War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1799: Killing Pigs and Killing Japs

In the box of Lihua Theater, under the bright lights, Zhang Taichuan even asked the waiter for an extra gas lamp to light and hang above his head.

In the box where every detail was visible in the photo, Wei Ran waited until Zhang Taichuan closed the window that just allowed a view of the second floor of the photo studio across the street, then he opened the towel wrapped around the Buddha statue and placed it on the table.

"teacher"

Zhang Taichuan took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and handed it to Ichiro Hoshino with both hands respectfully.

The latter took the magnifying glass and, in the glaring light of the gas lamp above his head, moved closer to carefully observe the Buddha statue with a faint smell of incense.

At the same time, Zhang Taichuan also proudly introduced his teacher "Mr. Musashi" as actually a "Buddhist master", "antique collector", etc.

Of course, these titles were not meant to scare Wei Ran, but Ichiro Hoshino, who was standing behind him with a smug look on his face.

In the "identification" stage, the process went much more smoothly than Wei Ran had imagined, because before Ichiro Hoshino could come up with a result, Lin Qiaoan, who was known as "Boss Mu", knocked on the door.

"Brother Lichuan, Sensei Musashi."

Boss Mu greeted them enthusiastically in Japanese, then nodded to Wei Ran and continued in Japanese, "I have invited the person you asked me to invite."

"Sorry to bother you, Boss Mu"

Hoshino Ichiro put down the magnifying glass and said very politely in Japanese, "Please come in, Mr. Ji, and help me take a look."

"Please wait a moment, I'll bring Mr. Ji over right away." Lin Qiaoan said, turned around and walked out of the room again.

"What is this?" Wei Ran asked pretending to be confused.

"Boss Mu has a friend"

Zhang Taichuan explained, "His friend is an expert in tomb robbing and treasure appraisal. Boss Wei, let this friend take a look. If there is no problem with this Buddha statue, we can discuss the price."

"Okay," Wei Ran said, "I also want to hear what the experts have to say."

Before he finished speaking, with the sound of footsteps, Lin Qiaoan came in with an old man in a robe who looked to be in his fifties or sixties.

The old gentleman wore gold-rimmed glasses and had gray hair and beard. He held two bright red walnuts in one hand and a small teapot in the other. A gold watch chain was visible on his chest and he wore cotton shoes with leather soles.

However, when Wei Ran saw the old gentleman's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but feel happy in his heart. Isn't this the old gentleman who sold coal briquettes to him in the morning?

"Mr. Ji, we meet again."

Ichiro Hoshino stood up respectfully, bowed, and then shook hands with "Mr. Ji" enthusiastically.

"Mr. Musashi, long time no see. Please take a seat."

Mr. Ji said this, but his attention was already on the table.

"Where did this statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva come from?" asked Mr. Ji.

“This is me in Peking.”

"Family heirloom?" asked Mr. Ji.

"No, no," Wei Ran said hesitantly, but in fact he just wanted to highlight the other party's "consolation".

“Then stop telling stories.”

Mr. Ji said quite frankly, "In the antique business, you can't take stories seriously."

"also"

Wei Ran seemed to be provoked and said, "Then old man, tell me what this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is about and how much it is worth."

"Young man, don't be so aggressive," Mr. Ji said indifferently, "I'm not invited by you."

After saying that, he looked at Boss Mu who followed him in, then looked at Hoshino Ichiro, and finally glanced at Zhang Taichuan with a look of disdain, and then asked, "What do you two say?"

"Mr. Ji, I'm just asking you to come over for a friend. You'll have to talk to Mr. Musashi about the details."

"Boss Mu" pulled away in time and said, "Well, you guys take a seat, I'll go get you a pot of good tea."

Having said that, Boss Mu, who obviously didn't want to cause trouble, hurriedly left the box.

"Mr. Ji, please help me take a look at this Buddha statue." Hoshino Ichiro said respectfully, "Please tell me the truth."

Hearing this, Mr. Ji slowly put the small teapot in his hand on the table, put the two walnuts in his arms, then slowly rolled up his sleeves, held up the Buddha statue with both hands and began to look at it carefully.

“This statue is interesting”

Mr. Ji paused for a moment before saying, "Look, this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has both the characteristics of Tibetan sculptures and the style of the Central Plains. It is also finely cast without any sand holes, and you can still see some remaining gilt."

As he spoke, Mr. Ji brought the statue closer and sniffed it, "It still has the smell of incense, so it must be an old item that has been passed down in an orderly manner.

In my opinion, it looks like it was made in the Yuan Dynasty, with craftsmanship from the Central Plains. And looking at its size, it doesn’t look like something from a temple, but more like something that could be offered in a home temple.”

"This Buddha statue used to belong to an old eunuch from the palace," Wei Ran said at the right time.

