War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1845 Winter Solstice Night

"Back here again?"

Looking around, Wei Ran found that he was still in the darkroom of Musashino Photo Agency. This time, there were still a few photos hanging on the drying line, already dried.

This time, the photos include Zhang Taichuan and Hirano Aoi taken with various back views.

The two people in the photo have changing hairstyles and clothes all the time, and Hirano Aoi's belly is gradually getting bigger.

Finally, in the last photo that Wei Ran saw in later generations, there was a cute baby girl in Hirano Aoi's arms.

Do they two have a child?

No, this is impossible.
Wei Ran frowned. Based on his understanding of Zhang Taichuan and Hirano Aoi, it was impossible for the two of them to have any feelings for each other.

Something must have happened in between, so what about now? What time is now?
I subconsciously touched my lower back and found the TT30 pistol was still there, with a bullet still in the chamber.

"Mr. Wei, are the photos developed?" At this moment, a woman's voice came from outside.

It was Hirano Aoi, and the other party spoke Chinese.

"Washed"

Wei Ran responded, then put away his gun and opened the door of the darkroom.

At this time, in the reception room of the photo agency, there sat Hirano Aoi in a Western dress, Zhang Taichuan in a Western suit, Zhao Jingrong, and Lin Qiaozhi.

Lin Qiaozhi and Hirano Aoi each held a child in their arms. The former was holding a baby girl, the same baby girl in the photos, while Hirano Aoi was holding a little boy, a mixed-race boy.

He also saw Xiaowu here, and the brothers Wang Fu and Wang Gui. He even saw the big yellow dog lying at Hirano Aoi's feet, but the only people missing were Lin Qiaoan and Liuzi.

After calming himself down a bit, Wei Ran said, "Wait a moment, it will be fine."

As he spoke, he took down the dried photos one by one, took an extra envelope and walked out of the darkroom.

"Mr. Wei, there's still time. Could you please help me put on my makeup one more time before I leave?" Hirano Aoi requested.

"Of course," Wei Ran responded readily, stood up, took the makeup box that the other party had prepared in advance, and started working.

While he was putting makeup on Hirano Aoi, the others started chatting while passing the photos around.

"Is it okay to just rely on these photos?" Lin Qiaozhi asked worriedly.

"no problem"

Hirano Aoi seemed particularly confident. "Among the Japanese expatriates in Shanghai from all walks of life, many have received letters from Mr. Musashi in the past two years. They can all testify for me about this child."

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Xiao Wu asked the question that Wei Ran wanted to ask, "Isn't this child the child of Uncle Er and Miss Hirano? I clearly saw Miss Hirano's belly getting smaller and smaller."

Xiaowu didn't finish his words, but he put his hands on his belly and made a gesture of hugging a watermelon.

"It seems that we have even deceived our own people." Hirano Aoi smiled gently, and then said, "Mr. Zhang, please explain it to us."

"This child is my nominal cousin, the high-class dancer that Qiao An invited from Southeast Asia, and gave birth to that old man Ichiro Hoshino."

Zhang Taichuan explained with a smile, "You were in the firewood collection team at the time and couldn't meet us often, so naturally I didn't tell you."

"Ah?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "When did this happen?"

"It was when I took Lao Gui to Macau as his son-in-law and hid him there."

Zhao Jingrong took over the topic, "That old ghost has to be taken care of by someone. Qiao An and I decided to take the dancer over so that we can tie him up and prevent him from having any wild thoughts."

"And then?" Xiao Wu asked, "And then there was a seed?"

"Can't"

Zhao Jingrong smiled and said, "They have nothing to do, and Qiao An helped to make some medicinal wine, so they can..."

"Jingrong"

"Hey, anyway, the baby is born."

Zhao Jingrong laughed and brought the topic back to the topic, "At that time, your second uncle and Miss Hirano pretended to be a couple, and they just needed a child to cover up. So they sewed a pillow and stuffed a handful of rice into it every day, and the child was born, right?"

"I really thought"

"I told you back then that you had to find a wife quickly." Zhang Taichuan joked with a smile.

"What's the hurry?"

Xiao Wu said nonchalantly, "Now the ghost has surrendered, but the allergic crotch is still there. Let's talk about it when peace comes."

Surrendered? In 1945?

