War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1858 Hayato's Request and Trust
On the second day after arriving in Kyoto, Wei Ran and the others spent almost the entire day admiring the scenery of Arashiyama and the various delicious or not-so-delicious snacks around Arashiyama.

After a day's fun, Chihiro and the three He girls became good friends with Sui Sui and the others, and they could talk about anything - they even learned to call them "Sister Sui Sui" and "Your Majesty the Queen".

It was also on this evening that Mr. Holler, who had mobilized almost all the channels of connections at hand, finally reaped some rewards.

However, neither he nor Yashar were in a hurry to tell Wei Ran about the good news. Instead, they chose to keep it secret for the time being - they decided to help Wei Ran complete all the investigations as a thank you for his previous help, especially for helping them open up the second battlefield.

Compared to these friends who were busy in corners where Wei Ran couldn't see, as night fell, although Mrs. Musashi Mao still hadn't come back, Chihiro, together with her three younger sisters, and Wei Ran and others except the Kajianka sisters, cooked a sumptuous dinner of various flavors and styles.

While these young people were sitting around the kotatsu and drinking cold beer, Mrs. Mao Musashi had already returned to her bar early and went into the basement that the He girl had used. She also sent people to guard all entrances and exits to the basement and underground parking lot.

Before Mao Musashi could get drunk with cup after cup of colorful cocktails, the door of the huge basement connecting to the underground parking lot was pushed open from the outside, and a man in a suit who looked about her age but had an exceptionally steady temperament walked in.

"What's the matter that requires you to call me back so urgently?" the man asked, sitting at the bar in the basement, holding up a cocktail.

"The second brother is the first to arrive, but please wait a little longer," Mao said in Chinese, "the eldest brother will be here soon."

Just from the small detail of the language she used, the man who rushed over guessed something and asked with a frown, "Did you do something stupid by sending a threatening letter to that cartoonist?"

"And they came directly to my door," Mao Musashi said nonchalantly.

"Coming to my door? Who? That cartoonist? Where are the children?" The man took out his cell phone while speaking.

"Not that cartoonist, and no harm meant."

Mao had just finished speaking when another man in a suit who looked older walked in. He entered the basement from the main entrance of the bar.

"Brother is here too," Mao greeted the man who had just taken out his cell phone.

"Hayato, why are you here too?" the man asked.

"Mao is in trouble," said the man called Hayato, "I almost got there too, so I didn't have time to hear her explanation."

“Not a big deal”

Mao said this and pushed a cocktail to the man who had just come in. She then repeated the situation of Wei Ran and others who came to her house, as well as her decision.

That night, the three brothers and sisters in the basement did not leave until dawn. However, Wei Ran and others went to bed early after dinner due to the influence of alcohol.

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone was about to set out with Chihiro and others to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, but a Japanese off-road vehicle stopped at the door before everyone left.

"Dad! Why are you here?!"

The twins of the Hoshino family exclaimed in unison and happily hugged the arms of the old man who walked out of the SUV.

“This is our dad!”

The twins introduced their father in unison to the people who were getting ready to go out, and then happily introduced Wei Ran, Sui Sui and others.

"Welcome to Kyoto. I'm their father, Hayato Hoshino."

While introducing himself, the old man also described the reason why Wei Ran and the others came here - they were here to have fun.

After greeting each other, Hayato Hoshino said, "I heard from my sister that a well-known historian came to our house. I also have a strong interest in history, so I couldn't wait to rush back.

Mr. Wei, I wonder if I could take up a little of your time. I have a lot of historical questions that I would like to ask you."

"Mr. Hoshino, you are too polite. I don't deserve your advice, but we can communicate with each other."

Wei Ran knew that the other party must have something to talk to him about, so he turned around and said, "Sui Sui, go play first. I won't accompany you today."

"fair enough"

Sui Sui is such a smart girl, she immediately said, "With you not here, we can have some girly chats, so let's get going."

"Have fun"

Hoshino Hayato sent his blessings with a smile, and the Kajianka sisters exchanged a glance with Wei Ran without leaving a trace.

As for the other pair of beautiful twins present, they were already asking with great interest what "topic between girls" they would talk about next.

"What a group of energetic girls," said Hayato Hoshino as he watched the girls leave.

"Yeah," Wei Ran smiled. He could see that this person had no ill intentions.

"Mr. Wei, please come with me."

Hoshino Hayato waited until the two cars full of girls drove away before he closed the door and extended an invitation to Wei Ran - he spoke in Chinese from beginning to end.

"Please." Wei Ran raised his hand to give way, followed the other party back to the courtyard, and came to the Japanese-style room again.

"My sister Mao told me why you came."

Hoshino Hayato invited Wei Ran to sit down at the kotatsu table, and while making tea, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, because of me, we can't accompany you to worship my grandfather, Mr. Zhang Taichuan. We can only let the children replace us."

"You regard Zhang Taichuan as your grandfather?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"What else?" Hoshino Hayato asked as a matter of course, "Do you regard Hirano Daisho as your grandfather?"

