War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1901 Using Coffee as a Pretext
"Have you angered Her Majesty?"

As Qin Er Shi got out of the carriage, he asked with great amusement, "Why did you come to this godforsaken place to sleep in a shack?"

"This is called camping, do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand that perfectly. If there are any more girls, it'll be called 'battle in the wild'."

Before Qin Ershi could finish speaking, he had already crawled into the tent and plopped down on the folding chair that Anfisa had just sat on.

Taking the freshly poured coffee from Wei Ran, Qin Ershi took a sip, then picked up a milk carton from the table next to him and filled the cup with milk, asking, "You must have something important to tell me this time, right?"

“I guess so,” Wei Ran said. “It’s about the CBI family tracing team.”

"Tell me about it," Qin Ershi took another sip of coffee and put down the milk carton with satisfaction.

"What do you think of that gang coffee business?" Wei Ran asked bluntly.

"It can make money, but being able to make money is the least valuable thing."

Qin Er Shi's answer was quite straightforward: "Want to do some side hustles?"

"International travel and CBI go quite well together."

Wei Ran stated bluntly, "The 28 Stars Cafe can publicly solicit information and photos of veterans of the War of Resistance against Japan, as well as evidence of the crimes committed by the invaders, from an international perspective."

"And then?" Qin Ershi asked, not in a hurry to express his opinion.

"You've played with message in a bottle before, haven't you?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"Yes, I've done it. I even pretended to be a mercenary about to go to the battlefield," Qin Ershi joked.

"Let's play a message in a bottle game then."

Wei Ran said, "The information collected from each coffee shop will be shuffled and sent to other coffee shops, and it will continue to drift randomly."

"Does this make sense?"

Qin Ershi asked with dissatisfaction, "You called me all this way just for this?"

"Of course it makes sense."

Wei Ran took a sip of coffee and asked in return, "It's already 2021. How many veterans who participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan—no, World War II, whether they were anti-Japanese war veterans or anti-Japanese war veterans—do you think are still alive?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Er Shi paused for a moment, then replied, "Not even one in ten will survive."

"Yes, less than one in ten survives."

Wei Ran sighed, "Objectively speaking, the CBI family tracing team has a maximum validity period. As more and more veterans pass away, many things will be completely forgotten before they can be recorded in history."

"So, what about that message in a bottle?" Qin Ershi asked.

"That's right"

Wei Ran nodded. "The earliest history was recorded by word of mouth. The aging and death of those veterans are unavoidable. Since that's the case, let them and their memories live on in a different way."

"What do you mean by this?" Qin Ershi asked, both amused and exasperated, as he didn't actually understand Wei Ran's line of thinking.

Good news travels fast, and so does bad news.

Wei Ran was extremely serious, "Those veterans, those veterans who can't find their homes, their photos and stories will continue to be translated into various languages ​​and discussed in cafes all over the world, so they will always be alive, and one day they will meet their families."

Those invaders, their crimes, will also be translated into various languages, recorded in the eyes and minds of those who drink coffee, with each cup of coffee consumed.

"Will this work?" Qin Ershi asked, his attitude becoming much more serious.

"It's useful, of course it's useful."

Wei Ran smiled and said, "The 28 Stars Café can even provide ash storage services for all the lonely veterans in the world. When a veteran finds his family someday after his death, he can go home through the café."

"Just like that internationalist fighter Yu Yanlin from last time?"

"That's right"

Wei Ran nodded. "As long as this can be done, the 28 Stars Cafe will become the best source of inspiration for that comic book contest. Do I need to elaborate on the rest?"

"You've learned a lot from Her Majesty the Queen," Qin Ershi exclaimed in surprise. "Did you really come up with this idea?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Wei Ran poured the other person another cup of coffee and said more bluntly, "I don't like individual heroism. It's simply not enough for me, a historian, to do this kind of thing alone."

This kind of ideological work requires more people to work together, so my Time Library will not have much cooperation with family reunification groups in the future, and the stories of veterans I find here will not be sent to cafes.”

