War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1738: The mottled letter, the unfaithful man, and the box carrying memories.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wei Ran and Sui Sui, who had spent three days at their grandmother's house for protection, took the high-speed rail to the capital with Kajianka and others.

In the past few days, the Hela girls, who were divided into two groups, have gone as far as the southernmost tip of China to enjoy the sunshine, beaches and coastline, while the other group has stayed in the giant panda's hometown and happily shared the scenery and food they photographed on their respective registered social platforms.

Perhaps out of some tacit understanding, the first group of photos these girls shared were all group photos of a big banquet at Wei Ran and Sui Sui's grandmother's house.

The result is self-evident, these girls have basically confirmed the "good reputation" of a certain historian.

In comparison, Jima, Maya, and even Ninel and Olga are much more low-key.

At this time, they had already said goodbye to Xia Shushi and Qin Qi and rushed to the mountain city together, where they were being tortured to death by the spicy hot pot in the air-raid shelter.

After sending Sui Sui and the others to their gang's hideout, Wei Ran drove alone to the valley surrounded by peach trees on the outskirts of Beijing.

After a long time, this wasteland surrounded by barbed wire has been completely covered by weeds and snow, leaving only a series of footprints of hares and wild birds.

Opening the locked iron gate, Wei Ran scraped away the rubble at the entrance to check it as usual, and then carefully checked the "carport" again, until he was sure that there were no changes and nothing extra or missing. Then he gritted his teeth and endured the severe pain to take out the DT30 transport vehicle from the metal notebook.

After lying on the cold ground for a while to relax, he opened the cargo hold of the transport truck and pushed the suitcase containing the phoenix crown in.

Without much delay, Wei Ran, who already had little time, curled up into a ball, bit his sleeve, and folded up the transport vehicle. After his body recovered, he immediately turned around and left, locking the rusty door.

He got into the car and changed into a formal suit, then drove to the airport in a hurry.

He had to hurry, because in less than an hour and a half, Grant Downey Jr. and his half-brother Brad Downey Jr. would arrive from the United States.

Of course, he didn't need to be too anxious. At this time, Xia Shushi and Qin Qi were actually waiting at the airport, but he, as the middleman, had to show up to be worthy of the commission paid by Grant Downey Jr.

He hurried to the airport arrival hall and from a distance he saw Xia Shushi, who was dressed in a respectable manner, and Qin Qi, who was accompanying him.

"You're finally here"

As soon as he saw Wei Ran, Xia Shushi immediately waved and greeted him enthusiastically.

"I took the wrong exit on the highway"

Wei Ran made up a random excuse, "Are you ready?"

"Ready"

Xia Shushi said, "The Second Emperor helped me rent a courtyard nearby and also helped me book a hotel in advance. We will go there to talk later."

"It's up to you," Wei Ran responded indifferently.

"You've become popular again these days," Xia Shushi teased as he invited Wei Ran to sit down.

“Don’t mention it.”

Wei Ran shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He was too lazy to explain.

“I have some good news.”

As Xia Shushi was speaking, Qin Qi had already taken out a file bag from her bag and handed it to Wei Ran.

After looking at the two people curiously, Wei Ran took the file bag and opened it, only to find that there were only three photos inside.

"That letter?" Wei Ran asked immediately.

"Yes," Xia Shushi nodded, "Read it first, and I'll tell you after you finish reading it."

Hearing this, Wei Ran looked at the first photo.

This photo was taken of the cover of the letter, which had been restored and was once covered with stains. The bullet hole also spelled out an incomplete word "Xia".

In the photo, this word is also photoshopped with a clear red circle. Obviously, this word should be the key.

Look at the second photo. This time it shows the letter inside. Even after professional cleaning, it has been stained with blood and has large areas of damage.

Even so, he could still recognize the remaining traditional Chinese characters in the letter written in pen.

Father, mother, brother:

Last month, I asked my fellow countryman Youze to bring a letter back to the country, and also a letter to him saying "recovery and rest".

With the adopted daughter-in-law, although the color is green, there is no real affection. I have another joy.

Fear of misleading. Happiness in the second half, hope for pity and spring. Filial piety, help. Choose the best

Before, I will soon fight with Fas. The 10th Brigade. Participate in the training of Che An.

Homecoming Day.

I hope my father, mother, brother, sister-in-law and nephew are healthy.

Listen. The Japanese invaders have invaded my hometown, the harvest is bad, the country is broken and I don’t know where to go. What should I do?

Is my father healthy? Is my mother healthy? My brother, sister-in-law and children, please let me know.

If possible, I hope you can write to me.