Seeing Wei Ran's apologetic smile, Hoshino Hayato explained, "My father, Hoshino Gentaro, always blamed my grandfather for not protecting my grandmother Hirano Aoi before he learned the truth, but he never denied the fact that Zhang Taichuan was his father. He was even sad for a long time because of my grandfather's fake death."

"Sorry, I take back my question just now." Wei Ran said seriously.

"nothing"

Hoshino Hayato smiled and shook his head, "You have read those two letters, right? The letters Hirano Aoi left for my father and Aunt Chiyoko."

"I saw it," Wei Ran nodded and answered truthfully.

"I have been thinking about what choice my father would make if he could see the letter in time." Hoshino Hayato said as he poured Wei Ran a cup of tea, not matcha, but green tea from China.

"Do you have an answer?" Wei Ran asked.

“Maybe.”

Hoshino Hayato replied, "If he had received that letter at that time, he might not have chosen to become a Chinese.

China is his root, and even my root. But my father and I grew up here, and this is our home.”

"I fully understand," Wei Ran expressed his attitude. The other party was honest enough and he could not find any problems.

"I came to meet you this time just to show my attitude"

Hoshino Hayato said, "In addition, if Mr. Wei encounters trouble and needs help in Kyoto or even in recruiting nuclear weapons in the future, please be sure to contact my daughters and ask them to give me a message. I will do my best to help you. This is by no means a polite remark."

"If we encounter unresolved problems in recruiting core members, we will contact your daughter." Wei Ran responded seriously, which was regarded as accepting the olive branch extended by the other party.

“Then there’s another thing.”

As Hayato Hoshino spoke, he took out an exquisite jewelry box from his pocket and pushed it in front of Wei Ran.
"What is this?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"A Seal"

As Hoshino Hayato spoke, he had already opened the jewelry box and took out the wooden seal inside.

Is that the seal?
Wei Ran recognized the seal at a glance. It was a heirloom of the Mingxiang Opera Troupe. After Zhang Zhengqi died, Zhang Taichuan left it to Hirano Aoi as a souvenir.

While he was recalling the past secretly, Hoshino Hayato had already stood up and brought a box of ink and a stack of A4 paper.

Sitting down at the table again, he reached out and picked up the seal, first dipped one end lightly into the ink, then pressed it on the A4 paper and printed the four words "Mingxiang Banzhu".

Turning the seal around, Hayato Hoshino dipped the other end into the ink, then pressed it on the paper again. This time, the words "For drama use only" were printed.

"This seal was given to my father by my grandfather Zhang Taichuan after my grandmother Hirano Aoi died, and my father left it to me before he died."

Hoshino Hayato said, putting the seal back into the jewelry box, buckling it up and pushing it in front of Wei Ran again, "My sister Mao said that you found Zhang Taichuan's biological son. If it's convenient, please help me give this seal to them."

"Okay." Wei Ran nodded and agreed to the matter.

"I came to see you only for these two things," said Hayato Hoshino. "Also, please help take care of my two daughters. They are simple-minded and can be easily deceived. I was planning to take them there myself this year, but now I have to trouble Mr. Wei to do it for me."

"Please rest assured"

Wei Ran made a promise, and then asked, "I have two more questions, but I don't know if I should ask them."

"Please speak, Mr. Wei," said Hayato Hoshino casually.

"When do you and your family go to Huaxia to worship them every year? Haven't you met other people who are worshipping them?" Wei Ran asked.

"We will worship them on the Chinese New Year's Day every year."

Hoshino Hayato sighed, "But unfortunately, from our first time until the last time, we never met anyone else."

“Why this day?”

Wei Ran asked curiously. The other party's answer just now had made him vaguely realize that someone seemed to be deliberately avoiding this family.

"In the early 80s, after China's reform and opening up, nuclear recruits were also able to travel to China."

Hoshino Hayato explained, "My father Gentaro had already entered politics at that time, so my aunt Chiyoko was the first to go. She read a lot of books and consulted many overseas Chinese, and learned that it was suitable for ancestor worship, and the nearest Chinese festival before departure was the Xiayuan Festival.

With the help of my father, she finally arrived at the cemetery before the Lower Yuan Festival. Since then, the Lower Yuan Festival every year has become a fixed schedule for us to pay homage to my grandparents. "

"It sounds romantic," Wei Ran sighed.

“My grandparents did what was considered romantic.”

Hoshino Hayato poured another cup of tea for Wei Ran, "Mr. Wei, I'll leave the seal and this friendship to you."

"Do you trust me so much?" Wei Ran asked, holding the teacup.

"I read a lot of news about you on the Internet last night"

Hoshino Hayato smiled and said, "Apart from the parts that make men envious, in my opinion, many of the things you do are similar to what my grandmother Hirano Aoi wanted to do in Zhaohe.