"The old eunuch in the palace?" Mr. Ji muttered but did not continue the topic.

"Mr. Ji, can you please have a word with me?" Zhang Taichuan said respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ji took the small teapot and left without even saying hello.

Not long after, Zhang Taichuan also came back and whispered something into Ichiro Hoshino's ear.

"Boss Wei, are you really planning to sell this Buddha statue?" Hoshino Ichiro asked after pondering for a moment.

"This Buddha statue is useless to me. If I can't even fill my stomach, there's no way I can add incense to it."

Wei Ran paused here and asked directly, "Mr. Musashi, do you like this Bodhisattva?"

“I really want to take this Buddha statue back.”

Hoshino Ichiro said, "Kawaguchi, please tell us what Mr. Ji just said in private."

"Mr. Ji said that if this Buddha statue was lost from the Qing Palace to the public, he would not dare to date it. It is hard to say if it is an antique imitation made by the Imperial Household Department."

"Mr. Qin"

Wei Ran changed to Chinese, and with a lonely and proud tone, he imitated the tone of Qin II and said, "Brother, after all, I grew up in the capital, don't try to scare me with that. If this thing is really from the Imperial Household Department, the price will have to be raised."

"This"

Zhang Taichuan looked at Wei Ran in embarrassment, then switched to Japanese and told Hoshino Ichiro the truth.

"Mr. Musashi"

Before the other party could speak, Wei Ran said sincerely in Japanese, "I went to your store today to urgently develop the photos of this Buddha statue. I originally planned to put an advertisement in the newspaper to find a good buyer.

I'm exchanging some money so that I can survive in Shanghai. I really didn't expect that you would like this statue.

Look, let's ignore what Mr. Ji said just now. I'm still going to sell this Buddha statue for one and a half yellow croakers. If you are willing to buy it, I'd rather take two small yellow croakers.

This kindness is because you did not look down on me because I am Chinese, and also because you said before that you are willing to teach me how to develop photos.

I am a stranger in Shanghai and would like to make friends like you, but this price is really the lowest price.

I still have to live in Shanghai. If you think it is too expensive, or if you think this Buddha statue is not good enough, I will ask Mr. Qin to help me put it in the newspaper.

Whether someone comes to steal or rob, I will accept it. I also promise you that even if I sell it in the newspaper, I will give you the lowest price.

But there is one thing, no matter whether Mr. Ji believes it or not, and listens to it or not, this Buddha statue was not mine before, and I really don’t know whether this thing is real or not.

So even if you want to buy it, you must be cautious. If you don’t think it works, ask more people to take a look.

Otherwise, if one day you find that there is something wrong with this Buddha statue and come to me to return it, I may not be able to find a large yellow croaker and three small yellow croakers. "

After saying these earnest words, Ichiro Hoshino suddenly fell into hesitation.

Wei Ran could see that this old Japanese might not be a bad person, but he was definitely an easy guy to deceive.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a short while, he seemed to have made a decision.

It was at this time that Zhang Taichuan also spoke up and advised him to be more cautious.

"Don't persuade me"

Hoshino Ichiro waved his hands, unaware that he had fallen into a scam. "I really like this statue, and Mr. Wei is very sincere. I am willing to buy it. Let's do the deal now, but I also have a request."

"Mr. Musashi, please speak."

Wei Ran immediately said that he didn't need to suppress his excitement now, but should express it instead.

"I am willing to buy this statue for 13 gold bars"

Hoshino Ichiro said, "But I also hope that Mr. Wei can give me the camera you bought with Dongyi Photo Studio. As a thank you, I will give you a new camera."

"This is."

Wei Ran showed a trace of confusion on his face, and then when he saw Zhang Taichuan nodded imperceptibly, he immediately said cheerfully, "No problem! I am willing to exchange cameras with Mr. Musashi, but I also hope that when I have the chance in the future, I can learn how to develop photos from Mr. Musashi."

"Of course, Mr. Wei is very talented in photography, and I am very willing to communicate with you often."

Mr. Musashi said happily, and then he opened the briefcase he was carrying and counted out 13 small gold bars and placed them on the table.

After picking up the gold bars and examining them one by one, Wei Ran asked gratefully, "Mr. Musashi, should I get the camera for you now or send it to you tomorrow morning?"

"If it's convenient for Mr. Wei, why not go get it now?"

Hoshino Ichiro said, "Let Kawaguchi-kun go with you. It's dark now. Even though it's just across the street, it's not safe for one person to carry so many gold bars."

"Alright"

Wei Ran put the 13 gold bars into his pocket, stood up and walked out of the box with Zhang Taichuan.

After the two of them went downstairs and crossed the street, Wei Ran whispered, "How long have you been preparing for this game?" "A long time."

