War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1811: Put down the butcher knife first and then become a Buddha

Before noon, Zhao Jingrong arrived at the Ji family's old house with several mule carts from the grain-collecting team.

Along the way, they passed many intersections guarded by the Japanese or puppet troops.

However, thanks to the puppet army uniforms worn by Zhao Jingrong and others, and the passes given to them by Hirano Daxiang.

Both the Japanese and the puppet army let them all go without even checking whether there was anything hidden on their mule carts.

They arrived at the Ji family's old house so smoothly. In just one day, the toppled wall had been rebuilt, and the burned animal shed had been demolished and was being rebuilt.

"Young Master, did you encounter any danger along the way?" The housekeeper of the Ji family's mansion came up and asked.

"No, the journey was peaceful."

Zhao Jingrong walked in with some cakes he had bought earlier and answered, "Is the old lady feeling better?"

"much better"

The housekeeper followed closely behind him, and said in a nagging tone, "The old lady was just frightened. With the brothers you brought back yesterday to watch over her, the whole family will be much safer."

"Don't be afraid of thieves stealing, just be afraid of thieves thinking about it"

Zhao Jingrong said angrily, "We still have to find the real culprit and deal with them.

Well, Wei Ran, Li Chuan, come with me to see the old lady. Old Yan, you take the brothers to have a rest first.

Housekeeper, prepare a few tables for everyone, unload the things on the cart outside, and put a few bags of rice in there."

"okay!"

The housekeeper immediately agreed and enthusiastically led Old Yan and others to the side courtyard next door.

"Let's go check on Liuzi first."

Zhao Jingrong said this and led the two of them inside until they came to the door of the room where Liuzi lived.

Along the way, those sweeping the floor, pruning trees, and even feeding fish all had weapons blatantly strapped to their waists. In the window of the side room facing the moon gate, the barrels of several rifles were vaguely sticking out.

When I walked into the room, Liuzi was half lying on the bed reading a newspaper. The newspaper contained news about the Pacific War.

"Second Uncle! You're here!"

After seeing Wei Ran and the others, Liuzi immediately put down the newspaper in his hand in surprise and subconsciously tried to stand up. However, he accidentally tore his wound because of the big movement, and he grimaced in pain.

"Don't move," Zhang Taichuan quickly held him down, "Have you changed the medicine?"

"Yes, I changed it this morning."

Liuzi quickly replied, "Second Uncle, that devil..."

"That devil." Zhang Taichuan subconsciously looked at Wei Ran and Zhao Jingrong who had just sat down.

"Wei Ran, let the uncle and nephew have a good chat."

Zhao Jingrong sat up again as if his butt was scalded by the stool, put down a basket of snacks, and greeted Wei Ran by the way.

"Sixth son, don't blame your second uncle. He feels worse. You have to understand him."

Wei Ran patted Liuzi's shoulder, and under the other's slightly panicked gaze, followed Zhao Jingrong out of the room.

“This grain collection team cannot be established in vain”

Zhao Jingrong led Wei Ran inside and whispered, "We have to bring back something larger this time."

"How big is it?" Wei Ran asked with interest.

"I'll take you to see it!"

Zhao Jingrong said as he casually handed the remaining snacks in his hand to an old maid, "Go and give it to the old lady. Tell her that I'll be there after I finish my business."

"I'll take it to the old lady right away," said the old maid as she walked into the inner house carrying the snacks.

"Come with me"

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he took Wei Ran into the side courtyard that was filled with rockery, pavilions and ponds, and took him into the wooden house with a plaque that read "Shiyitang".

"This is it. Is it big enough?" Zhao Jingrong said, pointing to the object placed in the middle of the house.

“This is really big enough.”

Wei Ran looked at the things in the room in astonishment. It was a bronze tripod covered with green rust, with three legs, two handles, and a round bottom. There were beautiful patterns all over the body, and there seemed to be a lot of inscriptions inside.

"This too"

"Can't"

Zhao Jingrong said proudly, "This was made last spring when my cousin personally measured the dimensions of a large tomb and came back to melt several hundred kilograms of old coins and a lot of copper to cast it.

