War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1854 A Different Story
"Can I open it and take a look?" Wei Ran asked in the warm Japanese-style room, pointing at the envelope fixed in the memoir.

"Of course, but I'll help you."

As Qianxun spoke, she took out a slide projector from the box beside her, which Wei Ran had only seen in the multimedia classroom when he was a child.

"I hope it still works," Chihiro said as she plugged in the slide projector.

"Where did you get these two letters?" asked Wei Ran who was watching from the side.

“About ten years ago when the house was renovated.”

Chihiro pointed to the top of her head and said, "We found them in the attic of our house. The two letters were placed in two lunch boxes, each with Gentaro and Chiyoko's name written on them."

"Ten years ago, Mr. Gentaro and Ms. Chiyoko"

"It's a shame they didn't get to see these two letters."

As Chihiro spoke, she put on a pair of silk gloves that she had prepared in advance, then carefully opened an envelope, took out several numbered reversal films from it, and placed them one by one in the film slot of the slide projector in order.

Then she stood up and turned off the lights in the Japanese-style room, then skillfully operated the slide projector to focus and project the contents of the reversal film onto the wall.

This is a long letter, written by Hirano Aoi to Gentaro. It contains Hirano Aoi's experiences in Shanghai, her experiences after returning to China, her views on the JCP, her views on anti-war, and Gentaro's origins - she already knows that Gentaro is not her biological son, and that he has no blood relationship with Hirano Daisho.

Obviously, Zhang Taichuan had told Hirano Aoi the truth, but who told Zhang Taichuan the truth? This letter did not mention this.

As Chihiro switched the projection of the reversal films one by one, Hirano Aoi told everything without reservation and gave Gentaro the right to choose freely - he could even choose to become a Chinese. She even gave him a Chinese name: Zhang Siqi.

She still deeply loved Manager Qi, who refused to even look at her until his death.

At the end of this long letter that was prepared to be sent to Gentaro when he was 18 years old, Hirano Aoi's only advice to him was: be an upright, kind and responsible person, no matter if you are a nuclear recruiter or a Chinese.

"Do you need me to switch to the second letter?" Qianxun asked amid Wei Ran's sigh.

"Okay, thank you for your help." Wei Ran nodded.

"nothing"

Qianxun paused, and while expertly changing the slide film in the projector, she asked, "Mr. Wei, do you hate recruiting nuclear personnel like most Chinese people?"

"yes"

Wei Ran truthfully admitted his attitude, "I can see that your family has a good impression of China, but even so, I can't say against my will that I don't hate recruiting nuclear people."

Before Qianxun could say anything, Wei Ran added, "But I also have to admit that at least Miss Hirano Aoi, no, at least Comrade Hirano Aoi is worthy of respect.

Not only because she helped China during the war, but also because of her integrity, kindness and honesty.

Even as a mother, she is great. In fact, I guess few mothers have the courage to be so frank and well prepared to tell their children the true life story when they grow up. "

"I'm very proud to hear you say that."

Qianxun said with a maturity beyond her age, "Just like you can't choose whether you are Chinese or from any other country before you are born, I also can't choose whether to be Chinese before I am born.

Even though I am half Chinese, this is where I grew up. It is impossible for me to abandon my identity as a nuclear recruiter and identify myself as a Chinese. "

"I fully understand," Wei Ran replied seriously.

“We are born without the ability to choose our family and nationality”

Chihiro said, "But I can be whoever I want to be, like Comrade Hirano Aoi, Jr. Hirano Aoi."

"She was probably about your age at that time," Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes." Qianxun's tone was full of admiration, "When she first went to Shencheng, she was just 19 years old."

At this point in the conversation, she also changed the reversal film and skillfully operated the slide projector to project the content of the first slide.

This was still a long letter, and Hirano Aoi still truthfully and in detail recounted her experiences in Shanghai, and focused on "Mr. Musashi" and his photo agency, as well as the entanglement between them.

The only thing she did not mention in this letter was the fact that Mr. Musashi was kidnapped. She only vaguely stated that before the end of World War II, someone sent Mr. Musashi's daughter to her.

I think this only lie was only told for Zhang Taichuan's safety at that time.

At the end of this long letter, Hirano Aoi did not give Chiyoko the choice of whether to become a Chinese or recruit a nuclear person:

I may not be qualified to be your mother, but I still hope that you can be an honest, kind and responsible recruiter.

I hope you can set an example and work hard to change the impression of nuclear recruiters among people in all countries we have invaded.