Zhang Taichuan explained in a low voice, "We should seize the opportunity and become friends with Ichiro Hoshino. Through him, we can get a lot of hot-selling goods."

"it is good"

Wei Ran answered as he opened the door, and after taking Zhang Taichuan upstairs, he asked, "Who should I give the gold bars to?"

"Leave it to Joan after we leave."

Zhang Taichuan replied in a low voice, "In the next one or two days, the Yue Opera troupe of the theater will be invited to perform in the village. I will ask you to go with me and take pictures. Don't refuse."

"it is good"

Wei Ran responded in a low voice, opened the safe, took out the camera and whispered, "This camera."

"fine"

As Zhang Taichuan spoke, he had already taken advantage of the inspection to open the secret compartment of the camera case, took out a small yellow croaker, and taking the opportunity when Wei Ran was blocking the window, he handed it to him and whispered, "Give it to Qiao An as well."

"it is good"

Wei Ran took the gold bar and stuffed it into his sleeve. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but say, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Zhang Taichuan responded nonchalantly, "Let's go, let's go back."

“I don’t know whose experience I’m experiencing.”

Wei Ran sighed silently, followed Zhang Taichuan back to the box of Lihua Theater across the street.

"Mr. Wei, I will ask Kawaguchi to send you a new camera tomorrow morning." Ichiro Hoshino said as he took the camera and checked it.

"I trust Mr. Musashi"

Wei Ran smiled and said that the set of cameras that the other party wanted was not cheap. Even taking depreciation into account, it could still be easily exchanged for at least a small gold bar in this era.

In this relatively harmonious atmosphere, Ichiro Hoshino packed the Buddha statue he had bought at a high price into a box, then called Zhang Taichuan, left the theater in a hurry, and took a rickshaw back to Musashino Photo Agency.

At the same time, Wei Ran also returned to the box and ordered a table of food and wine in a particularly generous manner, saying that he wanted to "return the favor to Boss Mu and Manager Qi."

This time, Wei Ran, who had just made a fortune, carefully chose tea instead of wine, and by the way, he left all the dozen or so gold bars on the unused chair.

"I'm going to kill another one tonight. This time it's a devil."

Lin Qiaoan mocked in a low voice, "Those bastards from the Anqing Gang didn't dare to say a word, but there must be people in the gang who are dissatisfied, so we have to add fuel to the fire."

"Who to kill this time?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice, holding a teacup.

"This devil is responsible for negotiating with the Anqing Gang."

Lin Qiaoan replied in a low voice, "Killing him will definitely cause chaos for a few days. Only when they become chaotic can we get out."

"What are the requirements this time?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice while looking at the stage downstairs.

"Just be happy yourself"

Lin Qiaoan said casually, "That devil runs a labor service agency himself. Many people who were deceived by the Green Gang were sold to him to do hard labor."

"Is there enough time today?" Wei Ran asked.

"Hurry up as much as possible," Lin Qiaoan responded in a low voice, "Go back soon and guard your gold."

"it is good"

As Wei Ran spoke, he stood up, clasped his fists, said goodbye to Boss Mu and Manager Qi, and left the theater with a smug look on his face.

Returning to the photo studio across the street, Wei Ran closed the door early and went upstairs, then saw Zhao Jingrong waiting for him at the bathroom door.

"Put on this formal suit and wear your cotton coat outside. You will be my driver today." Zhao Jingrong said, pointing to the bundle on the chair next to him.

“I don’t know the way”

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already taken off his formal clothes and changed into a black Zhongshan suit, then a black cotton coat and black cotton pants, a pair of black cotton shoes, and stuffed a pair of lightweight thousand-layer cloth shoes into his arms.

"It's OK if I know him"

Zhao Jingrong whispered, "No one will help you this time. I will find someone to pull the cart for you halfway and pick you up when you come back. You will have enough time to take a bath in between."

“enough”

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already picked up a black felt hat and put it on his head, and then he glued a beard on himself.

"This devil lives in a single-family house with a garden and has a dog."

Zhao Jingrong said, "The dog will help you deal with it before you go in, but we don't know how many people are inside. Kill everyone you can, and run away when the matter is exposed. Find a way to escape from Shencheng by yourself."

"Okay," Wei Ran responded happily.

"Are you happy?" Zhao Jingrong asked curiously.

"No, I am a person who loves to laugh."

As Wei Ran spoke, he couldn't wait to go into the bathroom and climb through the window to the second floor of the bookstore.

A moment later, Zhao Jingrong followed and took him through the first-floor window into the alley, and then got on a rickshaw parked there.

After looking around, Wei Ran pulled the rickshaw with both hands and started running.

Under Zhao Jingrong's command, Wei Ran drove the cart slowly all the way and finally stopped at the entrance of a bathhouse with words written in Japanese. There was an alley on one side of the bathhouse.

