War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1646 Someone has to do it
On the afternoon of October 10, Wei Ran, who had been on the road all the time, transited through the capital of China and finally landed safely on Australia Island.

This was also thanks to the fact that at the beginning of the year, in order to go to Taiwan, they asked their parents, who were running a travel agency at the time, to help them get a pass. It was also thanks to the fact that their parents misunderstood them and thought that the two of them wanted to visit all three places, so they helped them get passes to Hong Kong and Macau as well.

It was thanks to this unexpected convenience that Wei Ran managed to reach Ao Island quickly enough and successfully found the "White Horse Pork Trotter Rice" near the pier.

The store is not very big, but there are quite a lot of diners inside. And judging from their hurried steps, you can tell that this small store probably serves mostly the local grassroots people.

As he came in a hurry, Wei Ran did not bring any luggage. Therefore, he just stood in front of the store and looked around for a while, then queued up and walked into the store. He randomly found a seat and sat down, ordered a bowl of pork trotter rice, and also looked around the layout of the store.

There were many old photos hanging on the walls of this store. Those photos did not include the cavalry and the Anti-Japanese United Army. Instead, he found photos of Zhao Jinlan with her child, Yang Shiyi with her child, and Lao Bai in front of the yurt.

In addition, there are photos with this restaurant as the background. In those old photos, the chefs in the restaurant seem to be the adults Ma Pingchuan and Bai Qingai, and the two young men responsible for serving dishes and cleaning are the grown-up siblings Zhao Guangfu and Zhao Youhua.

Before he could finish looking at the photos, an aunt who looked to be in her 40s or 50s brought him a big bowl of pork trotter rice with plenty of ingredients.

"Handsome"

Before he started eating, a young girl dressed as a student came over with a big bowl of pork trotter rice and said something in Cantonese or Hokkien, which he could not understand.

Seeing the confusion on Wei Ran's face, the girl, who looked to be about 20 years old, put on her plastic blanket and asked, "Handsome guy, would you like to share a table?"

"random"

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, the girl happily sat down diagonally opposite him. Following her, another girl and a young man of similar age came over, carrying either pork trotter rice or rice rolls, and occupied the seats next to and opposite Wei Ran, chattering happily in the local dialect.

Seeing this, Wei Ran smiled, picked up a spoon with a white horse pattern on it, scooped a spoonful of pork trotter rice and put it into his mouth.

This stuff tastes really good!
Wei Ran, who had not eaten anything properly on the way here, suddenly had his eyes light up and he unconsciously sped up his eating - just like the other diners around him.

After finishing the big bowl of pork trotter rice, Wei Ran stopped a passing waiter and said, "Please give me another serving of rice noodle rolls, thank you."

"Wait a mininute"

The aunt tried to respond in Mandarin with a local accent.

"Brother, are you from mainland China?" the young man sitting next to Wei Ran asked curiously.

"right"

Wei Ran smiled and nodded, "You are all locals here to play, right?"

"Almost."

The young man next to me nodded casually, "There are very few mainland tourists coming to this restaurant. It's all locals who come to eat there."

"So this store has been around for a long time?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

“I’ve been here since I was a kid!”

The young girl sitting opposite took over the conversation and said, "He used to sell braised pork and knife-cut noodles, but since the grandpa and grandma retired, they only have pork trotter rice."

As she spoke, the girl pointed to the photo of Ma Pingchuan and Bai Qingai hanging on the opposite wall. It was a photo of the grandparents when they were young. My father said that he often came here to eat when he was a child.

"Who is running this store now?" Wei Ran asked.

"Their son"

The young girl sitting opposite Wei Ran said, "That uncle only knows how to make pork trotter rice, and his wife only knows how to make rice noodle rolls."

"Their braised pork and shaved noodles are even better than pork trotter rice!" the girl across the street said with nostalgia, "I used to clamor to come here to eat when I was a kid."

"I also ate his braised pork when I was a kid!"

The young man sitting next to Wei Ran said, "I remember that grandpa and grandma who sold braised pork were also from mainland China."

"Yes, yes, yes! That's right! They don't speak Cantonese or Hokkien, and can only communicate with customers through gestures."

The girl sitting opposite kept saying, "But the braised pork made by that grandma is super delicious! That grandpa stands by the door every day and cooks knife-cut noodles in a big pot!"

“Unfortunately, there is only pork trotter rice now”

The young girl across from me said this, not forgetting to put a large spoonful of rice soaked in soup into her mouth, and said with a smile, "But the pork trotter rice is not bad either!"

Seeing that the topic of these three young people had shifted to when the cafeteria in their school would explode, and the proportion of dialects in their conversations was getting higher and higher, the aunt also brought Wei Ran the rice rolls he ordered.

After finishing the rice roll in just a few bites, Wei Ran stood up and walked to the bar at the door. He generously paid the bill for the young students at the same table, and then simply left this extremely busy shop.

Just like when he was a guest at Ao Riqi's house yesterday, Wei Ran did not reveal his identity and purpose this time. It was enough for him to know that the person he was looking for was here.

As for the rest.
Let the rest be recognized by those who are more suitable to come here.

