War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1480 Straw Sandals Dinner and Singing

On the relatively "dry" meadow, Wei Ran stood beside his pick, listening to Squad Leader Liu's introduction.

"That's Nurse Ji from our health team, Comrade Ji Chunlan."

After finishing speaking, Squad Leader Liu gestured to Wei Ran to look at the lama who was already within ten meters, "That's our Zang guide, he's a guide, right?"

We met him just the day before yesterday. He didn't know a few words of Chinese, so we didn't know his name. We called him Jampa Kelsang, and that should be his name. "

should? Just met yesterday?

Wei Ran became increasingly curious about the composition of this team.

Nurse Ji and the lama who was probably named Jampa Kelsang had also walked onto the meadow through the mud.

Now that they were closer, Wei Ran could see clearly that whether it was Nurse Ji or Jiangba Gesang, they looked young.

The former is estimated to be in his prime at the age of 20. He has the same pretty face, the same patched Red Army uniform, and a handful of weeds in his hand.

The latter was probably younger, with a plateau red on each cheek and a bright, somewhat dazzling smile on his face.

In addition to holding a prayer wheel in one hand, he also held a furoshiki in the other hand, which also contained some weeds.

"This comrade is" Nurse Ji looked curiously at Wei Ran who was looking at him.

"This is Comrade Wei Ran"

Monitor Liu helped introduce, and then described what just happened.

"Hello, Comrade Wei Ran!"

Nurse Ji saluted Wei Ran neatly, and after Wei Ran subconsciously returned the salute, she took the initiative to shake his hand.

That instant touch made Wei Ran feel the coldness from the other person's fingertips, and he also noticed the large and small scratches on her hands and the frostbite that had not yet healed.

Just when Wei Ran and Nurse Ji finished shaking hands, the young lama imitated Nurse Ji and saluted Wei Ran with a non-standard military salute, and after the latter subconsciously returned the salute, a look on his face With a brighter smile, she patted his chest with a bang, "Jangpa Kelsang!"

"Wei Ran!" Wei Ran imitated the other party's example and patted his chest.

"Revolution! Resist Japan! Comrade!"

Three Chinese words with non-standard pronunciation popped out of Jiangpa Kelsang's mouth, and then he patted his chest again, "Jiangpa Kelsang!"

Although the language communication was not smooth, Wei Ran could guess what the other party wanted to express.

After getting to know each other, everyone sat on the floor and gathered around the sick soldier named Jiang Yu.

“I only found so many wild vegetables”

As Nurse Ji spoke, she placed a pinch of no more than twenty "weeds" in her hand on the unrolled furoshiki of the little lama Jiangpa Kelsang.

Compared with her harvest, Jiangba Gesang's harvest was not much more, but there was a frog carcass that was at most the size of a walnut and an unknown small fish that was at most the size of a little finger.

"Jiangba Kelsang! You are so awesome! Now we have broth to drink!" Liu Youxiang said happily.

"Comrade!" Jiangba Gesang said what seemed to be one of the few Chinese words he knew, and showed a clean and bright smile again.

"Come! Let's cook now!" Liu Youxiang greeted.

Before he finished speaking, two young soldiers named Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa had already taken out several "kitchen utensils" from the two baskets leaning against the patient Jiang Yu.

This so-called kitchen utensil is nothing more than a copper ladle that looks like a German paratrooper helmet in World War II but has a handle, and an enamel spoon with a five-color flag pattern.

Under Wei Ran's watchful eye, after the two little soldiers handed the kitchen utensils to Squad Leader Liu, they each immediately picked up a wooden stick and skillfully dug up the damp soil under their feet.

But looking at the way they dug a few times before taking a break, you could tell that they probably hadn't had a full meal in a long time.

By getting up and searching for things in his two bamboo baskets, Wei Ran also looked at the contents of their bamboo baskets.

There are really not many things in these two bamboo baskets. In the first basket, in addition to three enamel jars tied together with straw ropes and two aluminum kettles with wooden stoppers, there are also several pairs tied together in pairs. There were straw sandals and similar-shaped wooden objects in the two burning bamboo baskets. In addition, there were handfuls of withered yellow grass stems that had been carefully sorted and tied up.

In another bamboo basket, in addition to the dead grass that was also pressed at the bottom of the basket, there was a dark red furoshiki, two single shoulder bags made of coarse cloth, and a tattered blanket with patches inside it.

