War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1710 Gifts from Gang Friends

On the evening of the auction, Mr. Hans formally hosted a banquet for Wei Ran, Sui Sui, the Kajianka sisters, and Channing.

Also attending the dinner was Rabbi Roitz and a dozen other respectable friends whose names Wei Ran didn't remember and had no intention of remembering.

"Mr. Victor, I wonder what plans you and your friends have for the next few days?"

During the dinner, Rabbi Roytz held up a glass of red wine and warmly invited us, "If you have time, I suggest you go to Ronda. Hemingway said it is the most suitable place to elope. Of course, it is also the hometown of Spanish bullfighters. You will find everything you want to encounter in Spain there."

"We will consider visiting Ronda when we have time," Wei Ran smiled and clinked glasses with the other party.

"Mr. Victor"

Mrs. Alona also picked up her cup and clinked it with Wei Ran's. She said in German with a slight accent, "I have seen several movies in which you served as the historical director. To be honest, those movies, especially the one about North Africa, are very touching."

“This is all thanks to the director and actors.”

Wei Ran took a sip from the cup, then gestured to Sui Sui beside him and said, "This is Aurora. She is also the professional manager of that film studio."

"The studio you lead has produced many meaningful films"

Mrs. Alona also clinked glasses with Sui Sui, and then asked curiously, "Ms. Aurora, do you have any schedule at your studio?"

"Is Mrs. Alona planning to shoot a movie?" Su Su asked with a smile after listening to Anfisa's translation.

"Make a movie? No, no, no, I don't have that many touching stories to make a movie."

Mrs. Alona smiled and said, "I just think that those films might have a chance to win some awards. How about the Laura Award?"

"Mrs. Alona, ​​perhaps we could sit down and discuss these fantasies in detail."

After listening to Anfisa's translation, Sui Sui enthusiastically invited Alona to sit on the sofa next to her.

"Are they attending this dinner in friendship?" Wei Ran asked in Russian, smiling at Diane who was walking over, holding a cup.

Diane replied in Russian, "They just smell the benefits."

"I feel relieved to hear you say that," Wei Ran said, clinking his glass with the other party.

"Mr. Victor, there are two guests who want to visit you." Diane took a sip of the red wine in the glass and said, "They are just outside the banquet hall."

"guest?"

Wei Ran raised an eyebrow, "That wrestler?"

"Yes," Diane nodded, "The wrestler, Mr. Miguel Perez."

"Who's the other one?"

Wei Ran said this and winked at Anfia who was still following him. The latter nodded and turned to walk towards Sui Sui and Anfisa.

"I haven't seen him. I'm afraid Mr. Perez is ready to introduce him to you in person." Diane said as she led him out.

"It seems Mr. Hans was right."

As Wei Ran spoke, he placed the wine glass on the table, followed the other party out of the not-so-big banquet hall, and walked into a reception room next to it.

In this reception room, besides the tall and strong wrestler, there was also a fat man who looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing a white suit and having a slicked back hair. He was smoking a thick cigar with his hands that were adorned with several colorful gemstone rings.

In addition to the two people sitting there, behind the sofa where they were sitting, there was a beautiful blonde woman wearing a black suit skirt, holding a brown briefcase in her hand.

The moment they saw Wei Ran coming in, the wrestler Mirguel Perez, who was over two meters tall, and the fat man who was at least over one meter eighty tall, all stood behind him. The latter even placed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray.

“Please let me introduce you.”

Diane said in German, "This is Mr. Victor. Mr. Victor, the one on the left is Mr. Perez who organized the auction this morning."

"Hello, Mr. Perez." Wei Ran took the initiative to shake hands with the other party.

To his surprise, without waiting for the blonde woman behind him to translate, the burly man actually uttered "Hello, Ni'er" in Chinese, and then said something in Spanish which Wei Ran could not understand.

"Mr. Perez said he was honored to have the opportunity to meet you."

The blonde woman in charge of translation said respectfully, "Please call him Miguel. Mr. Perez is visiting you with gifts and friendship."

“I am also very honored to meet you again.”

Wei Ran said as he looked at the fat man, took the initiative to shake hands with him and asked politely, "What is this gentleman's name?"

Before he could finish his words, Miguel, the wrestler, said something in Spanish.