Having made up his mind, Wei Ran had no more worries and simply took a taxi back to the airport, patiently waiting for the flight to Sichuan that evening.

At the same time, at Tianfu Airport, the scumbag Xia Shushi and his big girlfriend Qin Qi were already waiting there.

"Are we just waiting here foolishly?" Qin Qi, who was sitting cross-legged in the driver's seat in the airport parking lot, yawned and asked Xia Shushi, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Just wait"

Xia Shushi laid the seat flat and put his feet on the glove box. He yawned and pointed behind him, "I brought his suitcase with me. How can he run away?"

Qin Qi shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "You do trust him."

"Do not worry"

Xia Shushi said confidently, "Wei Ran is far more reliable than Qin II. He said he wanted my help with something big, so it must be something big."

"Whatever you want," Qin Qi said, lowering her chair and closing her eyes, "When will my cousin arrive?"

"He probably doesn't have time to come this time," Xia Shushi said with a bit of gloating, "He was conscripted into the army."

"It's just as well that you didn't come," Qin Qi muttered with great joy, and then pulled Xia Shushi aside to continue chatting about Wei Ran.

To be honest, the fact that the two of them can appear here is really thanks to Wei Ran.

As early as last night when flying from Irkutsk to the capital, Wei Ran had informed Xia Shushi in advance to ask him to pick him up at the airport.

Of course, this so-called airport pick-up was actually just an oversized but light suitcase.

Even after handing the suitcase to Xia Shushi, Wei Ran asked him to contact Qin II and take the suitcase to Sichuan as soon as possible. It would be best if he could get him a car in advance. As for him, he hurriedly changed flights after giving the instructions.

Just as Xia Shushi said just now, Qin II probably didn't have time to come, but Qin Qi did. She just lost her patience because of her curiosity.

They waited from dusk until late at night, until 11 o'clock in the evening, when the two people who were already kissing each other in the carriage finally received a call from Wei Ran.

"I thought you weren't coming," Xia Shushi complained, wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"Didn't I send you the flight information?"

Wei Ran, who had just walked out of the airport pick-up gate without even a piece of luggage in his hand, asked back, "Stop talking nonsense. Where are you? Did you get a car?"

"Come to the parking lot and I'll send you the exact location."

Xia Shushi said, and simply hung up the phone, then sent out the message he had edited in advance. As for picking him up at the airport, why would he pick him up when his girlfriend was right beside him? He was not a child anymore.

After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, Wei Ran, with empty hands, finally found Qin Qi's car in the corner of the parking lot.

"Can't you two just do a double flash?"

Wei Ran asked with a smile as he opened the rear door of the car. He had just turned around twice before finding the SUV that seemed to be hiding on purpose.

"We've been waiting for you for most of the night. We're lucky you found it."

Xia Shushi, who had succeeded in his prank, fastened his seat belt and asked, "Where are we going? Let's find a hotel to rest?"

“I’m short on time and have a lot of work to do”

Wei Ran said without apology, "If you two aren't tired, how about we go straight to Zigong?"

Before the two of them could say anything, Wei Ran added, "If you two are tired, I'll drive." "Let me drive," Qin Qi said as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"What exactly is the reason why you called me over here in such a hurry this time?" Xia Shushi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked only after the car left the airport.

"Didn't you check what was in the suitcase?" Wei Ran, who was distractedly looking out the window, asked in surprise.

"Why would I have nothing better to do than rummage through your suitcase?" Xia Shushi asked unhappily.

"Didn't I tell you to take a look?" Wei Ran asked, patting his forehead.

"If you tell me, can I not watch it?"

Xia Shushi asked in a nagging tone, "You threw the suitcase to me and ran away. I didn't even have time to ask you anything."

"Yeah, my bad, but it's not too late now."

Wei Ran said bluntly, "Well, sister-in-law, please pull over and let him get behind."

"What kind of treasure is in that big box of yours?" Qin Qi asked curiously, while also driving the car to the side of the road.

"Okay, you come to the back too. I'll drive and explain it slowly on the way."

After Wei Ran finished speaking, the car just stopped. Without waiting for the two men to say anything, he pushed open the car door and got in.

Qin Qi was not polite to him. She even got into the back seat of the car before Xia Shushi and turned on the reading light above her head.

By the time Wei Ran got into the cab, she had already opened the suitcase.

"What are these?"

As Qin Qi spoke, she had already taken out the wooden knife box from the suitcase and opened the buckle.

“Is it the Anti-Japanese Sword?!”

Qin Qi asked in surprise, "I have one at home, too. It was left by my great-grandfather, but it's not as long as this one."

"This is not an anti-Japanese broadsword, this is the cavalry saber of the Ma family army in the northwest."

Xia Shushi, who entered the carriage a little later, corrected him and said that he had seen photos and the real thing of this saber. Even if he had not seen it, he could recognize it at a glance with his professional ability.

Not only did he recognize it, he also guessed something.

So while putting on his gloves and reaching for the red triangular team flag in the box, he asked directly, "Have you found any clues about the knife?"

“Finally found out”

Wei Ran drove the car and corrected himself, "We have found three quarters of the clues, but we still have one last clue to find."

