War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 617
In the warm dormitory, the military doctor Klauer carefully helped Jack re-fit the front teeth while chatting with everyone.

Drew rolled up his cuffs and glanced at his watch, "Since Jack's teeth are fine, let's go eat together."

"Let me change my clothes first." Wei Ran had already taken off his American M47 coat while speaking.

Klauer nodded, "You really need to change your clothes, this will allow you to blend in here faster."

"I will... I won't change it," Jack subconsciously waved his hand and refused.

Others don't know what's going on, but Wei Ran knows very well that this bully hides a lot of valuable things in his trouser legs.

Hearing this, Klauer spread his hands and didn't say anything, but he and Drew each took an aluminum lunch box and walked out of the room one after the other.

But when Wei Ran, who was changing clothes, was puzzled, Morgan and Brendon didn't change their clothes either. They were still wearing his American uniform that should have been washed a long time ago, and just added a cotton coat that had just been delivered outside. That's all.

Seeing this, Drew smiled, took the lead, and led everyone to the dining area that served as the kitchen.

Standing in line for dinner, Wei Ran couldn't help but sighed secretly, the meal was better than the ones he had eaten on the road, two big snow-white steamed buns, American stew with amazing meat content, and even some pure meat beef patty and vegetable soup.

Although Wei Ran was a little regretful that he couldn't find any Chinese food other than steamed buns, Crowle provided some extra jams that he said he had made from wild fruits.

After eating a dinner that was surprisingly caloric and tasty, Drew and Klauer put down their cleaned lunch boxes and played basketball around the hoop on the playground outside the barracks. Even Morgan and Brendon couldn't help it. know where to go.Just as he went back to the dormitory to pick up the camera, even the black Jack had disappeared.

Regarding this, Wei Ran had an indifferent attitude on his face, and walked around casually with the camera in his hand, and from time to time, he raised the camera and pressed the shutter.

In his camera, some prisoners of war are talking and singing with guitars in groups, like a small band, and there are even many listeners around.Around the table tennis table, they challenged a soldier in the uniform of the Volunteer Army.

But the most intense is the two basketball teams that are fighting.Surrounding them was also the largest crowd of onlookers, including prisoners of war in gray cotton coats and soldiers in uniforms of the Volunteer Army.

The same is true for those who are fighting for the blue ball, but as the whistle and cheers continue to sound, the team composed of prisoners of war clearly has an absolute advantage.

When Drew once again dunked the basketball from his teammates into the basket, the game also ended with the whistle.

Taking a picture of each of the two teams, Wei Ran glanced at the setting sun that was about to be blocked by the mountains, and continued to wander aimlessly.

What he didn't expect was that on the edge of the camp, apart from the two pieces that were more than ten meters long and five or six meters wide, one was written with "POW" (abbreviation for prisoner of war), and the other was written "Prisoner of War" in Han language. In addition to the red wooden boards of the camp, there is actually a pigsty surrounded by a wooden fence not far away.

Inside the pigsty, a few big fat pigs were enjoying the pig food mixed with swill, and on the edge of the wooden railing, there was a small white prisoner of war wearing an apron and standing on an iron bucket, looking at his hand. The photos in it are in a daze.

Although it was a little distance away, because the setting sun happened to hit the photo, Wei Ran could just see the woman in the skirt in the photo, and the red lip print attached to the paper full of words.

Silently raised the camera to take a picture of the other party, but the sound of the shutter made the man subconsciously look at Wei Ran.

"Are you taking pictures of me?" the white POW asked, turning around.

"Of course." Wei Ran nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, if you have a chance to develop a picture, remember to give me a picture." While speaking, the white prisoner of war took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to Wei Ran.

"If there is a chance, I will give you the photo." Wei Ran took the cigarette and made a promise, and praised, "Your wife? She is so beautiful."

"certainly"

The young prisoner of war handed the photo to Wei Ran for a look, then reached out and said, "Jim".

"Victor" Wei Ran shook hands with the other party.

"You must be from the engineering company, right?" Jim asked with certainty.

Wei Ran nodded upon hearing the words, "What about you?"

"pilot"

Jim could not help showing a little arrogance in his tone, but then he said with self-deprecation, "But that was a long time ago."

"You seem a little unhappy?"