"In that case, what about our relationship?"

"I was only hired by a family-finding group a few years ago."

Wei Ran said seriously, "We don't need to stick together, but rather spread out as much as possible and shine on our own."

"So we're just friends on a personal level."

"My relationship with Xia Shushi is at most a personal one, but your relationship with Zhong Zhen is none of my business."

Wei Ran earnestly reminded him, "Especially between him and me, we should try to minimize our interactions in the public eye in the future."

"No problem," Qin Ershi readily agreed, "Leave this to me."

"The server for sorting and sending the 'Starry Night Message in a Bottle' stories will be located in China, so let's put it at the headquarters in Hangzhou."

Wei Ran suggested, "Find someone you can absolutely trust to be in charge of this matter, and don't let any bad apples get involved."

"Don't worry," Qin Er Shi confidently promised.

"You and Xia can go through the selection first, and then distribute the rest."

Wei Ran gave detailed instructions, "I will have the Kajenka sisters design a software specifically for you to distribute messages in bottles."

Also, you can probably guess why I'm asking you to do this, right?

“I’m not stupid.”

Qin Ershi said, "When I get back, I will start to discover and cultivate cartoonists, cartoonists who are distributed all over the world."

“Each of the 28 Star Cafes has studios available for rent upstairs, which at least guarantees absolute quiet and safety,” Wei Ran reminded.

"That's right!"

Having completely grasped the line of thought, Qin Ershi immediately nodded, "There definitely will be."

"As for the other side hustles, let's all do our own thing," Wei Ran said finally.

"We already have a cover, and it's eye-catching enough." Qin Ershi nodded. "The rest depends on our own abilities."

"Whoever pulls their own pants pocket should clean it themselves," Wei Ran reminded him. "Don't get that flag dirty."

"Don't worry," Qin Er Shi confidently replied.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer."

Wei Ran picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. "I will invite the shareholders of the coffee business to meet in a while. Mr. Hans, who holds the smallest share, will probably have some ideas as well. I will bring out what I just mentioned, so you can be prepared in advance."

"Where will the meeting be held?" Qin Ershi asked.

“Kazan, of course it’s Kazan,” Wei Ran replied matter-of-factly.

"See you"

After Qin Ershi finished speaking, he got up readily, climbed into the car, and drove away.

Just as Wei Ran finished brewing another pot of coffee, a third vehicle drove into the campsite and eventually stopped in front of the tent.

As the car door opened again, this time it was Niner who stepped out.

“Victor, you’re acting like the Godfather of the Mafia.”

Ninell said sarcastically in a slow, deliberate tone, "I actually have to wait in line to see you. Besides, why did you choose such a lousy place to meet?"

"Come in and have a seat."

Wei Ran greeted, "My house has been under surveillance lately, unlike here where it's safe. The area is surrounded by Greva's gang, and they've even jammed the signal."

"What is it?" Niner plopped down in the folding chair that had already been used by two people.

"A business about coffee"

While pouring the other person a cup of coffee, Wei Ran asked, "How is it? Do you like this new identity?"

“Olivia and her parents love it,” Niner said truthfully. “Aunt Dalia loves it too.”

"It seems you don't like it?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"What do you think?"

“Just now, Anfisa told me that my Hela has a chance to devour Charon.” Wei Ran shut the other party up with just one sentence.

“You’re not kidding?” Ninell spoke faster this time—at an American pace.

"After Charon was absorbed, he only focused on business intelligence."

Unmoved, Wei Ran continued, "So? A friend I can trust unconditionally, want to do business together? A legal business."

"Just to make money?" Ninell's tone was not only disappointed but also disgusted.

"Who gave you the confidence to speak with such disdain?"

Wei Ran snorted, "Niner, many things can be solved with money. You're not an idiot."

“But there are many things that money can’t solve,” Ninell cautioned.

"Don't you have your prisoner henchmen?" Wei Ran retorted.

You've confused me.

Ninell gave up thinking. "Victor, just say it. What do you want?" "I'll make you a rich man, a legally rich man."