"This is Mr. Giuliano Constantine from Romania"

The blonde woman who was in charge of the translation introduced in German, "He also wanted to meet you, so he brought some small gifts with him."

After the blonde woman finished speaking, the fat man immediately started saying something.

"Victor, I am honored to have the opportunity to meet you. Please call me Giuliano. I hope to take up some of your precious time, so I have brought some small gifts."

While the blonde woman was translating, she also opened the briefcase she had been carrying, took out a sealed bag as big as an A4 paper, and handed it to Wei Ran with both hands.

“Please have a seat”

Wei Ran did not rush to open the sealed bag. Instead, he raised his hand to invite the two to sit down, and said, "Madam, please sit down too."

"Thank you"

The blonde woman in charge of translation bowed slightly to express her gratitude, then sat down on a single sofa.

"You guys chat, I'll bring you some drinks." Diane said, turning and walking out of the reception room.

"Mr. Victor, please take a look at the gifts we brought. These things were found together with the flag."

The blonde woman translated wrestler Miguel's words in real time.

After a slight hesitation, Wei Ran nodded, took out a pair of silk gloves from his pocket and put them on, then opened the sealed bag and took out the things inside one by one.

There weren't many things in the sealed bag, but each one made Wei Ran perk up.

The first thing was a sealed kraft paper envelope with the same address written on it in English, Chinese, and Spanish, a language he didn't recognize but which was very similar to French.

The mailing address is Madrid, but the receiving address written in English and Spanish ends in Shanghai, China, and the one written in Chinese is more detailed.

But unfortunately, the part where the Chinese characters were written was stained black by a large bloodstain behind the word "Shanghai Stock Exchange". There was a round bullet hole in the middle of the bloodstain.

The second thing was a small bag made of red, yellow and purple coarse cloth. Inside the bag were medals and commemorative medals that were either round or triangular.

Mixed among these small pieces of iron are several rings of various styles and materials and a pendant with a leather case, most of which are tied to commemorative medals or medals.

He picked up the pendant, gently removed the leather case and took a closer look. The warm mutton-fat jade material had some red and yellow colors. Although it was only the size of a thumb, it was carefully carved into the shape of a carp.

After carefully putting the pendant back into the leather case and into the small pocket, Wei Ran took out the third thing from the sealed bag.

This time it was a film album the size of a Xinhua Dictionary. When he picked up the film album, he couldn't help but frowned.

Like the letter, this film album also had a bullet hole in the middle, and it seemed to have been soaked in blood, with most of the inside sticking together.

Even if there was no adhesion, the negatives stored inside were seriously contaminated, and some of them were even cracked and missing parts.

He had to wonder if the negatives could still be developed into photos.

There are more things in the sealed bag, there are two last things, a silver Orthodox cross and an old-fashioned razor.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Ran put all the things back into the plastic bag and sealed it carefully.

Then, he slowly took off his silk gloves, folded them carefully and put them in his pocket, then asked, "Were these things found with the flag?"

Upon hearing this, the blonde woman immediately translated it and Miguel also responded.

"These items were found in the same safe as the flag"

The blonde woman translated, "At the time, these things were packed in the same shoebox as the flag, the pistol, and the harmonica."

Hearing this, Wei Ran nodded and looked at Miguel and the fat man named Juliano.

At this moment, Diane knocked gently on the half-open door, and then brought four glasses and a bottle of Spanish wine. After watching Diane leave, Wei Ran picked up the glass and clinked it with Miguel and Giuliano, "Mr. Miguel, Mr. Giuliano, I'm just a historian. I guess you two came all the way to give me this precious gift because you must be able to help you with something, right?"

After the blonde woman translated this sentence, Miguel and Giuliano looked at each other. The former smiled and gestured with his hand, then took out a cigar, lit it and started smoking.

He also took out a cigar and gestured to Wei Ran. After being rejected, Giuliano picked up the half cigar on the ashtray, relit it, and began to tell the story in the swirling mist.

"Mr. Victor, I don't want to hide my identity. I'm from Bucharest, a gangster who grew up in the sewers and now makes a living by smuggling."

The blonde woman translated in real time, "Standing with a historian like you, I don't think someone like me is qualified to be your friend, but for the sake of the gifts just now, I still hope you can help me investigate some things."

