War Photographer's Notebook

On August 8th, except for lunch, the Chunhua Opera Troupe spent the whole day on the stage in the small courtyard, under the leadership of Tao Canhua and Qiushi, singing the scenes requested by the audience.

As for Wei Ran, he seemed to have a backbone, following his cousin Mei Xiang like a human being, accompanying the men and women who were said to be Japanese expatriates.

That evening, as the last play ended, Xiao Su's mother went back to the backyard under the leadership of Youmei. When the curtain call finally came, Furukawa also found Meixiang and Wei Ran who accompanied Meixiang, and took her They entered the originally locked west room of the main house.

"Miss Meixiang, I have a gracious invitation." Furukawa, who was wearing a long gown, said apologetically after waiting for the two of them to sit around the temporary Eight Immortals table.

"Mr. Furukawa, you might as well say it directly if you have something to say." Meixiang raised her hand with a smile.

"Yes"

Furukawa cleared his throat, "I plan to take Xiao Su's mother back to the recruitment center. Yesterday, I also asked Wei Ran and Canhua. These two children are also willing to go to the recruitment center with us to start a new life. "

"After all, they are no longer children," Mei Xiang replied with a smile, "If they want to go, I won't stop them."

"I wonder if Ms. Meixiang wants to go together?" Furukawa asked bluntly, "Not only you, but also Haru."

"I'll forget it"

Meixiang refused with a smile, "I can still have a bowl of food if I stay here in China. If I go for recruitment, I don't think my troupe can sing in Japanese. Without these skills, I can't support them." If I can't afford them, they can't afford to support me as my boss.

Besides, I can't expect to rely on Xiao Su's mother and Mr. Furukawa for the rest of my life. "

"makes sense"

Furukawa nodded, then sighed and said, "In this case, I won't force it. But..."

"Mr. Furukawa, open the skylight and speak frankly." Meixiang suggested simply.

“Also good”

Furukawa pondered for a moment and then said, "We are leaving China soon. Before leaving, I want to accompany Xiao Su's mother to go back to her hometown to worship her ancestors. She hopes to bring you and the members of the Chunhua Opera Troupe back. I will sing the Three Heavens Club in my hometown to my former fellow villagers, and from now on”

When Furukawa said this, he took off his eyes and wiped the fake tears squeezed from the corners of his eyes, "Maybe he will never come back again."

"Sacrifice to ancestors"

Mei Xiang was stunned for a moment, then said, "I want Xiao Su's mother to tell me in person."

"Okay, then I'll call her over." Furukawa said, stood up and walked out of the room alone.

"Cousin, smoke a cigarette?" Wei Ran said, opening his cigarette case.

"Smoke one"

Meixiang took the cigarette, put on the holder herself, and let Wei Ran help light it while whispering, "Little Su's mother was sold to a prostitute by her parents. She went back to worship her ancestors, hum! She didn't leave her ancestors' graves It’s strange if you dig it!”

"Where is Xiao Su's mother's ancestral home?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"Port City"

Meixiang thought for a while and added, "It's not a city, it's a small town not far from Shanhaiguan. We passed by there when we escaped from the customs. Xiao Su's mother was almost starving to death and didn't go back to take a look. .”

"The excuse must be false, but I guess I have to go." Wei Ran reminded in a low voice.

"Cousin, I have to rely on you to protect me," Mei Xiang said nonchalantly.

"Don't worry, if you can't kill others, can't you kill your cousin?" Wei Ran gave the answer the other party wanted to hear very calmly.

"Your bodyguard is not in vain," Mei Xiang responded with a smile, and then she saw Furukawa walking in with Xiao Su's mother.

"Cousin, please go out first. I'll have a few words of respect with Xiao Su's mother." Mei Xiang said as she stood up.

"Hey!"

Wei Ran responded and said to Furukawa with Xiao Xiao, "Uncle, let's go out and have a cigarette?"