"Are we going to look for the last clue?" Xia Shushi asked.

"Not really. I'm taking you to visit an old friend."

Wei Ran paused and said, "I'll tell you the details later. There are other things in the box. Take them out and have a look first."

Hearing this, Qin Qi unzipped the space on both sides of the suitcase. The space on the left side of the suitcase only contained Wei Ran's briefcase and laptop.

Seeing this, she zipped up her bag, opened the right part, and then pulled out the tattered saddlebag.

"There are some letters and a photo album in there." Wei Ran introduced, "You can look at the photo album, but don't open the envelopes."

Hearing this, Xia Shushi reacted very quickly and stopped Qin Qi who was about to reach out to take out the letters. Then he unceremoniously opened the zipper on the other side of the suitcase, pulled out Wei Ran's briefcase, rummaged through it, took out a pair of silk gloves and handed them to Qin Qi.

"You two really can pee in the same pot"

Qin Qi took the gloves and put them on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Xia Shushi also took the opportunity to stuff Wei Ran's briefcase back and zipped up that side.

"I didn't have the habit of carrying gloves with me before. I learned it from him." Xia Shushi said jokingly, "Not only me, but also those two scumbags Qin Shou and Zhong Zhen have learned this habit."

"I understand. Scumbags always carry gloves with them." Qin Qi gave a key summary.

"I'm not a scum like those three!"

In the carriage, Wei Ran and Xia Shushi almost uttered the same nonsense at the same time, which no one believed.

Amid Qin Qi's unbridled ridicule, Wei Ran shook his head helplessly and changed the subject directly, saying, "Let's look at the photo album first, and then I'll tell you what I found out."

After that, the only sounds in the carriage were the turning of pages, Qin Qi's occasional questions and Xia Shushi's occasional answers.

When the car was halfway through the journey, Xia Shushi finally closed the photo album and said, "Let's stop at the service area ahead. Tell us what you have found out."

Hearing this, Wei Ran stepped on the accelerator, increased the speed slightly, and drove for a while, then drove the car into the service area where many freight trucks were parked.

“I’m going to buy something to drink.”

Qin Qi said this and was the first to push open the car door and ran into the brightly lit hall. At the same time, Xia Shushi also lowered the car window and lit a cigarette.

Seeing this, Wei Ran simply rolled down all the car windows, took out his cigarette box, lit a cigarette and smoked it quietly.

A moment later, Qin Qi got into the car carrying a bag of food and drinks and a cigarette.

Taking the drink and a pack of cigarettes from the girl, Wei Ran gave Xia Shushi a thumbs up and said, seeing the other's proud expression, "The story begins with the White Mountains and Black Waters in 1937."

In Wei Ran's narration, the history that he had personally experienced and the heroic events of the past that had either been forgotten or deliberately concealed by the parties involved were also told with sighs.

“This is the story of the people in the photo.”

Finally, Wei Ran relit the cigarette that Qin Qi had just helped him buy, took a deep puff and said, "Several years ago, I found the owner of that box gun and sent it to his descendants."

"How did you deliver that thing?" Qin Qi subconsciously asked a stupid enough question, but it was a troublesome question for Wei Ran.

"The beast helped send it over." Xia Shushi reacted very quickly and helped Wei Ran find someone to take the blame.

Wei Ran smiled and continued as usual, "Just a few days ago, I found the person who sold the box gun and the saber, and then I found those letters and photo albums, and finally found the descendants of the Ma and Zhao families I just mentioned.

Simply put, the only thing missing now is Hu Bazhi and his descendants."

"So we are going to meet the descendants of Li Sui'an now?" Qin Qi asked again, as if she had never asked any stupid questions just now.

"There's a photo of Senior Li Sui'an and Senior Hu Bazhi in the album," Wei Ran said amid the drifting smoke, "Maybe we can find Hu Bazhi's address at his home."

"Thank you"

Xia Shushi suddenly thanked him at this time, "I know that we shouldn't think about this kind of thing utilitarianally, but the things you found this time are better than the Long March we found last time."

"Gentlemen are judged by deeds rather than by their hearts, so shouldn't we be even more demanding of scum?"

Wei Ran said self-deprecatingly, "Let's put aside the question of whether it's utilitarian or not, I asked you to come over to help because I really need it.

Objectively speaking, whether it is the trouble that the box gun just mentioned may bring, or how to find the descendants of Hu Bazhi, these things cannot be solved by myself. "

"Let's go visit the descendants of the old senior Li Sui'an first."

As Xia Shushi put the various revolutionary relics in the carriage into the suitcase, he said, "The troubles you mentioned are not troubles."

"Brother Wei, go to the back and take a rest."

Qiqi also took the initiative to say, "I'll drive the second half. I'm familiar with Zigong."

"Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law." Wei Ran simply gave the driving seat to Qin Qi and turned to get into the back seat of the car.

"Wei Ran, what are you doing all this for?" Xia Shushi asked abruptly when the car started moving.

"What are you planning?"

Wei Ran smiled, closed his bloodshot eyes due to the long journey, stretched his equally tired body and answered as a matter of course, "Someone has to do it."

(End of this chapter)