War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 605 Comrade Trumpeter Living in a Dream
Following the last domestic address recorded in the metal book, Wei Ran took the high-speed train to Bincheng on the afternoon of the day he arrived in Dandong.

However, when he arrived at the destination non-stop following the address, he was a little surprised.

According to the records in the metal notebook, Xia Chuan, the former trumpeter, lived here, but what he saw when he arrived at the destination was a three-story old villa guarding the corner of the street. The villa is facing the garage door on the side of the road, and there is a nondescript wooden plaque hanging on it, which says "Soseki's old books" in four crooked brush characters, and a string of old sows who sprained their feet when they arched the ground. Write down the same phone number.

In addition, in the open space outside the small shop, there are two long solid wood tables, on which are pressed various old books that are basking in the sun.

Through the cast iron fence next to the sidewalk, Wei Ran looked over with great interest, but found that there were all kinds of old books drying, including all kinds of comics, and all kinds of tomes that made the scalp tingle just looking at them. There are quite a few comic books that were only vaguely touched in childhood memories.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Ran pushed open the concealed fence door, put the suitcase with nothing in it aside, and walked towards the gate of the garage.

Gently push open the glass door with posters of workers and peasants. As far as the eye can see, the walls on three sides are almost full of solid wood bookshelves. Only a little space is left for the anti-theft door on the wall facing the door. .

What's interesting is that the things on the bookshelves on the three walls are almost of their own kind.

On the bookshelf on the left hand side, there are all kinds of comics, including ghost books, comic books that once flourished in the last century, and even some old records, tapes, and various CDs with genuine logos, etc. .

On the bookshelf facing the door, there are various figures that Wei Ran knows or doesn't know and some brass instruments.In the most conspicuous position in the middle, there is a Frostmourne with exquisite workmanship, at least as tall as a man, but on the hilt of the sword, there is a bugle with mottled years.

And on the bookshelf on the right hand side, there are various historical books in different categories. A wicker basket fixed in the center of the bookshelf is full of white gloves. A conspicuous reminder written in Chinese, English, Russian with some grammatical errors, and even Japanese that Wei Ran can't understand but can guess roughly—"If you don't buy it, don't touch it. If you want to buy it, ask the price first."

After reading the three bookshelves, Wei Ran focused on the old and the young who were sitting on the sofa.

The young one seemed to be about the same age as himself, about 1.8 meters tall, but he looked like a boy and a girl, but he was still wearing a pair of breasted exercise uniforms and round hair that he had only seen on Chen Guangling and his son. Mille-soled cloth shoes, on the contrary, this look made the face a little too delicate.

And the old man next to him, who was also wearing a white double-breasted exercise suit, now focused all his attention on the TV screen facing the sofa.It's just that what makes people laugh and cry is that what is playing on the screen is a very old cartoon - the young hero Xiao Nezha.

That old man is Xia Chuan?

Wei Ran frowned slightly, he was very sure that it was definitely the trumpeter Xia Chuan, but the expression on the old man's face was as innocent as a child's. When the next episode of the animation started, he even Will happily hum along with the theme song.

Is he really the trumpeter Xia Chuan?

Wei Ran fell into hesitation, and at this moment, the young man's cell phone came out with a sigh representing that the crystal was blown up by the enemy.

"The one in the jungle, you're really busy with your summer vacation homework in the grass with your skin pouting, aren't you? What rank are you playing in? Can't you go play basketball?"

The young man cursed and mocked, and then exited the game interface angrily. Chao Weiran raised his chin and asked in a tone that was not enthusiastic, "What to buy?"

"Just take a look." Wei Ran pointed to the bookshelf while speaking, "How can I sell this dictionary of wars and campaigns?"

Glancing at the direction of Wei Ran's finger, the young man replied bluntly, "That was the first edition in August 93, and I only have five copies left here, so the price is a bit more expensive, 8 copies, five copies. I want to give 220 for the book!"

"One book is enough"

While speaking, Wei Ran took out a pair of gloves from the small basket, put them on, and carefully took out the well-preserved dictionary.

"What else do you want?"

While speaking, the young man had already taken out a kraft paper file bag from the box next to the sofa, threw a pack of desiccant and a moth ball into it, and handed it to Wei Ran.

Putting the dictionary he bought into the file bag, Wei Ran looked around and was about to say something, but the young man continued to look at Wei Ran suspiciously and asked, "Why do I seem to have seen you somewhere?"

"Have you seen me?" Wei Ran looked at him in surprise.

"I do seem to have seen you somewhere, you let me think about it, you let me think about it!"

The young man stared at Wei Ran for a while to recall, and finally slapped his forehead, "Oh——! Oh——! I remembered! I remembered!"

"What do you remember?" Wei Ran asked blankly, he had no impression that he had seen this person before him.

"This! Is this you?! This Hara must be you!"

While the young man was talking, he had searched for a piece of news on his mobile phone and showed the screen to Wei Ran.

Just glanced at the screen, and Wei Ran nodded dumbfoundingly. The screen was just a screenshot of the news when he was interviewed by the Maozi media after he donated the photo of the red flag on the Capitol.

