War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1828 Let’s Have Breakfast

Outside the Ji family's gate, the female artists from the Lihua Opera Troupe simply ate a few bites of food and then went on stage to begin their performance accompanied by the music of drummers.

To celebrate the occasion of accepting a disciple, Mr. Ji set up a stage at the door and performed operas, making the place very lively. Even the great philanthropist Su and Mr. Wu, who had many festivals with each other, sent people to send gifts.

While he was busy in the front yard, Hirano Daisho had the medicines brought by the firewood-collecting team sent out through different channels in an extremely secretive manner.

In the heavily protected courtyard behind the Ji family's old house, Wei Ran, Hirano Aoi and Doctor Zhang were busy stamping their feet to the faint sound of rapid drumbeats.

If he put aside his grudges and prejudices, Wei Ran had to admit that Hirano Aoi had solid basic skills. Although she could not keep up with his speed, she was more professional than Dr. Zhang, and she knew clearly how to cooperate with Wei Ran.

Even so, the three of them, plus the young girl with the cuffs, and the local doctor, were busy until late at night without being able to stop for a rest.

During this half day, Hirano Aoi even successfully saved a pregnant woman in labor and the baby in her belly with the help of a midwife and the translation of Wei Ran outside the door curtain.

During this period, Zhang Taichuan also came in several times, took the camera given to him by Hirano Aoi, and helped take a lot of photos of her treating the wounded and sick.

Regarding these photos, in the words of Hirano Aoi, this is her sincerity.

Wei Ran and the others certainly understood that according to this girl's understanding, as long as these photos were exposed, she might be sent back for investigation and trial.

Whatever the truth is, the busy people simply don't have time to discuss it, or rather, they are tacitly avoiding topics that put both sides in a dilemma.

I don't know since when, the sounds of playing music and singing outside have died down, and the doors and windows of this stuffy operating room have been blocked by thick quilts. Fortunately, the number of wounded people accumulating in the yard is getting fewer and fewer.

Finally, when the last wounded person was carried out, Hirano Aoi let out a tired sigh and staggered out of the operating room.

"Take her to the toilet."

The experienced Wei Ran greeted him in his native language, then followed him out of the stuffy operating room filled with a strong smell of blood, walked out of the courtyard, and untied his belt at the wall outside the door.

When he came back after finishing peeing, Hirano Aoi was not back yet.

"She begged Uncle Er to take her to see the young master," said Liu Zi, who arrived a little later. "Brother Wei, let's go to the front yard. You haven't eaten all day."

"Wait a moment"

Wei Ran walked into the operating room and saw Mr. Zhang and the girl with the cuffs packing up the surgical instruments while giving explanations. He then breathed a sigh of relief and followed Liuzi through the backyard of the Ji family's old house and returned to the room where Zhang Zhengqi was.

"Is he awake?" Wei Ran asked Hirano Aoi who had just finished changing the dressing.

"not yet"

Hirano Aoi replied in a hoarse voice, "But he has no fever and his wound is not inflamed. He will definitely be fine."

After taking a closer look at Zhang Zhengqi's face and listening to his breathing and heartbeat, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Together with Hirano Aoi, he followed Zhang Taichuan into another room separated by the main hall.

At this time, the room was already filled with a table full of food, even a plate of killed watermelon and two bottles of cold soda.

"No need to wait, you two can eat first."

Zhang Taichuan specifically said in Japanese, "Mr. Zhang and his friends are not suitable to come to this courtyard, so we have prepared an extra table for them in the back."

"I'm not welcome anymore"

Hirano Aoi, who was obviously very hungry, picked up the bowl full of rice with chopsticks, picked up a large piece of braised fish and began to wolf it down.

She was really starving, and she had never experienced such high-intensity rescue work before.

"bang"

Wei Ran opened a bottle of soda with chopsticks. The sudden noise startled the Japanese girl whose cheeks were bulging from eating so much.

However, when she saw the soda that Wei Ran handed over, she quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks and took it. Before she could say anything, Wei Ran had already moved to the window and lit a cigarette.

