War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1806 Zhang Taichuan's Business

"is it him?"

It was not until Wei Ran drove the car to the entrance of an alley according to Zhang Taichuan's instructions, stopped, and followed Zhang Taichuan into the alley for a hundred meters that he began to ask.

"Yes"

Wei Ran, who was following behind with his head down, answered, while also keeping his eyes on the surrounding street scenes.

Zhang Taichuan stopped when he heard this, but soon he started walking again, in silence.

"What are you going to do?" Wei Ran finally asked.

"Come home with me first," Zhang Taichuan said in a hoarse voice.

Hearing this, Wei Ran opened his mouth but said nothing more. He just followed Zhang Taichuan and walked in this busy alley.

But he soon realized that everything around him seemed familiar. He had been to this place before. This was the alley where he had gone to the home of the fat man in the white suit and had kindly helped him kill the adulterer and the adulteress!

What was even more unexpected to him was that when Zhang Taichuan stopped, he found that it was indeed the "haunted house" where a mourning hall had been set up and a murder had occurred!

"There was a murder case here two years ago. It was said to be quite tragic."

Zhang Taichuan said, "I saw that it was cheap, so I borrowed some money from my teacher to buy it. I lived in one room and rented out the others. Oh, and Boss Jin also rented from me."

"How dare you live in this haunted house?" Wei Ran said casually, while also paying attention to the people who rented here.

Some of the people here were familiar faces, while others were unfamiliar. The only ones he remembered were the doorman of the Lihua Opera Society, several female artists in the troupe, and the driver who had replaced him before.

Of course, there are tenants here that he has never seen before, but looking at the appearance of those people, one can't help but associate them with "thugs".

"Mr. Qin is back"

A young man dressed like a gangster greeted them enthusiastically, and at the same time hurriedly handed over a few bills, nodding and saying, "This is the rent I owe you last month."

"Not urgent"

Zhang Taichuan took the money and asked, "The Chinese New Year is coming soon. Do you have enough money for the New Year?"

"I've asked Mr. Qin to take care of it. Yes, yes."

The gangster said gratefully, "I just made some tea here, would you like a cup, Mr. Qin?"

"Forget about the tea," Zhang Taichuan waved his hand, "I have something else to do later."

"Then I won't keep you any longer," said the gangster, and hurried back to his rented room.

"It's quite lively here," Wei Ran said with a smile.

"If you like the hustle and bustle, move here."

Zhang Taichuan pointed to the second floor as if jokingly. "The room where the murder took place has never been rented out. I asked a senior monk to perform a ritual, but few people have the courage to live there. Many people say they have nightmares there."

“I’m not that brave.”

Wei Ran waved his hands repeatedly, "I have to ask Xiaowu from the theater for help to kill a chicken, how dare I live in a room like this? Don't you have any other room?"

"There's an empty pavilion. If you don't mind its size, you can stay there for free."

Zhang Taichuan had already walked up to the second floor while jokingly talking. He pushed open the door of a room covered with talismans and said in a joking tone, "You must have the courage to come in and take a look, right?"

"I still have some courage," Wei Ran said, and followed the other party into the room that he was quite familiar with.

After such a long time without me, the furnishings in the house have not changed at all, except for the bedding on the bed. However, the bloodstains on the floor that had oxidized and turned black were still there.

"I've thought about it. I've been thinking about it all afternoon."

Zhang Taichuan sat on the iron bed, took out a pack of cigarettes, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep puff and whispered, "Our situation is not easy now. People outside the city are in urgent need of medicine and weapons, and people in the city are in urgent need of rice, flour, grain and salt.

This is such a great opportunity. If I can buy more medicines and weapons, fewer people will die outside the city, and I can kill more devils. I can’t just… ...

"Ugh"

Looking at Zhang Taichuan, who covered his face with his hands, his body trembling continuously, but did not cry out, Wei Ran could only sigh. He could not persuade him, nor did he know how to comfort him.

"I'm going to go change my clothes," said Zhang Taichuan, as he stood up and quickly walked out of the room.