"Please don't say that."

Wei Ran lit a cigarette and shook hands with the other party again. “Although I may sound like a glamorous historian, my best friend is a gang member.

Of course, now he is a movie star, so Mr. Giuliano, we can be friends."

“But I probably won’t have a chance to become a star.”

Juliano seemed relieved, and couldn't help but look at Miguel again. After the other nodded, he continued, "Mr. Victor, I would like you to investigate something."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

After listening to the blonde woman's translation, Wei Ran bowed and said, "Can you tell me what happened first?"

“Please take a look at this photo.”

After listening to the translation, Giuliano reached into his pocket, took out a color photo and handed it to Wei Ran.

After taking the photos, Wei Ran recognized the weapons in the photos at a glance. They were a P38 pistol made in Germany and a G43 semi-automatic rifle. Considering the scope installed on the latter, it would be more accurate to call it a G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle.

“This is what my grandfather left behind.”

Giuliano began to speak, and the beautiful blonde woman began to translate in real time a moment later. "He worked for Ceausescu when he was young. Not long after the Ceausescu couple were executed like two stray dogs, my grandfather also lost his job and eventually moved into the sewers of Bucharest with my sister and me. The two weapons in the photo were the only belongings he took into the sewers at the time."

After a short pause to give the translator enough time, Giuliano continued, "He has been using those two weapons to protect me and my sister, giving us dignity and the opportunity to receive an education that we couldn't have in the sewers, and keeping us from contracting AIDS and drugs, and from being raped by anyone.

It wasn't until 2005 that my grandfather Miloš Konstantin finally died of tuberculosis.

Before he died, he kept holding the two guns in the photo and said he wanted to return to Yugoslavia, to the mill. Unfortunately, he died before I could ask for the specific address.

After another pause, Giuliano looked up at Wei Ran and said, “Victor, I have been trying to find the mill my grandfather mentioned all these years, and to send him back there.

But my sister and I searched for a long time and went to many cities that once belonged to Yugoslavia, but we couldn't find any clues related to my grandfather. "

"His sister is my wife, that strong girl who gave birth to two healthy, beautiful and smart children for me."

Miguel spoke abruptly, and the blonde woman translated it for Wei Ran, "I went to Bucharest in 2005, a week after their grandfather passed away. I met his sister Antonia after a late-night party and rescued her from some thugs.

I fell in love with the young girl at first sight, even though she said she lived in the sewer with her brother.

Mr. Victor, can you help Giuliano? In addition to this gift, we will also return the 50,000 euros for the purchase of the flag to your account. "

"I need to see those two guns before I can determine if there is anything I can do for you."

After listening to the blonde woman's translation, Wei Ran said, "Also, Mr. Giuliano, your grandfather never mentioned his experience before?"

“Never”

Giuliano said, "My parents died very early. My sister and I were raised by my grandfather, but we never knew he was from Yugoslavia, and he never mentioned it until he died, when he suddenly said that."

"Where are the two guns?"

Wei Ran looked at the other party and asked. He wanted to get the gift that the other party brought, especially the letter. Under the premise that the two parties had no friendship, equal exchange would be the fairest thing.

"It's downstairs in my car."

Miguel said, "Bringing weapons upstairs can easily cause misunderstandings. Although I am also a gang member, this is not my territory."

"Gentlemen"

After listening to the translation, Wei Ran stood up and said, "Let's go downstairs and take a look at those two weapons. This is very important."

After listening to the blonde woman's translation, the brother-in-law and nephew looked at each other and quickly stood up. They enthusiastically led the way, taking Wei Ran out of the reception room and walked downstairs.

Seeing this, the blonde woman in charge of translation quickly picked up the glass and moistened her throat with a sip of red wine. Then she put the gifts she brought back into her briefcase and chased after him amid the sound of his heels tapping on the ground.

Then they arrived downstairs at the hotel. Wei Ran seemed to be defenseless and followed the wrestler Miguel into the trunk of a Hummer. Giuliano went around to the rear of the car, opened the trunk, and handed a long gun box directly to Miguel in front, and Miguel handed it to Wei Ran.

At the same time, the beautiful female translator opened the passenger door and got in.