The color of the furoshiki was exactly the same as the color of the little lama's robes, so it was probably his.

Even the two single shoulder bags can easily find their corresponding owners. One of the bags has a red cloth with a cross pattern sewn on the cover. This should belong to Nurse Ji.

The other one is embroidered with the symbol of sickle and hammer and the traditional Chinese character "Liu". Thinking about it, this bag should belong to Squad Leader Liu.

Without further looking, Wei Ran took out the enamel jar stuffed with a ball of cloth from his bamboo basket.

Carefully taking out the cloth and untying it, there were only two hot red dried chili peppers and a small handful of highland barley grains inside.

He was even sure that as long as he was given at most five minutes, he would be able to count the total number of these not-so-full wheat grains.

After thinking for a while, he rewrapped the small handful of wheat grains in the coarse cloth and stuffed it back into the enamel jar, and then picked up the British army kettle that didn't know why it appeared here.

Carefully unscrewing the lid, he found helplessly that the sugar-sweetened butter tea he had filled the kettle with in advance had been replaced by plain water without any nutrition.

Fortunately, there were only four sticks of yak jerky left that he had stuffed into the kettle holder.

Each stick of these yak jerky is only about the size of a disposable lighter. If it is used as a snack, it may not last half an hour before it can be stuffed into the stomach of anyone with sound teeth.

But Wei Ran knew very clearly that these four pieces of beef jerky might be able to save lives!

Wei Ran habitually tried to put the vital kettle and beef jerky into the metal book, but then he was stunned. The kettle couldn't be put back!

Is it because of the beef jerky?

Wei Ran held the strips of dried meat in his hands and tried again, but found that he still couldn't take them back.

Is that also the anti-Japanese sword?

Wei Ran quickly stuffed the dried meat into the kettle holder, and then pressed his left hand on the anti-Japanese sword. As expected, there is really no way to take this knife back!

Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Wei Ran tried to take out the blues harmonica from the metal book under the cover of the bamboo basket, and then immediately tried to take it back. This time, he was not affected by anything.

Where's the camera?

Wei Ran thought for a while, and then took out and retracted the Rollei dual reflex reflex and tried it in the same way. Likewise, this camera has no limitations.

Not daring to delay any further, Wei Ran took out the anti-Japanese broadsword as a digging tool, helped the young soldiers Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa dig out the soil densely covered with grass roots, and used them to build a stove above the ground.

Immediately afterwards, he used this anti-Japanese sword to chop up the wet firewood that Li Zhuang had picked up. Then he took out a few sticks from the bundle of firewood on his bamboo basket and split them together, and he was particularly skillful. He chopped some pieces of wood thinner than chopsticks.

"Comrade Wei Ran, please lend me your knife." Liu Youxiang asked after Wei Ran finished his work.

Hearing this, Wei Ran happily handed the anti-Japanese sword to the other party. The latter also used the bottom of the copper ladle as a chopping board, cut the wild vegetables picked by Nurse Ji and the little lama into sections and put them into the copper ladle. Then he cut the little frog open and threw it in together with the little fish.

However, although Liu Youxiang then took out a kettle with a wooden stopper from the bamboo basket and poured the water into the copper ladle, he did not rush to light a fire. Instead, he dug out the two kettles from the basket. There was also a wooden object in the combustible basket, but he didn't know what it was.

At the same time, the little warriors Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa also took out the withered yellow grass stems from the basket, and even the grass stems they had just picked up, and placed them next to the unlit firewood. He picked up a few more wooden sticks and poked them into the soil.

Under Wei Ran's slightly confused gaze, except for the young lama Jiangpa Kelsang and the unconscious patient Jiang Yu, the other four people sat together like playing mahjong, using the object Wei Ran didn't recognize and the Those yellow grass stems started to weave straw sandals?

It should be straw sandals, right?

Wei Ran wasn't sure whether his guess was correct, but he took out the wooden object from his bamboo basket without any delay, then picked up a handful of grass and started weaving like them.

Fortunately, although he had never learned this craft before, it was really not difficult.

However, before he could thread the twisted grass rope twice around the four warp threads, the young soldier Zhang Erwa handed over a large handful of withered yellow grass stems, "Comrade Wei Ran, what are you doing?" Use grass to make straw sandals? Use this!"