Wei Ran chatted with the other party, and at the same time took a photo of a volunteer soldier not far away who was teaching the prisoners how to kick shuttlecock beside the two sets of red wooden boards.

"I'm just a little homesick," Jim explained absent-mindedly. "Who here doesn't want to go home."

"It's better than going to the front line," Wei Ran kindly comforted him.

"True," Jim nodded, "but I'm still homesick. I miss my wife and my harrier, Tom."

Before Wei Ran could say anything, an open space was cleared on the playground not far away. With the help of the surrounding prisoners of war, several volunteer soldiers set up a curtain, and then set up an old-fashioned projector.

"Victor!"

Not far away, Drew walked over while twirling the basketball on his finger, and at the same time warmly touched Jim's fists, and then said, "Go to the dormitory and move the small stool here, you can watch a movie tonight gone."

"You know each other?" Jim asked curiously.

"Of course I know"

Drew introduced Jim enthusiastically, "Victor was assigned to our dormitory today. Victor, this is Jim, my good friend. He and I are from the same community in California. I Even in the same high school class as him and his wife."

"We didn't expect to meet in the same prisoner-of-war camp." Jim put his hand on Drew's shoulder. "Okay, let's go to the movies together. Maybe there will be some new movies today."

"Victor, how about helping me get an extra stool? Jim and I will go ahead and take a seat." While Drew was talking, he threw the basketball to Wei Ran.

"Okay, okay"

Wei Ran agreed with a strange expression, feeling more and more that after the fiery red sunset shone on Jim's head, it seemed to reveal a pale green light.

He clearly remembered that before he and Liu captured Drew, this guy was bragging to his companions that he had slept with the wife of a pilot friend, and even his pilot friend's wife was still regretting why he didn't fight. die, or she would receive a pension.

So Drew, the scumbag's pilot friend, wouldn't be Jim, would he?

Wei Ran couldn't help but look at the two good brothers who were shoulder to shoulder again, and then held back the heart that seemed to be roasted by the fire of gossip, and returned to the dormitory with the basketball in his hands.

However, when he pushed open the wooden door of the dormitory, he immediately smelled the peculiar smell of burning dog hemp.

Immediately afterwards, he saw that on the burning hot kang, the black Jack, who had already put on new clothes, was puffing on the clouds with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Where did you get the dog's hemp?" Wei Ran asked with a frown, and opened the cotton curtain while speaking.

"Hey! Why don't you knock?"

Startled, Jack quickly sat up, covered the cuff of the cotton-padded jacket, and then said, "Do you want one? I just bought it."

"Bought it?" Wei Ran subconsciously asked, "Where did you buy it?"

"The Rabbit Rider, of course it's the Rabbit Rider." Jack said as a matter of course, "Didn't Drew and Klauer talk about it before dinner?"

"You can speak Rabbit Riding Language?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"How is it possible, I didn't even go to school, how could it be possible to know another language?"

Jack took a puff of cigarette happily, "But buying dog hemp doesn't require verbal communication at all, right?"

"Didn't they say those rabbit riders were already"

"At most, they just don't sell it anymore, but there must be some stock for them to smoke, so as long as they are willing to pay the price, they can always buy it."

Jack smugly took out a small tin box from his cuff, "I traded two rings for 20, would you like to have one? How about keeping it a secret for me?"

"I don't have to"

Wei Ran flatly rejected the other party's proposal, put the basketball away and said, "I won't report you, but you'd better not smoke in the house. Besides, I'm just informing you, not discussing with you."

Wei Ran's extra reminder obviously made Jack think of something, he nodded happily immediately, and limped to the door with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Where are Morgan and Brendon?" Wei Ran picked up three small benches and asked as he walked out.

"how could I know?"

Jack, who was sitting on the threshold, spread his hands, "I'd rather avoid them, those two white pigs aren't as easy-talking as Drew and Mr. Claure."

Hearing this, Wei Ran didn't bother to ask any more, and wrapped tightly the scarf given to him by the female soldier before, and wandered around to find Drew and Jim who had already seized a good position.

As night fell, the open-air movie that only appeared in Wei Ran's childhood memory also started to play.

