War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1802 Business and Enemies

Mr. Ji invited Ichiro Hoshino to come for his birthday banquet. Except for Zhang Taichuan who served as the translator, Wei Ran and others were naturally not qualified to sit at the table.

Because of this, Wei Ran simply held up his camera and followed the theater boxes into the room.

The troupe members did not shy away from Wei Ran and immediately started moving things out of the boxes in groups of two or three.

Soon, all kinds of costumes, makeup boxes, musical instruments, etc. were taken out one by one.

But then, these people took out bottles and bags of medicine from the layers of costumes, the secret compartments of boxes, the belly of musical instruments, and even from the bundled hair of the female artists.

In this busy process of gathering sand into a tower, food boxes filled with medicine were handed out from the back window of this room.

Immediately afterwards, another layer of partition was opened on the empty box used to hold the luggage, revealing bullets hidden underneath.

When these things along with the partitions were handed out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then, under the command of Zhang Zhengqi, they busily put away their belongings and went to eat the lunch that their host had helped prepare.

Is this the escort mission?

Wei Ran was secretly thinking, but it did not delay him from sitting around a table with Zhao Jingrong, Lin Qiaoan and Zhang Zhengqi.

Just like when he went to sing in Fengtian, Zhang Zhengqi picked up a cup of tea and said loudly, "Don't drink any more wine, and eat less, or you'll have diarrhea in the middle of the song and make a fool of yourself. Okay, eat!"

After receiving the signal, the female artists and even the drummers who were sitting at two tables started eating. They were just as quiet and passed food to each other as the Mingxiang Opera Troupe in Fengtian back then.

"Just like back then," Wei Ran couldn't help but say.

Zhang Zhengqi was stunned for a moment, then said, "After we finish eating, Boss Wei, take a photo for everyone."

"Okay, okay." Wei Ran hesitated for a moment, then agreed with a smile.

After spending half an hour to finish lunch, Wei Ran immediately took the initiative to invite the troupe members to stand in several rows on the stage that had just been set up in the front yard. He also stood at an octagonal table.

"Boss Mu and Mr. Jin, please come along," Wei Ran invited enthusiastically.

"OK"

Lin Qiaohe and Zhao Jingrong agreed casually and walked onto the stage.

However, unlike Zhang Zhengqi who sat in the main seat, these two people stood at the very edge.

With a silent sigh, Wei Ran raised his Rollei twin-lens reflex camera and took a photo of the family on the stage. He didn't know how many of them would survive in the end.

After taking the first group photo, Wei Ran suggested while feeding the camera with film, "Mr. Musashi wants me to take more photos. Boss Mu, let me take another photo of you, Manager Qi, and Mr. Jin. This one is free."

"Okay," Lin Qiaoan agreed readily.

Raising the camera again, Wei Ran captured the three people standing together, and while pressing the shutter button, he secretly regretted that it would have been better if Zhang Taichuan was also in the viewfinder.

After he put away the camera, Zhao Jingrong went to the backyard, and Lin Qiaoan and Zhang Zhengqi also directed the troupe to begin preparations before the performance.

Wei Ran, who was idle, fiddled with the camera in his hand, pressing the shutter button towards the crowd from time to time.

Around 2:30 in the afternoon, Mr. Ji's mother was helped to sit down in the front yard. The whole family, headed by Mr. Ji, stood in two rows behind the old lady. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren were either held by the woman or stood on both sides of the old lady.

When the family was ready, Ichiro Hoshino also held up a Zeiss Ikon, and took Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan, who each held up a Rollei twin-lens reflex camera, and they each pressed the shutter button towards the family, and then took a separate photo of the old lady.

After the photo taking was completed, Zhao Jingrong whispered something into Ichiro Hoshino's ear and then took him to the villa.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also pulled Zhang Taichuan and said, "Let's take a photo of you and Manager Qi now."

Hearing this, Zhang Taichuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "No, we can't take a photo together, and I..."

"Don't worry, I have another camera." Wei Ran said in a low voice.

Hearing this, Zhang Taichuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"Wait for me in front of the screen wall"

As Wei Ran spoke, he walked towards Zhang Zhengqi and called him to the screen wall to stand with his second uncle Zhang Taichuan.

"This is the first time we've taken a photo together since we came back." Zhang Taichuan said, and couldn't help but put his arm around Zhang Zhengqi's shoulders.

