War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1822 How Can You Bear to Give Up

Before the heavy rain came, Wei Ran took a rickshaw back to the Musashino Photo Studio, which was his own.

There was no way he could keep the business open in this kind of weather, so he simply locked the shop door and searched the two-story photo studio carefully.

As expected, this photo studio didn't have even a single silver dollar, except for some counterfeit coins that looked like waste paper. As for those "antiques", forget it. Ichiro Hoshino even took away the account books and film albums.

The only things of some value here, apart from the car, were the consumables such as film and photo paper. He couldn't even find the fuel needed for the car in the photo studio.

He focused on searching the Japanese-style room on the second floor where Ichiro Hoshino usually lived. Wei Ran went downstairs and returned to the office. He took out a pair of silk gloves from the drawer and put them on. Then he took out the letter that Ichiro Hoshino had asked him to give to Hirano Aoi before they left, took a look at it, and directly tore open the envelope and took out the letter inside.

The content of this letter can be basically summarized by the phrase "an old toad with a young heart wants to eat swan flesh."

"You can send it to that little girl."

Wei Ran pondered secretly that after learning that Hirano Aoi had taken a fancy to Zhang Zhengqi, the result of sending this letter was almost foreseeable. It was impossible for Hirano Aoi to accept Hoshino Ichiro. Instead, she would feel bad about him and become more alert because of this letter.

After a little thought, he took out an envelope of the same type from the drawer, folded the letter paper in half along the original traces and stuffed it in.

However, after a little thought, he took out the letter paper and spread it out on the table.

Wei Ran got up, walked into the darkroom and took out a pair of tweezers. He went upstairs and went into Ichiro Hoshino's bedroom. After squatting on the tatami and observing carefully, he picked up a curly gray hair with the tweezers in his hand, turned around and went back to the office. He carefully placed it on the fold of the letter, then carefully stuffed it into the envelope and took out the glue to seal it.

With a "clang" he threw the tweezers onto the table, took off his silk gloves and threw them back into the drawer, then stood up and went into the bathroom to wash his hands carefully.

He had just wiped his hands when he heard the roar of an engine outside.

Seeing this, Wei Ran quickly opened the door and held up an umbrella to welcome Zhang Taichuan, who had just returned from delivering the car.

"I've checked it myself." Wei Ran said before the other party spoke.

Hearing this, Zhang Taichuan breathed a sigh of relief, but still gestured for Wei Ran to go into the office, took out a pen from his pocket, unscrewed it, picked up the empty envelope that Wei Ran had opened, and wrote a line of beautiful penmanship:

"The beastly brother and sister were sent first, and Aoi was sent later. Aoi hopes to trade some antiques before the old ghost comes back. He wants to replace Ichiro Hoshino. At present, it is hard to say whether he has the support of Hirano Daito."

"What does Second Uncle think?" Wei Ran took the pen and wrote.

"It doesn't matter," Zhang Taichuan wrote, "there are plenty of antiques."

"What do you need me to do?"

“Not needed at this time”

After a brief pause, Zhang Taichuan continued writing, "What did Lao Gui write in the letter to her?"

"The old toad wants to eat the swan meat"

Zhang Taichuan smiled at what Wei Ran wrote, but he didn't reply. Instead, he took out a lighter and lit the envelope full of words. At the same time, he said, "It's raining so hard that there won't be any business. Why don't we close the shop and go to the theater to drink and listen to music?"

"That's fine, I'll pack my things."

Although Wei Ran said this, he did not stand up. He just handed the other person a cigarette and they each lit it up. In the swirling smoke, they waited patiently for the envelope in the ashtray to burn to ashes.

Wei Ran carried the ashtray into the office and cleaned it, then took the love letter that Hoshino Ichiro wrote to Hirano Aoi and followed Zhang Taichuan into the car at the door.

In today's Shanghai, because of the Pacific War, the Japanese have implemented stricter control over fuel. If Chinese people want to get fuel, they can basically only go to the black market. Even the Japanese are only supplied in limited quantities according to rations.

Because of this, coupled with the heavy rain, the streets were finally not so crowded.