"Can't we use grass?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"Okay, okay, but if you can't walk five miles, you'll fall apart!"

Another young soldier, Li Zhuang, also handed over a handful of grass stalks while speaking, and also imparted his experience, "Looking at your posture, I know that you have never made straw sandals before. You must use dry grass for making straw sandals. If you can mix it with Some rags and waste hemp ropes will be stronger.

But that shouldn’t be the case, Comrade Wei Ran, are you a porter? How could you not know how to wear straw sandals? "

Wei Ran followed the other person's example and twisted the yellow grass stalks into straw ropes while explaining, "I used to go barefoot. Even earlier, I had a pair of cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles."

"I also had a pair before I went over the snowy mountains."

Li Zhuang happily agreed, "It was given by a fellow villager in front of the branch. I was reluctant to wear it until I started climbing the snow-capped mountains. Unfortunately, I climbed over the snow-capped mountains and the shoes were worn out."

Taking advantage of this topic, Wei Ran, who was learning to make straw sandals, also started to talk insinuatingly, but the little lama Jiangba Kelsang sat alone by the campfire, shook the prayer wheel and started chanting sutras that only he could understand.

When it got dark, Wei Ran also made a pair of not very beautiful straw sandals under the guidance of Squad Leader Liu and others. By the way, he also got to know this small group of people and the current situation.

First and most importantly, this was July 1936. No one present knew the specific day. They couldn't even remember how many days it had been since they entered the grassland. They just remembered that they met the young lama Jampa Kelsang who was chasing after them the day before yesterday.

Secondly, Wei Ran also learned in the chat that Liu Youxiang was from Jingchu, Li Zhuang was from southern Hunan, and Zhang Erwa was from southern Gansu.

These three people were all in the same cooking class, but a few days ago, Nurse Ji from Yucheng borrowed these two young soldiers from the cooking class and took them to the head of the team to collect the separated injured and sick patients. But he had clearly agreed to let them return to the cooking squad in the evening of the next day. However, Liu Youxiang waited until the third day but still did not wait for them to come back. Then he asked the company commander for instructions and came back alone to meet his cooking squad.

As Wei Ran saw, Squad Leader Liu finally found Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa, as well as Nurse Ji, the wounded Jiang Yu who was being cared for by the three of them, and another wounded man whose name they did not ask.

But also, because they had to carry or even carry sick patients, they completely distanced themselves from the team and eventually became separated.

Later, the wounded man whose name was not asked could not bear the rainy night a few days ago and left. When it dawned the next day, they met the young lama Jampa Kelsang chasing after them.

Thanks to this little lama, although there are huge difficulties in language communication between the two parties, the little lama is extremely familiar with this grassland and has helped them find edible wild vegetables in the past two days.

At this point in the chat, Squad Leader Liu also took out the single satchel embroidered with the sickle and hammer logo from the bamboo basket.

What's in there? Wei Ran, who was particularly curious about this, looked over without concealing it.

When Squad Leader Liu opened the lid, Wei Ran, who was not far away, also noticed at a glance that there were cloth ropes sewn on both sides of the bag's pocket. The two ropes were each tied to the wire at the mouth of a glass medicine bottle. On the ring!

Is that something that belongs to Squad Leader Liu?

Wei Ran couldn't help but move closer and watched with his own eyes as Squad Leader Liu took out a palm-sized cloth roll from his bag, opened it, and took out a fire sickle.

However, he then handed the fire sickle with rich Zangdi style decoration to the young lama.

Immediately afterwards, he dug out a black stone the size of an egg from the bamboo basket and handed it to the little lama again.

After the other party took these two things, Squad Leader Liu unscrewed the light blue glass medicine bottle that was dug out by Wei Ran in later generations, brought it to the little lama's hand, and knocked a finger-sized ball of lint into his palm. Like tinder.

After pinching the ball of tinder and pressing it on the stone, the little lama picked up the fire sickle and tapped it two or three times, and then the sparks that flew out easily ignited the small ball of tinder.

Picking up the dead grass leaves that had just been torn off from the straw sandals and wrapping them in the tinder, the little lama just blew them once or twice and easily made them burst into flames, and then successfully ignited the tinder that had been prepared under the copper gourd. Firewood.