Wei Ran said bluntly, "Niner, I'll give you a maximum of two years to hand over those shady businesses you're involved in to someone you trust or someone you can control."

"Bag"

"Including the business of the mental hospital, but don't hand it over to your partner, Anya."

Wei Ran said, "In the future, you should become a glamorous American millionaire, make friends with other American millionaires and those politicians who sell their asses, and make friends with wealth and business."

"You want me to become a politician?"

"No one who wasn't born in the United States can become president."

Wei Ran smiled and reminded him, "But one can become someone who has the right to choose who becomes president."

"That money can't solve the problem."

"The problems and troubles that money can't solve can only be resolved by someone you trust in other ways."

Wei Ran painted a very big picture for Niñer: "Niñer, you need to start learning to be a rich man who always stands in the sunlight, a rich man whose hands are never stained with blood."

Taking a deep breath, Niñer finally said honestly, "I will hand over those shady businesses to someone I trust as soon as possible."

"You're surprisingly good at persuading me," Wei Ran said in surprise.

"You are a friend I can trust unconditionally."

Ninner shrugged. "And Olga's parents and Teacher Dalia are very grateful that you were willing to get me involved in the coffee business."

Although I don't see what's so special about this deal that warrants serious consideration, I think it's a good idea to trust you this once, given Her Majesty's proven track record.

"This was my idea, wasn't it?"

"Come on, Victor."

Niel tapped his temple and said again in that slow, irritating tone, "You're not much smarter than me. How could you possibly have come up with something like this?"

"Whatever"

Wei Ran waved his hand wearily, "In short, after the coffee business starts, you need to use the initial capital you accumulated from your previous shady businesses to invest in the direction I've specified for you."

For at least the next 20 years, your only focus will be making money, making money, and damn making money.

“If you make too much money, it will be stolen,” Ninell warned.

“Yes, but the United States allows private individuals to establish private military companies, doesn’t it?” Wei Ran reminded him with a smile.

"That's what I have now."

"Of course there's a difference, a big difference."

Wei Ran snapped his fingers. "You'll never make it in the mainstream if you're in a gang. Even if you become a millionaire, politicians will have plenty of dirt on you and can send you to jail for the rest of your life if they need to."

However, becoming a legally wealthy person first, and then getting involved in private military companies through acquisitions, investments, or any other legal means, is simply a legitimate business activity.

“Alright, continue,” Niner said.

"When you get to that point, stop trading with death row inmates."

Wei Ran slowly uttered a sentence that made Ninier shudder: "Many of Greva's men have already started receiving military training. When the time comes, trade your gang to him, and he will replenish you with enough retired soldiers with combat and security experience on a one-to-one basis."

Of course, all of this is predicated on your willingness to trust Greva unconditionally in return.

"I am now certain that this idea is definitely not Her Majesty's idea."

As Niñer spoke, he stood up. "I will complete the transformation as soon as possible. I am a friend worthy of unconditional trust."

"Remember this."

Wei Ran, inside the tent, said, "Your private military company doesn't get involved in war; it only provides comprehensive security services to the wealthy."

"You're like a poisonous spider hiding in the gutter."

As Nigel walked toward the car, he waved his hand and said, "I will have many politicians and rich friends who sell their asses, and I will become their protector."

"I wish you success"

Wei Ran smiled and offered his blessings, watching the other person get into the car and then roughly turn around and drive away from the private campsite.

Shortly after, another car drove in and parked next to the tent.

This time, it was Greta who climbed out of the car.

“Mr. Victor,” Greta greeted him respectfully from outside the tent.

"Come in and sit down," Wei Ran said, pouring the other person a cup of coffee as well.

"I asked Anfisa if you had any ulterior motives," Wei Ran said bluntly as he handed the coffee to her.

"What did Miss Anfisa say?" Greva asked frankly.

"She said you seem to have fallen in love with Miss Anna from Chicken Tofu?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"That's right"

Greta, the gang leader, was quite frank: "I did fall in love with the girl who loved cooking, but she didn't seem to be interested in me."