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, but did not say anything. He just continued to listen quietly while putting makeup on Hirano Aoi.

"Don't talk about me for now," Xiao Wu asked, "Have you really decided what to do next?"

“It’s decided.”

Hirano Aoi sighed, "The nuclear forces finally failed in this war. The newspaper said that Osaka was burned down and nothing was left. I... I should also fulfill the agreement I made with Mr. Wei."

A promise with me? Wei Ran looked at the other person subconsciously.

“I’ll go ask.”

Hirano Aoi said seriously, "Ask my compatriots if this is the war they think it is. Take the photo album left by my brother and ask them what they think of this war."

At this point, Hirano Aoi asked, "Have you got any news about my brother?"

"not yet"

Zhao Jingrong shook his head. "He disappeared after following the Osaka Division to Thailand. We have been looking for him, but there is no clue about him."

"if."

Hirano Aoi took a deep breath and said, "If you have killed him, please just tell me directly. I have already accepted the fact that he will be avenged. I just want to take his ashes home."

"We wanted to kill him, but he really disappeared, which was beyond all of our expectations."

Zhao Jingrong said seriously, "Boss Mu has been bringing people to look for him. He is worried that you might think too much, so he specially sent Wang Fu and Wang Gui back to explain the situation."

When he heard this, Wei Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Lin Qiaoan should still be alive.

"When the Osaka Division decided to go to Thailand, Hirano Daisho did not leave the barracks until they left together."

Wang Fu said, "When we chased the Osaka Division to Thailand, he had already disappeared. Since he disappeared, we have been looking for clues about him, but we have never found any."

"I see"

Hirano Aoi sighed, obviously ready to accept this fact.

Why did he disappear?

Wei Ran couldn't help but frowned, but he still didn't say anything else. He had enough patience.

"Are you really planning to take your two children back to Zhaohe?" Lin Qiaozhi asked, "Ms. Hirano, maybe there is already..."

"I know, but I still want to go back."

Hirano Aoi said seriously, "In addition to fulfilling the agreement, I must at least go back and see if any of my family members are still alive."

"If you want, just come find us." Lin Qiaozhi invited after sighing, "We are in Portugal and Macao, there..."

Hirano Aoi shook her head upon hearing this and said confidently, "I am still Mr. Musashi's adopted daughter in name only. If my family members are gone, I will go to live in Mr. Musashi's home in Kyoto and use the antiques left by my brother as a springboard to do what I want to do.

Besides, I guess your affairs are definitely not over yet. If I go to you at this time, it will probably only bring you trouble.

So, what's more, I have Mr. Zhang to help me, so you don't have to worry about me."

"Second uncle is going too?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise.

"Ms. Hirano helped us before, so I will help back." Zhang Taichuan said, "I don't like to owe favors to others."

Upon hearing this, everyone present, except for the simple-minded Hirano Aoi, actually understood the other side of the meaning of this sentence: if you owe this favor, there is no way to repay the hatred.

"When do you plan to come back?" Lin Qiaozhi asked.

"I don't know," Zhang Taichuan shook his head, "Maybe at the end of the year, or next year, I'll come back when Miss Hirano has established herself."

"I hope I'll be back"

Lin Qiaozhi breathed a sigh of relief, then changed the subject and asked, "What's the name of this girl?"

"Chiyoko Musashi"

Hirano Aoi smiled and said, "If there are still people from the Musashi family alive, they will probably like this child and this traditional name very much."

At this point, Hirano Aoi asked, "Mr. Musashi, is he really dead?"

"Dead, committed suicide."

Zhao Jingrong sighed, "On the day of the nuclear surrender, he committed seppuku while listening to the radio in his room. The woman who loved him deeply can testify to this. If Miss Hirano doesn't believe it, you can..."

"No, no, no, I don't doubt you."

Hirano Aoi quickly waved her hands, sighed and said, "I don't have the courage to commit suicide. In this regard, I am not as good as him."

"Only cowards would choose suicide. Death is just the simplest thing." Wei Ran finally said, "Ms. Hirano, the makeup is done."

"It's time for me to leave here and go back to Zhaohe." Hirano Aoi took the mirror and looked at it. "It's very light makeup."

"Yes, it's very light makeup." Wei Ran replied.

