War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1840: Common Enemies with Enemies
In the stuffy room, Liuzi held a piece of cold watermelon in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and lowered his voice to vividly describe their action of burning the fence wall at the beginning of the month.

In his narration, what impressed him most was the sky that was illuminated red by the flames, the winding fire dragons on the earth, the cheering people, and the puppet soldiers and devils who had given up struggling and did not even shoot at them.

"This is truly incredible! It's even more powerful than the burning of Chibi that Huang Gai came up with!" Zhao Jingrong exclaimed.

"No!"

Zhang Taichuan said with regret, "This is even more exciting than what was said in the newspaper! What a pity! If only I were there at the time, I would have lit a fire and burned those bastards to death!"

"I've ordered it. I've ordered it for you all!"

Liuzi said, "We really did light a fire for each of you! Second Uncle, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Lin, Big Brother Wei, Little Brother Wu, and Young Boss, we..."

He had only said half of his words when Liuzi suddenly pulled off the towel around his neck and covered his face with it, but he was unable to suppress the sadness that was welling up in his heart.

Yes, he was also sad and regretful, and was the only one who failed to see Zhang Zhengqi for the last time.

They came all the way from Fengtian outside the Great Wall, and experienced so much hardship before running to Shencheng. They bowed and nodded to their enemies together, endured grievances and humiliations day and night, and fought hard while bearing the infamy.

Now, he was dead, dead in this room.

"it's already over"

Zhang Taichuan patted Liuzi on the shoulder and forcibly changed the subject, saying, "This fire is great. The bamboo fences have been burned clean, and the Japanese's campaign to clean up the countryside has become a joke. Well done, you did a great job!"

Before Liuzi could say anything else, they heard the sound of knocking on the wall again.

"Let's go, it's time to go back and prepare."

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he was the first to stand up, lifted the thick cotton curtain, and opened the wooden door of the room, letting the setting sun outside in and giving the smoke in the room a rainbow of colors.

In the gorgeous colorful smoke, there seemed to be a young man with a red face painting smiling happily.

"Happy today"

Zhang Taichuan stood up and said, "Let's drink a few more glasses tonight, Jingrong, you have to prepare some good wine, we have to really get him drunk."

"Just wait and see!" Zhao Jingrong said, and was the first to walk out.

"Let's go on stage to warm up first. Liuzi, you will sing Shi Qian in this scene."

Zhang Taichuan stood at the door and said as if deliberately teasing, "Whether Boss Mu can break Hu Yanzhuo's chain of horses depends on you."

"I am not Hu Baoyi who killed his mother that day"

Lin Qiaoan said this with full of sarcasm, and also stood up, patted Liuzi's shoulder gently, and walked out of the room with Wei Ran and Zhang Taichuan, leaving the space for Liuzi who was crying and Xiaowu who was comforting Liuzi.

"Uncle Lin, doesn't you like the timely rain in Water Margin?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice while passing through the tunnel.

"like him?"

Li Qiaoan sneered disdainfully, "The way she sways and shows off her crotch but not her mouth is no better than the one outside the Paramount who lifts up her skirt to let the rickshaw driver see her for free."

"Qiao An has always looked down on people like Song Jiang who would turn against him," Zhang Taichuan explained with a smile.

"I don't like any of those people in Water Margin."

Lin Qiaoan did not hide his disdain at all when he spoke, "This book is well written, but there are no good people in it."

"Who does Uncle Lin like?"

Wei Ran, who had already passed through the tunnel and was carefully brushing the dust off his body with a feather duster, continued to satisfy his insignificant curiosity.

"I like Monkey King," Lin Qiaoan answered as a matter of course.

"He seems to be in Huaguo Mountain instead of Liangshan Marsh, right?" Wei Ran smiled. This was just a casual chat, so there was no need to be too serious about it.

"He didn't go to Liangshan Marsh because he didn't like it."

Lin Qiaoan happily explained his impressions after reading, "If he went to Liangshan Marsh, I'm afraid he would kill the timely rain with a stick first, then catch the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess and beat them up, and ask which bastard couldn't hold his crotch to urinate and cause the timely rain."

"Don't listen to his nonsense"

Zhang Taichuan shook his head helplessly, "Let's all go take a shower and change into decent clothes. I guess someone will come and invite us to go next door soon."

"It would be nice if there was Monkey King"

Lin Qiaoan sighed, went upstairs with a look of melancholy, and walked into the room prepared for him.

Wei Ran also returned to his own room on the second floor, wiped his body hastily, and changed into a formal suit that was decent but a little sweaty. Just as Wei Ran was getting ready, the old maid who used to take care of the big horse also walked to the door and knocked on the half-open door.

"Mr. Hirano, please invite Mr. Kawaguchi, Mr. Musashi and Captain Jin to your home for a visit," the old woman said in Chinese with a soft Wu dialect accent - but she used Japanese names.

