he in a hurry to agree.

"At the ball yesterday, do you still have any memories of Ueda's female partner?" Mei Xiang asked.

"Have"

Wei Ran nodded, he had used his binoculars to pay attention to the young girl's appearance.

"I was going to let Uncle Dumb do it"

As Mei Xiang said, she took out a note from her cigarette case and handed it to Wei Ran, then leaned into his ear and said in a low voice, "That girl seems to have come with Ueda."

"Why did you kill her?" Wei Ran took a look at the note, and then asked curiously.

"Divert Ueda's attention," Meixiang said casually, "Do you have the guts?"

"If you have the guts, you can kill people."

Wei Ran shook the note in his hand and asked helplessly, "But I don't know the way. Where is this place?"

Hearing this, Mei Xiang was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.He stood up unsteadily and patted Wei Ran on the shoulder, "Let's go to the stage in the basement to sleep first. When Xiaoguan comes back later, I will ask him to go directly to the basement to find you and let him tell you the details. .”

Hearing this, Wei Ran didn't ask any more questions. After writing down the address on the note, he took out the lighter and lit it and threw it into the ashtray. Then he stood up and walked towards the stairs amidst the constantly jumping flames.

At the same time, Cao Yaba had already driven his car into the French Concession, and drove straight into the door of a foreign firm that was still in business.

Before getting out of the car, Dumb Cao glanced at the sleeping Someya couple in the rear compartment, and gestured to the person outside the window.

Upon receiving the signal, the person outside the window immediately beckoned the person at the rear of the car to open the trunk, helped Feng Maoyun who was curled up inside, and got into another car next to him in the darkness.

Without waiting for the car to fill up, the car just drove towards the dock in the night, and the person standing outside the driver's seat whispered into Mute Cao's ear.

Nodding in a subtle way, Cao Yaba started the car and left the foreign firm, drove into the Japanese Concession area familiarly, and drove to the residence of the Someya couple. A rickshaw that had been waiting for him by the side of the road disappeared into the night.

(End of this chapter)