War Photographer's Notebook

On the afternoon of August 8, Wei Ran and Furukawa drank tea and smoked cigarettes, and listened to Tao Canhua finish telling Xue Rengui's story while chatting casually.

"clap clap"

Mr. Furukawa applauded and said with a smile, "It's a really good story. I finally heard the ending. Come on, Canhua, here's your tea money."

After saying that, Furukawa took out a purse bag embroidered with cranes from his arms, poured out a small pile of silver coins, but without even counting them, he handed them to Tao Canhua who walked up to him, "Sit down and have a cup of tea. Bar."

"Thank you, auntie, for the reward."

Tao Canhua happily put the pile of about ten silver coins into his arms, then held the teacup in both hands and took a cautious sip.

"Wei Ran, you're not going to steal Canhua's money like before, are you?" Furukawa asked with a smile and a joking tone.

"That's impossible! How can it be possible!"

Wei Ran quickly waved his hand, "Not now, not before, right? Canhua?"

"Yes, no, never." Tao Canhua nodded quickly.

"I'm just joking, don't be nervous."

Furukawa smiled easily, then stood up and said, "I'm going to call Mr. Ueda and ask him when he will come back. You guys should also take a rest first."

After saying that, Furukawa opened the door and walked out on his own.

"I'm going to the bathroom"

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, he stood up and followed Furukawa out of the reception room and into the bathroom. He unfastened his belt and listened as Furukawa went up to the second floor.

After peeing as quickly as possible, Wei Ran walked out of the bathroom to observe. Seeing that no one was staring at him, he immediately walked quickly to the place where Xiao Su's mother had put the pistol, and gently opened the drawer and took a look.

Fortunately, Tao Canhua's Type 1903 revolver is still here. Not only that, there is also a Colt M1908 pistol known as the "Continental Luzi" in this drawer, as well as a Colt M[-] pistol also from Colt. Colt's Colt M[-] pocket pistol.

Unlike the two small pistols held by Meixiang and Qiushi respectively, this pistol does not have any carved decorations, and even the grip patch is an ordinary original.

Looking up at the direction of the stairs on the second floor, Wei Ran gently pushed the drawer, looked at Tao Canhua who was walking towards the bathroom, and nodded imperceptibly.

When the two of them went to the bathroom and then returned to the Japanese-style reception room, Furukawa actually put on a Chinese-style gown and walked downstairs.

"I have called Miss Meixiang to inform you that you will stay here tonight."

Furukawa had already walked to the door while he was speaking, and said while putting on his shoes, "In addition, I also called Mr. Ueda. He hopes that I will take you to his friend's house for a performance. By the way, Xiao Su's mother has just gone ahead of schedule. .”

Hearing this, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua looked at each other, and the former immediately agreed with a smile, "Okay, let's go carry our luggage right now."

"go"

While Furukawa was talking, he had already opened the drawer of the cabinet at the door, took out the horse-branded musket from it and stuffed it into his arms. Then he took off the top hat on the coat rack and put it on his head.

Naturally, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua did not dare to delay, and they quickly walked to the reception room to pick up the musical instruments they had brought.

"What should I do?" Tao Canhua asked in a low voice.

"Xiao Su's mother is afraid that she will be taken away."

Wei Ran picked up a guqin in a bag and said quickly in a low voice, "We have to find a way to send the news back."

"Ask them to rescue Xiao Su's mother?" Tao Canhua, who was packing up the storytelling drum, reacted after saying, "Does it want to take all of us to recruit?"

"Yes." Wei Ran nodded, and then picked up the big trumpet he brought with him.

At the same time, Tao Canhua also put away the storytelling drum and drum stand, and then picked up the sanxian.

When the two of them left the reception room wearing musical instruments, Furukawa was still waiting at the door. In his hands, he was still holding the Type [-] pistol that belonged to Tao Canhua.

"I remember this is the pistol Mr. Someya gave you?" Furukawa shook the gun in his hand towards Tao Canhua and asked with a smile.