Watching the other person's back disappearing outside the door, Wei Ran took out a cigarette box, lit a cigarette and smoked it one puff after another.

He really didn't know how to comfort Zhang Taichuan, but his desire to kill was stronger than ever before.

In the midst of hatred and anger that had to be suppressed, only a dozen minutes later, Zhang Taichuan, who had changed into a neat suit and seemed to have shaved and washed his face carefully, came back with his usual smile.

"Wei Ran, let's go. Don't let Mr. Hirano wait anxiously." Zhang Taichuan said loudly, "We still have to buy some souvenirs."

"it is good"

Wei Ran responded loudly, put out the fourth cigarette in his hand, walked out of the room where the murder had taken place, and followed Zhang Taichuan to the stairs leading to the first floor.

"you"

"I'm fine"

Zhang Taichuan had a warm smile on his face and in his eyes. "But you and the others, don't let them show their true colors."

"Second Uncle, I'm sorry for putting you through this." Wei Ran said in a low voice.

"What are you talking about, Brother Wei?"

Zhang Taichuan responded loudly and patted him on the shoulder, "This is Mr. Musashi's trust! From now on, the photo studio will depend on you to help the teacher run it!"

"Don't worry!" A bright smile also appeared on Wei Ran's face, hiding all the pain in it.

The two of them walked out of the alley and got into a car parked on the side of the road. Wei Ran continued to serve as the driver, and under the guidance of Zhang Taichuan, he drove through the streets of the concession and purchased various gifts.

"It's almost time. Shall we go meet Mr. Hirano now?" Wei Ran asked.

"Go, go."

Zhang Taichuan took a few deep breaths, fished out a cigarette case, took out a cigarette, lit it and took a long puff.

Hearing this, Wei Ran started the car and drove towards the military station with Zhang Taichuan.

"Let's test the bottom first"

Zhang Taichuan said with a puff of smoke, "If your family is rich enough, I'll take him to take a bath at night, then find a place to eat, and then take him to the dance floor to dance."

"What if the family is not well-off?" Wei Ran said casually.

"If my family wasn't wealthy, I could handle it myself."

Zhang Taichuan looked straight at Wei Ran, "Go back and rest early, don't delay your work at the photo agency tomorrow."

"it is good"

Wei Ran readily agreed. He understood the other party's hint. If taking a bath was just to verify whether the other party had any injuries on his legs, eating and dancing were to win him over.

As for having to deal with it on his own since his family is not well-off, perhaps this is a way Zhang Taichuan left for himself - if it is a poor devil, then he will deal with it, and after Wei Ran returns, he will find an opportunity to kill this beast.

At least that's how Wei Ran understood it. He insisted that his understanding was correct and did not intend to accept any rebuttal.

In the somewhat long silence, Wei Ran drove the car into the military station unimpeded and once again stopped in the area that seemed to be a warehouse.

Almost at the same time when the two of them pushed open the car door, Hirano Daito, who seemed to have been waiting, came out to greet them warmly.

"Mr. Hirano, we meet again."

Wei Ran shook hands with the other party enthusiastically, and then introduced the two to each other.

After Zhang Taichuan and his enemy Hirano Daxiang got to know each other and exchanged greetings and gifts, Hirano Daxiang immediately whispered impatiently, "You two, please come with me and see the goods I can provide."

"excuse me"

Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan bowed together, then followed Hirano Daxiang into a locked room.

The room was not very big, but it was filled with a lot of stuff. In wooden boxes, there were various long and short firearms, such as box guns, various types of pistols, single-shot rifles, even Hanyang rifles, old sleeves, Golden Hook rifles, and British 77 rifles, which were placed in different categories.

“These can all be traded.”

Hirano Daxiang introduced, "These are the ones we captured in the battle and sent to the logistics department for repair. We can eliminate a considerable number of them. I saw in the list provided by Mr. Musashi that the price of the automatic pistol is the highest among all the weapons."