"Little Musashi"

Wei Ran shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Let him be Little Musashi, he is better than Kojiro, otherwise he would have to dye his hair blue.

"Did you bring the letter?" Zhang Taichuan asked as he walked downstairs.

“I brought it,” Wei Ran gave the answer.

"Where's the wine?"

"Ready"

Zhao Jingrong said, "I still have two bottles of Wangmao in my room. They were left over from when Qiao An first came to Shencheng and took over the Lihua Opera Club. He treated the gang leaders to a meal and we'll drink them today!"

"It's been so many years," Lin Qiaoan sighed.

"Yeah, it's been many years."

Zhang Taichuan also sighed, "I don't know if your theater company will have a chance to reopen in the future."

'There's definitely a chance'

Lin Qiaoan said confidently, "The female artists that Zhengqi helped me put together are still complete. Later, I will use them as the backbone to rebuild your Zhang family's Mingxiang Opera Troupe. This can be regarded as a legacy left by Zhengqi."

"Is the troupe still there?" Zhang Taichuan asked casually. At this time, they were already walking in the alley.

"here I am"

Lin Qiaoan nodded, "Now they are being taken care of by my sister Qiao Zhi, they are all in Portugal and Macao."

"What's the situation over there?" Zhao Jingrong asked.

"not good"

Lin Qiaoan shook his head, stopped at the door of the house between the two houses, and whispered, "Although that place has not been occupied by the Japanese, they have blocked sea transportation, and famine has begun to occur there."

At this point, Lin Qiaoan paused, took a step forward and added, "It's not much better than Shencheng. Some eat tree bark, some eat grass roots, some eat Guanyin soil, and some even eat... eat humans!"

Before Wei Ran and the other two could say anything, Lin Qiaoan had already walked into the door of the Hirano family and greeted Hirano Daxiang enthusiastically in Japanese.

Hirano Daxiang was obviously not prepared for the unexpected appearance of Lin Qiaoan. However, his enthusiastic attitude made Wei Ran and others who came in later feel a little relieved.

After giving the gift prepared for Hirano Daxiang's son during the greetings, Lin Qiaoan asked bluntly, "Is Mr. Hirano going to transfer from Shencheng to Feilu Funeral?"

"Oh?"

Hirano Daxiang frowned, then subconsciously glanced at Zhang Taichuan, "Where did Mr. Mu get the news?"

"Mr. Hirano misunderstood"

Lin Qiaoan smiled and said, "My source of information is not Mr. Kawaguchi. His loyalty to you has long surpassed the friendship between him and me."

"Could it be"

"It's Mr. Musashi," Lin Qiaoan said before the other party's guess could be targeted.

"Mr. Musashi?" Hirano Daisho was stunned for a moment, "He's still alive? How did he know I was going to be transferred out of Shencheng?" "Of course he's alive, don't you know?" Lin Qiaoan asked in surprise, "He didn't tell you?"

Seeing Hirano Daxiang looking over, Wei Ran took out the envelope and letter paper and said, "We only found out about this after receiving this letter today."

After a slight hesitation, Hirano Daisho took the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and began to read it with his sister Hirano Aoi who was standing behind him.

After a moment, Hirano Daxiang handed the letter to his sister behind him, "Mr. Mu is here on behalf of Mr. Musashi."

"Mr. Hirano misunderstood"

Lin Qiaoan didn't wait for the other party to finish and explained, "I came here for myself, and also to reach a business cooperation with Mr. Hirano."

"Oh? What business?" Hirano Daisho asked without comment. "Since Mr. Mu already knows that I'm leaving Shencheng, he should..."

“It’s not a green funeral business”

Lin Qiaoan still did not give the other party a chance to finish speaking, and by interrupting the other party again and again, he patiently and gradually took control of the initiative of the conversation.

"No"

"There is also the issue of Miss Hirano's safety." After Lin Qiaoan interrupted the other party this time, a calm smile appeared on his face.

"Are you threatening me?" Hirano Daisho finally uttered a complete sentence.

"It's not me who's threatening you, it's Mr. Musashi."

Lin Qiaoan said, "From what I understand, Miss Hirano, Mr. Musashi seems to have been longing for you for a long time, right?"

“That’s exactly what happened.”

Hirano Aoi said helplessly, "When he left Shencheng, he left me a letter expressing his feelings. I remember it was Ryunosuke who delivered it."

"Is that true?" Hirano Daisho's eyes widened.

"Um"

Hirano Aoi nodded, her expression and tone showing undisguised disgust, "Your words are very vulgar!"

"It seems that I did pass on a letter for Mr. Musashi."

Wei Ran said promptly, "But I remember that what he told me seemed to be some matters regarding business arrangements."

"This bastard!"