"Yes"

Tao Canhua responded honestly, "That year, someone wrongly accused our bookstore of murdering Mr. Walker. At that time, my aunt helped us find a chance to prove our innocence. Later, Mr. Someya gave his gun to him. I."

"Canhua, you are so cowardly. I remember you were so scared that you peed your pants."

Furukawa recalled with an ulterior smile, "Wei Ran, I don't think it was your first time to kill someone, right?"

“I used to be part of a gang in Shanghai”

Wei Ran replied slightly frustrated, "If I hadn't accidentally killed someone, I wouldn't have come to Tianjin from Shanghai to join my cousin."

"Let's not talk about the past." Furukawa took the initiative to end the topic and stuffed the revolver he was carrying into Tao Canhua's arms. "Let's go, it's time for us to set off."

Why don't you talk about it when you bring it up?
Wei Ran and Tao Canhua looked at each other, and they followed Furukawa out of the small building with the musical instruments in their hands.

"Take this car"

However, Furukawa didn't even lock the door. After Wei Ran and the two came out, he could not help but greet them and get into a car parked at the door - a car they had never seen before.

If Xiao Su's mother had not been taken to an unknown place and her life or death was not known, and if the family members who had written love letters had not threatened her, given Wei Ran's temperament, the wisest thing to do at this time would be to hold Furukawa hostage and try to escape.

But there were so many ifs at this time. No matter he or Tao Canhua, the only thing he could do at this time was to honestly stuff the instrument into the trunk or carry it into the rear compartment.

Before the two of them could settle down, the driver, whom he had never seen before, stepped on the accelerator and drove the car into the Japanese Concession.

Looking at the receding street scene outside the window, Wei Ran pretended to be curious and asked, "Uncle, where are we going?"

"My middle school classmate, Mr. Ueda, and I stayed at home"

Furukawa, who was sitting in the passenger seat, explained without looking back, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. Can I still hurt you?"

You have the nerve to say this.
Wei Ran cursed secretly, and at the same time, he and Tao Canhua were looking for opportunities to deliver the news.

"Uncle, can you stop the car so I can buy two packs of cigarettes?" Wei Ran asked as the car passed an intersection.

"Don't waste time." Furukawa waved his hand, "Let's rush there first, and then I will ask my servant to buy it for you."

"That's great." Wei Ran took out the cigarette case as he spoke, "Do you mind if I smoke one now?"

"Smoke it," Furukawa responded nonchalantly.

Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately opened the cigarette case, took out the cigarette holder and put it on a cigarette. After lighting it, he lowered the window as if he had just remembered.

Tao Canhua, who was sitting on the other side, also lowered the window while coughing, while Wei Ran squeezed out a "pretentious" sentence in response.

By the time he finished smoking the cigarette, the car had already passed the bridge across the Haihe River, then sped through the streets and alleys, and finally drove into a large, ordinary-looking yard.

Before the car came to a stop, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua, who were about to open the door, clearly heard the loud noise of the train whistle and the vibration caused by the train rolling over the rails.

There’s no need to ask. This place must be near Jinmen Railway Station, and it’s certainly not far from the railway line. However, the route the car took just now is particularly secluded. At least Wei Ran, who has driven here before, has never walked this road. .

When he opened the car door, Wei Ran frowned. Not only did he smell the slightly pungent smell of soot in the air in the yard, but the soot smell was also mixed with a unique smell of urine. .

Someone is making smoke paste here!

Before he could even take one leg out of the carriage, Wei Ran made a judgment of preparation based on the smell.He had not only smelled it.Even at Hongqi Forest Farm, he had personally practiced on more than one occasion how to refine those smelly but fatally tempting pastes.

He got out of the carriage and looked around. All he could see was a row of houses aligned with the setting sun, and a wall parallel to the row of houses. In the middle of the wall, there was a tight Closed flower door.

Just by looking at the sun, he could tell that the row of houses in line with the setting sun should be the "reversed houses" facing south and facing north in the courtyard.

However, what made him particularly concerned was that on both sides of the closed hanging flower door, there was actually a "doorman" dressed as a traitor with a cannon and a smoking gun on his waist.