“Also good”

Furukawa nodded with a smile, followed Wei Ran out of the main room, sat on the chair that had been set up for watching the show, and slowly lit his small cigarette pot. While smoking, he looked at Jasmine and Tao Canhua and Qiushi directed the troupe members to pack their costumes and sing the opera equipment.

Before she finished smoking the cigarette, Mei Xiang also walked out with Xiao Su's mother in her arms, and asked with a smile, "Mr. Furukawa, when do we set off?"

"There is a train tonight"

Furukawa smiled and said, "If you are willing to follow, I will arrange to buy tickets and we will set off tonight."

“Also good”

Mei Xiang responded simply, then clapped her hands and said, "Everyone, please be quick. Let's catch the train tonight and follow Xiao Su's mother home to sing in the church for three days."

"Yes!" The troupe members headed by Jasmine and the three others responded in unison.

"In that case, I'm going to arrange the car." Furukawa said, smiling at Xiao Su's mother with a gentle face, "Let's go together."

"We can't go together." After Xiao Su's mother said, she gave Wei Ran a look and said angrily, "Wei Ran, you kid, take good care of your cousin."

Wei Ran responded with a playful smile, "Don't worry, Xiao Su, I will definitely protect the young lady."

"Let's go." As Xiao Su's mother spoke, she had already grabbed Furukawa's slender arm.

Watching the two people walk away, Meixiang took a few steps toward the stage and whispered, "Little Su's mother said, either we go together, the Chunhua troupe will die, but we, Canhua, Qiushi, and Jasmine can survive. Or no one can survive tonight. She has no choice, and neither do we."

"I guessed it, I've guessed it a long time ago." Wei Ran paused and continued to ask, "What's going on in the book apartment now?"

"Mother Yang and Uncle Meng are at home"

Meixiang paused and continued, "I'll ask Miss Gu to stay at home for a few days. With her here, she can probably calm some people."

"Miss Gu? That Miss Gu that I can't mess with?"

After Wei Ran matched the title with the specific person, he asked, "Didn't you stop moving around a long time ago?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this." Mei Xiang raised her chin towards the stage, "I'm afraid Da Zhuer will have to sing on the train."

"arranged?"

"Yeah" Meixiang nodded but said no more - Yumei walked out of the backyard.

"Sister Meixiang"

Youmei greeted Meixiang warmly and said affectionately, "I heard Aunt Su say in the afternoon that she wanted to go back to worship her ancestors. Did you want to follow?"

"Yeah, we'll leave later." Meixiang said, holding the other person's hand.

"Can I go with you?" Yumi asked, "This Jinmen is so boring. I've wanted to go out and have a look."

"I can't decide this." Meixiang looked at Ueda, who came a step later, "You have to ask Mr. Tian and Mr. Furukawa."

"Let her go with you," Ueda said with a smile, "Miss Meixiang, my little girl's safety depends entirely on you."

"Don't worry," Mei Xiang replied with a smile, "I will let Wei Ran protect her at all times."

"Then I'll trouble you, Wei Ran." Ueda said and waved, and someone came over with a tray immediately behind him.

Reaching out from the tray, he picked up a small PPK pistol and three spare magazines with finger rests. Ueda handed them to Wei Ran, "Hold this gun for self-defense, and Canhua, this is Your gun, right? Bring it with you later."

"Please, Mr. Tian, ​​please help me prepare my dick."

Wei Ran took the pistol and spare magazine from the other party with a flattered expression, and said with a smile, "This is exactly the same as the one that Brother Walker gave me back then!"

"This was also a gift given to me by Walker back then. Now I give it to you as a souvenir."

Zhida explained with a smile, and after Wei Ran put the pistol and magazine into his pants pocket, he handed the Type [-] revolver in his hand to Tao Canhua, "Hold it, but don't let it go off."

"Hey!"

Tao Canhua took the pistol with both hands and opened it awkwardly to reveal the bullet chamber. Seeing that there was no bullet in the bullet chamber facing the barrel, he buckled it again and stuffed it into his arms, explaining at the same time. He said, "My cousin taught me this, so as not to cause a fire and hurt someone."