"That's right"

Zhang Taichuan came back to his senses, picked up a box gun and said, "But these are not enough. Mr. Hirano, can you get some medicine and fuel?"

"I want to know who the drugs will be sold to in the end?" Hirano Daisho asked vigilantly.

"I don't know either, but it must be someone who is sick or injured." Zhang Taichuan responded indifferently, "If Mr. Hirano has concerns, forget it."

"You seem to be very eager to do pharmaceutical business?" asked Hirano Daisho.

"certainly"

Zhang Taichuan raised the box gun he had just picked up, took a look at the light bulb hanging above his head in a very amateurish manner, and then threw it back into the box.

Turning around, Zhang Taichuan looked at Hirano Daxiang and responded with a smile and calmness, "Selling a pistol like this to a gang would offend their rival gangs, and there would also be the risk of being caught by the military and police for carrying a weapon.

But drugs are different. They are small enough to carry and look harmless and go unnoticed, yet they cost about the same as such a heavy weapon.”

At this point, Zhang Taichuan picked up another Ying 77 and fiddled with it clumsily while saying, "Be it a gun or medicine, as long as it can be exchanged for real money, it doesn't matter which gang it is sold to. But at least medicine won't attract so many enemies, but will make a lot of friends."

"Where's the fuel?" asked Hirano Daisho.

"Mr. Hirano, who do you think can afford to drive a car in Shanghai?"

Zhang Taichuan smiled and asked, "Doing this kind of business especially requires friends, friends who can afford to drive a car."

"These pistols can be traded, and I can get some medicine too." Hirano Daisho took a deep breath, "Fuel. Fuel is no problem either."

"you sure?"

Zhang Taichuan asked, "With Musashi first. No, I mean, there are many gangs and wealthy businessmen who trade with us. If we only have a small amount of weapons, medicines and fuel, it will not be enough."

"There's no need to worry about that," Hirano Daito confidently made a rather general assurance, and then said, "I also hope to trade with antiques."

“Those things aren’t always available.”

Zhang Taichuan said, and winked at the other party without leaving any trace. "Besides, I am not responsible for the bill. Mr. Hirano, if you have time in the afternoon, why don't we change to a more comfortable environment to talk about business."

Hirano Daxiang subconsciously glanced at Wei Ran who was concentrating on picking out things in the box, then nodded to Zhang Taichuan with understanding, and said enthusiastically, "Of course, of course there is time, both of you, please."

"please"

Zhang Taichuan helped open the door with great enthusiasm and flattery, then took a few quick steps to open the car door and invited Hirano Daisho to get in.

"Mr. Hirano, how about we go take a bath first?"

Zhang Taichuan suggested, "I have a friend who runs a Japanese hot spring. It's very safe and private. After you take a bath, I'll take you to a special dance hall."

"A special dance floor?" Hirano Daito suddenly became interested.

"The dancers there are all white," Zhang Taichuan said with a wink, "It's a different style."

“We really need to take a bath.”

As Hirano Daisho spoke, he subconsciously touched his ear which was wrapped in gauze.

“Please don’t worry”

Zhang Taichuan said, "I heard about the accident. Don't worry, it won't happen again. I promise."

"I believe in Mr. Musashi and Mr. Kawaguchi."

Hirano Daisho said, "I'm just worried that the dancers will laugh at my current appearance."

"Scars are a man's medal"

Wei Ran, who was in charge of driving, took over the topic with a sly smile, "Mr. Hirano, if the wound has already scabbed over, you might as well remove the gauze. I believe your medal will be a good topic for the dancers who like heroes."

"I fully agree with Ryunosuke's proposal," Zhang Taichuan agreed.

"What you said does make sense," said Hirano Daito, as he untied the gauze himself.

Although Wei Ran couldn't see how serious the ear injury of Hirano Daisho, who was sitting behind him, was, Zhang Taichuan could see clearly that the earlobe of his left ear was gone.

This is a pity, as Liuzi might have killed him if the muzzle of the gun had deviated by half a centimeter.

"Mr. Hirano's wound is so serious, do we still need to take a bath?" Zhang Taichuan asked apologetically.

