War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1232 The hope in Qinse and Mingzhong
At the back door of the kitchen of the Love Letter Apartment, while Wei Ran, Tao Canhua and Jasmine were busy, pieces of gold jewelry of various sizes and gold bars of different sizes were cleared out and put into a container. A tin bucket filled with water.

Asking Yang's mother to borrow an old loofah pulp that had been dried and used for cleaning pots, Jasmine rolled up her sleeves and carefully brushed the gold jewelry and gold bars clean, and then used a towel to absorb the water before throwing them away. He entered the weighing pan on the side.

After the last small yellow croaker was thrown into the weighing pan, Tao Canhua picked it up with a little effort, and then slowly moved the weight that fell on the weighing pole.

When the two sides were balanced, Tao Canhua pinched the lanyard of the scale, looked at it, and whispered, "13 pounds and 14 taels! How did Xiao Su's mother save it?"

"Don't ask if we shouldn't know!"

Jasmine glared at Tao Canhua accusingly, then put all the gold objects in the scale into a small basket originally used to hold steamed buns, and then covered it with a piece of drawer cloth still containing the residue of steamed buns. After a slight hesitation, He whispered, "Canhua, plant the crabapple tree here. Young Master Ciao, if you are tired, come with me and take this thing upstairs."

"it is good"

Wei Ran nodded happily. He naturally knew that Jasmine called him purely to avoid suspicion, even though Mei Xiang had already given her complete trust.

Follow Jasmine through the kitchen and up the wooden stairs.When the two of them walked up to the third floor, they found Meixiang sitting on the sofa, holding a piece of paper full of scrawled writing in her hand, burying her head in her arms and sobbing, while Qiushi sat beside her and softly He hugged her gently, patted her back and comforted her skillfully.

"cough cough"

Wei Ran coughed lightly as he stood at the top of the stairs, and Mei Xiang immediately raised her head and picked up a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes, then carefully folded the letter in her hand and stuffed it into the envelope.

"Come here," Mei Xiang greeted after clearing her throat.

Hearing this, Wei Ran did not move. He just looked at Jasmine beside him and said, "Go there by yourself."

"it is good"

Jasmine nodded, handed the drawer cloth covering the basket to Wei Ran, and walked towards Mei Xiang alone holding the heavy basket.

At the same time, Wei Ran simply turned around and went downstairs to the kitchen, returned the drawer cloth with the remains of the crumbs to Yang's mother, and then passed through the back door.

In just a short time, Tao Canhua had planted the Xifu Begonia with lush roots into the pit dug in advance and watered it thoroughly. At this time, he was busy using broken bricks from the wall and broken earthen jar fragments to plant the seeds. There is a circle around the begonia.

"What music should we play tomorrow?" Tao Canhua asked in a low voice while busy.

"I only know those few, and I don't know any more." Wei Ran replied simply.

Tao Canhua was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Are we going to take this guy with us?"

"No. No, take it. Take it."

Wei Ran said, "I guess they will search you after we go there. They can search them out at will."

"Row"

Tao Canhua responded solemnly, and then asked after a moment of silence, "This little devil is about to be defeated. Do we, do we still have a chance to take revenge? The revenge of Pike, the revenge of brothers Keqin and Kejian, The hatred between Brother Tang and Miss Linglu, we”

"There is a chance." Wei Ran nodded seriously, "There is definitely a chance."

"Yes!" Tao Canhua nodded equally vigorously.

"Have a good rest today." Wei Ran patted the other party's shoulder. What would happen if he didn't get enough tomorrow?

After saying that, Wei Ran, who had not been of any help at all, stood up, lit another cigarette, and then walked through the kitchen and into the garage. However, he didn't even intend to eat the lunch that was about to be cooked, so he stepped on the accelerator. He drove out of the study apartment and ran anxiously along the street.

As he expected, as soon as his front foot left, a bicycle caught up with him.

Glancing at the figure glaring at the bicycle in the rearview mirror, Wei Ran smiled and continued to increase the speed by changing gears.

