War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1766 Counting Stars

When the white light began to fade, Wei Ran heard a song played on the harmonica. At the same time, he felt the cool sea breeze on his face and the aroma of coffee mixed in the wind.

Blinking hard, when he saw everything around him clearly, he found himself sitting at a table by the window.

Outside the window was the coastline that could be seen at a glance. Inside the window, Clement, who was sitting opposite, closed his eyes and concentrated on playing the Internationale on his harmonica. At this time, he was wearing a black suit, but his figure was much thinner.

Looking down at himself, Wei Ran discovered that he was also wearing a formal suit, the same suit he had worn when he and Vanessa were in France rushing to the farm in England.

Finally, he set his eyes on the table between the two of them.

On this long table, the silver coffee extraction pot was being slowly heated by an alcohol lamp. Driven by the steam, the fragrant coffee was being poured along the guide tube into the two silver eggshell cups with beautiful hammer patterns placed next to it.

Right next to the coffee pot, in addition to the silver coffee can with the same hammered pattern, there was also a neatly folded but bloodstained Spanish International Brigade uniform.

On top of the uniform lay another silver-skinned hammered jar.

This hammer-patterned jar is slightly larger, also painted with thick red, yellow and purple paint, and also has a red triangular star painted on it.

Especially on the lid of the jar, the three crooked Chinese characters "Yu Yanlin" were written in white paint in a nearly copycat manner.

After just a second of silence, Wei Ran had already guessed what was in the jar.

There were more things on the table, including the messenger bag that once belonged to the postwoman Viola, a German canteen filled with fuel, a Leica camera from American photographer Aaron, and all of Yu Yanlin's belongings.

Including the Astra 400 pistol that he had previously lent to the nurse Armani, his seal and the seal he got when he first killed a Japanese soldier, the pendant that was a token of love between him and Chuncai, and so on, and also the harmonica that was originally given to him by Clement, but now with a bullet hole in it.

In the middle of the table was the unfolded flag. On the flag, there were finally 27 romantic triangular stars, and the same sentence was written in various languages: Fight for your freedom and our freedom.

On the other side of the flag was the Super Ikonta folding leather camera that Clermont had used before, and his worn-out German horsehair backpack from World War I.

But in addition to these, at the corner of the table, there is a Spanish newspaper with the headline "On November 11, the International Brigade evacuated Spain, and more than 1 people in Barcelona attended the farewell ceremony."

It's already 1938.

Wei Ran couldn't help but look out the window, and then looked at Clement who was concentrating on playing the harmonica across from him.

After taking a deep breath, he glanced at his father who was doing nothing at the base of his left hand, then took out his harmonica, closed his eyes, and played the Internationale, which brought strength, hope and faith, together with the other party.

At some point, someone outside the window started singing the Internationale in Spanish with the accompaniment of a harmonica. At some point, more and more people started singing, and their voices became louder and louder.

When the entire Internationale was sung, cheers, applause and loud whistles were heard outside the window.

After stopping the harmonica music and opening his eyes, Wei Ran looked at Clement, who had also put down his harmonica, opposite him.

"I remember the first time we met was because you played this song on the harmonica," Clemont said, "You still play the harmonica so well."

"yes."

Wei Ran sighed, staring blankly at the 27 triangular stars on the flag and said subconsciously, "Everyone was still there at that time."

"Yeah, everyone was still alive at that time."

Clermont put down his harmonica and pointed to the first star on the flag and said, “This flag was left by Mr. Pierre, a French doctor, and the first star came from a soldier he failed to save.

The second star is himself, and the third is my father-in-law, Mr. Gerard, who also did not survive. "

"The fourth is a World War I veteran named Dylan"

Wei Ran sighed, "The fifth one was a short soldier who could speak German. He saved me, but I don't even know his name."

"This one comes from another Chinese," Clemont said, pointing to the next star.

"yes"

Wei Ran nodded, "It's Yan. It's Louis."

"It's Yu Yanlin"

Clement corrected Wei Ran's name in Chinese with unstandard pronunciation, and added a prefix in Chinese, "Comrade Yu Yanlin."

"That's right"

Wei Ran nodded and continued in French mixed with Chinese titles, "He was a soldier that Comrade Yu Yanlin met by chance on the battlefield. His last name is Zhang. We only know his last name is Zhang."

"This next one is for Viola, who is also a postman, and her husband, Bruno, they are from Switzerland, and they both became stars.

Fortunately, they became two stars next to each other. This is the only way I can comfort myself."

Clemont sighed, and then introduced the rest of the stars to Wei Ran. They were some people he met on the battlefield, including his fiancée Estelle.

