War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 16 The Professor Selling Guns
"Let's say it first, that pistol is not for sale." Wei Ran took two steps back, "And you must complete the current transaction first, otherwise you don't want to see it."

"Pay!" Ilya urged impatiently.

The assistant following the old man heard the words and immediately took the cash out of the box, and Professor Alexis also danced and hugged the money counter, muttering to himself, "I'm rich, I'm rich" The rubles on the table were carefully counted.

Wei Ran didn't return to the room until the two completed the transaction, and took out the PPK and leather holster that he found in Polevoy's briefcase a week ago.

"The pistol was found in Mr. Polevoy's briefcase"

Wei Ran pointed to the traces of stains on the gun holster with a gel pen and said, "These stains were already there when I took it out of the briefcase, you can find the same stains in the briefcase .”

Seeing this, Mr. Ilya quickly picked up the briefcase on the table and looked, and sure enough, he found the same stain and a 7.65mm caliber bullet with a little rust in one of the interlayers.

"Not for sale" Wei Ran reminded again before the other party opened his mouth.

"Then can I take a look?" Ilya's tone was almost pleading.

"sure"

Wei Ran put the pistol and cowhide holster on the table after getting the nod from Professor Alexei.

Carefully opening the holster and pulling out the gun, Ilya took the magnifying glass handed by the assistant, and carefully observed the wooden handle of the pistol. It was not until more than half an hour later that he sighed, "Wei Kedo, if."

"Not for sale" Wei Ran emphasized his attitude again. He was not reluctant to part with this small pistol, but he got a hint from Professor Alexei just now.

"this is my name card"

Ilya took out a business card from his coat pocket and handed it to Wei Ran with both hands, and said almost pleadingly, "Victor, if you intend to sell this pistol in the future, you must call me as soon as possible. Before that, Be sure to save it."

"Of course." Wei Ran swiftly put away the pistol on the table, and then stuffed it into the drawer of the workbench.

Ilya stood up with a troubled face, "Today's harvest is really beyond expectations, Alexei, Victor, I can't stay here any longer, or I'm worried that I will take that pistol away."

"When we intend to sell, we will contact you." Alexei made a promise.

After Ilya's assistant moved the table full of photo albums and war correspondent Polevoy's belongings to the car, he was reluctant to look at the drawer containing the pistol again, and then walked towards the studio door with three steps and three turns. direction.

"Mr. Ilya, your gun." Wei Ran picked up the wooden gun case left on the long table and reminded.

"Give it to you." Ilya waved his hand without looking back, "Young man, I'm waiting for your call."

Watching Ilya leave in the car full of gains and regrets, Professor Alexei and Wei Ran exchanged glances, and ran to the studio in no particular order.

"This is mine!" Wei Ran opened the drawer, picked up the PPK and held it above his head.

Professor Alexei, who is only a little over 1.7 meters tall, can't compete with Wei Ran, who is young and strong and half a head taller than himself, so he can only sit on the chair resentfully and complain, "At least show me It’s okay to see, right?”

"Tell me why you don't sell it first." Wei Ran asked across the long table.

"He's here to buy photos and negatives this time"

In the middle of speaking, Professor Alexi got up and walked to the door of the studio and closed the shutter door, and then continued, "Even if he wants to buy this pistol, how much money do you think he will have left in the box? So even if If you want to sell it, you have to wait for a while, and give him some time to save money, so that this pistol can be sold at a high price."

"That's it?" Wei Ran asked disappointedly.

"Of course more than that"

Professor Alexey's small eyes reveal a sophisticated cunning, "Mr. Polevoy's photographs may only be willing to pay high prices, but there are many people who are willing to pay for the guns of a well-known war correspondent." Buy it at a high price to show off.

So wait, maybe I can find a real rich guy to buy this pistol.And even if you can't find it, at worst, you can find a few friends to play a guest role, and then organize a small auction to find a way to squeeze out every ruble in Ilya's wallet. "

"You profiteer!" Wei Ran scolded with a smile, and then pushed the pistol across the table to Professor Alexei.

"Even without Mr. Polevoy's background bonus, this small pistol can sell for a lot of money."

While Professor Alexis was speaking, he pointed to the eagle emblem on the back of the sleeve and the barrel with his fingernail and said, "After the end of World War II, the PPK produced by Walter Company canceled the brittle symbol on the sleeve and barrel. Even many PPK pistols seized from the battlefield have been foiled with these two fly-sized imprints. But just so, this pistol can sell at least six or seven with these two eagle emblems alone The high price of thousands of dollars, note, is dollars, not rubles."

"There is also Mr. Polevoi's bonus," Wei Ran took the initiative to remind.

Professor Alexei threw the pistol back into the drawer, picked up the gun case that Ilya left behind when he left, and made a promise with a sly smile, "Don't worry, no matter if it's less than [-] dollars Want to take it away!"

"If this gun is sold, can you leave that one to me?" Wei Ran asked, pointing to the gun case in Professor Alexei's hand.

"This small pistol is only for women"

Professor Alexey opened the shutter door and said shamelessly as he walked out, "So I decided to give it to my beautiful wife, who is your gentle aunt. Do you have any objections?"

"I have no objection!" Wei Ran gritted his teeth and said, he has a fart opinion, and he dare not have an opinion if he has the guts, this old thing is definitely intentional!
"It doesn't need to be so painful." Alexei said with a smile while holding the rolling door with one hand, "You will get a gift no worse than it."

"It's not Soviet rubles again, is it?"

Wei Ran asked suspiciously, this bogus professor has never delivered anything good, even the priceless broken box, he almost let himself confess that he was on the battlefield seven or eighty years ago.

"Fart your Stalin! Don't mention the Soviet ruble in the future!" Professor Alexei had already disappeared before he finished speaking.

It wasn't until an hour later that he triumphantly returned to the studio with two lunch boxes, "Hurry up and eat lunch, and we'll go out after eating."

"Where are you going?" Wei Ran asked without knowing why.

"East bank, let's go to Volgasky on the east bank."

Professor Alexey snatched a piece of pork ribs with the most meat from Wei Ran's lunch box and took a bite, and then continued with a satisfied face, "That T-34 has been donated by that collector to the local area." We’re going to have a look, and we need to help them find clues to another exhibit.”

With a "click", a spare rib with meat fell from Wei Ran's mouth on the table, "What else?!"

(End of this chapter)