Driving the car out of the British Concession in such a hurry, Wei Ran wandered around in the French Concession and bought two packs of cigarettes, and then drove non-stop towards the train station.He made enough posture here, and naturally there were more people following behind him.

However, to the disappointment of those following him, after Wei Ran drove the car to the train station, he just found a Japanese restaurant and went in. He casually ordered a few dishes and sat down to eat haise. But he didn't care at all about the sweaty tails who were staring at him through the window.

What he couldn't even see that day was that when he was halfway through eating, the leader of the group of people responsible for tracking and monitoring suddenly slapped his forehead as if he had thought of something, and immediately led the others in a hurry to hurry up again. Arrived near Xuqing Shu Apartment.

However, what made him grit his teeth was that according to the report of the rickshaw driver who was still guarding the place, not even a mouse had entered or left the apartment since Wei Ran left!
When these people rushed back to the Japanese restaurant near the train station without believing in evil, they happened to see Wei Ran just finishing his lunch and getting into the car leisurely with a cigarette in his mouth.

He returned to the study apartment with his tail that had been teased all the way behind him. Wei Ran had just parked the car when he was called up to the third floor by Mei Xiang who was waiting at the door.

"Do me a favor," Mei Xiang said as she walked upstairs.

"What's the business?" Wei Ran, who was following behind, raised his head and asked.

However, Mei Xiang did not answer. She just took Wei Ran up to the third floor and walked into her bedroom.

"Can you try to move it?" Mei Xiang asked, pointing to the two suitcases placed beside the bed.

I stretched out my hand and tried it. The two boxes were not big, but the first one weighed at least thirty or forty pounds.

The second box is nearly twice as heavy. Not only that, there are two padlocks on the second box, and the Japanese words "Yukio Someya" are written on the box.

He even clearly remembered that this was the box he brought back when he followed Somegu to the other party's home to carry luggage when the Japanese occupied the British Concession.

"It can be moved," Wei Ran suppressed the doubts in his heart and answered.

"Pick them up and come downstairs with me." Mei Xiang said, having already turned around and left the room.

Seeing this, Wei Ran left the room with a box in one hand, followed it down to the first floor, and then followed Mei Xiang into the basement, got through the small door hidden behind the mirror, and entered the underground printing room.

However, Wei Ran, who came in to help carry the suitcase, didn't even have time to say hello to Andy who was in the room coaxing the children with the same hatred, and was driven out by Mei Xiang with a wave to help guard.

On the afternoon of August 8th, Mei Xiang stayed in the printing room for a full four or five hours. It was not until dinner was approaching that she walked out with a spittoon in one hand and a urine bucket in the other and handed them to Wei Ran. After sending down the cleaned spittoon and urine bucket, he closed the huge mirror frame with his own hands.

After having dinner upstairs and downstairs as usual, Meixiang went upstairs early. Those members of the troupe who got up early and went to bed early also lined up to take a shower and then returned to their respective dormitories.

In contrast, Tao Canhua seemed to have some insomnia. After all the troupe members fell asleep, he walked out of the foyer alone and sat at the stone table under the ginkgo tree on the side of the small building.

Not long after, Qiushi, who was wearing pajamas, also walked downstairs, walked quietly through the foyer, and sat opposite Tao Canhua under the cold moonlight. The two of them whispered across a cold stone table. Talking about something.

Also unable to sleep was Wei Ran in the room on the first floor.Strictly speaking, it wasn't that he couldn't sleep, it was just that he still had two smoking tasks left to finish today.

However, before he could light the remaining cigarette, he heard something moving outside the door.

Opening the door gently, Wei Ran saw at a glance that Andy in his pajamas was busy connecting the antenna taken out of the fireplace to the simple radio station.

Seeing Wei Ran walk out of the room, Andy just took out her tortoise shell cigarette holder from her pocket and put it on the table. Then she continued to work, letting Wei Ran stuff a Camel cigarette into her cigarette holder and put it in her mouth. Next to her mouth, wait for her to bite it, then use a lighter to help light it.

In the swirling smoke, Andy took a puff of cigarette, then picked up the headphones and put them on his head, turning to look at the clock on the first floor.