"It's a good habit"

Ueda smiled and said, "I still want to entertain friends, so I won't send you off. Yumi, if you go with me to play, you must listen to Miss Meixiang and don't be willful."

"Don't worry, Dad, I'm not a child anymore." Yumi promised obediently.

At this moment, Xiao Su's mother and Furukawa also opened the hanging flower door and shouted with a slightly sharp voice, "Quick, quick, hurry up, the guy who brought you to dinner should leave quickly. In half an hour, the train will be here." It’s about to open.”

"Mr. Tian, ​​let's say goodbye." Meixiang bowed slightly towards Ueda, holding Yumi's hand and walked over first.

"Miss Youmei also wants to follow?" Xiao Su's mother asked.

"I want to go out and get some fresh air. I have been in China for so many years and I haven't been anywhere yet." Youmei said pitifully.

"Let her follow," Mei Xiang made the decision without any explanation, and said as she walked out.

"Then let her follow."

Xiao Su's mother nodded indifferently, "This time, your uncle spent a lot of money to book several second-class sleeping berths. If you go up here and sleep, you will arrive early the next morning."

After Xiao Su's mother finished speaking, she greeted again, "Drama troupe, you carry your suitcases outside and load them on the cart. It's only a few steps away, so just follow the cart! Meixiang, Youmei, you follow I'll take the car there. Wei Ran, you're responsible for driving."

"okay!"

Wei Ran responded and helped open the back and passenger doors of the car in the yard. After Xiao Su's mother and the three of them got in, he went around to the other side and got into the driver's cab.

"Xiao Ma, is it a safe journey?" Wei Ran asked as he controlled the car to leave the yard in reverse.

"How come you are so uneasy?" Xiao Su's mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked back.

"If there are people robbing people on this train, it means Ansheng. If not, it means Ansheng."

Wei Ran replied matter-of-factly, "But I've heard that there are quite a few guerrillas robbing trains along the railway line. This would be a big deal if we encounter them."

"I heard that too"

Mei Xiang followed the chorus and said, "I heard that those people not only stole money and killed people, but also stole the railroad tracks."

"I should have known I would have brought my gun." Xiao Su's mother patted her fat thigh with a regretful look on her face.

"What do you think?"

Wei Ran said as he drove towards the station, "Canhua and I both have guns, which Mr. Tian just gave us. When we went out yesterday, I remembered that my uncle also had a gun.

When the time comes, you take your cousin and Mr. Furukawa to sleep in the same room, and I'll let Canhua sleep in the same room with you, so that you can be more comfortable with two guns. After saying that, Wei Ran continued without waiting for the people in the car to speak, "Sisters Youmei, Qiushi, and Jasmine are in the same room as me. I will definitely protect the safety of the three of them." "

"Don't think I don't know what your kid's plans are!"

Xiao Su's mother poked Wei Ran's head angrily, and then said without doubt, "Let Canhua and Qiushi sleep with me. Don't you just want to sleep with Youmei?" Okay, I’ll satisfy you. Later, you, Miss Youmei, and your cousin will share a room with each other, and then let Jasmine share the same cabin with you.”

"Ah?" Wei Ran said reluctantly, "Why don't you let Qiushi and Jasmine switch? Jasmine knows how to take care of others."

"If you don't want to change, I think Jasmine is ugly." Xiao Su's mother refused without thinking.

"I think she's ugly too," Wei Ran muttered, and then he received a slap on the back of the head from Mei Xiang behind him.

"What are you talking about?"

Mei Xiang said angrily, "Let Xiao Su's mother arrange it. You and I will share a room, and sister Youmei, you will also share a room with me. Don't worry, Jasmine and I will definitely like this guy."

"Yes!" Youmei nodded like a foolish fool in future generations, as if she had no objection to this arrangement.

While they were talking, the car drove to the train station. After everyone got off the bus, Xiao Su's mother immediately took them to meet Mr. Furukawa who had already bought the tickets.

