War Photographer's Notebook

In the basement that still smelled of blood and disinfectant, the veterinarian Victor, who had finished the magic show and harmonica performance, also took part-time work as a chef again after dealing with the overly curious little audience.

Perhaps the magic show just now was so perfect that even though the children who were still hiding in the basement had minor or serious injuries, they still gathered around the kerosene lamp emitting ice blue light. You talked about where the harmonica was hidden.

And beside the cooking cart, Qiqi also asked Wei Ran the same question.

"Magic, it's boring to talk about it." Wei Ran pretended to be mysterious to deal with it, and continued to carefully pick the fish with the gravity knife in his hand without raising his head.

"And what about the blue kerosene lamp?" Sophie, who was busy soaking dried mushrooms on the other side, asked, "Why don't I remember that there is a gas lamp of this color in the castle?"

"Actually I only brought a blue lampshade with me, the gas lamp I found under the bed."

Wei Ran denied it with white teeth, "Qiqi has seen it just now, the blue light is helpful for suturing blood vessels, but I didn't expect to have a chance to use it."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Magician, forget about the lampshade." Qiqi, who was full of flour, asked as she kneaded the dough vigorously, "So what are we doing for dinner now?"

"You'll find out later"

While Wei Ran was speaking, he threw a piece of fish with its skin and bones removed into the lunch box by the table, and then picked up another fish and continued to work.

Not far away, two young men, Horst and Okan, were each holding a table knife, carefully cutting pieces of pink fish into tiny dices.

Under Wei Ran's command and the busyness of everyone, a large bowl of minced fish mixed with diced carrots and mushrooms was placed in the center of the table, and in Wei Ran's hand, there was also a clean green wine bottle .

"Mr. Magician, what shall we do next?" Qiqi couldn't help asking again, and at the same time, she followed the instructions and put a large piece of kneaded dough on the chopping board.

"Of course we made dinner together"

Before Wei Ran could finish his sentence, he had already cut a small piece of dough, kneaded it into long strips, cut it into slices, and then rolled it into a dough the size of a teacup with the wine bottle he found specially.

Picking up a small spoon to dig out some prepared fillings, Wei Ran skillfully wrapped a Chinese-style dumpling, and then placed it on the enamel tray.

"It's probably like this. This is not such a simple job. How about I make the dough later, and everyone is in charge of the bag?"

Wei Ran deliberately paused, and continued, "There are so many of us, each of us only needs to make 20 packs, which will definitely be enough."

"I haven't cooked myself yet," Jonas said expectantly, with one eye covered in gauze.

"In my hometown, everyone will make this kind of food and give it to the most important people." Wei Ran deliberately encouraged.

"I'm already interested," Horst said first, "I want to pack 25, no! 30!"

"I want to do it too!" Dominic first glanced at Nadia who was standing not far away, and then said loudly, "I want to..."

"Eat as much as you pack"

Wei Ran smiled and shook the wine bottle in his hand towards Dominique, "If you have extra strength, I can teach you how to make dough later."

"It seems that our Mr. Magician is still an excellent cook." Sophie leaned close to Qiqi's ear and said intentionally.

"And his medical skills are also very good," Qiqi subconsciously echoed.

"so you"

"Let's make this kind of food together!" Qiqi rolled up her sleeves and joined the dumpling-making team without giving Sophie a chance to finish her sentence.

Seeing this, Sophie smiled, and also rolled up her sleeves and walked to the table.

After experiencing several failures, Dominic first mastered the skill of rolling the dough, and then several ingenious girls also learned how to make dumplings with Wei Ran.

Gradually, there was a long queue of qualified dumplings on the tray, and the topic of these young people also shifted from the magic that Wei Ran had performed to who would make this interesting food for them in the future.

When Horst and Heike also learned how to roll dough, Wei Ran also quietly left the basement where there were laughter and laughter, walked into the room where there were still shards of glass, sat at the long table and nodded silently. smoke.

"Can I have a cigarette?" Qiqi asked, leaning against the door frame. "Take it yourself." Wei Ran raised his finger and pointed to the cigarette box on the table.

Hearing this, Qiqi stepped in, and after a moment's hesitation, sat down next to Wei Ran.

Looking up at this brave girl, Wei Ran didn't say anything, but continued to stuff the slightly bitter cigarette into his mouth.

In the dim room, as the smoke drifted away, Qiqi also skillfully lit a cigarette, leaned on the back of the chair like Wei Ran, raised her neck and spit out a cloud of smoke mixed with water mist towards the ceiling .

"Thank you," Qiqi said abruptly.

"what?"

"My mother told me more than once when she was alive that when people are nervous and panicking, it is best to find something to divert their attention, otherwise the spirit will be overwhelmed."

After Qiqi finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Wei Ran, leaned her upper body over and asked in a low voice, "So whether you are performing magic tricks or making such a troublesome dinner, you did it on purpose, right?" "Your mother is right."

Wei Ran admits his intentions in a disguised form. After all, the facts are true. If the boys and girls in the basement are allowed to get deeper and deeper in panic about the next shell that doesn't know when it will hit, maybe it's just a matter of time. The seemingly harmonious small team will fall apart in an instant and run away, not to mention Sophie and Qiqi, even Wei Ran, I am afraid that the only way to make the rest of the children calm down is by force.

