War Photographer's Notebook

"Long time no see, Wei Ran." Little Master Sehao greeted him in Chinese with a hint of Gui accent.

"Little Master Sehao, long time no see." Wei Ran folded his hands and bowed slightly to say hello, then urged, "Shouzheng, tell me what's going on."

"This story begins in 42"

Tan Shouzheng helped Wei Ran make a bowl of oil tea with plenty of ingredients, and then made another cup for himself, and then continued, "After you and Guochang left, I woke up from a coma for almost a week. After recovering from my injuries, I met the remnants of the 288th regiment who were chasing after me."

Speaking of this, Tan Shouzheng shivered involuntarily, clenched the bamboo bowl in his hand tightly, and continued after a moment of silence, "I followed them all the way to Putao, and from there continued north, slipping to the Fugong in Yunnan Province.

During that journey, those who starved to death, those who died of illness, and those who couldn’t carry themselves committed suicide were much worse than our previous period! "

"Later. Then what?" Wei Ran asked dryly, "That piece of information."

"That piece of information was already out of date when it went up."

Tan Shouzheng shook his head helplessly, "Later, I stayed in Yunnan Province. I was assigned to the 43th Division of the 54th Army just after the new year in 50."

Speaking of this, Tan Shouzheng's tone became more energetic, and his eyes even became brighter, "Only a year later, we crossed the Nu River and fought back. The little ones we killed along the way The devil is fucking shit, it’s really enjoyable! Later, other brother troops were transferred back to the country to fight, but we stayed and were incorporated into the New First Army. At that time, I met Guochang, who was also in the New First Army .”

"Is he also in the New First Army?" Wei Ran was stunned.

"You do not know?"

"I just didn't expect you to meet each other." Wei Ran changed the subject, "Shouzheng, your arm"

"When I was fighting Bhamo, I was swept away by a machine gun"

Tan Shouzheng tore off the monk's robe indifferently, and showed off the scar on his collarbone, "I was injured in the hospital for several months, and when I can get out of bed and move around completely, you bloody little devil They all surrendered!"

"Then you came here?" Wei Ran subconsciously asked.

"yes"

Tan Shouzheng nodded, and nodded in a sad tone, "When I was in Yunnan Province, I sent several letters to my family. I didn't know until later that there was no one in my family, and there was no one in Squad Leader Liang's house. The bomb dropped by the plane killed him.

At that point I would have no home, I... I would have nowhere to go.Later, I simply inquired all the way and came here again, thinking of asking Little Master Sehao for help, and bring Squad Leader Liang back. "

Wiping the corners of his eyes vigorously, Tan Shouzheng said gratefully, "I didn't know until I got here that Master Sehao had already brought back Mr. Luke and Squad Leader Liang, and they were buried beside the teak trees in the south. He has been waiting for me and Guochang to come back and pick them up."

"then you."

"Don't go"

Tan Shouzheng took a deep breath, "There is still a war in the country, and I can't send so many brothers back by myself. So I don't plan to leave, just stay here with them. It's you, these"

Before Tan Shouzheng finished speaking, the sound of a car horn was heard in the distance, followed by a brand new Willys Jeep driving over. …

Before the car came to a complete stop, Zhou Guochang, who was also wearing a British army uniform and had a C combat zone armband on his arm, jumped down.

"I didn't expect to be the last one"

Before Zhou Guochang finished his sentence, he took off the toad mirror on his face and threw it on the seat. He opened his arms and gave warm hugs to Wei Ran, Qin Shouzheng and even the little monk Sehao.

"Quick! Drink a bowl of camellia oleifera." Tan Shouzheng said, and had already made a big bowl of camellia oleifera for Zhou Guochang.

When everyone sat down again, the topic of everyone naturally fell into that isolated village.

Under Wei Ran's deliberate guidance, he finally knew that Zhou Guochang and himself, relying on the buffalo and the rubber raft, finally caught up with the headquarters of the Fifth Army, and followed them through the Savage Mountains and into India.

After entering India, Zhou Guochang also got a job as an interpreter in the Indian army, but it was Wei Ran who he described, because he reported the information, and soon after arriving in India, he was transferred to something. place.

As a last resort, Wei Ran could only make up an excuse on the spot, and then brought the topic to little master Sehao.

Compared with Zhou Guochang and Tan Shouzheng who took a different route, the experience of little master Sehao who has learned a lot of Chinese from Tan Shouzheng is also not easy.

Back then, after Tan Shouzheng left with the remnants of the 288th Regiment, Little Master Sehao lived in that small village for almost half a year, until Savage Mountain entered the dry season. After entering Savage Mountain, they finally found the bones of Squad Leader Liang and Mr. Luke after going through untold hardships, and brought them all back to the village one day away from Mo, where they were reburied in the cave where half a Buddha statue was engraved.

It's a pity that when he returned to Mo's village, the old abbot of this temple had already died at the gunpoint of the devil.

After sighing, little master Sehao filled everyone's bowls with oil tea, and asked gently in not-so-fluent Chinese, "Guochang, have you found your sister and brother?"