"I want to know what choices Mr. Gentaro and Ms. Chiyoko made without seeing these two letters." Wei Ran asked after watching the last slide.

"In front of Gentaro, can we call them comrades?" Chihiro asked while pouring Wei Ran another cup of tea.

"certainly"

"In the memoirs co-authored by Gentaro and Chiyoko"

Chihiro put down the teapot and said, “Gentaro went to Inni in 1966 with Sachiko Musashi, his last adoptive mother.

That year, Mr. Gentaro was already an adult in his twenties, and something very terrible happened to the ink pad that year.

Yukiko Musashi was very worried about her friends in Inni, and she insisted on going to Inni to save her friends, and Mr. Gentaro followed her to Inni. "

As she spoke, Qianxun stood up and turned on the light in the Japanese-style room. She also picked up a photo album and spread it out in front of Wei Ran, "These are the photos they took at the ink pad.

Gentaro and Sachiko did not find the person they wanted to save, but they met Mr. Zhang Taichuan at the dock, who had clearly committed suicide. He also had another name, Kawaguchi Yoshiyoshi.

As Chihiro continued her story, Wei Ran also saw in the photo the photo of the no longer young Zhang Taichuan, the adult Gentaro, and Musashi Sachiko taking a photo at the dock.

"He, I mean, Mr. Zhang Taichuan told Gentaro the truth about his life experience and everything that happened that year. Although he concealed some things, the contents were basically consistent with the two letters we found later."

Qianxun said, and took out another photo album and spread it out, "This photo album is the one that Zhang Taichuan gave to Gentaro back then. Everything in it is very cruel."

Hearing this, Wei Ran nodded and gently opened the photo album. The first page of the album was the members of the Mingxiang Opera Troupe hanging in the barn of the cart inn.

"Zhang Taichuan and Gentaro said that the people in this photo are his family members and were all killed by Hirano Daisho." Chihiro said, pointing to the bodies in the photo.

Wei Ran didn't know how many times this beautiful young girl with a slightly exotic look had seen this photo, but he could still hear the fear in her tone and the trembling in her voice.

"Comrade Gentaro said in his memoirs that he regretted hating his father Kawaguchi Yoshiyoshi when he was young and ignorant, and was grateful that he told him all the truth after he became an adult.

He hated that he learned the truth only after he became an adult, but he was glad that at least he was not the son of Hirano Daisho, and he vowed never to become such a monster. "

"What happened next?" Wei Ran asked.

"Later, Gentaro, with Sachiko's support, shared the secret he got from Chang Taikawa with Chiyoko and my grandfather. Not long after that, Gentaro and Chiyoko joined the JRA."

At this point, Qianxun picked up the TT30, pulled the slide skillfully and took a random aim. After putting it down, she picked up a photo album, flipped through a few pages and handed it to Wei Ran. "Gentaro participated in the JRA with this gun. This was a gift from Zhang Taichuan when he left them in 1966."

After taking the photo album handed over by the other party, Wei Ran widened his eyes at just one look. In this photo, the adult Gentaro and Chiyo were taking a photo with a beautiful woman.

In the photo, Gentaro is carrying an AK rifle on his shoulder, and the TT30 is fixed on the right side of his chest in a very practical and advanced way at the time.

He even concluded from the way Gentaro carried the gun on his back in the photo and the position of the TT30 that the other party must be left-handed.

In the same photo, Chiyoko is carrying an RPG7 rocket launcher. As for the beautiful woman between the two of them, she is just holding a cigarette in her hand.

"She's still in prison, and if nothing unexpected happens she'll be released next year." Chihiro said, pointing at the woman in the middle of the photo.

"It's indeed her." Wei Ran sighed.

"Surprised?"

Chihiro smiled, “Gentaro and Chiyoko didn’t stay in the JRA for very long because they felt that woman and her philosophies were too violent so they quit.

Soon after that, the woman was arrested, and then the JRA was cracked down on.”

"Aren't they implicated?" Wei Ran asked.

"no"

Qianxun shook her head and said, "They were lucky, because they happened to follow Sachiko to Yinni that year. Unfortunately, they didn't find the person Sachiko was looking for, nor did they see Zhang Taichuan again.

After returning to Japan, Gentaro joined JCP and embarked on the same path as Hirano Aoi. "

"Where is Chiyoko?" Wei Ran asked about the "story" whose ending he clearly knew.

"Chiyoko later became a businessman"

Qianxun said, "She has been to China many times to pay tribute to Hirano Aoi, and accidentally found Zhang Taichuan's tombstone there."