“Of course I want to go”

Hirano Daito waved his hands nonchalantly and said very bluntly, "My injury is not serious, but if I act more serious, I can get some preferential treatment. This is the wisdom of Osaka people."

"Mr. Hirano is also from Osaka?" Wei Ran asked, taking over the topic.

"Of course," Hirano Daisho answered proudly, and then as expected, he received different compliments from Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan.

In this welcoming, Wei Ran followed Zhang Taichuan's instructions and drove the car to the door of a Japanese hot spring. Zhang Taichuan also got out of the car immediately, walked quickly around to the other side, and helped Hirano Daxiang open the door.

Amid the clerk's enthusiastic Japanese-speaking hospitality, the three of them walked into the bathroom, and while taking a shower, they naturally discovered and talked about the conspicuous scar on Hirano Daisho's leg.

“That was the injury I got in Fengtian.”

Hirano Daisho said rather dejectedly, "If I hadn't been injured that time and let the person I was trying to catch escape, I wouldn't have been promoted so slowly, and I wouldn't have been just a quartermaster."

“There will be opportunities in the future.”

Zhang Taichuan helped the other person scrub his back while comforting him, "Once our business is established, the chief steward is just the beginning."

"you're right!"

Hirano Daisho laughed and agreed with Zhang Taichuan's blessing, but he didn't notice at all that the latter was intentionally or unintentionally splashing bath water on the wound on his ear while rubbing his back.

While Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan were taking their enemy Hirano Daxiang to take a bath, the Ji family's ancestral home far outside the city had just barely received reinforcements from the guerrillas' "siege".

After a brief but fierce exchange of fire, five or six members of the pacification team stationed nearby were killed, and the guerrillas chose to retreat after setting fire to a barn of the Ji family.

Without waiting for the fire in the barn to be put out, the Ji family's housekeeper sent someone on horseback to the city to inform my grandfather.

That evening, Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan took Hirano Daxiang to the izakaya run by Mr. Aoi to eat something, and then rushed to a dance hall not far from Lihua Theater.

Wei Ran had an impression of this place. He clearly remembered that he had come here to take pictures of the dancers, especially the Polish girl.

Now when I revisit the place, the Polish girl has become the top star here. The arrogance in her eyes that she couldn't hide at first has now been tamed and she now looks very seductive.

Zhang Taichuan just exchanged glances with the manager who had entertained Wei Ran before, and the latter immediately understood what he meant and introduced this Polish dancer, who had been trained to be extremely well-behaved and obedient, to Hirano Daxiang.

Next, Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan deliberately kept a sufficient distance from Hirano Daisho on the dance floor.

"What are your plans next?" Wei Ran lit a cigarette, sat in a dim corner, and asked in a low voice to the sound of music.

“I want to kill it”

Zhang Taichuan whispered, "All along the way, from the moment we left the military station until just now, I wanted to skin him alive."

"Do you want to take action?" Wei Ran handed the other party a cigarette.

"But he can sell us weapons and medicines, so we have to do this business and swallow the hatred even if it means grievances."

Zhang Taichuan let Wei Ran light his cigarette for him and said to himself, "Wait a minute. Once we have taken out everything from his hands, it won't be too late to take action then."

“Before that.”

"Before that, I will be friends with him, very good friends."

As Zhang Taichuan spoke, he held a cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, like a playboy, and walked towards a blonde dancer not far away.

Just as the two of them were enjoying themselves with Hirano Daisho, the news of the attack on the Ji family's house unexpectedly reached the ears of Hoshino Ichiro.

This was definitely bad news for Ichiro Hoshino. After all, although his business dealings with his Japanese compatriots did not need to go through Mr. Ji, the precious antiques and even cultural relics provided by Mr. Ji's disciples were the "key elements" for him to make friends with his compatriots and even make money from them.

Because of this, he hurried to Mr. Ji's house in the concession, and "happened" to meet Mr. Ji, who was about to leave the city to visit his elderly mother, and Zhao Jingrong, who was gathering gang brothers.