This summer, the cauldron was dug out of the pond and thrown into the pond to soak for a whole summer, then buried in an abandoned tomb for an autumn, and brought back after winter. "

At this point, Zhao Jingrong kicked the round belly of the cauldron and said, "It takes no more than a slap to tell whether this thing is real or fake."

"Then how do we verify the authenticity of this thing?" Wei Ran asked a key question, "If there is no way to verify the authenticity, then this thing is real."

“That’s easy.”

Zhao Jingrong pointed at the inscriptions on the cauldron and said, "My cousin copied those inscriptions from the tomb, but some of the characters are missing. Also, when the cauldron was cast, the frame was made of Japanese-made iron wire. You can see the wire wherever you saw it."

"Where is the original product?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

"Of course it's still in the tomb."

Zhao Jingrong replied as a matter of course, "As the saying goes, the golden age of troubled times is the golden age of prosperous times. My cousin said that we should wait until we are done with the war and leave those things for our descendants to enjoy."

As he spoke, Zhao Jingrong picked up a wooden box from the table next to the big tripod and handed it to Wei Ran, "This is for your second uncle. Ask him to give it to Hirano Daxiang in private."

"What is this?" Wei Ran said as he opened the box, only to find a small wine glass made of agate inside.

"This thing was sewn into the neck of a sheep for more than a year. There were no less than ten dead sheep. Then it was placed in the cavity of a dead person for several months before it achieved this color."

Zhao Jingrong introduced them in detail, "Your second uncle just became an interpreter for Hirano Daxiang, so he had to give him some valuables. This thing is just right to give it away. Let the beast drink it, it's very nutritious."

"What do you say?"

"Your second uncle knows what to say. I've told him everything. Just give it to him directly."

Zhao Jingrong said, "Let's go and take a look at the things we brought this time."

"The stuff Hirano Daisho prepared for everyone is very bad," Wei Ran followed him and reminded him, "Don't use it easily."

"I can see that," Zhao Jingrong replied casually, "You are quite cautious."

“You can never be too cautious”

Wei Ran smiled and followed the other person out of the garden, passed through a moon gate and went around to a side courtyard.

At this time, the things hidden in the sacks of straw pulled from the coffin shop had all been delivered here. Among these things were medicines, bullets, some components such as electron tubes and speakers, a few submachine guns and box guns, and even a submachine gun that was obtained somehow.

"It's not easy to bring these things here in the past," Zhao Jingrong sighed, "It will be easier with this grain collection team."

"Master"

The housekeeper of the Ji family's old house also came up at this time, "How should we return the gift?"

"We originally planned to come tomorrow, but we came one day earlier. Are you ready?" Zhao Jingrong asked politely.

"Just about ready to go," the butler replied, "Everyone is ready on the way back. Besides, a friend needs to go into the city."

"Have him change into the uniforms of the puppet army. Go serve wine to the brothers in the grain collection team. If you see anyone with a similar build and appearance, go and exchange hands. If you find someone who matches, you can take over."

"I'll arrange it right away," the butler responded.

"Is there much old rice at home?" Zhao Jingrong asked a different question.

"The total weight is at least 1,000 kilograms."

The housekeeper reminded, "The rice is not clean and can only be used to feed livestock."

"It's better not to feed the devils with unclean food."

Zhao Jingrong smiled and asked, "Are there still a lot of rat droppings in your house?"

"There are most that have not been used, but there are always one or two buckets that have been used." The butler continued to answer.

"After all, this is the first time we lead a grain collection team. We can't go back empty-handed."

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he took out four small yellow croakers from his arms and handed them to the housekeeper. "How about this, take out 10 kilograms of old rice, mix it with kilograms of new rice, kilograms of sand, and one kilogram of rat droppings. Use the used ones, and mix them thoroughly so that they won't be seen. Also, prepare an extra kilograms of new rice, which I'll bring in."

"You don't need so much. Rice outside the city is not that expensive. Three sticks are enough." The housekeeper said quickly.

"Keep the extra in the account. I brought this out with great difficulty and I won't take it back." Zhao Jingrong said, "Don't mix up the two kinds of rice. Put the old rice at the bottom and the new rice at the top."