“Thank you for your care over the years.”

Hirano Aoi stood up, bowed and thanked him, "We will say goodbye now. When we meet again, Mr. Wei Ran, I will tell you the answer to my question."

“Looking forward to that day”

Wei Ran nodded seriously, "You are the first kind and righteous recruiter I have ever met. I don't know if we can be considered friends, but I hope there will be more recruiters like you."

“I will work hard for this”

Hirano Aoi said, "I will also train these two children to be kind and righteous nuclear recruiters."

"I believe you will become a qualified mother," Wei Ran gave his final blessing, "Let's take one last photo."

"Let's shoot here," said Hirano Aoi, "Let's shoot here."

Hearing this, the others were stunned for a moment, and finally nodded, allowing Wei Ran to direct them to stand side by side in the studio and allowing him to press the shutter of a Rollei camera towards them.

In this group photo, Zhang Taichuan and Hirano Aoi are each holding a child. In front of them, there is a fully grown big yellow dog squatting, as if it is the protagonist.

Seeing Wei Ran put down the camera, Hirano Aoi took a step forward, turned around and bowed again, saying, "I still don't know if I am qualified to call you comrades, but comrades, I sincerely hope that you can realize your ideals.

I sincerely hope that after the war is over, we will have the opportunity to sit down and drink tea together as friends."

“That day will come”

Zhang Taichuan said, "Okay, it's time for us to leave. Wei Ran, Jing Rong, you two can see us off. Qiao Zhi, you and Xiao Wu should stay away."

As he spoke, Zhang Taichuan, who was holding the mixed-race baby Gentaro in one hand, bent down, picked up a suitcase, and was the first to walk out of the photo studio.

"Goodbye, friends."

Hirano Aoi, who was holding the baby Chiyoko Musashi in her arms, also said goodbye, picked up a suitcase, and walked out of the photo studio with the big yellow dog.

"Let's go too"

As Zhao Jingrong spoke, he also walked out of the photo studio and got into the slightly shabby car at the door with Zhang Taichuan and Hirano Aoi.

Finally, Wei Ran also came out, got into the cab, and drove the car to the dock.

“Don’t get off the bus.”

Zhang Taichuan said as he and Hirano Aoi opened the car door. They each carried a suitcase and boarded a passenger ship with the dog. This time, Zhang Taichuan also took the samurai sword that Hirano Daisho gave him.

“It’s time for me to leave too”

When their backs disappeared, Zhao Jingrong suddenly spoke. "Where are you going?" Wei Ran asked.

"Recruitment of nuclear power, I also want to recruit nuclear power."

Zhao Jingrong lit a cigarette and said, "Relying on my status as the son-in-law of Musashi, I have recently established a relationship with some expatriates from Tongwen Academy who are waiting to be repatriated. Next, I will wait to be repatriated with them."

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

"Those people are still evil, I'm going to nail them in and see what evil they are up to next."

Zhao Jingrong said, "With the guarantee of Musashi's last words before his death, they shouldn't doubt me. If I can get some information from them, it might be of some use to the war in the country."

"Yourself?" Wei Ran asked.

"Myself"

Zhao Jingrong nodded, "The fewer people who know about this, the better. Zhao Jingrong died five years ago, and the traitor Jin Fengrong will be killed by the guerrillas led by Liuzi in two days.

after
From now on, there will only be Takeo Sato, a Japanese immigrant born in Indonesia.”

"It will be discovered," Wei Ran reminded.

"will not"

Zhao Jingrong said, "In the past two years, Qiao An has sent out a lot of people to the Japanese community in Indonesia to find out about Musashi's missing daughter and son-in-law with my photo, and even printed our missing person notice. This is enough preparation."

"Did Musashi really commit seppuku?" Wei Ran asked.

"Really are"

Zhao Jingrong nodded, "Qiao An gave Musashi opium, so he has been quite cooperative in the past two years. When we were in Portugal and Macao, he also introduced me to many Japanese immigrants."

“But he still committed seppuku.”

"We didn't expect that old man to be so stubborn," Zhao Jingrong said with a little annoyance. "Well, see you again if we're lucky. I'm getting off here."

After saying that, Zhao Jingrong pushed the door and got out of the car. Everything in front of Wei Ran was completely covered by white light.