All the sons and nephews still hope that their fathers and brothers will encourage them to participate in the revolution and work, so as not to fall behind the times or even do something that is detrimental to the country.

Please take more advice from your fathers and brothers to resist the invasion.

Unfilial Lin. Respectfully submitted.

On the seventh day of the twenty-first month of the Republic of China, in Spain, Germany.

or.

After reading the mottled and incomplete letter in the photo, Wei Ran was silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and looked at the last photo.

In this photo, a photo was also taken, a black and white photo.

In this photo, there is also a bullet hole in the lower right corner of the middle. From the other restored parts, it can be seen that the man is thin, not very tall, and wearing the uniform of the Spanish International Brigade, with a bright smile on his face.

He had short stubble in his hair and held a Spanish version of the M1893 rifle in his hand. Behind him, as the background, seemed to be a winding trench.

"Is that all?" Wei Ran asked, looking up.

"that's it"

Xia Shushi said, "But after visiting, we have found the address for the letter."

"Found it?" Wei Ran's face showed surprise.

"Xiafeifang in Shanghai is now called Huaihaifang."

Xia Shushi took the photo that Wei Ran handed back to Qin Qi, "My teacher made a detailed visit through official means and finally found a family of aboriginals with the surname Yu."

"Have you contacted me?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

“Finally we got in touch.”

Xia Shushi nodded. "Yu Yanlin had an elder brother named Yu Yanting. During the Battle of Songhu, Yu Yanting served as a platoon leader in the 15th Army under the Left Wing Army, but he did not survive."

"Are there any descendants? Are there any descendants?" Wei Ran asked.

"The child bride Chuncai mentioned in the letter never married. After the Battle of Songhu, she, her sister-in-law, her parents-in-law and Yu Yanting's young son Yu Guangfu fled all the way to Hongdu, Changsha and finally to Shancheng."

Xia Shushi sighed when he said this, "When we arrived at the mountain city, the only ones still alive were the child bride Chuncai and Yu Yanting's youngest son Yu Guangfu.

She survived in the mountain town with her child by doing laundry and sewing work for rich ladies.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Chuncai returned to Shanghai with Yu Guangfu. In 59, she died of illness in her old house in Huaihaifang due to overwork.

Yu Guangfu, who was raised by her, joined the army in 54 and participated in the self-defense counterattack against India.

After being demobilized in 63, he took the initiative to apply to go to Xinjiang to become a primary school teacher, and he also started a family there.

When he returned to Shanghai in 90, Mr. Yu Guangfu had already retired, and his family moved back to Shanghai.

At this point, Xia Shushi smiled and said, "Good people are rewarded. At that time, they settled down in Pudong. A few years later, there was a large-scale development there, and they also caught up with it and lived a good life."

"Are you still alive?" Wei Ran asked.

"Alive"

Xia Shushi nodded, "Mr. Yu Guangfu is still alive and in good health. He is now renting a house in Huaihaifang, near their old house."

Hearing this, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you found it."

"My teacher visited Mr. Yu yesterday."

Xia Shushi said, "He said that he had heard his mother, Chuncai, the adopted daughter of the Yu family, talk about his father and his uncle since he was a child.

But he only knew that his father died in the Battle of Shanghai, but he never knew that his uncle actually joined the Spanish International Brigade. "

"Where did Yu Yanlin go in that Chuncai story?" Wei Ran asked.

"According to Mr. Yu's recollection, his aunt Chuncai never allowed him to call her mother, but only aunt.

His aunt said that his uncle Yu Yanlin went to study in Germany in 1934, and the last contact they had was a letter he asked a classmate to send to his home in the early spring of 1937.

The letter contained a divorce letter to Chuncai, asking her not to wait for him. He also said that he might not be able to return to China for the time being. After the Battle of Songhu broke out, the family fled for several years and completely lost contact.

Later, Chuncai brought the child back to Huaihaifang. In fact, she had been waiting for Yu Yanlin, thinking that he might still be alive and could come back. "

At this point, Xia Shushi sighed, "Mr. Yu's aunt herself said that she burned the divorce letter in front of his grandparents, and then she married Yu Yanlin based on his photo.

She had always thought that Yu Yanlin had changed his mind, but she had waited for that heartless and unfaithful man all her life, and she had been talking about that heartless and unfaithful man all her life until her last breath.

At this point, Xia Shushi took out his cell phone and pulled out a photo and handed it to Wei Ran, "This is what Chuncai left behind. Mr. Yu said that it was a token of their love."

