War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 396 Wearing a Boat Cap for a Month ([-]-in-[-] Update)

While chatting at a low volume, Wei Ran followed the guerrillas headed by Uncle Slava through the dense forest for more than an hour, turning left and right, and finally found a road less than two meters wide. stopped by the creek.

"Okay, here we are."

Uncle Slava didn't light up the kerosene lamp he had been carrying all this time until this time, and handed it to the young man who was in the period of changing his voice, "Go and take the reporter comrades to Gennaxi's shack, remember to help He kindled the fire, and got him two more hides, and a pail of water."

"Follow me!" The young Ivan took the oil lamp, pulled Wei Ran and walked in one direction.

After glancing at the guerrilla group that was shrouded in darkness again, Wei Ran asked curiously in a low voice, "Ivan, who is Gennaxi?"

"He was also a guerrilla fighter. He died when we exchanged fire with the German railway patrol a week ago." Ivan's tone was calm and calm that didn't match his age, as if this meant something to him. That being said, it's already a thing of the past.

Before Wei Ran could say anything, Ivan had already walked to the end of a slope that was only one meter wide, and pushed open a small door made of wooden boards.

"Comrade reporter, you can go in and have a look first, I'll help you find some blankets first." Saying that, Ivan had already disappeared in the night.

Wei Ran opened his mouth, and finally got into the damp shack with an oil lamp.

The environment here is definitely not good. Apart from a simple fireplace built with stones on the wall facing the entrance, the rest of the space can only accommodate a table less than one meter wide. Single bed, and a small table pieced together from ammunition boxes.

In addition, the height of the shack made him unable to straighten his back at all. On the roof built with wrist-thick wooden sticks and bark, several rotten clusters were growing wantonly, exuding an unpleasant smell. black mushrooms.

Putting the kerosene lamp on the table, Wei Ran lifted the canvas blanket on the single bed. Under the blanket was a layer of moldy pine needles. Under the pine needles were several ammunition boxes of different sizes. In the crack of the wall, he could still see a snake struggling to swallow a mouse.

Shaking his head helplessly, he carefully moved the ammunition boxes away, then stepped on the snake's head, shook the snake's tail vigorously, and lifted it out with a look of disgust.

"You're so lucky to have caught a snake." Ivan, who just happened to come back with a roll of blankets in his arms, said enviously, "Looks like you'll be able to drink broth tomorrow."

"Use it?" Wei Ran asked, shaking the long animal in his hand.

"The mice it caught were fat enough." When Ivan said this, it didn't look like he was joking at all.

"Is your food so short?" Wei Ran said, and threw the snake he was carrying on the tree trunk beside him, and then handed it to Ivan, "Give it to you."

"Thank you!"

Ivan accepted the gift happily, and then explained, "Food, ammunition, and medicine have always been a big problem. If it wasn't for Sister Alisa who sent some food back by plane from time to time, I'm afraid we would all be hungry. abdomen."

"Help me find some firewood." Wei Ran temporarily stopped the topic, "How about you take me around after dawn?"

"Of course, I'll bring the firewood later!" After Ivan finished speaking, he ran away with the snake again and disappeared.

Not long after, Ivan and another little boy who seemed to be the same age as him each brought a large bundle of firewood and piled it near the pine tree at the door of the hut on the ground. In addition, they also brought an ax and a fallen Porcelain heavy but filled with water enamelled jug, and a cup carved out of wood.

After dismissing the two young men, Wei Ran took the kerosene lamp and a bundle of firewood back into the shack, and closed the wooden door that was also slightly moldy.

Pour a little kerosene from the kerosene lamp to ignite the bundle of firewood, Wei Ran has time to check his own things.

Although the character this time is still a reporter, he doesn't have a camera at all.But fortunately, he found four film rolls in airtight tubes from the shoulder bag he was carrying all the time. In addition, there was a plastic leather book in the bag, as well as four boiled potatoes and a bottle of Unpacked vodka, and a bar of soap in an iron box.

Putting these things one by one in the ammunition box he brought, Wei Ran bent over and got out of the shack to look outside, then closed the door again, and began to try to get things out of the metal book.

There are good news and bad news, but there are quite a few things that can be brought out this time.Whether it's a pistol, a semi-automatic rifle, or the anti-tank gun, or even a double-lens reflex camera, or the three oil barrels containing fuel, fresh water, and vodka, etc., they can all be taken out smoothly.

But the most critical medical kit, as well as the food box full of chocolates and spare pistol ammunition, could not be taken out at all.In addition, half-track motorcycles, gasoline stoves, row boats, and the useless guqin were also inaccessible.