So instead of doing this, it would be better to just take a drastic drudgery at the beginning of the panic, and by the way, find a way to make everyone closely united.

"Qiqi and I are very worried that we won't be able to bring everyone to survive"

Before the words fell, Sophie, who was full of flour, also walked into the room, sat down opposite Wei Ran and Qiqi, took out a cigarette, stuffed it into her mouth and lit it, and said with a long sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you are here here."

"You say that, it gives me the illusion that I am actually a savior." Wei Ran said in a joking tone on purpose.

"Then, Mr. Savior, can you perform another magic trick for us alone?"

While speaking, Qiqi had already held Wei Ran's hand, and at the same time looked at him with piercing eyes and said, "I don't believe that you can also conjure it like this."

"Qiqi just wants to touch your hand." Sophie smiled and exposed her good friend Xiaosi, "By the way, I might also want to be with you."

"Shut up." Qiqi glared at Sophie who was opposite, but did not let go of Wei Ran's hand.

Although he knew what this girl was thinking, Wei Ran also knew that if he rejected her small request at this time, especially in front of Sophie, it would be too heartless for this girl.

Sighing secretly, Wei Ran snuffed out the cigarette, took out a ZIPPO lighter he picked up and lit it on the table, then clasped his hands together again.

Seeing Wei Ran looking at her, Qi Qi panicked, and then bravely put her hand on Wei Ran's.

"call!"

Wei Ran blew out the kerosene lighter on the table, and when the room was dark again, he took out the portable flagon in the metal book.

"How did you do it!" Qiqi asked in surprise after Wei Ran spread out her hand, picked up the jug.

"A magician's little trick" Wei Ran stood up and walked towards the basement while speaking, "There is still some wine in the wine jug, I'll give it to you."

"What a gentle magician?" Sophie joked meaningfully.

"You're the one talking too much." Qiqi picked up the wine jug on the table and put it in her pocket, then took it out again, opened the lid and smelled it, and took a small sip.
After taking a sip, he handed it to Sophie. "I'll forget it, it's not for me to change."

Sophie jokingly refused the flagon handed over, and also got up and walked to the basement while reminding, "Qiqi, you are not a child like Nadia, so don't do stupid things."

"Don't worry," Qiqi replied seriously, while holding the hip flask tightly in her hand.

"That's good"

Sophie raised her hand, "It seems that you need to calm down, I will call you when dinner is ready."

After speaking, Sophie walked out of the room and helped close the door by the way.

"Is there really a savior in this world?" Qiqi looked at the flagon in her hand and muttered secretly, but she couldn't find a clear answer at all.

And in the warm basement, Wei Ran once again stood beside the cooking cart and poured the first batch of dumplings made by everyone into the pot.

In the steaming water vapor, after several days of adding water to cool down, the hot dumplings were served on the table.Sophie also poured some fruit vinegar for everyone under Wei Ran's command.

Unlike soy sauce, which is almost exclusive to China, vinegar is almost a seasoning shared by both the East and the West. The only difference is that European vinegar is basically brewed from fruit juice—just like their wine.

However, for these blond boys and girls, eating food that needs to be dipped in vinegar is still a novel experience—especially Wei Ran also encouraged them to eat it with garlic, and out of trust in the magician, almost every day Everyone tried it.

Make dinner together, taste it together, and chat about the best food at home by the way.

Under Wei Ran's deliberate guidance, these young men and women who escaped from the war have long forgotten the panic in the evening, and even the usual bedtime story every night.

After everyone was instigated by Wei Ran and filled a lunch box of dumpling soup with lids, Sophie also announced to turn off the lights and take a break at the right time.

Walking out of the basement together, Dominic immediately asked, "Victor, how did you do it?"

"What?" Wei Ran asked while walking towards the church with an extinguished kerosene lamp.

"Magic, how do you do it?" Dominic demanded. "Teach me how? I want to."

"Leave the magic aside"
Sophie, who came out together, snorted, "Dominique, your matter has not been resolved yet, instead of performing magic tricks for Nadia, you'd better find a way to learn medical skills from Victor, in case she is really pregnant You must at least ensure that she survives."

"Forehead"

Dominic immediately became silent, and even hid on the other side of Wei Ran, obviously not thinking about these things at all.

Seeing this, Sophie sighed and said nothing more, walked into her room with a cold face, and closed the door heavily.

"Victor" Dominique looked at Wei Ran for help.

"I can't help you, but if Nadia is really pregnant, it is indeed a very dangerous thing for her."

Wei Ran spread his hands helplessly, and followed the remorseful Dominic into the room belonging to the two of them.

In view of the shelling in the evening, Wei Ran did not dare to ignite the coking coal in the fireplace, but chose an American oil stove that does not smoke. Although this thing is a bit noisy and not as warm as a fireplace, it is more convenient.

"Victor, what if Nadia is really pregnant?" Dominique asked worriedly.

"Unless...unless she can leave here and go to a safe enough place." Wei Ran said ambiguously, "Okay, go to bed early, we will help you figure out a solution."

Dominic opened his mouth, and then lay weakly on the bed that belonged to him, covering his sweaty head with a cold sleeping bag.

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