“There will be many opportunities in the future.”

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, he had already raised his own Rollei twin-lens reflex camera and pressed the shutter button towards the uncle and nephew, as well as the word "Fu" on the screen wall behind them.

After quickly taking a photo, the uncle and nephew of the Zhang family separated as if avoiding snakes and scorpions, and then each walked towards different directions of the house and started to work.

Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Wei Ran simply walked along the wall and followed the direction that Zhao Jingrong and Ichiro Hoshino left and entered the villa.

This villa is not big, but it has a rockery pavilion and a wooden house with a hip roof, on which hangs a green plaque with the words "Shiyi Hall".

The Shiyi Hall is surrounded by rockery and has paper-covered windows. In other words, the windows not only block the view from the outside, but also block the view from the inside looking out.

Wei Ran crouched down and walked slowly and quietly to the window of Shiyi Hall, and looked inside through the gap between the wooden wall panels.

Zhao Jingrong and Ichiro Hoshino were in the Shiyi Hall at this time, as well as an octagonal table. On the table, a not-so-big bronze mirror was supported by a wooden frame.

When Wei Ran peeked inside, Ichiro Hoshino was holding a magnifying glass and carefully admiring the pattern on the back of the bronze mirror.

"The mountain pattern was a popular decorative pattern in the Warring States Period of China. There are three mountains, four mountains, five mountains, and six mountains."

Zhao Jingrong introduced, "This mirror with six mountain patterns is the best item my senior brother brought out from a tomb in the autumn. Mr. Musashi, if you like it, this mirror is yours."

"You Chinese have an old saying: No merit, no reward."

Hoshino Ichiro continued to look at the bronze mirror on the table and said, "If Mr. Ji wants to thank me for taking pictures for him, there is no need for such a generous thank-you gift."

"Teacher invites you to come and will naturally prepare a reward."

Zhao Jingrong said, "Mr. Musashi, this is my gift to you."

"What do you want to do?" Ichiro Hoshino finally put away the magnifying glass, straightened up and asked Zhao Jingrong across the table.

"Do business, of course, do some business."

Zhao Jingrong said, “The Chinese areas of Shanghai need rice, and the countryside needs goods produced in the International Settlement.

I just hope to use Mr. Musashi's protection to do some rice and flour business to connect the inside and outside. "

"Other businesses are not as profitable as these." Ichiro Hoshino knocked on the bronze mirror on the table with his hand.

“But these can’t be dug out at any time.”

Zhao Jingrong said, "We need to eat meat and rice, and of course, Mr. Musashi must have a share of it."

"Only doing rice and flour business?" asked Ichiro Hoshino.

"Only rice and flour," Zhao Jingrong replied.

"Are you an anti-Japanese element?" Ichiro Hoshino asked bluntly and abruptly.

"Mr. Musashi is joking."

Zhao Jingrong spread his hands and said, "I am a businessman who is involved in a gang. My main business is the business of antiques from foreign masters. This time I just want to develop a side business to avoid starvation."

"Is Mr. Ji involved?" asked Ichiro Hoshino without comment.

“My master and I are like father and son”

Zhao Jingrong replied, "But the master is old after all, so just let him look after the antique shop in the city.

But Boss Mu's opera troupe can come and perform for the old lady from time to time, and bring some gifts along the way."

"So Boss Mu also."

"If Mr. Musashi is willing to do this business, I will naturally go and talk to Boss Mu."

Zhao Jingrong said, "Given Mr. Musashi's prestige among the Japanese expatriates and my relationship with the gang, I believe Boss Mu will not refuse."

“You can’t make much money just by selling rice”

Ichiro Hoshino said again, "I don't want to be too big, so if I do, I hope to make something with higher value."

"Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Musashi?"

Zhao Jingrong asked, "Forget about opium. Not many people in this remote area can afford it, and those who can afford it don't have trouble finding virgins. Besides, I don't want to offend the Anqing Gang."

"I am not interested in the opium business either," said Ichiro Hoshino, "but what about medicines?"

"I don't want to be misunderstood as being anti-Japanese"

"As long as you can get real money in return, I don't care who you sell the drugs to." Hoshino Ichiro became more straightforward, "But can you sell them?"

“This is a chaotic world”

Zhao Jingrong said with great enthusiasm, "Nothing sells better than medicine."