At the same time, Squad Leader Liu also tightened the cap of the bottle and put the bottle back in his bag. Then he unscrewed another brown medicine bottle and carefully poured out a few pink "pebbles" from it.

These pebbles are no bigger than a soybean, and the small ones may not be as big as a match head.

It must be coarse salt

In Wei Ran's guess, Squad Leader Liu cherished it and returned the largest piece to the medicine bottle, then threw the rest into the pot, then licked his palms and tightened the lid, and then took it. He picked up the spoon and slowly stirred the frog, fish and wild vegetable soup in the pot.

While he was cooking soup, the little lama also wrapped the fire sickle in cloth and stuffed it into Squad Leader Liu's bag.

Looking at Nurse Ji, she also took out her satchel, took out a bamboo tube that was as thick as a wrist and less than 20 centimeters long, and poured out a candle that was only 10 centimeters long.

Carefully, she used a knife to cut off a piece the size of a fingernail and threw it into the pot. Then she cut off another piece of the same size. Nurse Ji walked to Jiang Yu's side and applied the wax oil to his feet. on those wounds.

Not only them, but also Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa were not idle. Although these two little warriors finished making enough straw sandals for tomorrow, they did not stop. Instead, they pulled out a bundle of hemp rope from under the bamboo basket and continued to weave. What.

"What are you doing?" Wei Ran came over and sat across from the two little warriors and asked curiously.

"thatched vest"

Li Zhuang said while he was busy, "I guess these two thatched vests will be ready tomorrow night. They will keep you a lot warmer."

"Yes?"

Wei Ran sighed and stopped asking. He just watched these people working quietly while thinking about what he could do to help.

After thinking about it, he took out one of his bamboo baskets, and then, under the puzzled attention of Squad Leader Liu and others, he dipped it in the mud beside the meadow, and threw a handful of grass into it, secretly looking forward to it. While sitting, I secretly prayed that I could catch some small fish and shrimps this way.

However, the answer to his prayer was not the fish and shrimps crawling into the bamboo basket, but the large clouds that gathered above his head without any warning.

Seeing this, Nurse Ji immediately took out the tattered blanket and asked Wei Ran and Zhang Erwa to use poles and bamboo baskets to prop it up. She and the little lama helped the patient Jiang Yu and sat him down on his buttocks. He took out the hat he was wearing and put it on his head.

This was not over yet. Li Zhuang and Zhang Erwa also put all the withered grass in the bamboo basket and the thatched vest they had not finished weaving under the tattered blanket, let the patient Jiang Yu lie on it, and used four bamboo baskets to lay it on. The basket surrounded him.

After all this was done, the cold wind blew from a distance, and everyone including Wei Ran shivered.

“Hurry up and eat before it rains.”

As Squad Leader Liu spoke, he had already dug out the enamel jar from the bamboo basket, and then asked for the enamel jar to be burned and placed it next to the bonfire.

When he took off the enamel bars from his waist, the little lama also took out a wooden bowl from his arms and placed it with the enamel jars.

In the warmth and light provided by the campfire that was blown by the wind, Squad Leader Liu picked up the enamel spoon, scooped out half a frog and put it in the first enamel jar, and then scooped out some vegetables and put it in.

As soon as his spoon left, Nurse Ji picked up the bowl of hot wild vegetable soup and walked over to Jiang Yu, feeding it into his mouth bit by bit with a copper spoon.

At the same time, Squad Leader Liu also divided the remaining half of a frog, a small miscellaneous fish, and a few wild vegetables equally into the other five bowls. As for his own bowl, there were only a few wild vegetables floating in it. Grassroots.

"Squad Leader Liu, how much food do you have left?" Wei Ran asked before picking up his enamel jar.

Hearing this, Monitor Liu, Nurse Ji and others looked at each other, sighed and replied, "There are still 142 and a half grains of highland barley. In addition to these, Nurse Ji also has a small piece of butter candle bought from a local herdsman.

I have some salt, Li Zhuang and Erwa have a few dried chili peppers and a small piece of ginger. The little lama had some damp highland barley noodles, which we had already eaten in the past two days. "

Opening his mouth, Wei Ran dug out his British army kettle from his bamboo basket in the coming wind and rain, and took out the four sticks of yak jerky, together with the highland barley wrapped in rags and the few sticks. All the peppers were given to Squad Leader Liu.