Looking at the row of dilapidated houses, the doors and windows were completely sealed with wooden boards. There were also a row of large water tanks filled with water on the porch, and two air cylinders were hung on the sides of the row of water tanks. pressure water gun.Before he could take a closer look, Tao Canhua and Furukawa also opened the door and got out of the car.

"Get your instruments"

After Furukawa finished speaking, he calmly lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth. Then he walked to the edge of the hanging flower door, took something out of his pocket, and gave it a look to the two doormen.

Seeing this, one of the doormen immediately pulled a rope hanging down from the gatehouse. Correspondingly, a melodious bell sounded from the inside of the closed hanging flower door.

Soon, the hanging flower door less than two meters wide opened from the inside, and Zhitian, who was also wearing a long gown, and another person who neither Wei Ran nor Tao Canhua had ever seen before, but who was also wearing a long gown, came out.

"You've got it figured out"

Ueda greeted warmly in Chinese with a slight Jinmen accent, "Quick, come in, you two, help them move the instruments down."

"Hey!"

The two traitorous doormen responded immediately, came over with a smile, and took the harp and guqin from Wei Ran's hands.

"I'll take this myself"

However, Tao Canhua declined the other party's "good intention" to help him hold the Sanxian, and said with an unhappy look, "I messed up the string and have to adjust it later. It will delay things. Help me carry the storytelling drum, but Don’t drop the drum and arrows for me.”

As he said that, he carried the Sanxian covered with blue and white cloth, followed Furukawa and Wei Ran, who were both empty-handed, and walked into the large hanging flower door.

After passing through this door, Wei Ran clearly felt that the smell of urine was stronger. At the same time, he also saw that this was a less than standard three-entry courtyard.

The reason why it is not very standard is that in addition to being a little narrow from east to west, the main reason is that the doors and windows of the east and west side rooms have been removed and converted into workshop-like sheds.

At this time, more than a dozen people were busy making tobacco paste in these two sheds.There is no doubt that the strong smell of urine is coming from the sheds on both sides.

"Furukawa, you know the rules here, right?"

Just as the hanging flower door behind him was closed, the man standing next to Ueda also asked.

"of course I know"

As Furukawa spoke, he took out his horse card player from his pocket and placed it on the note table on the side of the door. At the same time, he did not forget to instruct, "Wei Ran, Can Hua, remove the guy on you." Just put everything down, I'm going to search you later."

Hearing this, Tao Canhua, who had expected this for a long time, simply took out the Type [-] revolver from his arms and placed it on the bill.

"I didn't bring anything with me." Seeing the others looking at him, Wei Ran spread his hands with a frank expression.

But it was obvious that the man whom Wei Ran and Tao Canhua had never met before did not believe it. He just waved his hand expressionlessly, and immediately three more people dressed as traitors came over and gave the three people, including Furukawa, They searched their bodies, and then checked the musical instruments of Wei Ran and Tao Canhua.

It wasn't until he was sure that nothing was found that the pouting middle-aged man showed a satisfied smile. Together with Ueda, who was watching the fun next to him, he led the three of them, including the two traitors at the end who helped carry the instruments. Entered the main room on the second entrance to the courtyard.

"You two, just take a rest here. The east room is yours. Someone will bring you some food and drink later."

Ueda stood at the door of the main hall and said, "After the sun goes down later, you can perform for everyone in the courtyard."

"Okay" Wei Ran agreed happily, and then asked tentatively, "I wonder if Aunt Su is here?"

"She is chatting with Yumi and Yumi's mother in the back room."

Ueda said as he walked out, "You will be able to see her during the evening performance. Also, don't leave the room without permission."

"Don't worry, we'll go to a hut at most, but not anywhere else." Wei Ran responded with a smile.

Watching Zhitian and others leave, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua took over the musical instruments brought in by the two traitor doormen, and waited until two more traitors brought them some fruits such as pears and watermelons and a large pot. Tea, then they looked at each other.

"I'll go to the West House to take a look."

Wei Ran whispered something, walked through the main room to the door of the room on the west side of the main room, and took a look through the glass window. In this locked room, there were only a few tightly buttoned wooden boxes. Apart from that, there is nothing else.

