War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1735: Burning a Penny

On the day of returning home, Wei Ran and the girls led by Sui Sui lived in a small Western-style building in Tianjin.

This Republican-era building, which holds countless stories, is spacious enough for so many girls to live in, two per room.

Of course, the basement was large enough for Wei Ran to sneak down with his briefcase in the middle of the night and take out the Willys Jeep from the metal book.

Wei Ran took the two boxes from the passenger seat of the jeep and put them aside along with his briefcase. Then he immediately packed up the jeep and turned around to go upstairs.

Tomorrow morning, Xia Shushi will bring over the experts who are responsible for appraising the phoenix crown, and then he can take the two boxes away.

It was inevitable that he couldn't help but think of the biological weapons information still in the lunch box, wondering through what channel to get this hot potato out.

Back in the bedroom on the third floor, Wei Ran slept soundly with Sui Sui in his arms. Similarly, the Hela girls downstairs, including the Kajianka sisters, also let down their guard. They all knew that it was safe enough here.

The next morning, Sui Sui was still lying in bed unable to get up due to jet lag and hangover, but the Kajianka sisters had already skillfully taken Lu Xinda, who could speak Chinese but was also sleepy, and drove out to buy everyone a complex carbohydrate breakfast with Tianjin characteristics.

Without even waiting for Wei Ran and Su Su to get up, the Hela girls gathered in groups of three or four at the tables on the first or second floor, finished their breakfast and cleaned up. Then they couldn't wait to change into their pretty clothes, and after dressing up carefully, they went out together to stroll around.

Not only them, Lola also brought Lyubov, Lucinda and Marta. The four of them took a taxi to the high-speed rail station, preparing to take the high-speed rail to the capital to find Sui Xin and Lola's sister Korava.

At ten o'clock in the morning, an off-road vehicle with a Sichuan license plate stopped at the door of the small western-style building.

As the car door opened, Qin Qi and Xia Shushi came out carrying various gift boxes.

Following closely behind, Qin II came out of the car, supporting a white-haired old man.

Almost at the same time, Wei Ran and Sui Sui, who were originally having breakfast, hurried downstairs at the reminder of the Kajianka sisters and enthusiastically welcomed everyone into the first floor.

"Grandpa, this is my reliable friend Wei Ran." Qin II introduced, "Next to him is his girlfriend Sui Sui."

"Hello, old man," Wei Ran and Sui Sui greeted him respectfully in unison.

"This is my grandpa, my biological grandpa, his last name is also Qin, ouch!"

Before Qin Ershi could finish his stupid words, the old man, who looked to be in his sixties, hit him on the back of his head, "Can you please speak properly, you little bastard?"

After saying this, the old man, who seemed to be in very good shape, was still not satisfied and gave Qin II another slap on the back of his head.

After taking care of his "good" grandson, the old man seemed to be able to play the game of changing his face. He said with a smile, "Excuse me, kids. I heard from Xiao Xia that you brought back a phoenix crown?"

"Mr. Qin has been doing restoration work in the museum before"

Xia Shushi, who had been watching the fun, finally started to introduce them at this moment, "Wei Ran, Sui Sui, take out your phoenix crowns and let Mr. Qin have a look."

"Wait a moment, old man."

Sui Sui said this and winked at the Kajianka sisters.

While Anfisa went upstairs to get the phoenix crown, Anphia also brought a pot of tea and poured a cup for everyone.

Almost at the same time, Anfia also took down the suitcase containing the phoenix crown, opened it, and took out the wooden box containing the phoenix crown.

Old Master Qin was also a straightforward man. He put down the teacup he had just taken a sip of, took out a pair of gloves from his pocket and put them on. He waited until Wei Ran also took out gloves, put them on, stood up, took out the phoenix crown from the box and put it on the table before he stood up and moved forward.

After a moment, the old man took out a patinated magnifying glass from his inner pocket and began to observe more carefully.

Seeing this, Wei Ran winked at Xia Shushi and took him into the storage room and to the basement.