When I took the phone, I saw a photo of a lotus-shaped pendant, which was also the size of a thumb and made of warm mutton-fat jade. There was also a hint of red and yellow at the center of the lotus.

After returning the phone to the other party, Wei Ran was silent for a moment and then asked, "When are you going to visit? I brought those things back. I brought back Yu Yanlin's seal and pendant, and I also brought back the flag."

"As soon as possible"

Xia Shushi said, "Mr. Yu is 86 years old. Even if he is in good health, I am afraid that winter will be hard for him to endure."

"Then let's wait until things here are over."

Wei Ran thought about it and made a decision, "I will introduce you to Mr. Grant when he arrives, and then I will rush to Tianjin to get the things I brought back."

"Alright"

Xia Shushi said, "Let's not meet up. Let's go our separate ways. Call me when you get to Shanghai. My teacher is still there. I'll ask him to take you to visit Mr. Yu first."

"Okay." Wei Ran nodded and was about to say something when Brad Downey Jr. and Grant Downey Jr., who looked like mixed-race kids, hurried out, each pushing a suitcase.

"Just right, they are here, let's welcome them."

As Wei Ran spoke, he stood up and waved towards the pair of brothers.

"Hi! Mr. Victor!"

The mixed-race little Brad seemed to have forgotten the insignificant "unpleasantness" between Kazan and Wei Ran. He greeted them enthusiastically in French, and then asked the question he was most concerned about, "Did you find the gold coin? Where is it?"

"Sorry, I couldn't find it."

Wei Ran spread his hands with a smile on his face, "I didn't find any gold coins, but I found enough evidence to prove the authenticity of the signature on the cigar."

"Really didn't find it?" Little Brad looked at Wei Ran suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't find any gold coins."

Wei Ran spread his hands again, then switched to his native language and continued, "But I found the relics that Mr. Grant Downey left behind on the Tide Moss Battlefield. Of course, these things now have new owners. As for whether you can take them, you still need to negotiate on your own. Qin Qi, can you help translate?"

"no problem"

Qin Qi cleared her throat and repeated in English what Wei Ran had just said.

"This is Mr. Xia, the current owner of those things."

Wei Ran continued to speak in his native language, and Qin Qi continued to act as an interpreter. She also gave Xia Shushi a temporary English name "Sherlock" to suit the occasion.

"Mr. Sherlock, is there a gold coin among those relics?"

While Grant and Xia Shushi were shaking hands, Brad asked eagerly, "I'm willing to buy it for $10, which is already a lot of money."

"First of all, there's not much gold in those things."

Xia Shushi said, "Secondly, I have talked with Mr. Victor about the things you asked him to find, and China has an Internet connection, so I can find out the value of that gold coin. Don't say it's not with me. Even if it is, do you think $10 or $100 is enough to buy it?"

When this question was asked, little Brad's face turned a little gloomy, but in the end, he reluctantly shut his mouth under the gaze of his half-brother Grant.

"Mr. Sherlock, please forgive my brother's disrespect."

Little Grant sincerely expressed his apologies, "No matter where the gold coin is, we have no interest in it. Let's talk about the rest of the relics."

"Please come to my house to talk."

Xia Shushi raised his hand and said, "In addition, I want to reiterate that there are really no gold coins in those relics. This is related to my credibility and Victor's credibility.

Victor and I are in the same business. If I had the gold coin, it might have been sent to an auction or a museum before you found me through Victor. "

"We were so rude," Grant apologized again.

"Please come with us," Xia Shushi said with a smile.

"You and the two brothers can take my car later."

Wei Ran suggested, "Qin Qi, how about you drive ahead and lead the way?"

"No problem," Qin Qi agreed readily.

After leaving the airport with the two foreigners and getting into the car, Grant waited until Wei Ran drove the car to the airport before asking, "Mr. Charlotte, I wonder if we can buy your things and keep them. I mean, the things that already belong to you?"

“I’m not selling those things.”

Xia Shushi responded apologetically in English, "Mr. Downey, perhaps we can deal with those things in a different way."

"Another way? What way?"

Little Grant couldn't help but ask. Compared to him, little Brad had completely lost interest after learning that there were no gold coins and that there was no way to get them even if there was a high probability.

"Let's go to my house and talk in detail after we see those things." Xia Shushi said with a smile.

"Okay," little Grant responded nervously.

While chatting about the combat experiences of their ancestors, the two cars drove to the edge of the city one after the other, eventually drove into a villa area, and stopped at the door of a two-story building.

At the invitation of Xia Shushi and Qin Qi, Wei Ran and the Downey brothers followed them into the first floor.