"Golden Checkout"

"Where are the antiques?" Zhao Jingrong also knocked on the bronze mirror on the table.

"Yoshi!" Ichiro Hoshino nodded with satisfaction.

"In that case, I'll go talk to Boss Mu right away."

"Does Kawaguchi and Mr. Wei from Dongyi Photo Studio know about this?" asked Ichiro Hoshino.

"Mr. Musashi"

Zhao Jingrong said, "If they knew, there would be no need for me to invite you here to talk alone.

Besides, I am not familiar with Mr. Wei from Dongyi Photo Studio. I am curious about why you seem to have a special admiration for him?"

“He might be a genius in photography”

Hoshino Ichiro said, "If you plan to take Boss Mu with you, there's no need to hide it from Kawaguchi. I will prepare the goods and deliver them to you through him in the future."

"Alright"

Zhao Jingrong nodded, "What about Boss Wei? Hide it from him? Or I can help you make him disappear?"

"It's enough to hide it from him," said Ichiro Hoshino, picking up the bronze mirror.

Seeing this, Wei Ran, who had been watching secretly, turned around quietly and left the villa first under the cover of the surrounding rockery.

The following night, and even the entire next day, the performance spread from the Ji family's inner house to the threshing ground. Everyone, including Wei Ran, had a feast that was definitely a sumptuous meal for that era.

Naturally, both Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan took a lot of photos. Not only that, Lin Qiaoan did not shy away from Ichiro Hoshino and proposed to use rice and preserved vegetables and bacon made by farmers as the remuneration for this singing party.

Similarly, Ichiro Hoshino did not avoid Wei Ran or "Boss Mu" and others at all, and even asked them to help move the reward given to him by Mr. Ji to the car that came to pick them up back to the city - his reward was a wooden box containing a stone lotus platform.

According to Mr. Ji's "boasting", this lotus pedestal weighing several hundred kilograms was found by his disciples from an abandoned temple. It is a sacred Buddhist object that has been worshipped for a hundred years.

Of course, everyone present, except Ichiro Hoshino, probably knew that whether the lotus pedestal was a Buddhist sacred object or not, the animal dung must have seeped into the cracks in the stone - just like the bronze mirror covered with green rust.

"Wei Sang" Before leaving, Ichiro Hoshino, who was standing at the door of the Ji family's ancestral home, said, "Please take a group photo for us. After we go back, I will teach you how to develop negatives and photos."

"It's my pleasure"

Wei Ran said respectfully and gratefully, and waited patiently for Lin Qiaoan, Zhao Jingrong, Zhang Taichuan and even Mr. Ji to stand on the left and right of Hoshino Ichiro, then pressed the shutter towards them.

After taking this photo, everyone boarded the return truck with Mr. Ji's warm farewell.

This time, Ichiro Hoshino sat on the first truck and once again brought along Wei Ran, who was considered an "outsider".

"Weisang"

As the car started moving, Ichiro Hoshino made a straightforward invitation, "Come work in my photo studio in the future. I will teach you photography and developing, and you will become a real photographer."

"Do I need to pay tuition?" Wei Ran asked seriously.

"certainly"

Ichiro Hoshino nodded and said, "Just translate for me."

"no problem"

Wei Ran readily agreed, "I'll report to Musashino Photo Agency when I get back."

"Don't open Dongyi Photo Studio anymore," said Ichiro Hoshino, "but you have to continue living there."

"Do you need me to do anything extra?" Wei Ran asked eagerly.

"Help me wait for the previous owner of Dongyi Photo Studio." Hoshino Ichiro paused, "And help me with something else."

"No problem, teacher." Wei Ran responded particularly earnestly in the rising white light.

Is this the end? Is this scene a bonus for me?

Wei Ran sighed, waiting patiently for the white light to fade away, waiting for himself to return to Edelweiss Clara's farm.

Turning around again, Clara was still busy doing something in the room, and the feather pen was writing new content on the metal notebook on the coffee table in front of her.

Act Three

Character identity: Apprentice and translator Wei Ran of Musashino Photo Agency, whose Japanese name is Musashi Ryunosuke.

Return mission: Assist in the transportation of materials, attend a party, take a group photo, and complete the film printing work.

Musashi Ryunosuke? Ryunosuke? Isn't this the name from last time? Was the living father being lazy again?