"Mr. Musashi is old enough to be Miss Hirano's father."

Lin Qiaoan first cut a knife into Hirano Daxiang's heart, and then sprinkled salt on it without leaving a trace, "But what he wants is not just Miss Hirano, but all of our wealth, and even Mr. Hirano's life. So I came here, and I want to make a deal with you."

"He still wants to kill me?" Hirano Daisho frowned, his tone full of suspicion.

"How can you stay in Shencheng? How can you sell so many military supplies without being discovered? Do you know some important person?"

But after Hirano Daito asked this question, which was originally attributed to fate, the living room, which was filled with cool breeze from the fan, also became quiet.

Seeing that Hirano Daisho didn't say anything, Lin Qiaoan calmly told him the answers they had analyzed not long ago one by one.

As he analyzed, the suspicion on Hirano Daisho's face was gradually replaced by fear and anger. He even subconsciously suspected Zhang Taichuan, Zhao Jingrong and Wei Ran again.

However, as Lin Qiaoan continued speaking, especially when he mentioned that even Wei Ran and the other two might not be able to escape the fate of paying back their debts, Hirano Daxiang had completely believed what he said.

"Mr. Aoi tried to take over Mr. Musashi's business."

Zhang Taichuan, who had been silent just now, added casually, "Mr. Hirano, I even suspect that the shooting when you first arrived in Shencheng, especially the killing of your translator, might have been a deliberate arrangement by Mr. Musashi."

After saying this, Hirano Daisho couldn't help but shudder.

"Mr. Hirahino"

Wei Ran also spoke at the right time, "We. We all count on you."

“Fortunately, we didn’t ship those antiques back to Osaka”

Hirano Aoi completed the final blow with lingering fear, "Otherwise our brother and mother, as well as Miss Yoshiko and the children..."

"These are probably Mr. Musashi's bargaining chips to threaten Mr. Hirano."

Lin Qiaoan said, "Your family in Osaka, and Miss Hirano in Shanghai, and I forgot to ask, Mr. Hirano, what is your son's name?"

Hirano Daisho shuddered subconsciously again and answered hesitantly, "Gentaro Gentaro, his name is Gentaro."

"Then he is probably also a bargaining chip used by Mr. Musashi to threaten others." Lin Qiaoan's firm tone made Hirano Daisho panic.

"What is he threatening me to do?" asked Hirano Daisho.

"Someone has to bear the mistakes and losses of reselling so many supplies."

Lin Qiaoan reminded, "I guess the deceased Mr. Aoi must be one of the scapegoats. The restaurant he forcibly bought from me might have to be used to compensate for the losses.

But for all his subsequent transactions, he always had to find a scapegoat. Mr. Hirano, who do you think it would be?"

"How do you want to trade?" Hirano Daisho asked after a long silence.

"We are here to ensure the safety of Ms. Hirano and Gentaro."

Lin Qiaoan offered his bargaining chip, "Even after you are transferred to Feilu Funeral, we can continue to cooperate. We just need to find a way to work together to get rid of Mr. Musashi."

"How to solve it?" Hirano Daisho asked subconsciously.

"This is what we need to discuss," Lin Qiaoan said, "If I could think of a solution, I might not have to rush back to Shencheng to meet you."

"I need to think about this matter," said Hirano Daito.

"In that case, why don't I prepare a table tonight?"

"Gentlemen"

Hirano Aoi said at the right time, "Why don't you come over to my house tonight? I'll ask the servants to prepare some delicious food."

"That's fine," Lin Qiaoan nodded, "In that case, I'll come and bother you again in the evening."

"Goodbye," Hirano Daisho stood up and said goodbye, watching Lin Qiaoan walk out of the courtyard alone.

"What's going on?" asked Hirano Daito.

"Mr. Mu suddenly came to our house this afternoon," Zhao Jingrong said, "He wanted me to meet you."

"What about this?" Hirano Daito shook the envelope in his hand.

"This was also delivered to the photo agency by the postman this afternoon," Wei Ran replied quickly.

"Mr. Hirano"

Zhang Taichuan said, "I think we should be prepared for both situations. Regardless of whether what Boss Mu said is true or not, we should be more cautious even if it is just for the safety of Miss Hirano and Gentaro."

"Brother, why don't we pack our luggage first?" Hirano Aoi suggested.

"Alright"

Hirano Daisho stood up and said, "You guys come and prepare for the evening banquet. Xiaokui and I will go to the military station to pack our luggage first."

"Do you need me to come over and help?" Zhang Taichuan asked proactively.

"No need. Xiaokui will help me." Hirano Daisho said, and he and Hirano Aoi hurriedly left the living room.

The three people in the room looked at each other and a smile appeared on their faces.

They all knew very well that Hirano Daisho was panicking. They also knew that he had no choice.