"It's really you! I'll just say I have an impression!"

The young man suddenly became more enthusiastic, and he stretched out his hand and said, "My name is Xia Shushi, and I also study history! Modern Chinese history!"

"Hello, hello, I'm Wei Ran, the one in the news." Wei Ran hurriedly shook hands with the other party, but he didn't expect that he would be recognized first this time.

After a brief introduction to each other, Xia Shushi warmly greeted Wei Ran to sit down, took out two cans of cold Coke from the refrigerator, opened them for Wei Ran himself, and said excitedly, "You don't know, just Because of the photo you found, the teachers in our professional class have mentioned you on purpose, and even specially found the video of your interview and translated it for us to see."

"Is it such an exaggeration?"

"It's not an exaggeration at all!"

While talking, Xia Shushi picked up the teapot at hand and poured a cup of tea, took a sip to test the temperature, changed another teacup and refilled it, handed it to the old man who was watching cartoons, and asked in a loud voice, "Grandpa , Do you want tea? Drink tea!"

"Yes! Nezha! Nezha!"

The old man also responded with a loud voice, raised his finger to the pet next to the cartoon protagonist and said, "Big flower mouse! Buy me a big flower mouse!"

"Buy! Let's go buy it tomorrow!" Xia Shushi readily agreed, and asked again patiently, "Do you want tea?"

"Don't drink!" The old man waved his hand and refused.

"Drink tea! I'll buy you a big flower mouse!"

Hearing this, the old man immediately took the teacup happily, and drank it down like drinking wine.

"After watching this episode, let's go buy it! Watch it first, and then we'll go after watching it." Xia Shushi pointed at the TV and said.

"Let's go after watching it!" The old man finished speaking, and turned his attention back to the TV.

"This old man." Wei Ran looked at Xia Shushi hesitantly.

"my grandpa"

Xia Shushi put down his teacup, and explained with a normal expression, "I got Alzheimer's disease a few years ago, so I don't remember anything."

"Alzheimer's disease?"

Wei Ran froze for a moment, then subconsciously remembered Kajianka back then, the woman who sat in front of the bookstore all day long, and the woman who held his hand and begged to help her remember her name.

Xia Shushi obviously misunderstood the expression on Wei Ran's face, and explained in a normal tone, "It's what we often call Alzheimer's, there's no way, it's almost 80 years old."

"What... don't you remember anything?" Wei Ran asked dully.

"No, I don't remember anything. Sometimes he doesn't remember that I'm his grandson. Every morning when I get up, I have to introduce myself."

Xia Shushi sat on the sofa again, "I'm like a child now, my hobbies are different every day."

Wei Ran looked at the old man who was concentrating on watching cartoons in astonishment. He didn't expect that Chen Qi would suffer from a heart attack, that Zhao Shengli would lose a sole of his foot, and that Xia Chuan, the trumpeter after decades, would have nothing at all. remembered.

"Usually. Usually you take care of him by yourself?" Wei Ran looked at Xia Shushi and asked.

"I'm the only idler in our family, can't I just take care of him?"

Xia Shushi spread his hands as a matter of course, "This old man is very interesting. I taught him how to fight the king before, but I forgot all about it after a night. I didn't know how to remember it two days ago. He played man-machine games with great energy." son.

Today his interest has turned to watching cartoons again, and tomorrow he might like something else. He lives every day, like a ever-changing Martin. "

Glancing again at the old man who was concentrating on watching cartoons, Wei Ran changed the subject and asked, "You run this store?"

“Opened after my grandpa retired”

Xia Shushi proudly explained, "Our old man is amazing, the veterans who resisted US aggression and aided Korea, are you..."

He didn't finish his sentence here, but the old man didn't know what it was because of that sentence, so he turned around suddenly, looked at Wei Ran and asked in surprise, "Squad Leader Shen, are you Squad Leader Shen? Are you back? Are you here?" When did you come back? Is the battle over?"

At that moment, Wei Ran felt that his heartbeat was about to be crushed by an invisible hand.

"We're back, we're all back." Xia Shushi first gave Wei Ran an apologetic look, then moved to sit next to the old man, and said loudly, "We're all back!"

"It's good to be back! It's good to be back! I miss you all!" The old man asked crying like a wronged child, "Why did you come back!"

"Slow down on the road!" Xia Shushi skillfully weaved a lie, "We will come to you as soon as we finish the war!"

"Are you all okay, comrades?" Xia Chuan, who is dying, asked cautiously, "Did anyone sacrifice?"

"No! No one sacrificed!" Xia Shushi continued, "Everyone is doing well! Those who didn't come have returned to the old army!"

"It's good to be here! It's good to be here!"

While speaking, Xia Chuan stood up tremblingly, tried his best to straighten his body, tremblingly raised his right hand to the height of his eyebrows, watched Wei Ran and shouted angrily, "Report! Buzzer Xia Chuan requests to return to the team! Please instruct !"

Glancing at Xia Shushi who was winking wildly at him, Wei Ran solemnly stood up straight, raised his hand in return for a substandard military salute, and also shouted loudly, "Agreed to return to the team! Join the ranks!"

(End of this chapter)