Before Wei Ran could react, a white light came towards him, and he also saw the props that could be used this time.

This time, the only difference between the props that appeared in the white light and the previous scene was that there was one less food knife, but there were two more things he didn't expect - a kerosene lamp and a medical kit!

Damn, someone might get hurt.

Wei Ran's heart couldn't help but atwitch. When the white light faded and everything around him gradually became clear, he found that he was sitting in a rickshaw.

He looked down at his own attire. He was wearing a formal suit with what seemed to be a gun in the inner pocket, a tweed windbreaker with a stand-up collar, a top hat on his head, and a newspaper in his sheepskin-gloved hands.

This Japanese newspaper, published on December 1941, 12, is widely publicizing the glorious achievement of the Japanese army defeating the British troublemakers and becoming the new masters of Hong Kong Island.

Looking at the sky around me, it should be morning.

The Pacific War Begins

Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the headlines in the newspapers. After the crazy Japanese declared war on Britain and the United States, the concessions in Shanghai would probably be in chaos. It was estimated that most of the foreigners in Shanghai would have to live in concentration camps.

Just as he was daydreaming, a rickshaw stopped at the door of Dongyi Photo Studio.

After taking out a few small bills from his pocket and sending the rickshaw driver away, Wei Ran couldn't help but glance at the Lihua Opera Troupe across the street.

The theater had not yet opened for business, but there were already a few homeless beggars sitting at the door.

Wei Ran took out the key and opened the door of the photo studio. After he walked in, he frowned because he smelled blood!

After a moment's hesitation, he quietly closed the inner and outer doors behind him, then took out the box gun, pulled the trigger, and walked cautiously towards the stairs.

After taking a look at the restroom on the first floor, Wei Ran walked up the stairs along the wall and slowly went up to the second floor where the smell of blood was getting stronger.

Soon, he heard slight noises coming from the bathroom on the second floor.

After checking the second floor first, Wei Ran pushed open the bathroom door and saw Liuzi sitting in the bath tub - he had started to have the shakes, and a layer of dark red blood had accumulated at the bottom of the bath tub.

Looking up at the window, Wei Ran quickly left the bathroom, took off his windbreaker, walked to the window facing the street, drew the curtains and closed the wooden window door. Then he turned on the light as quickly as possible, went downstairs and locked the door, then ran back quickly, stepped on the bath tub and looked out.

Fortunately, there was no bloodstain by the window, nor on the windowsill opposite.

Not daring to waste any more time, nor even to move Liuzi in the bath tub, Wei Ran quickly left the bathroom, took out the metal notebook, the kerosene lamp and the medical kit that were being used this time, and checked them.

Fortunately, the kerosene lamp was already under pressure, and fortunately, the plasma powder and distilled water hanging on the side of the medical box were still there! He even found the vital penicillin and anesthetic injections inside.

Without having time to thank his generous father, Wei Ran quickly closed the wooden window of the bathroom to block out all the light, and then immediately lit the kerosene lamp and placed it on the toilet tank.

Next, after he took Liuzi out of the bathtub, he didn't dare to carry him out of the bathroom. Instead, he closed the lid of the bathtub as quickly as possible and let him lie on it with his wound exposed.

He was shot in the shoulder. Although the wound was covered with a dirty towel, blood was still flowing out and the towel was soaked with blood.

The most important thing is that the bullet seemed to still be in his body, but Wei Ran didn’t even have a helper at this time.

"hold onto"

Wei Ran muttered to himself as he began to mix the plasma powder.

A moment later, the plasma entered Liuzi's body through the transfusion tube, the anesthetic began to take effect, and Wei Ran began to get busy in the bathroom, which was definitely not a sterile environment.

Fortunately, although his treatment required as much effort as usual, it was fast enough.

With a clang, he dug out a bullet and threw it onto the tray.

With the help of a kerosene lamp that emitted a strong ice-blue light, Wei Ran sutured the damaged blood vessels as quickly as possible, then cleaned up the broken flesh and sewed it up layer by layer.

Finally, when he sutured the skin and flesh and bandaged it, there was still one third of the bottle of plasma left.

After giving Liuzi an extra shot of penicillin, Wei Ran took off his clothes, carefully wiped off all the blood stains on him with alcohol, then took out a Zhongshan suit from the closet for him to change into, then carried him to the bed and covered him with a quilt.