When they drove to the theater, they found that the business of Lihua Theater was particularly busy because of the rainstorm. However, before they got out of the car, they found that Lin Qiaoan and Zhao Jingrong were waiting at the door with Hirano Aoi.

“You came just in time.”

Without waiting for Wei Ran and the others to get out of the car, Zhao Jingrong shouted in Japanese, "Mr. Hirano's nanny just called and said Mrs. Hirano fainted. The maid doesn't speak Japanese, so she called the theater. You guys should send Miss Hirano over to see her. Also, Mr. Hirano is on his way."

"Get in the car," Zhang Taichuan called out immediately.

Zhao Jingrong also immediately helped Hirano Aoi open the door of the rear compartment, and after Hirano Aoi, who was hiding under the umbrella held by Lin Qiaoan, got into the car, he helped close the door.

Before she could sit still, Zhang Taichuan stepped on the accelerator and drove the car away.

"Ms. Hirano, do you know what happened?" Zhang Taichuan asked curiously.

"The nanny only said on the phone that the woman fainted," Hirano Aoi said, "and it seemed that she also broke her arm."

"Ms. Hirano, please sit tight, I'm going to increase the speed." While Zhang Taichuan reminded Hirano Aoi, he also indirectly stopped Wei Ran's curiosity.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of the gate of a Shikumen building. Wei Ran immediately got out of the car, opened an umbrella, helped Hirano Aoi open the car door, and took the medicine box from the other party.

The group of three hurriedly ran into the alley. When they arrived at the door of the building rented for Hirano Daisho and his foreign horse, a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella was already waiting at the door.

"What's going on?" Zhang Taichuan asked as he walked in.

"My wife suddenly fainted for some reason."

The old woman followed and explained, "If I hadn't protected her, she would have fallen and hurt her stomach."

As they were talking, the three people who walked into the living room also saw the Polish dancer lying on the sofa.

When I see her again now, this Polish girl has gained a lot of weight, and her clothes and temperament have become much more luxurious.

Of course, her bulging belly was as conspicuous as the pipe and lamp placed beside the sofa, and even the living room was filled with the unique stench from burning opium.

"Did she take any drugs?" Hirano Aoi asked with a frown.

When Zhang Taichuan translated the question into Chinese, the nanny nodded immediately, "Yes, my wife takes a few puffs every day."

When Zhang Taichuan translated the answer back, Hirano Aoi did not say anything. She just skillfully found a small flashlight, opened the Polish girl's eyelids and took a look, then took out a blood pressure monitor to measure her blood pressure.

After a while, Daisho Hirano also ran in. His whole body was wet, and there was a bicycle thrown outside the door.

"Xiao Kui, is she okay?" Hirano Daisho asked nervously.

“Low blood pressure”

As Hirano Aoi spoke, she had already taken out a bottle of saline solution, pulled out the rubber stopper, and put it to the Polish woman's mouth, carefully feeding her mouthful by mouthful.

Not long after, the Polish girl finally opened her eyes. Seeing this, Hirano Aoi immediately handed the infusion bottle in her hand to the nanny. She took out gauze and other things from the box and continued to meticulously help the woman deal with the not-so-big wound on her elbow.

By the time she finished everything, the Polish girl had completely regained consciousness, but her own wet shoes and skirt had soaked a large area of ​​the floor.

"Go find some clothes for Miss Hirano to change into."

Zhang Taichuan gave the order on behalf of Hirano Daxiang. At this moment, the beast's eyes were only focused on the Polish girl with a big belly leaning in his arms.

"Kawaguchi, Ryunosuke, you helped me again." Hirano Daisho said gratefully.

"Mr. Hirano, you are too polite. This is what we should do."

Zhang Taichuan said quickly, "We didn't do anything, we just sent Miss Hirano here. But Mr. Hirano, your clothes are soaked, you should change your clothes quickly.

Even if your body doesn't care, Mrs. Hirano's body is susceptible to cold."

"Ah! Yes! You reminded me!"

As Hirano Daisho said this, he quickly handed the big foreign horse in his arms to the nanny who had just returned, and he got up and ran upstairs.