"Is that old man really the second emperor's grandfather?" Wei Ran asked curiously in a low voice, "He doesn't look much older than the Qin Shi Huang I met last time."

"That old man has a good attitude"

Xia Shushi smiled and said, "You see he is only in his sixties, but he is actually seventy-four."

Could it be another old man Nicholas?

Wei Ran muttered something secretly and did not continue the topic. He just picked up the two boxes that he had taken out last night, put them on the table, opened them, and introduced them one by one.

"The 620 or 120 film in this box is what I want to take. It contains the footage of Grant Downey abusing prisoners at the Battle of Moss Field, as well as his frontline notes."

As Wei Ran spoke, he took out the package of film and the notebook left by Grant from the box and placed them on the table one by one.

"Where are these two tin cans?" Xia Shushi did not rush to look through them. Instead, he pointed to the two tin cans in the box and asked.

"These are aerial photos of the bombing of Tokyo and other places taken during World War II by Mr. Brad Downey, the brother of Grant Downey I just mentioned."

"Boom boom what? Bombing Tokyo? What the hell? Where's this treasure?"

Xia Shushi immediately became interested. He reached into his pocket, took out a pair of gloves, threw them on his hands, and asked, "Did they come out? I have to take a good look at them!"

"Washed out"

Wei Ran smiled and nodded, allowing the other party to open the metal inspection canister, which was about the same size as the gas mask canister used by the German army in World War II.

"Such a big film? It's almost as big as the size of the films used in hospitals." Xia Shushi asked in surprise, "How many films are there in this barrel?"

"245, 490 in total."

Wei Ran replied, "That full roll is exactly the capacity of the A18 film box of Fairchild's K8 high-altitude camera."

"So this is two volumes?" Xia Shushi understood Wei Ran's hint, "Two bombings?"

"There should be more than that. I haven't even seen it yet."

Wei Ran helped the other party pull out the huge film while explaining, "This is the film used by the manually controlled aerial camera. It's not the kind of film used by combat cameras that shoot as soon as they fire. So it should record a lot of bombing missions."

"Where did you get it?" Xia Shushi asked curiously.

"Wasn't it found in your house?" Wei Ran asked in confusion.

"That's right. There's nothing wrong with that. It was found in my house. Even if MacArthur comes, he will have to admit that it was found in my house."

Xia Shushi immediately followed up the topic and said, "We found these on the beams of our house. They were originally used to paste the ceiling."

"Yes, yes, that's right." Wei Ran nodded mindlessly.

"What exactly are you planning?" Xia Shushi asked as he looked out the window at the huge film that had been torn out.

"Don't worry, let's talk about it later."

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already opened the second box and took out the two photo albums that Grant had collected after coming to China after World War II.

"In addition to the negatives just now, I also want to keep these two negatives and photo albums."

Wei Ran said, and pointed to the photo of Brad Downey and General LeMay hanging on the inside of the box cover. "This photo is what Mr. Grant Downey Jr., who entrusted me to conduct the investigation, hopes to find. I have told you the details before.

His father, Mr. Curtis, has pancreatic cancer and won't have much time left, so don't make it difficult for him. Let him take the photos in the box, including this box, back home, and also give him a copy of the electronic copies I scanned earlier."

"Row"

Xia Shushi readily agreed, "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"The bag of black lenses from the Tide Moss Battlefield that were seized, as well as the two photo albums left by Grant Downey, will be donated to a museum in your name."

"My name?" Xia Shushi looked at Wei Ran.

"Your Name"

Wei Ran simply said, "What? Are you unhappy?"

"What do you want?" Xia Shushi asked, "I have been asked to do all the good things, what about you?"

"The production team's donkey could eat a handful of soybeans before grinding the mill."

Wei Ran said with a grin, "This honor is given to you. How about you do something for me?"

"what's up?"

Xia Shushi asked, "Please think carefully. These photos are a great contribution, just like the last Long March."

"Am I being polite to you?"