What was playing on the curtain that was slowly fluttering with the breeze was an old Soviet movie "Happy Life", and there was even the words "translated by the Northeast Film Studio of the Central Film Bureau" on the opening title.

Naturally, Wei Ran has never watched such a contemporary movie, but it is inevitable that he has heard the classic episode "Red Berry Blossoms".

Of course, compared to him sitting on a small bench and reminiscing about the same year, the prisoners around him were discussing with great interest which actor was more beautiful.This is also impossible, after all, this old movie does not have English subtitles.

However, before half of the outdoor movie accompanied by the cold wind, gunshots suddenly rang out around the camp!Immediately afterwards, all the lights in the entire camp were suddenly extinguished.

Before Wei Ran could react, the film projector was taken away by the soldiers in charge of the projection, and at the same time, the surrounding prisoners immediately flocked to the air-raid shelter not far away!

"Wounded! Wounded! Take the wounded away!"

The female soldier who once gave the scarf to Wei Ran shouted hoarsely in English.The young soldiers around her were also busy helping the wounded who were also watching a movie to run into the air-raid shelter.

Seeing this, Wei Ran ran over immediately, bent over to pick up a wounded white man on crutches, and ran towards the air-raid shelter.

After sending it in, he turned back and rushed to the side of the female soldier again. Together with Dr. Klauer who also rushed over, he worked together to set up a wounded person and began to transfer.

Soon, more captives rushed over and helped these injured compatriots into the air-raid shelter together.

It wasn't until the roar of the plane and the roar of the anti-aircraft guns could be heard in the ear, until there were only scattered benches and curtains that were too late to put away on the playground, that the female soldier and more volunteer soldiers responsible for maintaining order finally ran into the playground. Air-raid shelter.

Soon, the sound of cannon fire came from the direction outside the camp area, dragging a few streams of smoke and dust across the playground, and after successfully destroying a series of small benches and a basketball stand, the words "POW A few big holes were blasted on the wooden board with the words ", and then it was pulled up and away arrogantly at a very fast speed.

In the dim air-raid shelter, almost everyone was cursing the American pilots, including those volunteer soldiers, and even the American prisoners including Drew, and even the "former American soldier" whom he met at the pigsty not long ago. Pilot · Cuckold King · Jim" is no exception.

"That bastard Truman with the ass hole in his face, didn't he say that we are here to carry out police operations? Why are you starting to blow up your own people now?" An American prisoner who obviously came to the POW camp in the same group as Wei Ran was terrified. yelling.

"Don't say that, that bastard is actually helping the poor."

An American prisoner in a gray padded jacket mocked loudly, "After all, as long as we are killed together, our family will get a lot of pensions, and by the way, the nonsense they wove about the Chinese people conducting live experiments Evidence."

"God bless, please let Huaxia soldiers beat those bastards flying in the sky alive, and then I will pull out all their teeth and insert them in their assholes." Doctor Klauer cursed through gritted teeth .

"God will bless this matter, but why should we be bombed together?" A British prisoner still wearing a military uniform said dissatisfied.

"Maybe it's because our pilots have never seen a man wearing a skirt." The green hat king Jim's gloating response immediately made the American prisoners of war in the air-raid shelter burst into laughter.

Before the British prisoners could say anything more, an aerial bomb slammed down with a whistle, and the violent explosion successfully drowned out all the ridicule and cursing.

After a long time, there was no movement outside the air-raid shelter, and the air-raid alarm was lifted.When everyone walked out of the air-raid shelter one after another amidst the whistle and saw the bench that had been torn to pieces, the curses became louder and louder.

"Those flies killed our General MacArthur and Ms. Truman!"

The green hat King Jim who ran out first stood beside the pigsty, pointed at the only three pigs inside and shouted angrily, "Mr. Rhee's leg was broken too!"

"Looks like we can eat meat tomorrow!"

Drew was the first to cheer. Immediately afterwards, the American prisoners who were still cursing the pilots immediately changed their tone, and some of them even blew hooligan whistles a few times as if booing.

"Are these all a bunch of idiots?"

Wei Ran couldn't help grinning at those silly American captives. To put it bluntly, the beauty of these fools is the spirit of optimism. One second he was cursing and wishing he could swallow the pilot who almost killed them, and the next second He just helped to carry the three pigs that were beaten to death into the kitchen.