After waiting for another pack of cigarettes, the members of the Chunhua Opera Troupe also arrived on two carts pulled by donkeys, carrying their household belongings for the performance.

Tickets were distributed to everyone, and Mr. Furukawa and Xiao Su's mother walked at the front. However, they didn't even have to check the tickets, so they entered the station unimpeded and got into the penultimate carriage.

Before anyone could find the car corresponding to the ticket, the train left the station with the sound of the whistle, amidst the rich smell of soot and even richer water vapor, and began to slowly pick up speed.

There was no luggage left or right. After Wei Ran determined the location of the carriage where he, Mei Xiang, Jasmine and Youmei lived, he disappeared on the pretext of going to pee.

He walked all the way from the second-class carriage to the third-class carriage closest to the coal car. In addition to buying two packs of cigarettes in the dining car, he really made a lot of discoveries.

These discoveries were not limited to the tacit agreement among the troupe members to arrange accommodation for two men and two women. He also discovered Cao Yuba and Xiaoguan sitting in the second-class carriage!
However, at this time, Cao Mute had already changed into a long gown and a top hat, and even his original sideburns had been shaved down to only a layer of numb green stubble.

Xiaoguan, on the other hand, was wearing brown overalls, a yellow plaid shirt, a newsboy cap on his head, and a civilized stick in his hand. He also had a Chaplin-style beard between his mouth and nose. There was a thick cigar in his mouth.

Without stopping or looking at them, Wei Ran returned to the second-class carriage with a cigarette in his mouth and took another look at the carriage where the troupe members lived.

At this time, he discovered more clearly that the bedrooms in these four-person rooms were basically not next to each other. There were compartments in the middle, but there were no passengers living in these compartments.

Wei Ran also didn't say hello to them. Wei Ran didn't return to the bedroom where he, Mei Xiang, Yu Mei and Jasmine were staying until he finished smoking the cigarette in his hand.

At this time, there was only Jasmine in the carriage who was busy wiping the velvet bed.

"Where's my cousin?" Wei Ran asked, leaning against the door frame and looking in the direction of Furukawa and others' berths not far away.

"Take Miss Yumei to play cards with Xiao Su's mother and Mr. Furukawa."

After speaking, Jasmine poked her head out to look outside, then hid behind Wei Ran and lowered her voice and said, "We have to finish singing the last play before the car drives to Sugar Mountain."

"How do you plan to sing?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"Let's also sing a civet cat for a prince. Since they want to borrow our identities, we can simply use their stage to sing an extra version of Escape from the Golden Cicada."

"That's a good idea!" Wei Ran's eyes lit up, and he obviously understood what the other party meant, but then he asked, "Where is the family? What should we do at home?"

"rest assured"

Jasmine whispered, "With Miss Gu here, we can stop some troubles during the day, not to mention Mr. Hong, who will also ensure the safety there."

Mr. Hong?Feng Maoyun?Wei Ran couldn't help but be curious about the background of Feng Maoyun, whose pseudonym was Mr. Hong. Although he had not appeared since the great flood, he seemed to have always maintained close contact with Shuyu.

Jasmine took the initiative to explain without waiting for Wei Ran to ask, "As long as we leave Jinmen, no one will be watching over at the study apartment.

At [-]:[-] tonight, Mr. Hong, with the cooperation of Miss Gu, will first move Ma Yang, Uncle Meng and the four and a half of them away.

By the way, a bomb will be placed in the study apartment. As long as someone enters the basement, the bomb explosion will collapse the entire building and completely bury the basement. "

Hearing this, Wei Ran couldn't help but was speechless. Cousin Mei Xiang's investment was quite big, and that small building was almost the foundation for her to settle down and live her life, but now...
"As long as they rescue people, they will send a clear telegram at a quarter past twelve."

Jasmine said, stuffing a pack of Qianmen brand cigarettes into Wei Ran's pocket, then raised her finger and pointed in the direction, "The radio is in the box that holds the helmet. That box is in the bedroom next door. There are Xiaojiu and the others. The two brothers are guarding it. Later, you can find a way to give it and the pack of cigarettes to the mute uncle. If conditions don't allow, you will send and receive the telegram."