"The star's name is Robin Sink, she is from the Netherlands and was killed in Mount Angel. She was a communications soldier and translator. Before I went there, her husband had already died in this position."

Wei Ran took a deep breath and continued, "The next one is Sergi, a passionate Spaniard.

Next up is an old guy named Jandy Rios.

He was originally a soldier of the National Army. During the raid, he killed his companions in order to protect the two children that Yu Yanlin and I had saved, and he joined the International Brigade before his death.

At this point, Wei Ran asked, "Are those two children still alive?"

“Alive, still alive.” Clemont nodded. “You’ll be able to see them soon. They’re here too.”

Hearing this, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief, pointed at the stars on the flag and continued, “The ones at the back are the friends Aaron and he met on the battlefield.

He didn’t even have time to introduce the names of the friends he met to us before he became a star, too.”

"This one belongs to the philosophy student named Maria."

Clemont pointed to the next star and said, "When you drove the wounded back, I buried her myself."

"I remember"

Wei Ran sighed, pointed to the next star and said, "This is our old friend, the Soviet Joseph, Comrade Joseph Dmitrievich Novikov, he died in Pozuelo."

"Next is our friend Yu Yanlin"

Clemont touched the second to last star on the flag and said, "He did it to save me."

"He did this for your and our freedom," Wei Ran said, staring at the star in a daze.

"free."

Clement touched the star, then a bright smile appeared on his face. He pointed to the last star and said, "This is me, Clement. Clement Domingo, an internationalist fighter and a communist."

After a pause, Clemont said, "Victor, no, Wei Ran, I plan to go to China."

"Are you planning to go to China?" Wei Ran looked at the other party in surprise.

"Fighting for your freedom and ours"

Clemont said, "Yu Yanlin and I have agreed that when the war here is over, I will go to China with him to participate in the anti-French silk battle there. We have also agreed to drink Chinese tea together."

"So. Are you going to take him back?" Wei Ran said, looking at the silver-skinned hammer-patterned jar placed on the folded uniforms.

"No, I'm not going to take him back."

Clemont shook his head. "I will go to China first and fight the Faxusi there. When all the Faxusi there are wiped out, I will come back to pick him up and send him back to a China without Faxusi."

"What if you can't come back?" Wei Ran asked after a moment of silence.

"Then you won't be able to come back"

Clement said casually, "Yu Yanlin can stay in Spain, so I can stay in China forever."

Sighing helplessly, Wei Ran pulled himself together and asked, "Have you decided? When are we leaving?"

"tonight"

Clermont replied, "Yesterday, the International Brigade withdrew from Spain, and I am leaving as well."

“You’re not going back”

"The International Brigades only withdrew from Spain, not from the world where French jihadists are rampant."

Clemont said seriously, "The International Brigade can still fight, so I plan to go to China." "Then let's go together," Wei Ran said, standing up and solemnly extending his hand to the other party, "For your freedom and our freedom."

"For your freedom and ours"

Clemont also stood up, with a bright smile, he stretched out his hand and shook Wei Ran's hand vigorously.

Before Wei Ran could say anything else, someone else walked into this small room.

Just a glance, but Wei Ran couldn't help but be stunned. The person who came in was the young nurse Armani from France, and Hanika who used to be her partner.

However, at this time, Hanika was using a pair of crutches because one of her legs was gone.

Behind them, there was a little boy, holding a little kid in his arms.

"What's wrong with you?" Wei Ran stared at Hanika's empty trouser legs in a daze.

"Lost in Aragon"

Hanika nonchalantly walked to the table with her cane and sat down, "Clemont, what are you going to take away?"

“I don’t plan to take much away.”

Clemont said as he had already distributed a cup of coffee to everyone. "I only need to take this coffee pot and coffee powder. When I returned to Spain to participate in the battle, I only brought these things."

After saying that, he put the rest of the things on the table, including Yu Yanlin's relics and ashes, and the flag, into the German backpack he used during World War I. "Hanika, leave these at your house for now. When the war is over and my uncle decides to return to Madrid, just let him take these things back."

"Okay, I'll keep these things well." Hanika nodded and put her hand on the tattered backpack.

"I forgot to say," Clemont glanced at Armani, "Armani will also go to China with me."

"You're going too?" Wei Ran looked in surprise at Armani who also sat down at the table.

"certainly"

Amani said as a matter of course, "I am also a member of the International Brigade, of course I have to go."

As she spoke, she had already picked up the leather camera that once belonged to Clement, and while fiddling with it, she said, "Hanika, Louis and Estelle are now in your care."