Soon after, as the clock started to chime 11:30 pm on time, Andy also opened the notepad in front of him and picked up the pencil inside.

Soon, Wei Ran heard the rapid ticking sound coming from the earphones, and saw Andy fluently writing down groups of numbers on the notepad.In less than a minute or two, Andy closed the notepad and turned off the radio. Then he removed the antenna with familiarity and stuffed it into the fireplace chimney.

"come with me"

Andy gave instructions in a low voice, carried the radio, and walked into the storage room with Wei Ran, and walked into the basement where only one light was on.

"I heard from Meixiang that tomorrow you and Canhua will play the piano and sing for the ghosts?" Andy asked, sitting on the sofa facing the stage.

"I can only play the piano, but I can't sing." Wei Ran responded with a smile, "And I only know a few songs."

"How about you play it for me again?" Andy asked abruptly.

"Of course," Wei Ran agreed happily.

"I'll send the radio down first." Before he finished speaking, Andy, who had just sat down, also stood up and walked towards the huge mirror.

"I'm going to get the piano"

Wei Ran, who had just sat down, also stood up. After waiting for the other party to enter the small door leading to the printing room, he pushed the mirror back to its original position and climbed the steps back upstairs.

This time was obviously not the right time to ask Tao Canhua, who was still chatting with Qiushi outside, to borrow the piano. Wei Ran didn't even return to the room, but took out the Guqin Yaoguang from the metal book in the storage room with the door closed, and then turned around and started playing again. Ran into the basement.

When he came in again, he found that not only Andy was sitting on the sofa in front of the stage, but also sitting next to her were three other girls in charge of the basement.

"The four of us have never sat in front of the stage to listen to a play, nor have we sat here to listen to piano playing and singing." Andy explained with a smile.

"I don't know much, but I can guarantee that you will definitely have the opportunity to sit on the sofa and listen to everyone singing for you in the future. It won't be too long, I promise."

Wei Ran made a sincere promise, then walked onto the stage carrying the piano case, sat down cross-legged casually, then opened the piano case again, took out the Guqin Yaoguang and placed it on the refastened piano case.

Carefully rolling up his cuffs, Wei Ran said in a very formal manner, "The song I'm going to play next is called Guangling San. If anyone plays it incorrectly, sisters, please bear with me. If you have money, please help me." Those who don’t bring any money will just support themselves.”

After saying this serious scene, both Andy and the three girls couldn't help laughing.

Seeing this, Wei Ran suppressed the inexplicable sadness in his heart and started playing seriously.

Soon, as the song ended, Andy was the first to take the lead in applauding softly, followed closely by the three girls who had never heard a opera or a song in front of the stage. They also applauded quietly with smiles on their faces. cheers.

"Next is the second song I know, called Drunken Madness."

After Wei Ran finished speaking, he waited for the four audience members in the audience to quiet down, and then he began to play unhurriedly.But he didn't notice at all that behind him, on the steps blocked by the huge mirror, sat Tao Canhua and Qiushi.

"I may never be able to play the music played by Brother Cousin Wei." Tao Canhua sighed with some disappointment, then whispered into Qiushi's ear, "Those songs I taught you are good Did you play it?"

"I've been practicing for almost four or five years, can I still do it?" Qiushi replied in a low voice.

"Come on, let's get the musical instruments and play some songs for them." Tao Canhua stood up before he finished speaking, and then reached out to pull Qiushi up.

After Wei Ran finished playing his second song "Jiu Kuan", as Andy and others clapped quietly, Tao Canhua, who had changed into a long gown, and Qiushi, who had changed into a cheongsam, also walked in with musical instruments and a food box. basement.

"Master Biao has finished playing. Qiushi and I also want to go on stage and play a few pieces for everyone to listen to." Tao Canhua said, and gently patted the piano bag in his arms and the piano bag on his shoulders. , an unknown musical instrument also covered with cloth, but as big as two pianos.

"I'm so blessed tonight"

Andy said with a smile. At the same time, Qiushi also opened the food box, took out a plate of fruits and a plate of peanuts and melon seeds and placed them on the table. Then he cooked a pot of ginseng for the four of them. Tea was served.