"Go to the alley to pee, and someone will come out to pull a cart for you. Walk along the alley until you reach the end where there are two little beggars. Give them money for pulling the cart, and they will lead you the way."

Zhao Jingrong whispered as he handed a few French francs to Wei Ran. He then fastened his hat and walked into the bathroom.

Putting the French currency into his arms, Wei Ran untied his belt and walked into the alley on the side of the road. Sure enough, there was a person dressed like him walking out.

The two men passed each other, Wei Ran quickened his pace and disappeared into the depths of the alley, while the man who was dressed like him urinated against the wall, then walked out while tying his belt and sat on the pedal of the rickshaw to "work".

Time was running out and Wei Ran didn't dare to delay. After running about a hundred meters in the dark alley, he saw two little beggars leaning against the wall. They were eating something against the wall under the light of the street lamp outside the alley.

Walking up to the two little beggars who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, Wei Ran squatted down and took out all the banknotes from his arms and handed them to them.

"Where did the money come from?" One of the little beggars asked in a low voice, looking up and eating the roast chicken in his hands.

"I earned it by pulling a cart," Wei Ran replied in a low voice.

Hearing this, the little beggar immediately stretched out his greasy hands to take the money and stuffed it into his arms. Then he climbed up and whispered, "Take off your cotton clothes and pants, and follow me later. Go wherever the dog runs out from. If the dog doesn't come out, there's nothing I can do."

"it is good"

Wei Ran responded, took off his cotton-padded jacket and black felt hat and handed them to another little beggar. Then he put on his round-toed cloth shoes and followed the little beggar from a distance.

On both sides of the road, garden-style houses are almost next to each other, and even the street lights on both sides of the road seem to be brighter.

However, as they walked, there was a street lamp in front that was not lit. The little beggar walking in front slowed down in the area that should have been illuminated by the street lamp, and greeted people softly with "huhu, huhu" twice.

Soon, a half-grown wolf-blue dog came out through the garden fence, and the little beggar threw the chicken butt he had prepared in advance to the wolf-blue dog, which stood up on its hind legs and bowed with its front legs.

After the dog caught the chicken's butt, the little beggar continued to walk, and he actually tricked the dog into pouting by making occasional "sucking" sounds. The dog completely forgot its main job of guarding the house and followed the little beggar to who knows where.

After seeing enough of the excitement, Wei Ran looked at the three-story detached villa surrounded by the garden.

I am now at the back of the villa. Fortunately, at least there is no one near all the lighted windows on this side.

Wei Ran easily climbed over the waist-high fence and took cover under some evergreen shrubs planted at the edge of the garden. After circling the villa for most of the way, he finally saw the situation ahead.

There were two Japanese cars parked in front of the villa, and at the main entrance of the villa, there was a man in black suit who seemed to be standing guard.

Unfortunately, most of their attention was focused on the road outside the main gate, and they did not pay attention to the back of the villa - there was no door here either.

Crawling back to the back of the villa, Wei Ran took advantage of the shadow of the building and quietly came to the wall of the villa.

There is indeed a back door leading to the garden behind the villa, and there is a trapdoor dog hole on it that is large enough for someone to get in.

Approaching the dog hole, Wei Ran gently lifted the trap door at the lower half of the door with the tip of his bayonet and took a look inside through the gap.

There were lights on the first floor of the villa, and he could even see a woman who seemed to be wearing a kimono busy in the kitchen on the first floor.

He even ventured that the door was not locked from the inside.

However, he did not push the door open. Instead, he stepped on the edge of the window sill of an unlit room not far away and jumped up. He easily grabbed the edge of the balcony on the second floor, then turned over and climbed up nimbly.

There was no light on in the room on the second floor either. After listening for a while, he didn't hear any sound at all.

I tried to push the wooden door leading to the outer balcony gently, and as expected, the door was locked from the inside.

This was not a problem for him. He took out the Mauser bayonet in the dark, poked it against the bottom edge of the wooden door, and gently pried it upwards while holding it against the wall with his shoe. Then he took out a parchment knife and stuffed it in. Then he pressed it against the door pin and gently pushed and lifted it. The wooden door, which was originally locked, was easily opened.

After putting away the knife, he walked into the room and locked the door again. Only then did Wei Ran have time to look around the room in the moonlight outside the window.

This seems to be a study room. There are several bookshelves against the wall in the not-so-big room, and they are filled with books.

In the middle, in addition to a large desk, there is also a set of sofas. Not far away there is even a knife rack with a Japanese samurai sword on it.

Before he could take a closer look, he heard footsteps and conversation in Japanese outside the door of the room.

So lucky?

Wei Ran was stunned, but reacted quickly and hid behind the curtains that fell to the ground.

"Crack!"

Almost at the same time, the door of the study was opened from the outside.