“I will try my best to be a good mother”

Hanika said with a smile, and at the same time took the baby in her arms, and then took the little boy in her arms and asked lovingly, "Louis, do you still remember him?"

"Remember"

The little boy came over and hugged Wei Ran warmly, "Uncle Victor, thank you for saving us."

"Your name is Louis?" Wei Ran asked in surprise, "Her name is Estelle? Why do I remember your name is Ma?"

"Manu Banderas"

The little guy said, "But now my name is Luis, Luis Rios, in honor of the heroes who died for Spain."

"Do you think they are heroes?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

"Including you, Uncle Victor, you are all heroes."

Louis looked up and said seriously, "In the future I want to be a hero like you and fight against Farsi!"

“We won’t give you that chance.”

Wei Ran said with a smile, "We will wipe out all the Faxus before you little guys grow up."

"Why do you all say that?"

Louis complained with a bitter face, but it also made the four adults smile at the same time.

"Louis, when you grow up, you will also face enemies that you will need to deal with," Hanika said lovingly.

"They will live in a peaceful world," Clement said firmly.

"Yes, they will definitely live in a peaceful world." Amani followed.

At this moment, an old man who looked to be in his fifties came in with a variety of meals and said enthusiastically in Spanish, "Kids, it's time to get ready for dinner."

“This is my uncle”

Clermont introduced, "After the fall of Madrid, I followed them to Barcelona and temporarily stayed at Hanika's house."

"We will return to Madrid," said Clermont's uncle. "We will definitely return."

As he spoke, he had already placed the food on the table. He then took out a bottle of red wine from his arms and placed it on the table. He walked out and said, "You guys eat first. You don't have to wait for me."

After watching the other person walk out of the room, Clemont sighed and said, "My uncle's family all died in the civil war. Only this poor old guy is still alive."

Hearing this, Wei Ran shook his head helplessly. After a moment of silence, he changed the subject and asked, "Clemont, when you go to China, will you look for Yu Yanlin's family? Especially his fiancée."

"I do have this plan"

Clemont nodded, "But I don't plan to take him and his belongings with me. I'm worried that I might be killed before I find his family, and I'm afraid those things will be lost.

But I will go to look for his family. I have developed all the photos we took before, and I will take the photo album with me. If I can find his family, I will give the photo album to them first, and then leave the address here. "

“I will keep these things forever.”

Hanika said as she distributed food to everyone, "Whether you come back or not."

“We will be back”

Armani waved the camera that originally belonged to Clemont and said, "We will also take pictures of everything we experience in China and send them to you."

"I will be waiting for your letter."

Hanika said worriedly, but even so, she did not express her worries. Instead, she sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that I'm missing a leg now, otherwise I would definitely be with you, instead of being unable to do anything like now."

“You can do a lot of things”

Clemont said as he filled everyone's glasses with wine, "You have to take care of Louis and Estelle. You have to raise them and tell them the story of the stars on that flag. These are also fighting."

"I"

“Why don’t we take a picture first?”

Amani said, "Before we leave, let's take a group photo, and when we come back, we can take another one."

"Let me help you"

Before he finished speaking, Clemont's uncle came in with a large bowl of pasta. While distributing the pasta to everyone's plates, he said, "I'll take pictures of you. I know how to use a camera."

"Where are we filming?" Hanika asked after she had calmed down.

“Just right here”

Clemont said, distributing the four cups of coffee to everyone, "We originally agreed to drink coffee and eat pasta together."

"Then let's do it here." Wei Ran nodded, politely took his portion of pasta and placed it in front of him, then picked up the cup of cold coffee.

At the same time, Clement's uncle also raised the camera handed to him by Armani, took a few steps back, and raised the camera towards the four young men holding coffee cups and the two little guys, one big and one small.

"Click"

After the crisp shutter sound, the white light came as promised. Before the people around him were drowned, Wei Ran brought the cup of coffee to his mouth and drank it all - still as mellow and bitter as before.

This foreign medicine soup is not tasty

Wei Ran stared at the location of Yu Yanlin's ashes and muttered to himself in a daze, but in his heart he couldn't help wondering where Yu Yanlin's ashes had gone in later generations, or if they were still there.

However, when the white light faded and everything around him gradually became clear, Wei Ran, who had originally relaxed, tensed up again!

这 是

Wei Ran couldn't help but widen his eyes, and his face showed surprise because of everything he had never expected.

"Golden Gate Hotel"

Wei Ran looked up at the sign on the lintel of the tall building in front of him and muttered to himself the Chinese characters written on it.

(End of this chapter)