Unwilling to give up, they returned to the room on the east side of the hall assigned to them. This room was twice as big as the room on the west side. Not only that, in addition to a heated kang covered with mats, there was also an Eight Immortals table and two chairs in the room. , as well as several jars of wine placed against the wall and a washbasin.

"This little devil doesn't know the rules, so there's no way he can entertain guests in the main room." Tao Canhua muttered in a low voice as he leaned close to Wei Ran.

"They have no intention of treating us as guests," Wei Ran muttered as well.

"Do you think Xiao Su's mother is here?" Tao Canhua curled his lips and asked in a low voice.

"It's unclear"

Wei Ran shook his head slightly, "But I guess Xiao Su's mother won't be in any danger now. Besides, we have to find a way to spread the news."

"I just saw Mr. Hong," Tao Canhua said against Wei Ran's ear.

Mr. Hong?Feng Maoyun?
Wei Ran asked in a low voice in surprise, "When?"

"When crossing the bridge"

Tao Canhua explained close to Wei Ran's ear, "He is here with me. You probably couldn't see it at the time. He was sitting on a foreign car. I can see clearly that the person pulling the car is Brother Guan!"

"Are they following us?"

"I guess so"

After Tao Canhua finished speaking, he sat on the head of the kang, took off his round cloth shoes, and then took out the red insoles from the shoes, revealing the two semicircular copper pieces hidden inside for Wei Ran to take a look at.

"What is that?" Wei Ran asked after the other party put on the insoles and put on the shoes again.

"Pear blossom slices are used for playing drums." Tao Canhua explained in a low voice, "I have sharpened them. They will definitely be fine for use as swordsmen."

As he spoke, Tao Canhua signaled Wei Ran to follow him to the storytelling drum. He picked up the drum hammer and beat it rhythmically while whispering, "There is also a gun hidden in here. In a pinch, use the drum." You can take it out just by slicing it open.”

"When did you hide it?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"Ever since the day the Japanese took over the concession, my aunt asked my dumb uncle to make me this drum."

Tao Canhua whispered, "I change the drum head with my own hands every month and check the gun inside."

After saying that, he pointed to the guqin lying next to him, "There are two grenades hidden in the belly of that guqin."

Hearing this, Wei Ran's heart trembled, and then he heard Tao Canhua whisper, "But I'm not sure whether those two grenades can still be used. Anyway, as long as you put your hand into the dragon pond, you can feel a tight rope. , hook the rope and pull hard, it should work."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Wei Ran asked dumbfounded. He thought he was the only one who had hidden many big treasures in his food box, but he didn't expect that Tao Canhua was just as good as him.

"I told you earlier, I'm afraid you'd reveal the secret."

Tao Canhua gave an explanation honestly and honestly, and then guessed, "You said they won't come to rescue us tonight, right?"

"It's hard to say." Wei Ran shook his head, "I don't even know if they can find this place now."

"Too."

Tao Canhua sighed secretly, but he was caught in the same contradiction as Wei Ran. He hoped that someone would come and at least spread the news, but he was also worried that if someone came, he would be caught by the devils in the yard.

Amid such worries, as night fell, a traitor hung a lit kerosene gas lamp on the toon tree planted in the second courtyard.

At the same time, the workers who were making tobacco paste, led by two other traitors, lined up and passed through the hanging flower gate after being searched carefully.

At the same time that the second courtyard was cleared, two more young men brought tables, chairs and benches and set them up in the courtyard. Immediately afterwards, Tao Canhua and Wei Ran were also invited to the courtyard along with their musical instruments.

"You guys can perform here later," a young man with a buzz cut said politely in Chinese with a Jiaodong accent.

"Hey! OK!" Tao Canhua responded honestly. At the same time, he and Wei Ran saw Ueda and Yumi, Furukawa and Xiao Su's mother, plus the person they had never seen before, and more people they had never seen before. Everyone walked in from the deepest backyard through the second room, each glanced at the two people under the gas lamp, and then walked into the main room where they had briefly rested.