Not to mention disappointed, Wei Ran loaded the Rollei SLR with film, and stuffed a box into the accessory bag by the way, and finally put away everything including the camera, leaving only the Those odds and ends just out of the canvas bag.

Hurry up and clean up the rotten pine needles and moldy canvas blankets on the bed. Wei Ran spread the two rabbit fur blankets that Ivan just sent on them, and then took out the ones he got at the Rzhev battlefield. Covering his body with a Soviet cloak, he waited for the night to pass, while thinking about the arrangements after dawn.

At some point, Wei Ran, who had just closed his eyes to rest his mind, had already fallen into a deep sleep.When he woke up again, there were already some children's babbling singing outside the wooden door.

Wei Ran, who felt that his whole body was damp, stretched and got up, opened the door and got out of the shack wearing the same damp cloak.

Squinting his eyes to see the bright sunshine above his head, Wei Ran then turned his gaze back to the surrounding environment.

Obviously, there are no marshes, no wells, no above-ground buildings, and no glades.Or to put it more bluntly, at least he can be sure that this is not the excavation site of Diane and the others in later generations.

This is undoubtedly good news, at least he doesn't have to worry about being caught in his sleep, and then thrown into the well with his hands tied behind his back with a wire.

Walking to the creek, there are some women of different ages, talking and laughing, washing basins of clothes by the creek, and on the other side of the creek, there is a woman with only one arm left. The child was sitting on a rock waving branches, quietly watching the sheep not far away lined up to drink water by the stream.

A little further downstream, four older boys headed by Ivan were standing in the cold stream with their trouser legs rolled up and bare feet, catching small fish in the water with a dip net woven from bark. Yes, these boys happily grabbed a fish from the net and stuffed it into the German gas mask tanks hanging on their waists.

Letting his eyes move away from the busy stream, Wei Ran frowned immediately. In the surrounding forest, he could still see some busy old people. They were picking up mushrooms growing nearby with baskets on their shoulders. , or holding a long pole with an iron hook, trying to hook the pine cone from the surrounding pine trees with difficulty on tiptoe, and even a few nimble children climbed directly onto the tree, Riding on a branch and vigorously waving the stick in his hand.

In addition to these busy people, a little farther away from Wei Ran, there is a group of little bean sprouts who are seven or eight years old at most, who are singing nursery rhymes together under the leadership of a young woman with brown hair. On the pine tree directly in front of the guy, several wooden boards apparently removed from the ammunition box were nailed side by side to serve as blackboards, and some letters and words were neatly written with charcoal on them.

Women, old people, children, these are all in this camp in the forest, but the guerrillas who came back together last night didn't see any of them at this time.

After thinking for a moment, Wei Ran turned around and went into the damp shack, and took out the Rollei SLR that had been loaded with film in advance from the metal notebook.

First he went to the edge of the creek and took a picture of the one-armed little boy herding sheep, and then Wei Ran pointed the camera at Ivan who had discovered him, and the boys who were fishing with him.

When the crisp shutter sound completely frozen the smiles on their faces, Ivan immediately ran over on the splash of water, and opened the gas mask tank hanging on his waist as if taking credit, "Comrade reporter, look! I have already caught it today." So many fish!"

He glanced at the other party's wrinkled hands soaked in the cold stream water and his feet still in the water, and then looked at those small fish that were only the size of a disposable lighter in later generations, but almost filled the gas mask tank half full , Wei Ran couldn't help asking, "How long did it take you to catch so many?"

"It starts after dawn"

Ivan put the lid back on the gas mask jar and said with a bitter face, "In summer, each of us can catch a big jar full every morning! But now there are fewer and fewer fish in this creek, It’s not enough for my brothers and sisters to eat.”

"Catch every day?" Wei Ran couldn't help but look at Ivan's hands and feet again.

"Of course, fish don't jump into the pot by themselves."

Ivan grinned, beckoned to those companions behind him to go ashore and asked, "Comrade reporter, you must be hungry? Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"No, I'm not hungry yet."

Wei Ran pulled Ivan out of the icy stream that was enough to submerge his knees, and asked, "Where did Uncle Slava go? Why didn't I see him?"

"They're all patrolling the forest, and maybe they can catch some prey by the way." Ivan sat down on the grass in a group, grabbed a handful of yellow weeds, and gently kneaded his cold feet while answering. road.