"Understood" Wei Ran nodded slightly.

"As long as people are rescued over there, we will take action immediately."

Jasmine finally said, "This train will arrive at Sugar Mountain at 01:30 or 12:45 at night."

"It takes less than 20 minutes to leave Lutai station and stop at Xugezhuang at one o'clock."

Wei Ran returned to the compartment and replied in a low voice, "I just saw the train timetable. This car will stop at Lutai for half an hour. It will probably be filled with water and coal."

"We have to deal with all three of them between twelve forty-five and one o'clock."

Jasmine pointed to the compartment where Ueda and others were staying, "The most important thing is to rescue Little Su's mother. It would be best if we can capture the other two alive. If not, at least we have to kill them all. We all have to jump off the train before one o'clock." leave.

In addition, it is best not to shoot. Too much noise may cause trouble. We were not far from Xugezhuang Station at that time. If the Japs in Tangshan were alerted, we would not be able to escape. "

"You give priority to protecting your cousin."

Wei Ran gave instructions in a low voice, and then slightly raised his voice and said bossily, "Moli, go to the dining car to see what food and drink there is, and buy some. You just ran to the train before you even had time to eat. .”

"Didn't Mr. Ciao just go for a spin?" Jasmine also raised her voice, and at the same time continued busy wiping the bed.

"I didn't know this would happen. Those big seeds on my body have been spent long ago. Stop talking nonsense and go quickly."

Wei Ran ordered dissatisfied, and at the same time took a step back slightly, letting go of a uniformed staff member.

“I don’t have much money either”

Although Jasmine said so, she still dropped the rag in her hand and walked towards the dining car.

Shutting the bedroom door with a clang, Wei Ran closed the curtain again, then untied his belt, revealing the large pants underneath.

Only then did he take out the PPK pistol and three matching magazines that Ueda had just given him.

After taking the gun apart first, Wei Ran couldn't help but sneered. The gun's parts were all there, but the firing pin was filed short.

Not to mention, when he casually took out a bullet and squeezed the bullet out through the crack of the door, what poured out was not propellant, but sand mixed with grass seeds!
After thinking for a while, he took out the food box as quickly as possible, first took out his own small PPK pistol and three magazines from it, and then threw the scrap metal that Ueda gave him into the food box together with the spare magazines. box.

There was no doubt that if he wanted to execute the plan mentioned by Jasmine perfectly, it would be best if he didn't shoot tonight, but he didn't want to take it from the food box when he needed it.

After preparing his weapon, he took out the cigarette that Jasmine had just given him. After taking out the cigarette inside, he saw the radio frequency written on the inside of the cigarette box, as well as the agreed code "505 for success, 050 for failure." .

It was easy to remember and distinguish. Wei Ran muttered to himself, these three digits in different orders were, to put it bluntly, a sorted combination of 5 and 0.

Converted into Morse code, if Andy and others are rescued successfully over there, the 505 code he receives is ".". On the contrary, if the rescue over there fails, the code he receives on the radio will be 050 code "-—— ".

Even if time is of the essence, you can know what's going on over there just by distinguishing whether the "dip" or "dah" you hear first is on the radio.

Putting the pack of cigarettes into his pocket, Wei Ran tied his pants again and lit a cigarette. Not long after, Jasmine came in carrying some food.

“The food is pretty good”

Wei Ran couldn't help but smile when he saw those eating. The food truck not only provided hot pancakes, but also several cooked side dishes.

Although these meals may seem simple, in this day and age, this is a proper meal for the rich, almost equivalent to the seafood dinner on the high-speed rail in later generations.

"It's so valuable," Jasmine said with pain, "It's much more expensive than the Taihua Building where you don't have a care in the world."