Before anyone present could say anything, a torrential downpour ensued. Everyone who had already put on bamboo hats gathered around the patient Jiang Yu and the bonfire, joining their hats together to cover the bonfire. Because of the rain, Squad Leader Liu poured all the water in the kettle into the copper ladle for heating, and at the same time, he also trapped the last remaining trace of warmth from the not strong bonfire.

In this downpour, the temperature was getting lower and lower, and the blanket was wrapped around the patient Jiang Yu by Nurse Ji and Squad Leader Liu. The last barely boiled water in the copper ladle was poured into a cup for each person, and even the rest was poured back into the kettle, corked and stuffed into Jiang Yu's arms.

This was not over yet. Squad Leader Liu then used a spoon to put all the still burning charcoal blocks into the copper ladle, and then took out a mismatched enamel lid from the bamboo basket and covered it, trying to bring out the last trace of warmth. Stay longer.

But even so, in the face of such bad weather, this method could not last long.

As everyone drank the precious boiling water in the cup one after another, even the patient Jiang Yu, who was closest to the copper ladle, shivered uncontrollably.

"Monitor Liu"

Wei Ran held the bamboo hat on his head and said loudly, "Give everyone a share of the beef jerky! Otherwise, you won't be able to resist!"

"not the right time yet!"

Monitor Liu said loudly, "Stay closer together! Nurse Ji! You and the little lama put on the blanket next to Jiang Yu! This way the three of you can stay warmer!"

"Let Li Zhuang and Erwa or Wei"

"Stop fighting at this time!"

Wei Ran didn't wait for the other party to finish speaking and urged loudly, "Hurry up! Otherwise the charcoal fire will be extinguished!"

Hearing this, Nurse Ji finally stopped saying anything and asked the little lama without a bamboo hat to sit on the left and right sides of Jiang Yu with her, wrapping the tattered blanket around him.

If only the metal book could give me the tent and the cast iron stove.

I only felt a cold wei burning on my back, neck and bottom buttocks. I gritted my teeth and shivered while thinking extravagantly in my heart.

In this hope that is destined to be extravagant, Wei Ran, who is only wearing single clothes, has never felt that time has passed so hard.

Gradually, he only felt that his back, the bottom of his buttocks, and even the legs he was sitting cross-legged had become numb and lost all feeling. Only the bodies that were warmed by his companions on both sides were still as uncomfortable as theirs. Trembling under control.

In this icy rainstorm, the little lama's chanting voice inevitably trembled, but his voice was also much louder.

"Comrades!"

Monitor Liu seemed unwilling to be outdone by the little lama's chanting, and suggested enthusiastically, "Let's sing a song!"

"Sing! Sing!" Nurse Ji responded loudly.

"Sing with me!"

Squad leader Liu cleared his throat and started the crowd by beating time in the majestic and icy rainstorm: "Every red soldier must remember! Pay attention to the three major disciplines and eight items! Sing!"

"Every red soldier must remember the three major disciplines and eight items!"

The little warriors Li Zhuang, Zhang Erwa and Nurse Ji sang at the top of their lungs: "First of all, I don't take a stitch from the workers and peasants, and the masses support and like me!"

"Comrade Wei Ran, let's sing together! How can we revolutionary soldiers let a little lama compete with us!"

Squad leader Liu greeted Wei Ran during the song, and then sang the following lyrics with the other three: "Second, obey the orders of your superiors, and our victory will be more guaranteed!"

"My dear, if you dare to mess with me now, I will draw a six-legged giant turtle on every page!"

Wei Ran mentally warned his metal friend who was both a teacher and a friend, with a square head and a square brain that could turn pages, and then took out the harmonica under the cover of his pocket.

In this rainstorm with lightning and thunder, in the singing that became louder and louder, in the chanting that gradually stopped, he mustered up all his strength to play this song that seemed to fill his stomach and bring warmth and strength. accompaniment.

In the lightning that illuminated everyone's faces from time to time, the little lama Jiangpa Kelsang looked at the people around him blankly, then looked at the injured Jiang Yu beside him who seemed to be subconsciously singing along, and finally turned the prayer wheel in his hand He stuffed it into his arms and started humming along with the accompaniment of the harmonica and the chorus of everyone's singing.