Hearing this, Wei Ran didn't continue to ask more questions, but raised his camera again and took another close-up of Ivan bathed in the sun.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance?" Ivan said regretfully, "I want to put on a handsome pose."

"No, that's fine."

Wei Ran shook his head with a smile, turned the camera around the women who were still washing their clothes, but would peek at him from time to time, and pressed the shutter again.

"Comrade reporter, do you want us to wash your clothes for you?" A blonde girl boldly asked, "We guarantee that the clothes will be very clean!"

"Thank you, but my clothes are not dirty yet." Wei Ran tactfully rejected the other party's proposal. At this time, the weather seems to be late autumn. Even though the sun is above the head, the stream water is still cold, he can't I don't want to add unnecessary burden to others.

"Comrade reporter, shall I show you around?" Ivan asked after standing up and handing the metal tank containing the catch to his little friend.

"Where?"

"Go to our school?"

Ivan pointed to the children who were singing not far away, "It's time for us to go to class in the afternoon, and I won't have time to take you shopping by then."

"Then go have a look"

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, Ivan ran over barefoot and shouted loudly, "Mr. Jaina, comrade reporters want to take pictures for you!"

The brown-haired young woman who was leading the children to sing made a silent gesture to Ivan, then Chao Wei smiled and continued to lead the children in singing nursery rhymes sentence by sentence.

It was rare that there was such a person who knew how to cooperate. Wei Ran quickly raised his camera and took a picture of this small classroom and the teacher named Jaina.

It wasn't until he put down the camera hanging around his neck that Teacher Jaina smiled and said, "Comrade Victor, you are welcome to come to our interview."

"You know my name?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"I found out last night"

Teacher Jaina shook hands with Wei Ran before explaining, "At that time, I also went to carry the supplies sent by Alisa."

Wei Ran held the other party's little hand stained with a little charcoal and shook it gently, and said apologetically after parting, "Sorry, it was too dark at that time, I didn't see you clearly."

Teacher Jaina showed a gentle smile, "It's okay, I just saw what you look like."

"Ms. Jaina, are you a soldier?"

Wei Ran glanced at the patched Soviet female soldier uniform and asked, this was the first time he saw someone in military uniform in this camp, besides her, at most it was Ivan's head There is a boat cap that I don't know where it came from.

"Now I'm a guerrilla"

Teacher Jaina's eczema-covered face showed a trace of bitterness, but she didn't give Wei Ran another chance to ask questions, and continued to sing nursery rhymes with the children.

Ivan pulled Wei Ran a little farther away, and then said with a suppressed voice, "Ms. Jaina used to be a nurse, and Uncle Slava and Shura were the earliest guerrillas here. They even participated in the Ming Dynasty before. Battle of Sk."

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, and asked subconsciously, "The Battle of Minsk in the summer of 1941?"

Ivan nodded, "Otherwise, which battle could it be? I heard from Shula that he and Uncle Slava took Mr. Jaina who they met by chance and hid in the forest for more than a month before escaping the Germans." And if it weren't for Teacher Jaina, Shula, who was injured at the time, might not have survived at all.

I also heard that Shura proposed to Teacher Jaina last month, but she was ruthlessly rejected by Teacher Jaina.I've also heard. I've heard that it might rain tomorrow."

Although Ivan is not very old, he has a heart that is keen on gossip like the village widow Liu.It's just that after Teacher Jaina took off the boat cap on his head, he immediately changed the following gossip content to the weather.

"The minimum requirement for a qualified investigator is to be able to keep secrets. You don't want to get this hat again in the next half a month." Teacher Jaina gave Ivan a hard look and rolled the hat She got up and put it in her pocket, turned around and walked to the open-air classroom that belonged to her.

"It's over, it's over." Ivan cried, "It's only two or three days away, I-I."

Seeing that the little guy was about to cry, Wei Ran couldn't help asking, "Is that hat special?"

"We only have one military cap here"

Ivan stretched out a wrinkled finger, and said in a crying voice, "Only the best performers are eligible to wear that hat, and only after wearing it for a full month can they officially become scouts. I'm only two or three God, me."

"How about I help you get back?"

Wei Ran asked dumbfoundingly, the main responsibility for this matter was naturally that Ivan couldn't control his mouth, but he had to bear a small part of the responsibility for what happened.

"It's useless"

Ivan wiped away his tears, "It's useless even if Uncle Slava asks for it. This is the established rule from the beginning. Me and me."

"Or go and apologize to Teacher Jaina? Maybe she will forgive you." Wei Ran gave a pale suggestion dryly.