"And that Yin Lisabeth" Wei Ran added while holding the oil tea.

"no"

Zhou Guochang sighed, "Since the devils surrendered last year, I went back to Oxygen Light to find my two older sisters and my younger brother, but there has been no news for so long."

"Where's Mr. Luke's daughter?" Tan Shouzheng asked subconsciously.

"She..." Zhou Guochang was silent for a moment and shook his head, "She died."

"Dead?" Several people present looked at Zhou Guochang in astonishment.

"After the devils surrendered, I thought about the possibility of my sister and the others going to England to join Yin Lisabeth, so I made a special trip to England."

When Zhou Guochang said this, he pulled out the fighting dagger that belonged to Mr. Luke from the leather case on his waist, and said in a depressed manner, "When I found her house, I found that it had changed. Neighbors told me that in 44, probably in February of that year, German planes dropped a lot of bombs. Yin Lisabeth, her mother, and their houses were all destroyed. I only found their tombstones."

"Alas!" Tan Shouzheng sighed heavily, clenched his fists and hammered hard on the moss-covered stone ground. …

"I am here this time, intending to take Mr. Luke back and bury him next to Elizabeth Yin."

Zhou Guochang rubbed his face vigorously, and said in a relaxed tone, "Shouzheng, Master Sehao, Mr. Luke"

"He's still in that cave"

Young master Sehao pointed to the blooming dragon boat flower not far away and said, "The one who leads this country now is Aung San, the running dog who recruited the nuclear people back then. Shouzheng, Guochang, and Wei Ran, I don't think it is easy People know what a good thing there are so many expeditionary troops buried under the dragon boat flower."

"You mean?" Zhou Guochang frowned immediately.

Master Sehao nodded, "I heard from the host in the town that Aung San and the others are now preparing to break away from British colonial rule. Although this is a good thing for Myanmar, I am very worried that this land may still be There will be war again.

If the news of the expeditionary army soldiers buried here is revealed, it is very likely that someone will use this matter to do something, and it will definitely bring trouble to the village at that time. "

"I also heard similar rumors." Zhou Guochang subconsciously lowered his voice, "Now many British businessmen from Oxygen are preparing to leave."

"What about you? You too?" Tan Shouzheng asked indifferently.

"I'm planning to leave too, so I'm going to take Mr. Luke away"

Zhou Guochang picked up the oil tea and took a big sip, "But I will be back soon, and I will continue to look for my sister and brother. What about you? Brother Shouzheng, don't you plan to leave?"

"Don't go"

Tan Shouzheng looked up at the dragon boat flowers in full bloom in the distance, "I want to guard them. When I die, I may be buried with them."

"Don't you want to send them home?" Wei Ran asked.

"Think, why don't you think?" Tan Shouzheng sighed, "But the country is still fighting, and I don't know when it will be the leader."

"Soon, soon." Wei Ran said confidently, "The domestic war will end soon."

"When the war is over, if there is a chance, I will send them back."

"There is also a mass grave over there in Tonggu"

Zhou Guochang sighed, "At the beginning, I helped bury those soldiers. When you have the opportunity in the future, when you are going to take the comrades here, remember to send me a telegram. Get up and send them back together."

"Brother-in-arms?" Tan Shouzheng muttered in a daze.

"Isn't it just a comrade in arms"

Zhou Guochang pointed to the slightly worn armband on his arm, "We started here together, aren't we comrades-in-arms?"

"yes"

Tan Shouzheng looked at the lush dragon boat flowers in the distance, then looked up at the blue sky, put down the camellia he was carrying, changed the subject and asked, "Wei Ran, I wanted to ask just now, the donkey you brought What treasures are in those two jars?"

"Open it and have a look and you'll know." Wei Ran pretended to be closed, but in fact he didn't know what was inside.

"Go, let's lift it down and have a look!"

Tan Shouzheng stood up while speaking, and with the help of Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang, he moved down the two jars in the back basket. …

“This jar is used for brewing at my house.”

While Tan Shou was speaking, he opened the wooden gun case slung across his waist with one hand, pulled out a Browning Hi-Power pistol from it, and smashed the mud seal on the mouth of the jar with the pistol grip.

When he carefully tore off the lotus leaf under the mud seal, he immediately exclaimed, "Turk Cannon Wine! This is homemade Tu Cannon Wine! Wei Ran, you! Where did you get it?"

"Where did he get it?" Wei Ran secretly rubbed the tattoo on the tiger's mouth as a thank you, "Quickly taste it, isn't it right?"

"wait!"

Before Tan Shouzheng could finish his sentence, he turned around and ran into the temple. Not long after, he brought over a stack of large coarse porcelain bowls, and in his mouth, he was still biting a bamboo wine grape.

"Go over there and drink!"

Tan Shouzheng pointed to the field of dragon boat flowers in full bloom with his chin. Hearing this, Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang immediately lifted the wine jar together and walked to the side of the flower bushes, and the little monk Sehao quickly took it from Tan Shouzheng's hand. From the stack of large coarse porcelain bowls, he took out three and placed them on the wet stone at the edge of the flowers.