Wei Ran waved his hand without giving the other party a chance to finish his words. He opened the briefcase he had sent down last night and asked, "What do you think of those old photos I hung in the library in Kazan?"

"Very good," Xia Shushi said, and immediately realized something, and subconsciously looked at the two rolls of aviation film.

"Find me a place to show those pictures and why they were bombed"

Wei Ran said with a smile, "It would be best if we could get Grant Downey Jr. to do this together."

As he spoke, he took out another film album and handed it to the other party.

"What is this?" Xia Shushi asked.

"The negatives left by Lee Miller, the legendary American war correspondent in World War II"

Wei Ran explained, "This is what Sui Sui and I bought in Brighton, England this year. To reiterate, this is what you asked your friends to buy at a high price in Brighton, England this year, along with the huge negatives of the aerial photos.

That’s enough to turn you into a historian who’s into a collector of old photos, or to open a free museum.”

"Free?" Xia Shushi looked at Wei Ran with increasing suspicion, "What do you want?" "Nothing."

Wei Ran patted the two tubes of aviation film and said, "Let's go to Hankou and buy a large enough exhibition hall there to display these photos of the bombing of Tokyo. I'll pay for the exhibition hall."

"Sweaty mouth?"

"It was also bombed by B29 incendiary bombs."

Wei Ran said, "Tokyo deserves to be bombed. For so many years, those Japanese who were not burned to death have been pretending to be victims and suing the Americans for compensation. But who will compensate the ordinary people who were implicated?

So just hang on and let everyone know what’s going on.”

“Are these also placed there?”

Xia Shushi pointed to the film album left by American war correspondent Lee Miller that Wei Ran had just taken out and asked.

"Just leave it there. Even if it's just for her work, there will be many foreigners who will go there to watch it."

Wei Ran smiled and reminded, "But there is one thing. Apart from the black lenses donated to the museum and Grant's two photo albums in China, you should make copies of the rest as soon as possible. I want to keep the originals.

In addition, when the exhibition starts, someone will inevitably ask you for the original version, and there may even be an international lawsuit. Do you know how to answer?"

"Original? What original? Where the hell do I get an original?" Xia Shushi spread his hands. "If I have an original, why don't I just exhibit it?"

"Full marks for reading comprehension," Wei Ran said with satisfaction, "In short, let's get this done as soon as possible."

"I'll contact them in the next two days to see how to do it."

Xia Shushi said, "It will probably take a while to make copies, and large-sized aerial films have to be specially made."

"Take your time, don't rush."

Wei Ran said this, and confidently packed all the things back into the two boxes and handed them to Xia Shushi.

"Aren't you afraid that I will turn around and deny you?" Xia Shushi asked with a smile.

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and load these two boxes into the car first." Wei Ran said as he went up carrying the first box.

Hearing this, Xia Shushi hurriedly picked up another box and followed Wei Ran back to the first floor.

While the two of them were going back and forth, Old Man Qin was still observing the phoenix crown carefully, but his expression had become much more serious this time.

Seeing this, Wei Ran and Xia Shushi did not disturb them. They carried the boxes and walked along the wall into the yard.

Almost at the same time when Xia Shushi backed the SUV belonging to Qin Qi into the yard, Qin II also came out.

"What are you two doing all this fiddling around with?" Qin II asked curiously.

"Let him explain it to you slowly when he has time later."

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already opened the trunk door of the SUV and put the two boxes in. At the same time, he asked curiously, "Why did you invite your grandfather here?"

"What you said is true. My grandfather is a serious expert in cultural relics." Qin II said proudly.

"If I had known that the expert we invited was your grandfather, we should have brought our stuff with us."

"It's okay. My grandpa is in good health. It's a good opportunity to take him for a walk to get some sunshine and some fresh air."

Qin II said nonchalantly, "The cartoon from last time."

"Let's put aside the slow and fast painting for now. You came just in time. I have something I want to talk to you about alone."

