War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1541 Morning Photo

On the morning of September 9th, just after daybreak, Wei Ran, holding a bundle of blankets in his arms, and the hot air balloon in the room opposite opened the door almost at the same time.

After taking a look at the half-frame camera hanging around the other person's neck, Wei Ran smiled, took the cigarette handed to him, lit it, and walked down the outer stairs one after another.

"Take this"

Wei Ran said, handing the other person a light meter, "Do you know how to use it?"

"certainly"

Hot Air Balloon took the light meter and said gratefully, "I was looking for a light meter yesterday."

“You should have asked me earlier.”

Wei Ran smiled and asked casually, "When will you be back?"

"soon"

Hot Air Balloon picked up the camera Wei Ran had lent him, "I'll be back when I'm done taking pictures."

"What should we do with Rama and the others?" Wei Ran asked, "Let them go with us?"

"I have already talked to the landlord in advance, let them stay here."

The hot air balloon explained, "And I arranged work for Hanward last night. Today he will take Dalal and Rama to clean the room and wash our clothes. These tasks are enough to keep them busy for the whole day."

"Alright"

Wei Ran nodded without asking any more questions. After watching the other party leave, he rubbed the base of his left hand which had just burned himself, slowly wrapped himself in a scarf and was the second person to leave the small courtyard. After some observation, he turned around and went into the alley next to it.

Although it was getting brighter outside, the alley was still exceptionally dark because of the buildings on both sides.

I picked up the iron hook by the well and pried open the still warm manhole cover. The remaining heat and the unique smell of burning rubber also hit me in the face.

Turning on the flashlight and shining it inside, Wei Ran nodded with satisfaction. The broken tire that was thrown in last night had been burned to only a small amount of wire. The surrounding well walls had also been smoked black. As for the snakes, insects, rats and ants that might exist inside, they were definitely dead.

He jumped in again and checked it carefully. Wei Ran took down the tattered blanket he had brought and carefully spread it at the bottom of the well.

After pressing around and hesitating for a moment, Wei Ran finally took out the oil barrel filled with red wine in the backyard of the hospital garage from the metal notebook and buried it in the sand under the blanket.

He also placed an AKS74U that he had just brought wrapped in a blanket and a spare magazine here. Wei Ran then jumped up from the wellhead, closed the well cover, blocked the hole on it, and then covered it with a tattered blanket and pressed down a few broken bricks that were found everywhere.

After taking a final look, he turned around with satisfaction, walked through the carpet that was temporarily propped up with wooden poles to block his view, left the alley and returned to the small courtyard next to it.

While the others were still asleep, Wei Ran took a quick cold shower and changed into clean clothes.

When he opened the door again, not only were everyone else awake, but Hanward also brought Dalal, Rama, and the landlord's two children to serve them a steaming hot breakfast.

"What are the names of these two little guys?" Wei Ran asked Rama.

"My brother's name is Omar, he is 8 years old. My sister's name is Suso, she is 6 years old."

Rama said as he distributed spoons to everyone, "Their family name is Salah."

As soon as she finished the introduction, the brother and sister greeted them in French, which they seemed to have just learned, and then ran away with a smile.

"Where did the hot air balloon go?" Sewing Machine asked after Rama and the other two sat down at the dining table.

“He went to take pictures of his friends.”

Wei Ran helped explain that although the food provided by the landlord was not rich, at least the quantity was enough for everyone to eat.

"Speaking of this, Mrs. Cradle, can I take a few photos of Salah's family with a Polaroid camera later?" Rama asked, "Mrs. Salah just said that she wanted to take a photo of Omar and Suso."

"Of course," Cradle nodded with a smile, "You are our little photographer, you have the right to press the shutter at any time."

"I'll take a picture of them later," Wei Ran said proactively.

"Take some pictures for us, too," said the sewing machine, "if there's time."

“Of course there’s still time.”

Wei Ran readily agreed. It was not even six o'clock in the morning, so they still had enough time.

As for why everyone got up so early, Wei Ran believed that it was definitely not because of him and the hot air balloon, or that they were not the only ones woken up by it.

“I had a nightmare last night”

Sewing Machine took a sip of the coffee that Dalal had just helped to make and said, "I had a dream."

Halfway through the conversation, the sewing machine glanced at Rama who was eavesdropping with his ears perked up, and after a pause, he said, "I dreamed that a lot of scorpions crawled into our room."

“I was stung by a scorpion when I was a kid.”

Rama couldn't help but shudder when he said this, "The pain made me cry for many days."

"Be careful of scorpions when you clean the room later," Cradle reminded gently.

"Don't worry Mrs. Cradle," Rama assured confidently.