Of course, at worst, this is a bunch of heartless exam pencils.

Noisily waiting for the three-headed war promoters to be sent into the kitchen, the movie that had just been interrupted was re-projected and played under the busy volunteer soldiers, and the only remaining cursing turned into applause and booing.

However, before the movie was over, Wei Ran discovered that Morgan and Brendon, who hadn't seen each other since dinner, were sent back by two volunteer soldiers.

It's just that, after such a short period of time, their faces were already swollen, and Brendon's hair was plucked into a big piece.Not to mention, there was a wound on his face that was six or seven centimeters high.

But the most important thing is that the two of them have already been stripped down to a pair of shorts, and they are relying on the blankets wrapped around them to keep warm.

Gently touched Drew next to him, and the latter asked without turning his head while looking at the heroine on the curtain, "What's wrong?"

"Look at them, Morgan and Brendon." Wei Ran reminded in a low voice.

Hearing this, Drew and Klauer, who were sitting on both sides of Wei Ran, subconsciously looked in the direction he pointed.

"Those two idiots must have been caught trying to escape," Klauer said confidently.

"Their clothes must have been taken away by the surrounding villagers," Drew said with the same affirmation.

"Do you want to go over and have a look?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"Let's go, I know where they're going." Klauer got up and left the open-air cinema before he could finish his sentence.

Under his leadership, Wei Ran and Drew came to the side of a house with a red cross painted on a cotton curtain.

"That's our infirmary"

Klauer stopped in his tracks, distributed a cigarette to Wei Ran and Drew and said in a low voice, "My classmate Howard is there, and he is also everyone's doctor. Let's wait, maybe we can hear to something."

"Your classmate? Howard?" Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, and immediately matched the name with the American military doctor who performed the surgery on bugleman Xia Chuan with him.

"He's a surgeon"

Claure explained with a cigarette in his mouth, "He is usually very busy, and sometimes the doctors in Huaxia will ask him to help when they are too busy."

"And Mr. Howard is a member of the Food Control Committee"

Drew then explained, "Of course, his cooking skills are far inferior to his medical skills. I was almost poisoned after eating the food he cooked, and he rescued me in the end."

"Even so, at least he's fair enough." Crower added on the sidelines, "Just like a scale."

"So he has a nickname of Huaxia, which we gave him." Drew said with a smile.

"What nickname?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"Cheng Tuo" a strange Chinese word popped out of Drew's mouth.

"What is that?" Wei Ran asked blankly.

"weights"

Claure explained, "Huaxia people give us white sugar every month. Each person has about one and a half pounds of white sugar, which is measured by Mr. Howard every time. He is as fair as the weights used by Huaxia people. .”

"I've been talking about it for a long time, so it's the weight?" Wei Ran muttered to himself, and praised along the topic, "He's really a good man."

"He was really a good guy"

Claure said with a puff of smoke, "But he is actually atonement, of course, this is my guess."

"What do you mean?" Wei Ran asked curiously, and even Drew looked over curiously.

Claure hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "You must know that we also have a prisoner-of-war camp? There are many Chinese and Korean prisoners of war locked up there."

"Of course I know," Drew whispered.

"Some doctors use those prisoners of war to accumulate experience in their medical skills. As far as I know, some prisoners of war have undergone five or six amputations, just because the practicing military doctors need to accumulate experience."

When Claure said this, the cigarette between his fingers was trembling, "As far as I know, many intern military doctors go directly to the prisoner-of-war camp to select people, and whoever is selected, regardless of whether he agrees or not, is directly anesthetized and taken away. Practice surgery."

"You did that too?" Drew exclaimed with widened eyes.

Claure spread his hands, "I'm a dentist, a licensed dentist before joining the army, I don't need that kind of anti-human practice."

Wei Ran secretly clenched his fists, "So Dr. Howard"

"I'm not talking about him"

Claure shook his head, "It's his younger brother. His younger brother is also a military doctor, but his younger brother is already dead. It is said that he was killed by the guerrillas who recruited freshmen. Howard regrets not being able to prevent his younger brother from joining the army."

"Some mistakes are irreversible." Drew murmured to himself and sighed, subconsciously looking back to the direction where he was just watching the movie.

　Two in one
　　
　
(End of this chapter)