Before Zhao Jingrong or Mr. Ji even had a chance to speak, Ichiro Hoshino took the initiative to suggest that he would find a way to help Zhao Jingrong "build a team."

This was undoubtedly good news. Out of gratitude, Mr. Ji hurriedly took out a purple clay teapot from Qinggong and gave it to Ichiro Hoshino as a gift before leaving.

Watching Zhao Jingrong and his gang members escorting Mr. Ji away, Ichiro Hoshino looked at the purple clay teapot given to him as a gift, and then hurriedly got on the rickshaw back to the photo agency - he had the need and responsibility to protect his business partner! This is the rule of Osaka businessmen!

On the other hand, in the dance floor filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, Hirano Daisho had been completely lost in the waves of the Polish dancer. Especially when the enchanting woman gently held his injured earlobe and licked it gently, it aroused his endless desire.

Zhang Taichuan, who had been secretly watching the situation, saw that the time was almost right. After the dance ended, he snapped his fingers at the manager, who immediately nodded.

"Mr. Hirano"

Zhang Taichuan invited Hirano Daxiang, who was still eager to dance, to sit down at a booth near the dance floor and asked with a smile, "How do you feel?"

"As expected of Shencheng." Hirano Daisho looked at the dancer's back as she left and sighed with loss.

"I think Mr. Hirano is tired. Why don't you go upstairs and take a rest?"

As Zhang Taichuan spoke, he called over a waiter who had just walked over and said in Chinese, "Take Mr. Hirano upstairs to rest."

After that, Zhang Taichuan switched back to Japanese and asked, "It should be okay for Mr. Hirano not to return to the military station tonight, right?"

"No, it's okay."

Hirano Daisho, who had already vaguely realized something, felt his breathing become rapid, and even the wound on his ear began to itch.

"In that case, go upstairs and rest."

Zhang Taichuan said, "Ryunosuke and I will pick you up tomorrow morning. Good night, Mr. Hirano."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Taichuan and Wei Ran had already stood up, raised their glasses to clink with Hirano Daisho, drank them all in one gulp, and then left the dance floor.

Also drinking the wine in the glass, Hirano Daisho was led by the quietly waiting waiter to leave the noisy dance floor, take the elevator to the top floor, and walk into a dimly lit suite - the Polish dancer was already waiting for him.

Of course, Hirano Daisho didn't know at this moment that his every word and every breath of the dancer were heard clearly by Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan in the room downstairs.

"Did you drug it?" Wei Ran asked after throwing away his headphones.

"And it's for large animals."

Zhang Taichuan also threw away his headphones and joked, "Don't even mention a devil. Even if a eunuch comes, he will have to plow two acres of land."

"I remember that dancer. Why is she so obedient now?" Wei Ran asked the second irrelevant question out of curiosity.

"Boss Wei, what are you saying?"

The manager, whose surname he still didn't know was Xu or Yu, said proudly, "She has enough opium to smoke once a day. Not to mention seducing a little Japanese, even if she brings a pig over, she will serve her like a real father."

"From now on, I'll leave this big foreign horse to this nuclear recruiting friend."

Zhang Taichuan stood up as he spoke, "Let's go to the Lihua Theater to listen to the opera tomorrow. You won't be left out."

"Thank you for taking care of our business."

The steward immediately bowed and thanked them, "Please rest assured, Mr. Qin, please rest assured, Boss Wei, this foreign horse will not go dancing in the future."

"From now on, the house upstairs will be left to Mr. Hirano to live in permanently."

Zhang Taichuan walked out while saying, "Old Xu, keep an eye on it and entangle it."

"Don't worry, I have it in my hands!"

Manager Xu confidently assured, "We still have at least a hundred kilograms of medicine in our cellar. As long as it comes, we will prepare it for every meal!"

"So your last name is Xu."

Wei Ran muttered to himself for a while, but he began to be curious in his heart, whether it was Zhang Taichuan, Old Xu, or Mr. Ji and others, what were their identities and surnames.