"Your belly is quite big. When do you expect to give birth?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

"It's almost winter," the nanny whispered.

Turning his head again to look at the pipe beside the sofa, Wei Ran didn't say much. People of this era were not like those in later generations. They probably had not yet realized the possible effects of smoking opium on the fetus in the womb.

"Is there going to be any problem with the baby in my belly?" Zhang Taichuan asked cautiously in a low voice.

"Will not"

The nanny answered confidently in a low voice, "After the rain stops, I will ask the doctor to come back to check your pulse and prescribe some medicine to preserve the pregnancy."

"That's good"

Zhang Taichuan nodded without comment. To him, this big foreign horse and the baby in her belly were just bargaining chips to restrain Hirano Daisho.

They didn't have to wait long before the Hirano siblings changed their clothes and returned to the living room. However, Hirano Aoi didn't look very well, and Hirano Daisho seemed to be deliberately avoiding the look his sister gave him from time to time.

"Mr. Hirano, Ms. Hirano, since everything is fine, Ryunosuke and I should go first..."

"I'll leave with you guys." Hirano Aoi stood up while speaking, and picked up her medicine box with a cold face. Zhang Taichuan and Wei Ran looked at each other deliberately, and then looked at Hirano Daxiang with a look of help.

"Please send Xiaokui back," Hirano Daisho said helplessly and bowed slightly.

“It’s nothing”

Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan immediately bowed in return, took the umbrella handed to them by the nanny, and escorted Hirano Aoi out of the door.

Gradually, Hirano Aoi walked faster and faster, and finally she just ran in the heavy rain.

"Ms. Hirano, please drive slowly. It's raining."

Before Wei Ran could finish his reminder, Hirano Aoi screamed, kicked Chu Liuhua, and sat down on the rain-soaked ground with her butt first.

However, even so, the Japanese girl still subconsciously held her medicine box in her arms.

"Ms. Hirano, why don't you go back and change into a new one?"

"Need not"

Hirano Aoi struggled to break free from Zhang Taichuan's support with a bit of stubbornness, gathered her hair up, climbed up, and continued walking towards the car parked at the entrance of the alley.

Seeing this, Zhang Taichuan and Wei Ran had no choice but to catch up with each other and send her to the back seat of the car.

By the time Zhang Taichuan and Wei Ran got into the driver's and co-pilot's seats respectively, Hirano Aoi, who was sitting in the back seat, was already crying.

After a slight hesitation, Zhang Taichuan finally took out a handkerchief and handed it to Hirano Aoi who was sitting behind him. The latter took the handkerchief in a panic, but had no time to wipe away her tears. Instead, she carefully wiped the medicine box that was wet by the rain.

"Ms. Hirano, shall we take you back to the clinic next?" Zhang Taichuan asked after a moment of silence.

"Please take me back to the clinic, please." Hirano Aoi said while wiping the medicine box.

"You, Mr. Hirano, seem to be Mrs. Hirano"

"That woman doesn't deserve to be called Mrs. Hirano," Hirano Aoi corrected before Zhang Taichuan finished speaking.

Before Zhang Taichuan could say anything, or even start the car, Hirano Aoi said guiltily as if she had found someone to talk to, "My brother already has a wife. They got married in the spring of 13. His wife is Miss Liangzi, not that Western woman who can't even speak Japanese and only knows how to smoke duck slices every day."

"Mrs. Hirano. I mean, Ms. Yoshiko, does she have a child with Mr. Hirano?"

Zhang Taichuan asked while looking at the rain outside the car window. He did not start the car, but held the steering wheel with both hands.

“I already have two daughters.”

Hirano Aoi sighed, "My brother wanted a boy, especially after he made more and more money from the battlefield, he wanted a boy more and more urgently."

After a pause, Hirano Aoi covered her face and said painfully, “Ryoko has been trying hard to take care of her and my brother’s children and all the family members, but my brother hasn’t written to her for a long time.

I... I don't even know how to reply to Yoshiko who keeps writing to me. I even want to tell her that my brother has died in the war."