When Wei Ran took out a few knives of yellow paper and a pair of white candles from the bamboo basket on the donkey and lit them beside the stone, Tan Shouzheng seriously filled the three coarse porcelain bowls placed on the stone with wine.

At the same time, Master Sehao also distributed a large bowl to Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang, and he also took a large bowl himself, letting Tan Shouzheng fill everyone up with wine raisins.

"crop!"

Tan Shouzheng shouted in unison with Sehao's little master in his native dialect, and at the same time stretched out the rough porcelain bowls in their hands.

Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang looked at each other, picked up the thick porcelain bowls one after another, and imitated each other's accent and shouted "Chu!", making the four thick porcelain bowls hold together.

After finishing a bowl of local cannon wine, which does not seem to be too high in alcohol, Tan Shouzheng picked up the raisins and poured them all involuntarily. At the same time, he asked, "Can you guess the code?"

"I will," Zhou Guochang said first.

"Come!"

Tan Shouzheng was putting wine grapes into the jar, and shouted loudly in his native dialect, "Hi brother, eight horses!"

But shouting and shouting, Tan Shouzheng was already in tears, he just tremblingly picked up the large coarse porcelain bowl in front of him, touched the three large bowls on the stone, and then touched Zhou Guochang, Wei Ran and others , shouted "Crop!" again, then brought the bowl to his mouth, and drank it all in one go.

On this drizzle afternoon, Tan Shouzheng cried for a long time and talked a lot amid bowl after bowl of homemade wine.

When he finally passed out beside the blooming dragon boat flowers, the pair of white candles were extinguished in no particular order, leaving only strands of white smoke lingering in the cold rain, unwilling to disperse for a long time. go.

"Why did you bring so much wine?" Zhou Guochang hiccupped when he said this, and then lay on the wet grass with his head up.

Taking a look at the half of the earth cannon wine still left in the jar, Wei Ran and the young monk Sehao looked at each other, first they worked together to help Tan Shouzheng and Zhou Guochang into the temple to find a place to lie down, Then he carried the unopened wine jar and more than half of the wine left in the jar into the temple, and found lotus leaves and straw to tie the mouth of the jar carefully. …

"Let's rest here tonight." The drunken monk Sehao found a bundle of bamboo mats and said to Wei Ran.

"You seem to drink together often?" Wei Ran took the bamboo mat and asked.

"Drink often"

Sehao smiled, sat down on the wet steps at the entrance of the temple, and then took out a tin box with familiarity, took out two cigarettes from it and distributed them to Wei Ran, and lit them for him, and then sprayed the clouds He said mistyly, "When Shouzheng came here, I was ready to give up here and go to the temple in Manxi Town."

"And then?" Wei Ran also sat on the steps.

"I took him to see Squad Leader Liang in that cave, and he decided to stay, so I also stayed."

Sehao looked at the cigarette in his hand and said, "Smoking, drinking, guessing codes, cooking camellia, and even peeping at the girls in the village going to take a bath in the river. Shouzheng taught me a lot of bad things, but these are indeed better than daily life. Chanting is interesting."

"Heh" Wei Ran couldn't help but let out a smile.

"He also has bad times"

Sehao took a big puff of cigarette, and waited for the thick smoke to come out of his nostrils before he continued, "Do you still remember the Chinese who helped bury those expeditionary soldiers back then?"

"Remember"

Wei Ran nodded, "When they shaved our heads, I returned them and took a photo of you and the old abbot."

"More than a year since the end of the war"

Sehao sighed, "Shouzheng has been waiting for them, but none of those people came back. You and Guochang are the only acquaintances he has been waiting for since he came here."

"What about in the future?" Wei Ran asked, staring at Mars on the cigarette butt.

"When Shouzheng learns the Burmese language, I plan to hand over this temple to him."

Sehao raised his finger and pointed to the dragon boat flower in the distance, "There are still bones buried there. We are going to find a chance to transfer them all to that cave."

"Give the temple to Shouzheng?" Wei Ran frowned involuntarily.

Sehao nodded gently, "Since Shouzheng intends to stay here with his comrades all the time, it is obviously best to give him the position of abbot of this temple. It will save him a lot of trouble."

"What about you? Are you not a monk anymore?"

"My home is in Mo's village." Sehao shook the cigarette in his hand, "I may become a monk in the future, when my faith is as pious as before."

"Quitting smoking is not easy." Wei Ran smiled pointedly, "Whether you are a monk or not, Master Sehao, thank you for your help."

"Thank you also for your help to us," the young master Sehao said seriously.

"rest early"

Wei Moanbo flew the cigarette butt in his hand, patted the other person's shoulder lightly, got up and walked into the temple, shook off the bamboo mat and lay down.

Master Sehao who was sitting at the door smiled, and also flicked the cigarette butt away, took out a small bundle of green grass from the bamboo basket at the door, and covered it on the iron bucket with charcoal fire at the door.

In a moment, the familiar and unpleasant smell of fishy-sweet smoke drifted away, easily driving away the big mosquitoes lingering in the temple—just like it was in Savage Mountain.