"I have one last song, it's called Liezi Yufeng, showing off one's ugliness."

After Wei Ran finished speaking, he started to strum the strings again.Tao Canhua also put aside the musical instrument he was carrying, and took Qiushi to sit on another sofa.

Just as Wei Ran was playing the last piece of "Yibanaxe" he knew, at the door of the storage room on the first floor, Jasmine was sitting outside the closed door with a cigarette in her mouth, leaning against the wall and looking out the floor-to-ceiling window in ecstasy. Cool moonlight.

In the basement where she was guarding silently, after Wei Ran played the last piece of music, the four audience members applauded quietly and gave up the guqin to Tao Canhua and Qiushi.

"What kind of piano is Sister Qiushi using? Why is it so big? It's as big as a door panel." A girl with short bangs asked in a low voice towards Wei Ran, who had just come off the stage.

"That...maybe it's the guzheng," Wei Ran said uncertainly. He really couldn't tell what kind of instrument it was, and he had never seen Tao Canhua and Qiushi play it before.

"This is not a guzheng. Young Master Biao is making people happy again."

Qiushi, who was preparing on the stage, smiled and explained, "This instrument is called a harp, a harp that sounds like a harp. This big harp was made by Brother Canhua himself."

"Yo - tsk tsk tsk, listen to the sound of the piano and the sound. Sister Qiushi is deliberately showing off."

Andy, who was as charming and frivolous as when they first met, teased Qiushi, who was already a big girl, in a humorous manner.

However, Qiushi was rare this time without being shy or retorting. Instead, she admitted openly, "What Canhua and I are going to perform today is the harmony of the harp and the harp."

"Boring"

Andy rolled his eyes deliberately, but his tone was full of undisguised smiles, "Then I wish you two little guys the best of luck. What song will you play for us next? Let's talk first. Okay, if you don’t play as well as Mr. Biao, we won’t pay for tea.”

As soon as he finished saying this, the three girls who followed him also covered their mouths and chuckled again, obviously liking the setting of pretending to be a fashionable master.

"The first song is a song that prays for peace and prosperity."

After Tao Canhua finished speaking, he looked at Qiushi beside him, and then gently plucked the strings of the guqin in front of him.

After a while, Qiushi also plucked the strings of the big harp. Compared with the guqin, the sound of this big harp was much louder, but even a layman like Wei Ran could hear it. Not only did the big harp not overwhelm the guest, but it actually harmonized with the guqin. The relatively small sound of the guqin complements each other well.

It's really a harmonious music.
Wei Ran muttered secretly, then simply calmed down and sat next to Andy, letting the other person put his arm on his shoulders and quietly listening to the two people on the stage playing the divine song. People are free.

Not long after, deliberately suppressed applause rang out again in the basement. After playing a piece of music, Tao Canhua held down the strings and said, "The second piece we played is called Nanfengchang, the fuming wind is warm. This piece means harvest and peace." .”

"This has a good meaning."

Andy whispered longingly, took a cup of ginseng tea from Wei Ran, brought it to his mouth and took a sip.

Soon, the basement was once again filled with the sounds of Tao Canhua and Qiu Shi. The three girls below the stage, whose exact names Wei Ran still didn’t know, couldn’t help but feel something in their eyes while looking at the man and woman on the stage. Showing envy and yearning.

After the second piece of music was played and another round of applause passed, Tao Canhua and Qiushi looked at each other and said, "The last piece we have is Autumn Wind Ci. In addition, since the day the Chunhua Opera Troupe was established, it has actually I am rehearsing a play that has never been performed on this stage.

That is also a play specially prepared for you. When the day comes when the little devil is beaten away, I will perform it for you, and perform it for you in an honest and fair manner! "

As soon as these words were spoken, the three girls once again gave deliberately suppressed applause, and Andy handed all the tea cups and unfinished cigarettes to Wei Ran, then closed his eyes and leaned on the sofa. On his back, he muttered "It's so good."

(End of this chapter)