"Do you know where their graves are?"

Wei Ran actually guessed that they must know it, but he was still very surprised when he heard the news.

"of course I know"

Chihiro nodded as a matter of course, "Not only Chiyoko and Gentaro, but even Chizuru and I went to pay tribute to her and Mr. Zhang Taichuan after we became adults, and we go every year.

It’s just that during the annual worship ceremony, the schools that recruit students don’t have holidays, so we basically don’t have the opportunity to stay in China for a long time. We usually rush over to worship, and then rush back the next day, or at most the third day.”

As she spoke, Chihiro flipped through one of the photo albums, then showed another set of photos.

In this set of photos, there is a bluestone tombstone with five simple Chinese characters "Hirano Aoi's Tomb" engraved on it.

Also in the other photos on this page, he saw the "Tomb of Zhang Taichuan".

"Can you tell me the address of this cemetery?" Wei Ran asked.

"no problem"

Chihiro simply agreed, "In general, although Gentaro and Chiyoko did not receive the letter left by Hirano Aoi in time, they both became the people Hirano Aoi hoped to be. But my grandfather took a completely different path." "Your grandfather." Wei Ran thought for a moment, "Did he also join the JRA?"

“And he didn’t quit.”

Chihiro flipped through the photo album and pointed at a man holding an AK, wearing sunglasses, and an Arab headscarf so that his face could hardly be seen, and said, "He is my grandfather, Kentaro Musashi.

But even my mother had few memories of him, and didn't even know if he was still alive. She only knew that he had gone to Beirut.

When Gentaro was alive, he said that in the winter of 1982, my grandfather suddenly returned home with a baby girl. He told everyone that it was his daughter, the child left to him by his partner, and he named her Mao.

At this point, Chihiro asked, "Do you know why my mother is called Mao?"

"Is there any special meaning?" Wei Ran asked, a little distracted.

"Because the Romanized version of this name is the person my grandfather admired the most, he said so himself."

Qianxun sighed, "But after that, he never showed up again. The only thing we know is that the woman who gave birth to my mother, or according to Huaxia, my grandmother, might be from Beirut."

"Yes?"

Wei Ran couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. He even couldn't help but wonder whether Mao was born in the hospital where he once stayed, or even whether it was possible that the cradle or the Edelweiss brought her into this world.

"What's wrong with you?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing"

Wei Ran shook his head and made up an excuse, saying, "No wonder your mother and you both look a bit exotic."

"Thank you"

Qianxun shrugged nonchalantly, spreading her hands in a self-deprecating manner, "My mother has almost perfectly inherited my grandfather's romanticism in this matter.

Now, she's never seen her dad, and I've never seen mine, and if I wasn't pretty enough and white enough, I would have thought I was a black kid."

“I don’t even know if I should laugh at this joke.”

Wei Ran said helplessly, "I don't know if this is offensive, but if you need it, I can help you find your father."

“This is totally unnecessary.”

Chihiro said nonchalantly, "I know exactly who he is, and even where he is, but forget it."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed to an ink painting hanging on the wall of the room. "That's his work. Last year, I asked my classmates for help and bought it from his website for about 1000 yuan."

"Is he a painter?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"My mother is also a painter," Chihiro said, adding, "She is completely unknown and hasn't picked up a paintbrush for a long time."

Could this be considered as inheriting the artistic genes of Musashi?

Wei Ran shook his head in his heart. He had no intention of judging Musashi Mao's personal feelings, but at least through chatting with Chihiro, he could see that this family seemed to have a good impression of China.

On the other hand, when he was looking through the photo albums provided by the other party, he found that the photos that Zhang Taichuan gave to Gentaro and even the corresponding negatives were copies.

So what about the original? Who has the original? Could it be that the one I have is the only original?

While he was chatting with Chihiro and secretly guessing, he didn't know that in a Japanese-style B&B in Ukyo Ward, an old acquaintance of his was talking about things related to him with a new friend he recently met.

"Did you let the water go?"

The man sitting on a rattan chair by the window facing the semi-open courtyard asked nonchalantly.

"I don't have one"

Jia Ya, who had just met Wei Ran in Hangzhou not long ago, responded in the same nonchalant manner, "I was also very surprised that he could find this place so quickly."

"It's best if there's no water," said the person sitting opposite, holding the teacup.

“I don’t need to do something that is meaningless.”