Because of this, I have enough reason to trust you. Moreover, I am also looking forward to what choice the cartoonist will make. "

"Do you want to meet Zhang Taichuan's son?" Wei Ran paused, "According to seniority, he should be considered your uncle."

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

After saying this, Hoshino Hayato seemed to be afraid that Wei Ran might misunderstand him, and quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to meet. But I'm still doing what my grandmother Hirano Aoi hasn't done, so I'm not very comfortable."

"I understand"

Wei Ran made his position clear before the other party finished speaking, "I will personally hand over this seal to the other party for you, and I will choose a private enough environment to help you explain the situation."

"Thank you very much"

Hoshino Hayato thanked him seriously and immediately ended the topic, "Mr. Wei and Miss Sui Sui, are you here to have fun in Kyoto this time?"

This person is serious like a veteran
While Wei Ran was making his inner judgment, he had also come up with a realistic enough excuse, "To be honest, we actually came here specifically for the He girl."

When he said this, Wei Ran deliberately put on a look of realization which successfully confused Hoshino Hayato, making him mistakenly believe that Wei Ran was just smart but not experienced.

Because of this, this shrewd old man who looked like a qualified politician asked in a persuasive manner, "For the He girl? Mr. Wei, are you also a fan? When did the He girl become so famous in China or Russia?"

“Sorry, I’m not a fan.”

Wei Ran said bluntly, "But my fiancée is in charge of two film and television companies in Russia and China. They are planning to enter the entertainment industry and want to launch their own girl group.

It happened that a friend of mine had the opportunity to watch the performance of He Girl when he came to Zhaohe for a trip a few years ago. He is also a historian. He was not only impressed by He Girl's anti-war songs, but also remembered Miss Chihiro's organizational ability.

What was even more coincidental was that his girlfriend worked in the film and television company managed by my fiancée.

It was under his strong recommendation that we came to Kyoto to look for Karaku Shoujo and Chihiro Musashi, the soul of Karaku Shoujo. "

"I see"

Hoshino Hayato suddenly realized and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he lowered his voice, covered his mouth with his hand and asked, "Mr. Wei, is this an excuse or..."

"Really, of course it's true!"

Wei Ran said confidently, "We are really here for He Girl. Please rest assured that our film and television company has several years of experience in shooting war movies. We know very well how to package stars.

We have a cooperating musician to compose the music, so even if He Girls won’t be released soon, she can at least sing the theme song for the war movies produced by our film and television company in the future.”

"Really?" Hoshino Hayato asked suspiciously.

"Of course it's true, but please keep this matter secret for now."

Wei Ran's tone became more and more confident. Of course he did not lie. Not to mention the film and television companies, there were of course musicians. Whether it was Olga, Sui Xin or even Chen Luoxiang, they had all really performed on stage, it's just that the stage was relatively small.

Even myself can be considered half a musician. Of course, they have more than just musicians, they even have sculptors.

What he just said were all the ideas that came out of Sui Sui's mouth last night. He had no doubt that she had already begun trying to turn these ideas into reality.

"This is really good news"

Hoshino Hayato was even more excited than before. "I have been worried that they can't support themselves. If what you just said is true, I, as a father, will be relieved."

"Can't you support yourself?"

"They can make some money performing in bars in Mao."

Hoshino Hayato said with a particularly headache, "But if they go to other cities to perform, I will be satisfied if the money they earn can cover the round-trip gas expenses after deducting the cost of renting the venue.

Not to mention the car that Chizuru's mother sponsored for them, if they didn't have the support of their family, I would be worried that they would make money by selling hand-in-hand tickets like other underground idols or even some other unforgivable stupid things as fathers. "

"Forehead"

Wei Ran grinned. He thought this girl was much stronger than the legendary underground idol. So she had to rely on her parents when she went out?

“In short, if you really like them and think they have singing talent, please take good care of them.

If they don't have such talent, you must tell them early on, don't let them waste their precious youth on such things. Please!"

Having said this, Hayato Hoshino prostrated himself in a very Japanese way as a final expression of his gratitude - as a father.

"Please rest assured"

Wei Ran quickly helped Hoshino Hayato up, "As long as they are willing to become idols, we will definitely train them to become idols, I promise."

“Thank you for taking care of my children.”

Hoshino Hayato said gratefully, "There is a good saying in China: parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run.

But these children have chosen a path that we cannot help them with. For parents, this is simply the most helpless thing."

"There is a Chinese saying that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings."

Wei Ran comforted her, "When Miss Hirano Aoi made her choice, I'm afraid she didn't even dare to mention it to her family."

"Mr. Wei has a point."

Hoshino Hayato smiled, then stood up casually, "Okay, I won't delay Mr. Wei's play time. Please let me take you to find them."

"I think we should not appear at the same time."

Wei Ran reminded with a smile, "And I guess you must agree that it is painful to go shopping with a woman."

"It's okay for a tourist attraction, but it's hell if it's a shopping mall."

Hoshino Hayato agreed with him, "In that case, Mr. Wei should just rest at home. I still have to go to work. Please feel free to do as you please."