"Just wait and see," the butler responded happily, picked up the four gold bars and walked out.

"Are there any old rice and rat shit that have been used and those that have not?" Wei Ran asked curiously as he followed Zhao Jingrong out.

"Old rice can remove moisture and fecal odors, and can be used to make antique calligraphy and paintings when it is infested with insects and mold. Rat droppings can wear away the luster of porcelain and add patina to gold, stone, and wood objects. It has many uses."

Zhao Jingrong explained without reservation, "Do you still remember the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

"Remember," Wei Ran nodded.

"That statue of Buddha was fermented in a manure pit, and then old rice was used to rub off the manure smell, and then 20 kilograms of rat feces were used to rub it into powder, so that the statue of Buddha could have a patina that lasted hundreds of years. After that, broken incense heads mixed with incense ashes were used to rub it day and night to make it look like what you saw back then. The process for the cup in your arms is not much different."

"In that Buddha statue

"It's the same for all gold items. All gold items have a frame made of iron wire, and there's an iron lump inside that's engraved with the time of casting."

As Zhao Jingrong led Wei Ran out, he said, "Although jade and wood cannot hide iron bones, each of these antique items has been photographed when they were in the process of being made. There is no mistake, not a single one of them."

"I've really broadened my horizons," Wei Ran sighed.

"These were originally the means used by the palace to fool the old emperor."

Zhao Jingrong said nonchalantly, "If I can fool the emperor, shouldn't I be able to fool the devils as well?"

“Rat shit too?”

"What rat shit? It's called five spirit fat."

Zhao Jingrong corrected with a smile, "Originally, my cousin was going to take these harmful skills with him into his coffin, but in this world, hey! Damn it, it's just right to use them to fool the Japanese."

"It's quite suitable," Wei Ran agreed with a bright smile. "If you are interested in this craft, you can ask my cousin to be your master after the war."

Zhao Jingrong said in a particularly righteous tone, "He has always wanted to find a righteous apprentice to pass on this craft."

"Uncle Zhao, do you think I have good intentions?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"I think you have a good heart"

Zhao Jingrong patted Wei Ran on the shoulder and said, "The Buddha also said that you should put down your butcher knife first and then become a Buddha right away. That means that before becoming a Buddha, you should kill all those who should be killed. After killing, you will be able to purify your six senses and get rid of worldly ties. Then you can naturally put down your butcher knife and become a Buddha in a down-to-earth manner."

"Can you explain it this way?"

"The Buddha didn't say this explanation is wrong."

Zhao Jingrong said jokingly, "So just kill as much as you can. When you've killed enough and vented all the injustice and frustration in your heart, you will naturally become a Buddha, and your mind will not be crooked anymore."

"Are you really bullying those smoky clay figures because they can't open their mouths to curse?" Wei Ran teased all kinds of gods and ghosts with great joy.

"My cousin's job is to rub donkey dung and rat shit on the bodies of gods and Buddhas. Isn't that bullying them?"

Zhao Jingrong said as a matter of course, "Only murderers like you and Zhengqi can be so unrestrained. If you were a believer in Buddha or God, wouldn't you go crazy?"

Zhengqi? Kill the child?

Wei Ran raised his eyebrows and said sincerely, "That's true. After the war, if I'm still alive, I'll learn the craft from Mr. Ji for a few years."

"This craft is really not clean, you should think it over carefully."

Zhao Jingrong paused while speaking, and stopped at a moon gate. He raised his hand and pointed in a direction and said, "Go and see your second uncle and Liuzi. The housekeeper will bring you lunch later. I have to go and accompany the old lady, so I won't be at the same table with you at noon."

"Okay, uncle, please give the old lady good wishes for me." Wei Ran said politely.

"go"

Zhao Jingrong patted Wei Ran on the shoulder and walked towards the inner house alone.

Only after watching the other person disappear did Wei Ran walk to the side courtyard where Liuzi was hiding and enter the room that was guarded by many layers of security.

After such a delay, Zhang Taichuan had obviously done a good job on Liuzi and was now teaching him the Japanese language.