“It’s business to fill your stomach first”

As Wei Ran said this, he shook his head at Jasmine. The latter realized what she was doing, and immediately wrapped the food and drink in oil paper and threw it into the corner under the bed, and then blocked it with a box containing musical instruments.

"Remind everyone else to be alert, don't sleep at night, and don't put your head near the compartment door. When there is a stop next time, go down and buy your own food. Don't get together and go to one store to buy. Choose several stores. "

Before he finished speaking, Jasmine had already left the carriage and walked unhurriedly to the carriage of the troupe members to visit and chat.

Only Wei Ran was left in his own bedroom. Wei Ran was lying on the bottom bunk, smoking a cigarette and staying up.

In today's era, the speed of trains is only twenty or thirty kilometers per hour. Although there is really no way to rush at such a slow speed, there is still enough time to enjoy the scenery on the road - if Yumi and others do not spoil the scenery.

After an unknown amount of time, when the window was completely shrouded in darkness, the train also slowly stopped.Just by hearing the shouts outside, he knew that Dagu Station had arrived.

Taking advantage of this short stop, Tao Canhua got out of the car with a few young men and bought some cheap food such as warm corn pancakes and shredded pickles as quickly as possible. He also bought a few large watermelons to quench his thirst.

Wei Ran, on the other hand, walked up to Furukawa and the others' bedroom with a cigarette in his mouth. After asking them what they planned to eat, he shamelessly and calmly took a few silver coins from cousin Mei Xiang and gave them to the girl who was still playing mahjong. The four of them bought dinner, and they didn't forget to bring him a portion as well.

After a long stop, the train started running again. There were many people in the second-class carriage, which was not full.

Although these passengers spoke with accents from various parts of the north, Wei Ran, Tao Canhua, Jasmine, and even Cao Muba and Xiaoguan, who were standing at the junction of the second-class and third-class carriages, had already heightened their vigilance.

When it was almost nine o'clock in the evening, Meixiang and Youmei returned to the bedroom where Weiran and Jasmine were, chatting and laughing together.

"Sister Meixiang, sister Jasmine, can I sleep on the lower bunk?" Youmei pulled the cheongsam she was wearing pitifully, "It's not convenient for me to go up."

"What's the inconvenience? I'll help sister Youmei up." Wei Ran, who was still lying down just now, immediately became energetic and sat up happily.

"Get away, you shameful thing."

Meixiang, who was also wearing a cheongsam, rolled her eyes and said to Jasmine, who was also sleeping on the lower bunk, "Jasmine, give your place to Yumei. You go to sleep above. Cousin, you go out and guard. You are not allowed to come in unless I call you." "

"to make"

Wei Ran responded feebly and reluctantly walked out of the bedroom. The wooden door behind him was closed by Mei Xiang herself and the curtains were drawn.

Soon after, as the bedroom door was opened, Mei Xiang had climbed onto the berth and put on a pair of khaki breeches and high riding boots that were convenient for movement.

Looking at Yumi, who was sleeping on the other lower bunk across the aisle from her, she seemed to still be wearing the cheongsam, but she was covered with a thin blanket.

"Cousin, don't do anything stupid, or you'll find a place to spend the night in the third-class carriage." Mei Xiang, who was sleeping directly above the Wei Ran, warned with a cold face.

"Don't worry, cousin, I'm known for being honest." Wei Ran, who had been looking at Youmei greedily just now, quickly made a smile with a smile on his face and made a guarantee that no one believed.

"It's best this way," Mei Xiang said, retracting her head and covering herself with a blanket.

Soon after, the speed of the train gradually reached its maximum, and the lighting in the sleeper car was extinguished one after another, leaving only the cold moonlight outside the window, reflecting the shadows that kept retreating.

Feeling in the dark, he used the guqin with the grenade hidden on the bed to hold up the wooden door of the bedroom. Wei Ran sat on the wall next to the window and hid his upper body in the darkness where the moonlight could not reach. By the way, he also gave his upper body Put on a blanket.

However, just like Yumi who was sleeping on the bed opposite, he had already grasped the slender and sharp weapon in his hand at this time.