"Mr. Hirano never said he was married"

Zhang Taichuan said apologetically, "Sorry, Ms. Hirano, we...we can't help you."

"No, no, no, you don't have to apologize. This is not your fault."

Hirano Aoi quickly waved her hand and said, "Please take me back to the clinic. I'm sorry to let you hear this."

"Ms. Hirano, you don't have to apologize either."

Wei Ran took the opportunity to talk to Zhang Taichuan while he was starting the car. "After we get back, Miss Hirano can change clothes and go to the Lihua Theater. That will definitely make you feel better."

"Thank you for your advice." Hirano Aoi didn't know what she was thinking about, and her mood seemed to improve.

At the same time, Zhang Taichuan also started the car and slowly drove towards the Lihua Opera House in the increasingly heavy rain.

Since the car couldn't move, Zhang Taichuan and Wei Ran just chatted with Hirano Aoi in a random manner, helping her divert her attention and inner guilt.

However, just as the car passed an intersection, a series of rapid gun-like firing sounds suddenly rang out in the heavy rain!

"what happened?"

Hirano Aoi crouched down subconsciously and asked in panic.

"Seems to be"

Before Zhang Taichuan could finish his words, a man with a gun ran out of an alley, supporting another person who seemed to have been shot!

Could it be

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Immediately afterwards, rifle shots were heard from the alley, and one of the men covered his thigh and nearly fell to the ground.

But soon, they saw the car only a dozen meters away from them. The one who was shot immediately supported another person who seemed to have been shot as well and ran towards them. At the entrance of the alley behind them, there were two other people holding box guns and firing back.

It’s Zhang Zhengqi!

broken!

Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan recognized one of the people running towards them, and subconsciously glanced at Hirano Aoi behind them. Both of them had already made up their minds to kill.

"Click"

Just at this moment, Zhang Zhengqi had already opened the car door and pushed the person he was supporting in.

"two"

Zhang Zhengqi, who followed in, finally found Hirano Aoi, who was huddled by the other door with a look of fear on her face. The latter also recognized the man who was soaked all over, holding a box gun in his hand, and bleeding on his thighs and waist.

"I"

“Get in the car!”

Zhang Taichuan urged, and Zhang Zhengqi immediately got in and closed the car door, and subconsciously pointed the box gun in his hand at Hirano Aoi's head.

At the same time, Zhang Taichuan drove the car back to the intersection, then turned to another intersection and ran. At the same time, they also saw the two people who were covering them also ran in other directions.

"What's going on?" Zhang Taichuan had calmed down at this time.

“Our guests are being targeted”

Zhang Zhengqi covered his wound with one hand and explained, "The devils are using our guests to fish."

"Did I see you?" Zhang Taichuan asked.

"no"

Zhang Zhengqi said, "I am here to meet you halfway. You need to send the guests away as soon as possible."

"Are you two seriously injured?" Zhang Taichuan asked.

"The guest has only minor injuries. I'm afraid he won't make it."

Zhang Zhengqi took a breath and said, "Wait, cut my face, take off my clothes, and throw me into the Huangpu River."

"Okay," Zhang Taichuan responded very straightforwardly and expressionlessly.

At this time, Hirano Aoi ignored the gun against her head, pulled out the medicine box between her and another person, took out a piece of gauze from it to help Zhang Zhengqi press the wound, and said calmly in Japanese, "Please come back to the clinic quickly, I can save him."

"Are you going to save him?" Zhang Taichuan asked in surprise.

"Let's talk about other things after I revive him." As Hirano Aoi spoke, she had already taken out the second dressing and pressed it on Zhang Zhengqi's other wound.

"I don't need this devil woman to save me"

Zhang Zhengqi said as he pulled Hirano Aoi's hand away, "Give me a quick death and send me to the Huangpu River."

"Even if you plan to kill me to silence me, please let me try to save him first." Hirano Aoi said as she picked up another piece of dressing.

"Fuck it! Fuck it!"

Zhang Taichuan cursed fiercely and weakly, but at the same time he stepped on the accelerator to the bottom. The young man behind him was his nephew.

How can I bear to do this?