It has to be said that Xia Shushi was well prepared. In this house filled with numerous traces of life, there was even his and Qin Qi's wedding photo hanging on the wall.

After Qin Qi poured everyone a cup of tea as the hostess, Xia Shushi also brought over the camera box that the Downey brothers had used back then.

"Like your grandfather's brother, my grandfather was also a veteran who participated in that war as a volunteer."

Before opening the box, Xia Shushi said, "He survived, but unfortunately, he developed Alzheimer's disease a few years ago. He no longer remembers many things on the battlefield, so I'm not sure if this box was brought back from the battlefield."

After saying that, Xia Shushi opened the box, then pulled open the curtain on the inside of the lid, revealing the photo of Brad holding a cigar and taking a photo with General Li Mei.

Stopping his mixed-race brother who was about to take out his phone to take a photo, Grant said, "I am sure that the people in the photo are my grandfather Brad Downey and his brother. Mr. Sherlock, how do you plan to conduct this transaction?"

Hearing this, Xia Shushi smiled and looked at Wei Ran who was accompanying him.

"Mr. Downey"

Wei Ran said in French, "Since you may be conducting a transaction, I will not participate in the following part. Mr. Sherlock is an upright collector and also my friend. You can have a frank and friendly negotiation and communication."

After saying that, he reiterated it in Chinese and asked Qin Qi to help translate it.

"Well, Mr. Victor, thank you for helping us find Mr. Sherlock and this precious box." Grant said gratefully, "I will pay the commission as soon as possible."

"Thank you"

After little Brad helped translate it into French, Wei Ran smiled, stood up, and left the villa that he had borrowed from someone alone, and drove towards the high-speed rail station.

Halfway through the journey, he did not forget to call Sui Sui and report the unexpected situation on his side.

"Are you going to Shanghai? When?" Sui Sui asked immediately.

"Together?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"We just talked about going to the amusement park over there," Sui Sui said, "Do you want to join us?"

"When do you plan to leave?" Wei Ran asked, "Tomorrow, we'll go there tomorrow."

"In that case, why don't I rush over first?"

Wei Ran asked, "I'm afraid I have to meet with Mr. Yu first."

"Okay, let's meet at the amusement park!" Sui Sui said simply.

After hanging up the phone with the Queen, Wei Ran parked his car by the side of the road, stepped on the accelerator again and drove straight to the high-speed rail station.

While he was busy on his way, Xia Shushi also showed the two photo albums about China belonging to Grant Downey, as well as the electronic versions of the black shots he took in Chaozhen.

"Mr. Donnie, this is just an invitation from me."

Xia Shushi, who had already ignored Brad Downey Jr., said in English, "I hope you will join me in donating these two albums and these negatives to a museum in China."

"Then the box and"

"Whether you like it or not, the proposal just now is just an invitation from me."

Xia Shushi pushed the box to Grant Downey Jr. before Brad finished speaking. "As for the things in this box, for Victor's sake, it already belongs to you. I also sincerely hope that your father will recover soon after seeing these things."

"You want to give it to us?" Little Grant asked in surprise.

"It is for you, not for Mr. Brad Downey Jr., and it is an unconditional gift.

Whether or not you accept my invitation to donate the negatives and albums just shown, from now on this box and everything in it is yours.

When Xia Shushi said this, he did not care at all about the gloomy expression on the mixed-race old man's face.

During the conversation that lasted less than an hour, the old man not only turned the entire box over, but also kept using words to test whether he had hidden a gold coin, and kept questioning Xia Shushi's denial.

For Xia Shushi, there was absolutely no need to indulge the other party, nor was there any need to give him any face.

"I apologize to you again for my brother's disrespect."

Grant Downey Jr. stood up and shook hands with Xia Shushi. "Mr. Sherlock, you are just as Mr. Victor said, an upright collector. I am very honored to be invited by you and have the opportunity to donate those negatives and albums to the museum together."

"In that case, how about doing it today?" Xia Shushi asked.

Seeing the surprise in Grant's eyes, Xia Shushi said, "I'm not in a hurry. For me, it doesn't matter if these things stay in the attic for another ten years.

But considering that your father is seriously ill, I think you shouldn't waste too much time on me.

Instead of being polite to each other, you should send these things to the museum as quickly as possible, and then return home with the box as quickly as possible and give it to your father.

Those things may not be a cure for the disease, but they can at least make your father feel better.

And I guess he actually needs his family more now.”

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Sherlock."

Little Grant was so moved that he took the initiative to hug Xia Shushi and said, "Just as you said, let's go and donate those things together now. Then I will return to the United States with the box as quickly as possible and give it to my father."