"I can't help you with this," Wei Ran said helplessly, shrugging. "I invited you here to talk about something else."

Please go ahead.

Greva immediately replied that whether he had any ulterior motives was a question that did not need to be explored.

If he had ulterior motives, he might not die out of respect for Jima, but he certainly wouldn't have the chance to come here for coffee.

And even assuming we concede that he would have any ulterior motives, why would he want to lose the Queen's support and then be imprisoned and tortured to death for tax evasion? He's not Polish!
“It’s about the coffee business,” Wei Ran said. “You should know that this isn’t just a simple coffee business.”

“I understand, Mr. Victor,” Grevar said with remarkable clarity. “The coffee business is the least important thing, but it’s a golden opportunity for me and my gang.”

"What opportunity?" Wei Ran pressed.

"An opportunity to whitewash"

Greva was far more clear-headed than Niner. "Although we all joined or formed gangs when we were young because we admired violence, gangs are outdated. We need to run legitimate businesses, at least legitimate businesses on the surface."

"You're more clear-headed than that jerk who just came in."

Wei Ran praised, "Just like you said, this is an opportunity to clear your name. Greta, the coffee business will give you a glamorous identity, but there are still some shady businesses that you will need to take charge of."

“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Victor,” Greva said immediately.

"You will have more transport planes in the future."

Wei Ran stated bluntly, "Your fruit business will expand all over the world."

"And maybe run a small smuggling business on the side?"

"You are definitely much smarter than that bastard from before."

Wei Ran was completely relieved. "Mr. Miguel from Spain and Mr. Hans from Germany are willing to partner in this business, so they are most likely planning to transform their business."

You should discuss the specifics with them yourself, leverage your strengths, and incidentally, uphold your bottom line.

Additionally, my friend will train you a sufficient number of combat engineers, but these engineers will be traded to Ninnell. In return, he will trade you some veteran gang members.

"To be used as a scapegoat?" Greva asked immediately, proving he was indeed much smarter than Ninner.

"Someone always has to do the dirty work, right?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

“I will not let these people get involved in the coffee business,” Greva immediately promised.

“Then let’s go support a gang in Chicken Tofu,” Wei Ran suggested. “You can also protect Anna, whom you like, while you’re at it.”

“She will fall in love with me,” Greva said confidently. “Even that idiot Dima could make Maya fall in love with him, I’m much better than him.”

"I wish you success"

Wei Ran poured the other person another cup of coffee. "Greva, besides those we just had, we'll need you to train some people who are out in the open."

Please tell me your request.

Griev said, suppressing his excitement. Of course he was excited; he knew his good days were coming.

"People who can fly transport planes, people who are fluent in various languages, and a large enough and excellent business team."

Wei Ran casually said, "Go find my mentor, Mr. Kajik. He will help you recruit enough highly educated talents."

"Do you need me to set up a consulting firm?" Greva asked immediately.

"Of course," Wei Ran nodded with a smile, "your business will grow bigger and bigger."

"Thanks to your and Her Majesty's care"

Greva said respectfully that this was a social custom he had learned from the Chinese—complimentation and mutual praise.

"From now on, you can focus your attention on Vladivostok."

Wei Ran concluded with a reminder, "There's a Chinese saying, 'The mountains are high and the emperor is far away.' For you, Greva is much safer there than in Kazan. Here, no matter what, you must pretend to be a civilized person."

“I understand,” Greva said decisively.

"Okay, that's all I wanted to say."

After Wei Ran finished speaking, he picked up his coffee cup. Greva also finished his coffee in one gulp and then respectfully took his leave. He crawled out of the tent and into the car, disappearing at the end of the forest path in the blink of an eye.

"Using my brain is too tiring, I can finally take a break."

Wei Ran stretched while talking to himself, then lay down on the folding bed, took out a sesame seed cake with pickled vegetables from the box that had inexplicably appeared beside him, and took a big bite with relish.