A moment later, Hirano Aoi came over with another opened bottle of soda and handed it to Wei Ran, "Mr. Wei, can we talk again?"

"What to talk about?" Wei Ran asked as he took the soda and placed it by the window.

"Your attitude towards me seems very contradictory?" Hirano Aoi asked, "Can I know what you are thinking?"

"I was wondering, are there any good people among your core recruits?"

Wei Ran turned around, leaned against the windowsill, looked at the other person and asked, "Have you met any good people before coming to China?"

“Of course I have.”

Hirano Aoi replied, "I have met very good people. Ms. Yoshiko is a very good person. She is very kind and gentle. Our neighbor Mrs. Chiyoko and her husband are also very good people, as well as my teacher Mr. Kobayashi. They..."

"Didn't they all participate in this war?" Wei Ran asked a new question.

"them."

Hirano Aoi was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "No, I know a lot of very good people, very gentle people, very kind people, they all responded to the call to join the army, some of them died on the battlefield, some although they came back, but became disabled."

"Do you think they killed people on the battlefield?" Wei Ran asked a new question.

"I guess. He must have killed someone."

Hirano Aoi looked out the window at the bright night sky. "What else do we need soldiers for? Do business on the battlefield like my brother did?"

"So, those people who did not participate in the war, those people you think are kind and good, are they innocent?" Wei Ran asked a question that almost had no correct answer.

"Is this what you are thinking about?" Hirano Aoi asked back.

"yes"

Wei Ran also turned around and said, "A long time ago, I had a German friend who told me that the snowflakes on the rock wall had already made their final choice the moment they fell from the sky."

"I-I don't understand who the snowflakes you are referring to." said the young Hirano Aoi.

"It's one of the snowflakes that makes up an avalanche that will bury everyone," Wei Ran said. "That's what I'm thinking about."

“No snowflake is innocent”

Hirano Aoi sighed, "No one is innocent, the things my brother entrusted Mr. Musashi to bring home have made our family live a good life.

But today I realized that the benefits we enjoy in Osaka are the blood that flows from the bodies of people in other places.”

"What kind of propaganda about this war did you hear in Osaka?" Wei Ran continued to ask.

"At least it's ten thousand times better than what I've seen since I came to Shanghai."

Hirano Aoi said with increasing pain, "What I heard in Osaka about the war was not true. Someone is lying."

"Yes, someone is lying."

Wei Ran said this while looking at Hirano Aoi, "The snowflakes on the rock wall had already made their final choice the moment they fell from the sky.

But those were just snowflakes on the rock wall. Some snowflakes were blown to other places by the wind. I don’t want to judge whether those snowflakes are innocent or not. After all, they are the snow that makes winter colder.

But I hope, Ms. Hirano, that you won't end up on the rock wall or in the avalanche.

I still have no way and will never be able to forgive your compatriots for what they have done, and if I have the chance, I will definitely take revenge by flattening the wheel.

In order to get revenge, I am willing to become a guilty person.

But after I take revenge, I will definitely try to do something to atone for my sins, just like you are doing now. That's all."

"I see"

Hirano Aoi took a step back, bowed seriously and said, "Mr. Wei, I sincerely hope that you can complete your revenge.

I am sure that by then you may be like me now, with only torment in your heart and absolutely no joy at all.

Even so, I still hope you do what you think you should do.

Because I know that those people who were tortured and killed in those photos of my brother’s crimes are also making you feel uneasy and tormented day and night.

So if revenge is the more comfortable option between the two pains, then go for it.”

"Thank you for your understanding, Ms. Hirano."

“Thank you for your honesty too.”

Hirano Aoi smiled with relief, "I don't know why, but after learning that you would choose revenge, I feel a little better."

"I understand, just as I've been expecting you to choose to tell on us."

Wei Ran sighed, "If I could get such an opportunity, I would seek revenge and then rescue those who survived as atonement."

"Thank you for saving those innocent lives," Hirano Aoi said more solemnly and seriously.

“After dinner, go to bed early.”