"Eat quickly, and then we'll take a few pictures and then we'll go to work at the hospital."

The sewing machine shuddered in an exaggerated manner. "Don't talk about scorpions anymore. In my dream last night, I was chased by a scorpion as big as an ambulance all night."

Amid Rama's uncontrollable laughter, and the laughter of Hanward and Dalal after her translation, everyone quickened their eating pace and wolfed down the breakfast on their plates.

At this time, there were still more than ten minutes until six o'clock in the morning.

Rama went downstairs to greet Salah's family and prepare to take pictures. He gave a cigarette to Yaolan and Wei Ran respectively. He walked to the window and lit it. He was silent for a moment, looking at the hospital across the street. He said in a hoarse voice, "Last night, I dreamed of the massacre that took place in the Near East refugee camp in August 76. It was a massacre of the refugee camp by the Phalange Party. It was a nightmare. I am worried."

Looking at Cradle, whose face was pale, and Edelweiss, whose body seemed to be shaking, Sewing Machine finally looked at Wei Ran, "Veterinarian, are you also worried about these things? Or, Mr. Dongfeng, have you and the hot air balloon always been worried about these things?"

Seeing that the three of them were looking at him, Wei Ran opened his mouth several times, and finally sighed and said, "Be prepared and be vigilant. I don't know if the nightmare will come true."

"It can only be the"

The sewing machine blew out a cloud of smoke and said to Edelweiss who also came over, "Edelweiss, remember to remind the children not to go anywhere in the yard."

“I’ll go inform them right away.”

Before Edelweiss finished her words, she had already walked quickly towards the wooden door leading to the outer staircase.

“You should also go and warn them.”

The sewing machine changed to the Rabbit Riding Language that Wei Ran "couldn't understand" and said to the cradle, "Tell Lama that if there is an emergency, take the children to the alley. There is a cellar there where they can hide."

"it is good"

Cradle responded, and after a moment's hesitation, reminded, "Don't make any decisions without telling me, we are together."

"Of course, dear." The sewing machine replied with a smile in Rabbit language.

Finally, he looked at the sewing machine with concern, and then the cradle followed him out of the second floor.

"What are you prepared for?"

It was only at this time that the sewing machine asked Wei Ran, "What if the worst happens?"

"I"

Wei Ran pinched the base of his left hand, which had instantly become hot, without leaving a trace, and replied calmly, "The best preparation is to leave the refugee camp immediately." "I'm afraid this is not a wise choice."

The sewing machine shook her head. "It's probably even more dangerous outside now, veterinarian. No, Mr. Dongfeng, please tell me the real plan for you and the hot air balloon."

Cursing silently in his heart, Wei Ran cheered up and said, "The cellar in the alley next door can be used to hide people, and there is also a hospital. I went to the underground floor yesterday and it has been out of use due to a power outage. The morgue, in particular, is a good hiding place.

But the disadvantages of both places are the same: once you are discovered, there is no escape.”

"So you are also, no, you and the hot air balloon are also worried that the Falangists will massacre the refugee camp again?" asked the sewing machine as if confirming its own nightmare.

"I"

Wei Ran secretly clenched his fists, suppressed the words he wanted to say several times but couldn't, took a deep breath and said again, "It's better not to be like that. We have women and children in our small team. No matter how careful we are, it won't be excessive."

"that's right"

The sewing machine nodded worriedly, and after a moment of silence, she said, "I also have military experience. When necessary, I can also take up arms to protect women and children."

"Then take up a weapon."

Wei Ran said as he walked into his room, pulled out the body bag containing weapons from under the bed, took out the Uzi submachine gun and handed it to him, "Do you know how to use it?"

“Not a big problem”

As Sewing Machine was speaking, he had already taken the gun, removed the magazine and unfolded the buttstock quite skillfully, then repeatedly pulled the bolt while saying, "Although I have only served in the army for one year, I also had to participate in shooting training and assessments, so my aim is actually pretty good."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

"Are you asking a doctor if he has ever killed anyone?" The sewing machine sneered. "That's not a question a smart person should ask."

"All right"

Wei Ran picked up a few spare magazines that came with the submachine gun and handed them to the other party, "Have you ever killed anyone with a gun?"

This time, the sewing machine was silent for a moment, retracted the unfolded stock, and reloaded the magazine, "I am a doctor."

"That means you've never killed anyone with a gun."

Wei Ran waited for the other party to put down the submachine gun and take the magazines before continuing, "I hope you won't hesitate when the time comes."

At that moment, he keenly noticed that the hand of the sewing machine seemed to tremble.

"Cradle, Edelweiss, and Children"

Wei Ran said to himself, "The other side is the Long Spear Party, and one of them will be shot. I would rather knock down the Long Spear Party and then perform surgery on them to save them."