Is this the end?
Before Wei Ran could react, the white light began to slowly dissipate, and he also felt the bone-chilling cold.

When he looked around clearly, he found that he was surrounded by traditional Japanese buildings.

Looking at myself again, I was wearing a formal suit from the suitcase in the metal notebook, with a windbreaker on the outside, and I was even holding the suitcase in my hand.

So what is this special code?

Wei Ran looked around and soon noticed that at the entrance of a large Japanese-style building on the side of the road, the sign on the door read "Musashi Chiyoko"

This should be it.

Wei Ran thought about it, felt his whole body again, and pulled out the TT30 pistol from his waist as he wished.

Wei Ran habitually took a look at the sliding sleeve under the street light, then pinned it back on his waist, then walked to the door and knocked gently.

Not long after, the wooden door was opened. Wei Ran was stunned when he saw who opened the door. It was the disciplinarian mother who used to "serve" the big foreign horse!
"You are here"

The older-looking mother suppressed her inner excitement and greeted them in Japanese, "Please come in, the lady and gentleman are waiting for you."

"it is good"

Wei Ran also responded and walked into the Japanese-style house.

"boom!"

At this moment, a cluster of brilliant fireworks exploded in the night sky not far away. The sudden movement caused Wei Ran to tense up his nerves for a moment, and he and the disciplinarian mother looked up at the flowers in the night sky.

"Today is the winter solstice, and there are a lot of fireworks these days," the mother explained. "Please come with me."

When Wei Ran took another step, a little boy who looked about seven or eight years old, wearing a kimono and a demon mask on his face, also ran from the side to the middle of the yard carrying a small lantern.

Behind him, there was a little girl wearing a fox mask on the side, who looked only four or five years old, and wearing a pink kimono. She was also holding a paper lantern and chasing after him with a smile.

"Is it them?" Wei Ran stopped again and asked.

"Yes, yes, it's them."

The mother in charge replied, "Gentaro and Chiyoko, but Gentaro's last name is Hoshino instead of Hirano."

"Do they know?" Wei Ran asked the second question about the two children.

“Don’t know yet”

The mother in charge replied, "Ms. Hirano said that we should tell them the truth when they are older and can keep the secret."

"fair enough"

Wei Ran nodded, and asked the third question as he took another step, "Who lives here?"

"Besides Gentaro's and my former nanny and these two children, there is only Miss Hirano and Mr. Zhang."

"Musashi"

"Mr. Musashi's mother was still alive, but she passed away last fall, on the night we founded our country."

It's already 1950?

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Did she accept Miss Hirano?"

"At the cost of Gentaro and Mr. Zhang changing their surnames to Hoshino"

The mother in charge replied, "Ms. Hirano agreed. The old woman is very kind to the gentleman, the lady and the children."

"Thank you for your hard work," Wei Ran said sincerely.

"What's the matter, sir, don't dare to say that."

The mother who was in charge of the school said quickly, "We are so young and inexperienced that it is a blessing for us to have the opportunity to do these things."

At this moment, the door to the entrance was opened, and Zhang Taichuan, who was wearing a formal suit, ran out. He hugged Wei Ran and whispered excitedly, "You are finally here! Come on! Come in and talk!"

"How has Second Uncle been doing these years?"

Wei Ran asked as he followed the other person into the relatively warm traditional Japanese building.

"fine"

Zhang Taichuan's tone was filled with nostalgia, "Are they...are they okay?"

"Okay, you're fine."

Wei Ran was stunned and said that in fact he didn’t know how the others were doing, or even whether they were still alive.

"Mr. Wei, we finally meet again."

Following the voice, Hirano Aoi, wearing a home coat and an apron, walked out of a room and said, "Please take a seat. I'm cooking a few side dishes. They'll be ready soon."

"Thank you for your help," Wei Ran said unconsciously with a hint of politeness.

"We are friends," Hirano Aoi smiled, turned around and went back into the kitchen with the disciplinarian mother.

"Come in and sit down"

Zhang Taichuan invited Wei Ran into a room and asked him to sit around the hot table. He also turned up the power of the kerosene heating stove in the room.

"Have you brought their letter?" Zhang Taichuan asked impatiently before he even sat down.

"Wait a moment," Wei Ran said, and quickly opened his suitcase.