Jiaya's tone was still so nonchalant, "It was purely an accident that my careless nephew and his friend found the devil who drew cartoons. If I had known that the devil had a connection with Master Liu, I would have cut off the tail and rooted it out long ago, and would not have let this matter become such a big deal."

"Ms. Jiaya, you are worrying too much."

The person sitting opposite waved his hand and said, "Ever since the grandfather died suddenly from overwork, we have had no contact with that family except for the occasional secret care.

The past few generations have basically lost contact, so it would be a good thing if the person you are looking for can build a bridge between the two families."

"So it's valuable?" Jiaya keenly grasped the key point.

'Some value'

The person sitting opposite thought for a moment, then said, "Hoshino Hayato, the son of Hoshino Gentaro, was a collaborator in the Chiyoda organization when he was young, and he even secretly helped our people.

Because of his prudent work, this person has now reached the level of a superintendent in the Chiyoda organization."

"Chiyoda," Jiaya raised an eyebrow, "the former 'Sakura'?"

"Now your name is actually Zero. Why do you use such an outdated name like 'Yakura'?" the person sitting opposite asked with a slightly strange look.

"I don't have to deal with them," Jiaya said, "Why don't you try to contact this person?"

“No need”

The person on the other side said, "The only difference between their organization and a sieve is that the holes are more numerous and bigger, and every day they are full of trivial and undisclosed activities of politicians in private.

Even if it is for the sake of the Sixth Master and the Master Zhongtang, there is no need to drag the old friends into the water. Besides..."

"What else?" Jiaya asked.

"After so many years, it would be a good thing if Master Zhongtang could stand up straight and bask in the sun."

"Won't."

"will not"

The man shook his head confidently before Jiaya finished speaking, "It's been so many years, the beards have been plucked out, it's time for Master Zhongtang to receive some incense."

"The person who sent me here said that some things were lost during the ink turmoil?" Jiaya changed the subject.

"Something was lost." The person on the other side nodded, "Why? Miss Jiaya."

“I can’t help you with this.”

Jiaya tapped the photo of Wei Ran on the table with her fingernails. "But this young man may bring some surprises."

"How to say?"

"He's a historian and his track record is amazing."

Jiaya smiled and said, "Although there are more women around him, his professional ability is still beyond doubt. And the seven-colored elephant that appeared recently and made people laugh out loud seems to have his shadow behind it."

"One of our own?"

"It's a wild wind, but it's a good wind."

“Is this wind clean?”

“I can’t smell anything else”

Jiaya clicked on Wei Ran's photo again. "Also, I've met this person before. He's very cunning and dangerous, like someone who has waded through deep water."

"Ms. Jiaya thinks so highly of him?" The man raised his eyebrows.

“That’s it”

Jiaya stood up and made a strange gesture, "This young man and my troublesome nephew are in the same boat, so please give him some face. If we can't be friends, at least don't make things difficult for him."

The person on the other side also stood up and gestured back, "Then let the wind blow for a while?"

"Then blow for a while"

After saying this, Jiaya simply turned around and left the room, returning to the room she had booked several days in advance.

At the same time, Wei Ran also finished reading the memoir and all the photo albums and other items that the other person had placed around while chatting with Qianxun.

“It’s getting late”

Almost at the same time he closed the memoir, Mao, who smelled faintly of alcohol, knocked on the door and walked in. She handed back Hirano Daisho's manuscript with both hands, "Mr. Wei, how about we talk about the threatening letter and the hidden story behind it tomorrow?"

"It's all up to you." Wei Ran politely accepted the other party's suggestion and also took the stack of manuscripts.

"Chihiro, take Mr. Wei back to his room." Mao said, "I'll clean up here."

"Please come with me!"

After saying this, Qianxun yawned, and took Wei Ran along the corridor to the main house, brought him to Sui Sui's room, and also pointed out the location of the toilet and bathroom.

Without waiting for Qianxun, who was helping to close the door from the outside, to disappear, Sui Sui, who had been trying hard to stay awake despite being sleepy and drunk, immediately asked in a low voice, "How is it? Did you find anything?"

"It's a completely different story," Wei Ran said, "I'm going to take a shower first, and I'll tell you slowly when I come back."

"Go quickly, I'll wait for you!" Sui Sui said with anticipation, and couldn't help yawning.

However, when Wei Ran came back after a quick shower, the girl had already fallen asleep on the quilt.

"Forget it, I'll tell you tomorrow." Wei Ran smiled, helped the other person cover the quilt, and then turned off the light.