Wei Ran looked at Xia Shushi apologetically and said, "There will be a big trouble behind this matter. I have to hide it from you, so as to avoid you getting into trouble."

"Okay, you guys chat." Xia Shushi turned around and walked towards the gate of the small Western-style building in an extremely decisive manner.

"What's so mysterious about it?" Qin II asked curiously, "Did you make trouble?"

"It's not a big deal"

Wei Ran asked the other party to follow him back, but he did not stop on the first floor. Instead, he took him all the way to the study on the third floor and sat down.

"Second generation, your father is a high-ranking official, right?" Wei Ran asked as he handed the other person a cigarette.

"What? You want to ask that old fool to do something?"

Qin II thought he had guessed the answer, "You can just tell me directly. If you tell him you have to be humble, he probably won't help you, but I will help you. We are brothers."

"I accidentally picked up something on the side of the road," Wei Ran said, "It's a little hot, I want to hand it over to the police."

"What did you pick up?" Qin II asked. Before Wei Ran could speak, he asked again, "Is it hot?"

"I found a penny on the side of the road"

Wei Ran took a puff of cigarette and said, "The red-hot penny is almost melted."

“It sounds hot.”

Qin Er Shi also took a puff of cigarette, and after thinking for a long time in the swirling mist, he said, "It's useless to ask my foolish father for this matter. He can only make things worse. So, if you trust me, I will introduce someone to you."

"If this matter is not handled properly, it may kill me and Sui Sui."

Wei Ran looked straight at Qin Er Shi, "I can't make the slightest mistake in this matter, Er Shi, you should think carefully before you make a promise for others."

"Does that mean that now that I have made this matter clear for you, we two brothers will have a completely trusting relationship from now on?"

Qin II also put away his former cynicism and the unique temperament that was like a pencil specially used for exams.

"If something goes wrong, it won't help no matter where you hide." Wei Ran still looked at the other person straight.

"You must have been involved in a lot of murder cases."

Qin II muttered to himself, and then said, "Tomorrow, I will bring someone to see you."

"Row"

Wei Ran said with a smile, and his eyes returned to their usual lazy look.

"Aren't you curious about who I brought?"

Qin II changed his position on the retro-style sofa quite uncomfortably, and subconsciously kept a little distance from Wei Ran.

He had just been scared, but he would never admit it.

"Not curious," Wei Ran said with a smile, "I trust you."

"I really didn't check the almanac before going out today"

Qin II patted the back of his neck, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and said, "Okay, don't worry, the person I brought to you is absolutely reliable. If you trust me this time, we will be brothers forever."

"What time will you come tomorrow?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"It's about this time," Qin II asked, "No, you're really not curious?"

"I told you I trust you." Wei Ran still had that smiling face.

"I think I know why you don't let the pig-eaters come up here."

Qin Ershi returned to his playful and smiling face, "You have to tell me why that penny is so hot, right?"

"If your relationship requires specific reasons before you can invite him over, then forget it."

Wei Ran reminded him half jokingly and half seriously, "It's not worth sacrificing the lives of your entire family for such an unreliable relationship."

"Your whole family or my whole family?" Qin II asked with a smile.

"The two of us," Wei Ran said jokingly, "Aren't we as close as brothers?"

"Well, that's enough."

As Qin II walked out, he said, "Tomorrow I will tie that man up and bring him to you."

"Okay," Wei Ran nodded happily, "I'll be here waiting for you all day tomorrow."

Leaving the study on the third floor alone, Qin II wiped the sweat from his palms on his trousers. He would never admit that he was really scared just now, and he would not admit that he clearly felt the other party's murderous intent.

"Damn it, I thought I finally had a friend who was a cultured person."

Qin II muttered to himself, and he realized belatedly that among all his friends, Wei Ran, who looked the most normal, was the abnormal one. He was simply a lunatic pretending to be a normal person!

Although he was muttering to himself, an exceptionally bright smile unconsciously appeared on the face of Qin II.

He likes making friends, especially crazy people.