After Wei Ran finished speaking, he picked up the bottle of drink that the other person had opened for him and walked out of the room that made him feel increasingly depressed.

"I didn't expect that you are the hardest one to convince." Zhao Jingrong said to himself in the shadow of the corner of the corridor.

"A long time ago, someone said that I was a person with low awareness."

Wei Ran spread his hands, "I think I am like this. I have a low level of awareness and I am narrow-minded. I will take revenge if I have a grudge, ten times or a hundred times, and I may even ignore the consequences."

“I’m not going to advise you.”

Zhao Jingrong said, "But that Zhaohe girl saved many people today. Just based on this, Wei Ran, you can't hurt her. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and killing indiscriminately will create karma."

Hearing this, Wei Ran suddenly smiled.

"why are you laughing?"

"Once there was a little monk who said that he would pray for me and protect me from being entangled in the karma of killing." When Wei Ran said this, his smile became more wanton, "But don't worry, I'm not crazy yet, I promise I won't hurt Hirano Aoi.

I know that she is a friend, at least for now. And it is precisely because she is a friend that I am honest with her. "

"Go to bed early." Zhao Jingrong patted Wei Ran on the shoulder and motioned him to follow Liuzi who was not far away.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"We'll sing for another morning tomorrow, and then go back after lunch." Zhao Jingrong said as he walked into the room where Hirano Aoi was having dinner.

Under the guidance of Liuzi, Wei Ran came to the main room prepared for him in the side courtyard.

"Brother Wei, go to the west wing and take a bath. I'll bring you some more later."

“No need,” Wei Ran waved his hand, “You should go to bed early too.”

Hearing this, Liuzi opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. He turned around and left the courtyard.

After taking an extra careful bath in the large wooden tub in the west wing, Wei Ran hung his clothes on the clothesline in the yard to avoid leaving the smell of disinfectant. Then he lay down on the bed and lowered the mosquito net.

That night, he still slept uneasily. In his intermittent and broken dreams, those friends appeared one after another, but they said nothing. They just patted his shoulders affectionately or hugged him gently.

Even so, when Wei Ran woke up at a certain moment, he found that the corners of his eyes and pillowcase were wet.

"call--"

After taking a deep breath, he got up energetically and changed into a Zhongshan suit and new cloth shoes that had been delivered to the table outside the door at some point in time.

After washing up, Wei Ran came to Zhang Zhengqi's room early. At this time, Hirano Aoi had already helped him check his wound.

"Good morning, Mr. Wei." Hirano Aoi greeted Wei Ran with a bright smile.

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Wei Ran asked.

"I heard that he woke up once in the middle of the night," Hirano Aoi said, "He should be out of danger."

"That's good"

Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to say something when Hirano Aoi took the initiative to invite him, "Let's go see the other injured people."

"Alright"

Wei Ran nodded, left through the back door with the other party, and returned to the courtyard.

But it’s only been one night since we last saw each other, how could there be anyone else in this courtyard?

"Let's go back"

Wei Ran turned around and walked back while saying, "Today you are Miss Hirano, Miss Hirano who came to watch the show."

"So you will be much more enthusiastic towards me?" asked Hirano Aoi. Obviously, she understood Wei Ran's hint.

"If Miss Hirano needs it," Wei Ran said.

"What about Manager Qi?"

Hirano Aoi ignored the previous topic and took the initiative to start a new one, "If my brother finds that Manager Qi is not here after we go back, won't he be suspicious?"

"Manager Qi accidentally fell while maintaining the stage last night. Thanks to Miss Hirano's presence, he was saved."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Taichuan came over and said, "Ms. Hirano, thank you for your help yesterday."

"Please don't thank me," Hirano Aoi said guiltily, "What I did is nothing."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I'll take you to have breakfast."

Zhang Taichuan took the initiative to change the subject and took Wei Ran and Hirano Aoi to the relatively more lively front yard.

"Mr. Wei, I was thinking about a question last night." said Aoi Hirano.

"What's the problem?" Wei Ran asked absentmindedly.

