War Photographer's Notebook

After burying Squad Leader Liang, the three of Wei Ran, who hadn't slept all night, gradually fell asleep while chatting about Squad Leader Liang, but the little monk Sehao silently took out a sickle and went outside the cave to cut back a large basket of grass and put it on the ground. It was near the donkey's mouth, and by the way, a handful of coarse salt was sprinkled on the grass.

After feeding the donkey, the little monk Sehao took Zhou Guochang's submachine gun, led the donkey out of the cave, and dragged another collapsed dead tree found yesterday back to the campfire to slowly roast.

After finishing all this work, he also sat cross-legged next to Squad Leader Liang's grave, clasped his hands together, and silently recited scriptures that only he could understand.

However, compared to the solemn face of this fifteen or sixteen-year-old child, the submachine gun lying in his arms made this extremely devout belief in war a bit bitter and helpless.

After an unknown amount of time, the little monk slowly opened his eyes, put on the bamboo hat again, carried the bamboo basket on his back, carried Zhou Guochang's submachine gun in one hand, and an engineering shovel in the other, and left the cave alone.

When he woke up, the rain outside the cave still didn't stop, but Tan Shouzheng beside him was talking anxiously in his sleep.

Patting the other person on the shoulder to wake him up, Wei Ran looked around, only to find that there were bundles of chopped firewood and a banana leaf with a lot of tropical fruits beside the campfire.Next to the bonfire that has not been extinguished from beginning to end, there are still enamel kettles and the cast iron pot that Wei Ran has carried back so hard.

Lifting off the bamboo hat that served as the lid of the pot, there were actually several pieces of cassava boiled in the pot. Looking at the bamboo basket beside the pot, there were also several pieces of cassava that were one meter long and as thick as an arm!
Seeing the little monk who was in charge of taking care of the bonfire smiling at him, Wei Ran hurriedly clasped his hands together and bowed slightly as a thank you, then pointed to his own cheek, and then pointed to the other's cheek.

The little monk Sehao subconsciously touched the already scarred wound on his cheek, and his brows could not help but frowned because of the pain, but immediately after, he smiled and waved his hand, signaling Wei Ran to put the hat back on.

After such a short time, Zhou Guochang also woke up in a daze.Seeing this, Wei Ran hurriedly urged, "Guochang, quickly ask my little master, where did these cassava come from."

"Cassava?"

Zhou Guochang was stunned, and quickly got up and went to the campfire. With a helpless expression on the young monk's face, he lifted the bamboo hat he had just covered, and then picked up the cassava in the bamboo basket to look at it, and he was also curious. He asked Wei Ran about his doubts.

After the little monk finished explaining, Zhou Guochang immediately switched back to Chinese and said, "Little master Sehao walked a long way upstream while we were sleeping to find it. He also found those fruits along the way."

Hearing this, Wei Ran clasped his hands together and bent down again to express his gratitude, and the little monk also clasped his palms together and bent down smiling.

After such a short period of time, Tan Shouzheng finally woke up from the nightmare, and then he also came over and lifted the bamboo hat that had just been covered for the third time.

After Zhou Guochang explained it again, Tan Shouzheng yawned and said, "There is enough cassava for us to eat for a few days. By the way, how much do we have left?"

"Before the cassava is cooked, let's count it." Wei Ran took the bamboo hat from the opponent's hand and put it on the pot. …

"I counted before going to bed," Zhou Guochang said immediately, "There is still half a bucket of fuel, enough for us to light the lamp. But there is only half a bag of rice left, and the rest is on the other donkey."

"Go ahead"

Wei Ran brought the topic back in time, the donkey and the things on the donkey may have been re-entered into the underground river a long time ago, and it is impossible to get them back.

"In addition to rice, we also have two bamboo tubes of fried rice. These are enough for us to drink oil tea for two days."

Zhou Guochang pointed to the bamboo basket that Wei Ran carried back last night, "In addition, there are more than half of the bamboo tubes of meat oil and various seasonings, as well as the cans of devils that Big Brother Qianwei dug out on the plane, but the dried meat that he made earlier The dried bamboo shoots have been eaten long ago, but fortunately, the little master found so much cassava again, which will allow us to last for a few more days."

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhou Guochang continued, "The rest are basically inedible. There are pots, pans and kitchen utensils, as well as two kerosene lamps. In addition, there are also medicine boxes found on the plane. Finally, there are The unopened life raft and the broken life raft brought back by Brother Wei. That's all."

"There are guns"

Tan Shouzheng added, "We still have three flower traps and two long spears. Let's leave one long spear when we set off tomorrow. No one has too many guns now."

"And a donkey"

Wei Ran finally added, "There is really nothing to eat, and that donkey is enough for us to eat for a long time, as long as Master Sehao has no objection."

"I will find Master Sehao to buy this donkey"

Zhou Guochang patted the lunch box hanging on his waist. The lunch box contained not only film rolls, but also many valuable small objects. Wei Ran saw it with his own eyes.

After discussing the situation of the remaining supplies, Wei Ran could not help but call the crowd to move to the re-lit bonfire next to him, and after carefully debridement of the festering wounds on their bodies and feet, he applied an additional layer of Zinc oxide in cod liver oil for burns.

Whether these cod liver oils can protect the festering wound, Wei Ran is not sure at all.But at least it can help the wound to insulate the moist environment.

Not only that, in order to protect the wound on the foot, Wei Ran also cut open the broken life raft that he brought back with a knife, and made a pair of simple waterproof shoes for everyone with leggings.

He even didn't waste the leftovers, but cut them into cylinders one by one, and with Zhou Guochang's help, he tied up one end to make a waterproof cylinder. They kept those two boxes of precious medicines and the little rice left, and even carried more clean water—even in this rainy season, it seemed that there was no shortage of drinking water at all.

When the two of them wrapped the bottom of each bamboo basket with a waterproof cloth and put an additional life raft buoyant bag on it, the little monk Sehao finally fished out the cassava that had been boiled for an unknown amount of time with a bamboo strainer Put it on a banana leaf.

Seeing this, Tan Shouzheng also took out the devil's lunch box containing brown sugar from his back basket, poured half a tray of brown sugar on the banana leaves, and then borrowed the little monk's stone bowl and pestle, poured a handful of coarse salt It is carefully ground into a powder and poured on the banana leaves.

Such a meal without oil and meat, but because of the starch rich in cassava, the four of them got a feeling of fullness far more solid than camellia oleifera.

After eating and drinking enough, everyone sat down around the bonfire again, cleaning guns and chanting scriptures, but they were all secretly worried about the rain outside the cave.

According to the previous plan, they will continue to set off tomorrow morning. For this reason, the little monk even helped to prepare enough firewood for the road, and Wei Ran also waterproofed the bamboo baskets, but can they catch up with the big The army is a question that no one knows the answer to.

There was nothing to say all night, and the next morning, the rain outside the cave did not show any signs of weakening, but everyone had to continue to set off.

While Wei Ran and the others were waiting, Tan Shouzheng knelt in front of Squad Leader Liang's tomb and kowtowed three times, then stood up straight again, raised his hand and saluted solemnly.

"Let's go! Let's go home!" Tan Shouzheng lowered his arms and carried the bamboo basket on his back, and roared loudly. Before the response disappeared in the cave, he walked out of the cave without hesitation and walked at the front of the team.