"Mr. Victor, do you really have a gang friend, and he is now a movie star?" wrestler Miguel asked curiously, and the blonde woman translated it into German.

"His name is Jima Allah, and he is my best friend."

Wei Ran took the gun case and explained with a smile, "He is indeed a movie star now. This is no secret in Russia."

While the blonde woman was translating for Wei Ran, Giuliano got into the driver's seat and handed a key to Wei Ran behind him.

Taking the key, Wei Ran opened the padlock on the gun box. But then he reached out and zipped up the inside of the car window, and then turned on the reading light above his head.

Seeing this, Miguel, who was sitting next to him, immediately pulled the curtain on the other side. The fat man Giuliano, who was sitting in the driver's seat, turned around and almost knelt on the seat, leaning over to look at Wei Ran who put on silk gloves again and opened the cover of the gun box.

Ignoring the P38 pistol which was in some sense very common, Wei Ran took out his cell phone, turned on the flashlight function and handed it to Miguel beside him, then picked up the G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle.

Wei Ran pulled the bolt out of habit and quickly moved the muzzle of the gun away from the two people in front of him. Although there was no bullet in the chamber of the gun, there was a bullet in the magazine.

"I used it to hunt ducks just the day before yesterday," Giuliano said, a little embarrassed. "My kid got in trouble at school again, and I forgot to empty the bullet."

Before the blonde girl in the co-pilot seat finished translating this outrageous yet reasonable excuse, Wei Ran had already skillfully removed the magazine with only one bullet left and threw it into the gun box, and then he carefully looked at the details of the gun.

From the materials used in the buttstock to the cutting of the parts and the size of the gun serial number, everything proves that this is an early model G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle.

Unlike other weapons, the G43 almost witnessed the decline of Germany in World War II. The reason for this is that it did not get better and better. Instead, it gradually cut corners with the passage of time. Especially those produced by prisoners of war and prisoners in concentration camps in the later period were so rough that they looked like they were made of mud and were completely unusable.

Continuing his inspection, he unfastened the leather cheek pad on the buttstock and immediately noticed that there was a flag carved on the left side of the buttstock of the gun - a flag composed of three long strips with a five-pointed star in the middle.

Although this palm-sized flag was not painted, combined with Giuliano's grandfather's last words, he was almost certain that it was the symbol of the Yugoslav guerrillas.

Considering the quality of this G43, Wei Ran thought for a moment and made a preliminary judgment, "Mr. Giuliano, and of course, Mr. Miguel, what I say below is just speculation."

Leaving enough time for the translator, Wei Ran continued under the gaze of the two strong men, "If your grandfather Milos Constantine was from Yugoslavia, and if this weapon was one he had used, then he might have participated in the battle against the German army in the second half of 1944, and it is very likely that he seized these two weapons from a sniper."

At this point, Wei Ran changed the question and asked, "Mr. Giuliano, do you know when your grandfather was born?"

"1930," Giuliano answered without thinking.

"He may have joined the Yugoslav Partisans"

After Wei Ran finished translating, he pointed at the flag carved on the buttstock with his finger, then re-tied the leather cheek pad on the gun and continued, "These are just assumptions, and I don't know how to explain why he didn't return to Yugoslavia but stayed in Romania instead."

"so."

“So these things take time.”

Wei Ran spoke again before the translator finished speaking, "If you are willing to let me help you find your grandfather's hometown, you may need to send these two weapons to Kazan, Russia, and to my studio through legal channels.

There may still be clues in them, but my time in Spain is running out.”

"no problem"

Giuliano subconsciously glanced at his brother-in-law Miguel, and then said, "We will send these two weapons to Kazan as soon as possible. Mr. Victor, please accept our gift to you first."

“I may not find anything.”

Wei Ran said this as he took the sealed bag handed to him by the blonde woman in charge of translation, and then handed the gun box containing the two weapons on his leg to Miguel beside him.

"Even if we don't find anything, at least we have made a historian friend."

Miguel laughed and said, "Some strange and interesting things often appear in my auction house. Victor, please leave your contact information. I will send you a list of auction items when there is an auction in the future."

"Looks like I have two more gang friends."

As Wei Ran spoke, he took off his gloves and formally shook hands with the two burly men and the beautiful female translator one after another.