"If we are enemies, and if I help you fight your enemies, then we have a common enemy."

At this point, Hirano Aoi stopped and said, "Our common enemy is my compatriots. I don't understand why I would stand against my compatriots if I am doing the right thing. Are my compatriots, the civilians who did not participate in the war, all wrong?
If I was doing something wrong, why did I sleep so soundly last night without dreaming about the scenes in those photos? "

"Ms. Hirano"

Wei Ran also stopped and turned around and said, "I was thinking about similar questions before going to bed last night."

"So do you have an answer?" Hirano Aoi asked expectantly.

"I have the answer, but it's not my own."

Wei Ran paused and said, "In the city of Shencheng, there is at least one active internationalist fighter. She rushed from faraway France to Spain to fight, and after the failure of the battle in Spain, she fulfilled her promise and came to Shencheng to continue fighting as an internationalist fighter.

Hirano, please allow me to call you Comrade Hirano Aoi.

If you admit that you are an internationalist fighter, then I can answer you that our common enemy is not your compatriots, not the nuclear fighters, but the French who wage war and invade other countries’ lands. "

"So our common enemy is Fasu? Those snowflakes falling on the rock wall?" Hirano Aoi asked, "If I am an internationalist fighter?"

"From the moment you were willing to save Manager Qi and from the moment you were helping the wounded and sick yesterday, you have already become an internationalist fighter."

Wei Ran said frankly, "From this point of view, on my own behalf, I would like to welcome you to China to help us fight, and thank you for all your efforts."

"So you will continue your revenge?"

Hirano Aoi asked, "I am willing to accept your gratitude as an internationalist fighter. The question just now was just out of personal curiosity."

"meeting"

Wei Ran answered bluntly, "I am only a human being after all. I cannot forgive all the invaders, including your brother, for what they did to this land where I was born and raised.

I am not qualified to forgive them, the only option I have is revenge.

To be honest, I will not forgive all my enemies just because there is a good person among them.

I prefer to forgive an equal number of innocents after all the revenge is done, and help the other survivors as much as the good guy did."

“I fully understand.”

Hirano Aoi took a deep breath and then let out a long breath, "Anyway, Mr. Wei, or Comrade Wei, you at least gave me a clear answer, letting me know who the enemy I am facing is.

If being an internationalist fighter is a profession like being a doctor, I accept the job and will continue to help you in the future.

I just hope”

Taking a deep breath again, Hirano Aoi gritted her teeth and said, "I just hope that I won't be involved in the work of revenge against my brother.

I.
I know he committed a crime that is unforgivable no matter what, but I still can't bear to watch him die in front of me, let alone provide any form of help for your revenge.

Like you said, you are only human after all, you can only seek revenge.

I am only a human being after all, and I cannot help you to avenge my brother."

"So we have a deal?"

“In the Osaka way”

As Hirano Aoi spoke, she took the initiative to extend her sweaty hand towards Wei Ran.

"make a deal"

Wei Ran also stretched out his hand and held the other person's hand.

"So you convinced each other?" Zhang Taichuan asked.

"Maybe" Wei Ran and Hirano Aoi gave the same answer.

"It seems that there should be a wine jug and wine glasses on the dinner table this morning."

Zhang Taichuan said happily, even though... even though he was the one who had the hardest time untying this knot in his heart and the hardest time comforting himself.

"Mr. Qin"

Hirano Aoi took a deep breath and said, "I will not stop you either, and I won't mind you taking revenge on Faxus."

"But that Faxusi is your brother," Zhang Taichuan sighed.

"I know"

Hirano Aoi also sighed, "I know."

“Let’s go have breakfast”

Wei Ran spoke to change the subject and took a step forward.

“Let’s go have breakfast”

Zhang Taichuan followed up, he knew clearly that he and Hirano Aoi were now in the same dilemma yet contradictory situation.

Zhang Taichuan was innocent back then, but Hirano Daisho killed his family.

Today's Hirano Aoi is innocent, but she...
“Let’s go have breakfast”

Hirano Aoi also said this and took a step past Zhang Taichuan.