"Captain Jin asked me to bring this to you," Wei Ran said, taking out the wooden box containing the wine glass from his windbreaker pocket.

"Put it on that table over there."

Zhang Taichuan seemed to have thought of some disgusting scene, and pointed at the table not far away with special disdain, "You too, go to the outer room to wash your hands, and rub your hands thoroughly with soap."

"I'll go right away"

Wei Ran agreed with a smile, stood up and went outside to wash his hands thoroughly.

After a while, several servants had brought some side dishes and a pot of wine. Liuzi also began to ask curiously what treasure was in the wooden box.

Amid this overly disgusting topic, the three of them sat around the table and had a sumptuous lunch. Wei Ran also accompanied Zhang Taichuan to drink up a full pot of white wine, which tasted quite good.

After having a good meal and a few drinks, they took another nap until Zhao Jingrong came and knocked on the door. Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan, who were still slightly drunk, got up, said goodbye to the disabled Liuzi, and walked out of the room.

"time to go"

Zhao Jingrong gave each of them a cigarette, and let Wei Ran help light it. Then he said, "We will go back to the place where we were attacked last time. When the time comes, remember to shoot randomly and have fun together."

"Wei Ran, raise the gun higher so as not to hit anyone."

Zhang Taichuan gave a reminder, then yawned with a drunken odor.

"Don't worry, Second Uncle," Wei Ran responded in a low voice, and then yawned with a drunken yawn.

When the group of three arrived outside the yard, each of the five mule carts had a few more bags of rice, and the grain-collecting team members, who also smelled of alcohol, were drunk and lined up in two columns.

"Come"

As soon as he uttered a word, Zhao Jingrong burped, then fanned the alcohol from his mouth and said again, "We will go back the same way we came here.

Remember, the food we got today was obtained by our brothers after going through untold hardships and searching every house.

When we get back, we brothers can share half of the rice, so don’t tell me anything, remember that!”

"remember!"

These ugly puppet army grain-collecting team members responded in a disorganized but cheerful manner. At that time, the price of rice in the occupied area of ​​Shanghai was really not cheap, and they should have been as happy as Old Yan and others who were unaware of the truth.

"set off!"

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he struggled to pull out the tattered box gun from his waist and waved it in a very amateurish manner.

Under his command, the five mule carts returned along the same route with the steward's warm farewell.

Along the way, the veteran traitor Old Yan, under the instigation of someone unknown, had already pulled Zhang Taichuan to discuss bringing more of the popular goods when they went out next time, and this proposal was also echoed by the majority of the grain-collecting team members.

Zhao Jingrong, on the other hand, first glared at Old Yan, then deliberately winked at him, and then took over the topic on the pretext that he had drunk a lot. Old Yan also realized that he seemed to have said something wrong "in front of outsiders" and quickly changed the subject.

They hurried all the way like this, and at around two o'clock in the afternoon, the five mule carts arrived again at the place where Wei Ran and Zhao Jingrong had been attacked before. Zhao Jingrong, in particular, even asked the grain-collecting team members to load their guns with guns, and recounted with lingering fear the last time they were attacked here - just like the time they passed by here on the way here.

"Captain Jin was frightened."

Old Yan covered his mouth and whispered to his boss with another team leader in the same car, "I'm not bragging to you! If it were me! Hey! I would immediately pull out my gun and fire a round of bullets."

"boom!"

Before Old Yan could blow a sound between Bull A and Bull C, a crisp gunshot rang out from the bombed grave in the distance and reached everyone's ears!

"Pfft!"

After the gunshots, the man walking in front of the team and responsible for driving the mules tilted his head and fell down.

"Mom!"

Old Yan was so frightened that he trembled and lay down in the gap in the rice bag without thinking.

"Here they come again! Fire! Fire at me!"

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he had already pulled out the box gun from his waist, squatted on the mule cart, and pulled the trigger towards the mass grave in the distance.

Amid the chaotic gunfire, another puppet soldier driving a cart in the team was hit in the back and fell to the ground.

At the same time, the grain-collecting team members were shouting in panic, or hiding beside the car frames, or lying on the side of the road, raising their guns and starting to fire.

Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan were also holding guns. They both "forgot" to get out of the car. Their amateurish postures and the muzzles that rose sharply every time they fired looked particularly scary.

Perhaps the dense gunfire gave deputy captain Lao Yan enough courage. He hurriedly flipped under the cart, raised his gun and was ready to fire.

However, before the poorly maintained box gun in his hand could fire a bullet, a bullet flew over from the opposite side and knocked the box gun out of his hand.

"Mom! Mom! My hand! My hand!"

Old Yan covered his hand and wailed heartbreakingly. The bullet just now hit his box gun accurately. Although it did not hurt him, the flying box gun also dislocated his index finger.

The severe pain made him dare not show his head again, and he didn't even dare to pick up the box gun that fell on the cart.

Because of this, he did not notice that the gunman in the graveyard had already fled, leaving only a sturdy man who had his head covered and a gun pointed at the back of his head, lying on the ground. After pulling off the sack on his head, he was hit by bullets all over his body before he could see clearly what was around him.

"I hit it! I hit it!"

In the grain-collecting team, one of the "oddballs" shouted excitedly.

"I hit it just now, too! I was the first one to hit it!" another "Ugly Melon and Cracked Date" also shouted.

"Charge! Charge! Catch him alive!"

Zhao Jingrong secretly glanced at the stronghold not far away, and was the first to jump off the cart, then rushed over with a box gun that had run out of bullets.

"Brothers! Charge together! Protect Captain Jin!"

As the deputy captain, Lao Yan, spoke, he had already picked up the box gun with the bullet in the magazine, took a look at it, and then shouted loudly.

Under the encouragement of the deputy captain, the grain-collecting team members around him immediately rushed out, and even the puppet soldiers in the distant strongholds followed suit and rushed over to grab the credit.

It was Old Yan who deliberately lagged behind by more than ten meters before rushing along. As for Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan, the two translators who had run out of bullets, were busy loading bullets into their pistols while shouting "Wait for me", but they had no intention of moving at all.

It was not until cheers were heard from the mass grave that Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan each looked at the bodies of the two grain-collecting team members, and then walked towards the mass grave in the distance, one step deep and one step shallow.

When they walked over, the gunman's body was not even dead yet, and was twitching and spitting blood.

However, just by looking at the exceptionally bright red and foamy blood that spewed out of his mouth, one could tell that he was dead. There was no way to explain why he was here, or why he had a British 77 rifle and several still-warm bullet shells in his hand.

"Fuck it! I know this guy!"

At this moment, a puppet soldier guarding the stronghold shouted in disbelief, "Isn't this Li Huyuan from Sun Laocai's family? He came to drink with us a few days ago!"

"That's true!"

Another puppet soldier said angrily, "So he was the one who fired the gun yesterday! He was the one who shot my cousin to death!"

“Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor”

Zhao Jingrong put the box gun on his belt and said, "Everyone has a share of this credit, but I have to take responsibility for this matter. If anyone leaks the news and lets Sun Laocai and his family escape, don't blame me, Jin Fengrong, for being ruthless!"

"Don't worry, Captain Jin!"

The new leader of the puppet army squad guarding the intersection said politely, "We promise not to leak the news!"

"Then arrange for someone to make the call."

Zhao Jingrong said, "Notify the Taijuns to come over. Old Yan, you come with us."

"You guys, come with me!"

Old Yan was very skilled in the tactic of taking advantage of the power of another to bully others. He immediately called the members of the grain-collecting team No. 6 and No. 7 who were equipped with box guns, and followed the puppet army who were trying to gain credit towards the stronghold.

“I just happened to bring my camera.”

Zhang Taichuan said, "Now that we have our revenge, let's take a picture together next to the corpse. Wei Ran, you can take the picture to Mr. Musashi when the time comes, as a way to comfort Senior Nakamura."

“That’s a good suggestion.”

Wei Ran said quickly, "Let me take the photo later! I'm not a member of the grain collection team, so it's not appropriate for me to appear in the photo."

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Boss Wei." Zhao Jingrong politely bowed to Wei Ran.

"Captain Jin, you're welcome." Wei Ran also smiled and bowed. The scene was extremely harmonious.