This was not the end. After packing up the medical supplies and the gas lamp, Wei Ran quickly rinsed the blood stains inside and outside the bathtub, as well as on the lid and floor, using the hydrogen peroxide in the medical box.

Next is the smell

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already opened the bathroom window, then tore off a large piece of cotton from the bloody clothes he had taken off, lit it and threw it into the brazier.

As smoke and dust rose and flames surged, Wei Ran patiently burned Liuzi's blood-stained clothes bit by bit, and used the carbon particles produced by the burning to absorb all the odors in the bathroom.

As for the smoke floating out of the window, that’s nothing. Who would light a brazier without smoke?

After flushing a small basin of charcoal ash and water into the toilet, Wei Ran picked up some still burning coal balls from the stove and threw them into the brazier, and also threw the deformed lead bullet in. Then he washed his hands carefully, turned around, went downstairs and left the photo studio, and walked towards the Lihua Theater across the street.

Liuzi was still unconscious at this time, and he wanted to ask what had happened.

"Is Mr. Mu here?" Wei Ran walked to the theater door and asked the doorman who had just opened the door.

"Good morning, Boss Wei."

The doorman greeted him warmly, and then said apologetically, "Our boss Mu went out last night and hasn't come back yet. I think he stayed in a dance hall."

"Where is Manager Qi?" Wei Ran continued to ask.

"Manager Qi took the female troupe to perform at a party yesterday. He probably won't be back until the afternoon," asked the doorman.

"It's okay," Wei Ran said and turned to leave. He couldn't continue asking.

Fortunately, Zhao Jingrong arrived in a rickshaw at this moment.

"Boss Wei"

Before getting out of the car, Zhao Jingrong said enthusiastically, "I was just looking for you."

"Come to my place and talk."

Wei Ran said, "This damn weather is too cold. I just lit the brazier to keep warm."

"also"

Zhao Jingrong stopped what he was about to say, got off the rickshaw, sent the driver away, and followed Wei Ran into Dongyi Photo Studio.

"What's the matter?" Wei Ran asked as he closed the door.

"Is Liuzi here with you?" Zhao Jingrong asked in a low voice.

"Upstairs" Before Wei Ran finished speaking, Zhao Jingrong had already run upstairs quickly.

"What happened?" Wei Ran asked as he followed her upstairs.

"When Liuzi was helping me keep watch last night, he suddenly went crazy and attacked a Japanese officer outside the dance hall."

Zhao Jingrong said with lingering fear, "He was just desperate. Fortunately, I arranged for an extra person to take him away.

I heard from my people that he was shot, and I thought he might be hiding here, so I hurried to check it out."

"We have to hide him," Wei Ran said vigilantly.

"Need not"

Zhao Jingrong said, "Last night, we killed a traitor from the Anqing Gang and threw him into the Huangpu River to take the blame. Now the problem is to quickly ask him what happened."

"Will they find out here?" Wei Ran asked.

"probably not"

Zhao Jingrong said confidently, "A lot of people have caught colds recently. As long as no one sees his wound, he'll be fine. Let him lie down and rest, and we'll find a chance to send him out in a couple of days."

"That's fine."

Wei Ran paused and asked, "Who did you ask him to keep an eye on last night?"

"A traitor of the Anqing Gang"

Zhao Jingrong said, "They recently got a batch of good stuff from the devils, and I was thinking about how to intercept it, but I didn't expect Liuzi to suddenly..."

He had just finished speaking when Liuzi, who was lying on the bed, struggled to wake up.

However, when he saw Wei Ran and Zhao Jingrong, the pale young man burst into tears in an instant.

"Okay, it's okay, you live"

"Brother Wei, I..."

Liuzi said in a hoarse voice, "I saw our enemy."

"Varied"

Wei Ran was shocked and was about to ask more questions when Liuzi fainted again.

Enemy?

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then turned to Zhao Jingrong and asked, "Has the Osaka Division of the Japanese come to Shanghai?"

"Now that you're here, why are you asking this?" Zhao Jingrong asked puzzledly.

"really."

Wei Ran sighed, "Wait a minute, wait for Second Uncle and Uncle Lin to come back, wait for Zhengqi and Xiaowu to come back and then we can talk about it together."