"It's useless." Ivan pursed his lips tightly, trying not to cry, but that little face was already filled with sadness and remorse.

Shaking his head helplessly, Wei Ran patted Ivan on the shoulder, and in the eyes of the other party Xiyi, he walked to the small classroom not far away.

Without disturbing the other party, Wei Ran sat cross-legged on the lawn, picked up the camera again, and once again pointed the lens at the children sitting on the ground, each holding a piece of charcoal and a small wooden board to practice alphabet spelling.It wasn't until the end of a class that Ivan, who was holding on to a smile, and his little friends played games with the children, and Teacher Jaina stretched out her hand to pull Wei Ran up.

"Ms. Jaina, that hat."

"Let's chat in another place." After Jaina finished speaking, she turned around and walked to a small open space not far away where the sun could shine.

The area of ​​this open space is not too large, and the area that can be exposed to sunlight is only about one or two hundred square meters.But such a small area is surrounded by a fence, and there are plants that cannot be seen. There are even two scarecrows wearing German uniforms poking among these plants.

At the same time, among the surrounding pine trees, there are still a few iron wires, on which are not only clothes of various sizes or blankets to dry, but also some gauzes with faint blood stains flying wantonly with the breeze.

"Did that clever little Ivan beg you to come?"

Teacher Jaina, who was hiding behind a bed sheet, was asking questions, and at the same time, she reached out from her coat pocket and took out a box of R6 cigarettes distributed in large quantities by the German army. Burning, she herself took out a lighter and lit it.

He opened the cigarette case that seemed to be stained with a little blood and took a look. There were only three or four cigarettes left in it, and the paper of one of the cigarettes was even stained dark red by the blood.

Looking at the cherished look of the girl on the opposite side who was not willing to let the cigarette in her mouth burn freely, Wei Ran returned the cigarette case to the other party, "I am not that addicted to cigarettes, and Ivan didn't ask me to come."

"But he must have told you what this hat represents?" Jaina took the cigarette case and put it in her pocket while speaking, and then took out the boat cap from the other pocket and handed it to Wei burn.

"Listen to him that only the best are eligible to wear this military cap?"

"Then do you know what it means to wear it for a full month?"

Jaina turned around, pointed to the seedlings surrounded by the fence and said, "This is the potato we planted two months ago. Before the cold winter comes, we may be able to store some grain for the winter. .

You see, Ivan is now just like these seedlings, and it is far from harvest time.In terms of easier understanding, once the little clever ghost officially became an investigator for a month, he would be a soldier who needed to fight the Germans desperately. "

Looking back at Wei Ran in astonishment, Teacher Jaina, who put her hands on the fence, continued, "The wounded person who left with Alisa last night is Ivan's brother. His eyes will never see. You Guess how old he is?"

Still not waiting for Wei Ran to give an answer, Jaina said bitterly, "He is only 16 years old, and he is the same as these potato seedlings, and it is far from harvesting. If he can survive, even if the war Tomorrow will be over, but in the days to come, he will never see the sun again."

"I'm sorry." Wei Ran handed over the boat cap in his hand again, "I didn't think so much before, I just thought."

"It's ok"

Teacher Jaina took the boat cap and put it on her head, covering her blond hair, with a gentle smile on her face, "Don't feel guilty, I'm their teacher, I always have a way to pick out His mistake, but I want you to keep this a secret."

Wei Ran couldn't help showing a smile, "I'm sure I won't have a big mouth like Ivan."

"Remember your promise, or I will confiscate your camera."

While joking, Jaina crushed the almost burned cigarette butt on the fence, then stuffed it back into the cigarette case, and asked generously, "Can you take a photo for me?"

"Of course." Wei Ran responded happily.

"It's not a photo that was published in the newspaper," Gianna said while opening the small gate on the fence. "I hope my parents will receive my photo and let them know that I am alive or that I will die someday." Well, they can at least"

Wei Ran was stunned, and lowered his head while fiddling with the camera and said, "I can't guarantee that I can send the photo home for you, but at least I can take a photo for you now."

"This guarantee is enough." Jaina straightened the boat cap on her head, then reached out to Wei Ran, "If you can, lend me your cloak as well."

Wei Ran took off the cloak in silence and handed it over. Teacher Jaina put it on skillfully, then walked into the fence and stood among the lush potato seedlings.

In the lens of the old-fashioned double-lens reflex camera in Wei Ran's hands, a reassuring and warm smile reappeared on the face that may have been too thin due to hunger under the bright sunshine.

(End of this chapter)