"What if it can't be saved?" the sewing machine asked subconsciously.

"I'm deeply sorry," Wei Ran answered the question seriously.

Hearing this, Sewing Machine shook his head helplessly, "I don't know if I should be thankful for having a teammate like you."

"You will be thankful," Wei Ran muttered vaguely.

"I would rather you were just Mr. Veterinarian"

As the sewing machine spoke, it took off its coat, hung the submachine gun over its shoulder and threw it behind its back, then lifted its sweater and clipped the spare magazine to its belt.

After trying to jump, he put on his coat again and said, "Okay, let's go downstairs and take pictures."

"Go, go."

Wei Ran also wasted no time. He took out the camera under the cover of the suitcase and followed the other person down the stairs.

During this short delay, the landlord Salah and his family had already changed into new clothes. They even carefully wiped the car that had not been started for a long time to use as a background for the photo.

Seeing Wei Ran coming down with a camera, the landlord couple immediately called their children, who had also changed their clothes, to come and stand in front of them, and carefully helped them straighten their collars and hems of their clothes.

Because of the language barrier and not wanting to waste time, Wei Ran did not chat with the other party. After the family had posed, he used the camera to frame the family of four, the car with its flat tire blocked by the couple behind them, and the two-story building, and gently pressed the shutter.

With Rama's translation, Wei Ran confidently handed the adjusted camera to the male landlord, and then stood together with the sewing machine couple, Edelweiss and Rama, and took a group photo with the car, the two-story building, and the Kuwait Embassy in the distance, which was dyed golden by the morning sun, as the background.

Without wasting any more time, Wei Ran took the camera and hung it around his neck, then quickly wrapped his headscarf around his neck with Edelweiss and the others, said goodbye to the landlord's family and Rama and the other two, and quickly ran to the narrow alley in the distance before the street became lively. After queueing in, he ran into the side door of the hospital and climbed over the window at the end of the corridor as if he was familiar with the place.

"Let's go to the next room"

Before the sewing machine finished speaking, it had already pulled the cradle towards another dormitory.

"It seems they need to be alone for a while," Wei Ran said, and he pushed open the door to let Edelweiss in.

"Will we encounter danger next?" Edelweiss asked as Wei Ran closed the door.

“Just be prepared ahead of time.”

Wei Ran comforted her softly, then gently took the girl into his arms and whispered in her ear, "No matter what happens, follow me closely. If you are separated from me, you can run to the basement floor or to the alley next to the house. There is a manhole cover there. You can hide in it after you lift it up. The premise of all this is that no one finds you and no one follows you."

"I understand." Edelweiss, standing on tiptoe, subconsciously hugged Wei Ran tightly, "I'll remember it."

“Take a break.”

Wei Ran glanced at the time on his watch and said, "It shouldn't be this early."

"Bang bang bang!"

Before he could finish his words, there was a hurried knock on the door. Edelweiss, who was originally held in Wei Ran's arms, trembled subconsciously and turned to look at the door less than a meter away.

"Mr. Sewing Machine, Mrs. Cradle, or Mr. Veterinarian and Miss Edelweiss, are you awake yet?"

Outside the door, the Palestinian nurse named Sophia shouted hurriedly, "There are many wounded who need surgery."

"what happened?"

Wei Ran and the sewing machine next door opened the door almost at the same time and asked at the same time.

"Just now, many people fled from outside into the refugee camp."

Nurse Sophia said as she led the four of them into the stairwell, "Many people were injured, some were shot and some were slashed. It is said that the situation outside the refugee camp is very chaotic now, and those Phalange Party members are acting crazy."

"Sophia, we will work in the same operating room later, right?" Wei Ran asked for the first time, "This way, we can help each other if we encounter special situations."

"sure"

Sofia answered without a second thought, running with them to the surgical floor and into one of the operating rooms.

The operating room was also illuminated by a hissing but exceptionally bright kerosene lamp.

Before they could get ready, two wounded men with dozens of cuts on their bodies were pushed in.

'They need a blood transfusion'

Edelweiss reminded loudly, "Da Sofia! Hurry up and test their blood and find a blood donor!"

"Okay!" Sophia, who was busy carrying the wounded, responded quickly.

On September 9th, as the first injection of anesthesia was injected into the wounded's body, everyone began the seemingly endless bloody stitches without any preparation.

At the same time, Hot Air Balloon, who was visiting relatives and friends in the refugee camp and taking pictures, also noticed this scene. The camera he borrowed from Wei Ran also faithfully recorded the turbulent situation in the early morning of that day, as well as the strong panic and gunpowder smell in this turbulent situation that was almost visible to the naked eye.