In addition to the original items in the suitcase, the gold and silver items he had looted when he wiped out the Japanese middlemen in Shanghai were still there.

In addition to these, there is also an exceptionally thick letter and several flower-mouthed pistols.

"Bang!" Just at this moment, another ball of fireworks exploded in the night sky outside the window.

"Today is the winter solstice. Since the start of the Moss War, the Japanese have made a fortune, and there are many people celebrating this festival."

As Zhang Taichuan spoke, he couldn't wait to tear open the envelope and take out the thick stack of letter papers inside.

"Ms. Hirano's House"

"Gone"

Zhang Taichuan replied while reading the letter, "I followed her to Osaka in 45, and her house was burned down, leaving nothing behind.

At the end of that year, I went with her again, and there wasn’t much change. After that, she gave up and never went back.”

"Her brother."

Zhang Taichuan shook his head again, "No, that person seems to have evaporated, there is no news at all."

"Second Uncle, you and Miss Hirano," Wei Ran pointed outside the door vaguely.

Zhang Taichuan looked up at Wei Ran, then lowered his head again to look at the letter in his hand, and said calmly, "Don't make blind guesses. There is no way Miss Hirano and I have anything going on. She doesn't have the heart to talk about love, and neither do I."

"What are you doing now?" Wei Ran asked after hesitating for a moment.

"Ms. Hirano joined the JCP in 46, and she has been committed to the anti-war cause ever since."

Zhang Taichuan answered casually, "Over the years, I have publicly opened a photo studio, Xingye Photo Studio, and used the studio's filming to provide her with some cover."

"The current situation is difficult, right?" Wei Ran asked.

"yes"

Zhang Taichuan sighed, "Since the start of the Moss War, there seem to be two voices within the group, and the conflict between them has become increasingly serious. In addition, the JCP was banned by MacArthur in June this year and prohibited from public activities. Now a considerable number of members have gone underground."

"Can I know Miss Hirano's attitude?" Wei Ran continued to ask.

“I advocate peaceful negotiations to resolve the issue and have been conducting anti-war propaganda.”

As Hirano Aoi spoke, she, together with the mother who took care of the situation and the wet nurse who had "cooperated" with Wei Ran on the boat, brought some food on a tray.

"Bang! Bang!" At this moment, two brilliant fireworks exploded outside the window one after another.

"Today is the winter solstice. We usually eat pumpkin and red bean stew on this day."

Hirano Aoi glanced at the fireworks outside the window, then turned around and brought a dish that looked like "steamed pumpkin with red bean paste" to Wei Ran, but she didn't know whether it should be considered a meal or a dish, so it seemed that the only food that could be referred to as "dish" was the food.

Before he could thank her, Hirano Aoi brought another bowl of noodles. "This is the udon noodles I made. I'm from Kansai, and this is what we eat during the winter solstice."

"Thank you"

After Wei Ran expressed his gratitude, the mother in charge and the wet nurse brought a plate of Chinese dumplings and glutinous rice balls respectively, as well as rice cakes and a small dish of sugar that seemed to be specially prepared for Zhang Taichuan.

“We have everyone at this table.”

Zhang Taichuan put away the letter and said with a smile, "I am from Hangzhou. We eat rice cakes every winter solstice."

"I am Shanghai Ning"

The mother who was in charge of the school also changed to her accent, and said in the Shanghai dialect that only Zhang Taichuan could barely understand, "We eat glutinous rice balls and sweet rice wine during the winter solstice."

“I’m from Rehe”

The nanny also changed into her local accent and said, "In our area, we always make dumplings during the winter solstice."

But after she said this, tears couldn't stop flowing down her face. Perhaps she thought of those people who had spent the winter solstice with her.

"Eat. You won't miss home when you are full."

As Zhang Taichuan spoke, he picked up a piece of rice cake with chopsticks, dipped it in the sugar dish, and then put it in his mouth. However, his eyes never left the letter from beginning to end.

"What does the letter say?" Hirano Aoi asked curiously, "Is there any news I can know?"

"Yes," Zhang Taichuan said worriedly, "Sixth son went to the Chaoshan battlefield."

"Dang!" The chopsticks in Hirano Aoi's hand accidentally slipped and hit the hot table.

(End of this chapter)