War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1970 Hanging with a Hook
"You're awake. It's good that you're awake. You'll survive if you're awake."

The lame man who came in carrying a pot of medicine greeted us warmly, "Sit down first and have a bowl of medicine."

"How is he? What's the situation outside?" Wei Ran sat down obediently and pointed at Wen Laoga as he asked.

"Deficiency of both Qi and Blood"

The limping man sighed, "We brought him back too late, but don't worry, he'll definitely survive."

"Outside."

"The Japanese have temporarily halted their advance; they're currently at a stalemate."

As she spoke, the woman who had brought people to carry Wei Ran back poured him a bowl of medicinal soup. "Drink it quickly."

"Thank you." Wei Ran took the rough porcelain bowl and brought it to his lips.

"You're too polite, there's no need for thanks."

As she spoke, the woman took out a clay pot, a soup spoon, and a rough porcelain bowl from the basket she had been carrying on her elbow.

"This is red date chicken soup, it's good for replenishing blood. If you have an appetite, have a couple of sips."

As the limping man spoke, he had already filled a large bowl for Wei Ran, while the woman took out a golden-yellow pancake from the basket.

Wei Ran, who had been grimacing from the bitter medicine soup, swallowed it all in one go. Amidst the two men's smiling faces, he took the bowl of soup and spoon and started shoveling it into his mouth. He hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

As the woman spoke, she picked up an iron kettle from the brazier, poured a bowl of hot water for Wei Ran, and threw in a charred red date as well.

"Are you villagers from around here?" Wei Ran asked, taking a bite of the golden-brown, fluffy flatbread. "How should I address you two?"

"We are Luo Wenyu's people."

As the limping man spoke, he took a handful of walnut kernels from his pocket and put them in Wei Ran's bowl. "My surname is Zhao. You can call me Brother Zhao. This is your sister-in-law."

I'm a local folk healer. Since we're fighting the Japanese on the front lines, we have to do something to help, so everyone's come."

After saying this, the limping folk doctor told his wife to help the unconscious Wen Laoga and another soldier up and give them each a bowl of herbal medicine. He then told Wei Ran to rest well before leaving the cave, which was not very big but was still warm.

For a moment, the cave dwelling fell silent again.

After quickly finishing the throat-scratching cornbread and the sweet red date and chicken soup, Wei Ran drank a large bowl of red date tea before groping for a set of coarse cotton clothes and trousers lying at his feet and struggling to put them on.

Enduring the pain from the wound on his leg, he limped to the "doorway," pushed aside the bundle of corn stalks, and looked outside.

At this moment, a few stars and a fairly bright moon could be barely seen in the night sky.

It was with the help of the moonlight reflected off the snow that he could barely see that the civilians who had come to help were either still hammering away at their broken swords to make new ones, or distributing food to the soldiers, or busy repairing the dilapidated Great Wall that served as cover with sandbags.

He glanced behind him, hesitated for a moment, then moved back. With difficulty, he bent down and took out his camera and a few rolls of film from the box, along with his Mauser pistol, which was already empty of bullets.

Using the light from the brazier to check the camera and carefully wipe the lens, Wei Ran limped out of the simple hospital room.

Once again, he adjusted his camera to bulb mode, moved step by step to the edge of a rock, placed the camera on it, aimed at the busy Great Wall in the distance, pressed the shutter, and began to count silently.

A moment later, he released the shutter, took his camera, and walked towards the steps leading to the top of the city wall. He would stop from time to time to find a foothold, set up his camera, and take long exposures again and again at the various people he saw, the corpses being carried back, and even the spoils of war.

Finally, when the cotton trousers on his legs were soaked with blood from his own wounds, he was able to climb the Great Wall again.

At this moment, there were no fires on the Great Wall, but in addition to the soldiers on guard duty, there were also jugs of kerosene and some torches.

Leaning out to look down at the Great Wall, I saw civilians and soldiers busy carrying corpses and collecting any usable spoils on the dirty snow outside the wall—a crucial factor in whether the battle could continue.

After finding a spot to sit down, Wei Ran set up his camera again, sometimes aiming at the soldiers on the Great Wall, sometimes at the busy people inside and outside the Great Wall, and under the moonlight, he took one exposure after another that was exceptionally long for film.

He wasn't sure if the film of this era could capture anything, but since he could still move his hands and feet and had a camera, he had to do something.

Clearly, recording these grains of sand buried beneath the long river of time is the only thing he can do at this moment.

As Wei Ran walked along the Great Wall, stopping frequently to take pictures, he felt the pain in his leg wound getting worse.

In the end, he had no choice but to find a sheltered spot on the wall to sit down, unbutton his cotton trousers, and take them off to look at the wound on his leg.

It was obvious that the wound had not been stitched up, but merely bandaged.

By this time, the blood that had seeped out had soaked through the cotton cloth used to bandage the wound.

After untying the bandages around his wound and tightening them again, Wei Ran, who had just put on his cotton-padded trousers, hadn't even stood up when Zhao the traditional healer's wife arrived with several women.

"You soldier, you've only just woken up and you're already running this far? Are you out of your mind? Quick! Carry him away!"

Before Zhao's sister-in-law could finish speaking, several women around her rushed forward and, with a flurry of activity, placed Wei Ran on a stretcher, carried him down the city wall, and took him straight into the warm cave dwelling.

When I returned here, the traditional healer, Brother Zhao, was changing the dressings for Wen Laoga, who was still in a coma. Beside him, there was a child who looked to be less than ten years old, busy adding charcoal to the brazier.

"Don't wander off. I'm just a country doctor. I don't know how to sew like a Western doctor, and I don't have any good medicine on hand. If you really have a lot of bleeding, I won't be able to pull you back."

As Brother Zhao spoke, his wife had already called on the women who had carried Wei Ran in to help, take off Wei Ran's cotton pants, and untie the cotton cloth on his legs that was soaked with blood.

It "collapsed".

Brother Zhao's wife joked with a hint of helplessness, "I think we should just break his legs."

"They'll only behave when there's a discount."

Brother Zhao chuckled and made a joke, handing a medicine jar to his wife.

"I'll do it myself."

"Just lie still."

As Zhao Da Sao spoke, she dug out a wooden spoonful of medicinal powder and sprinkled it around Wei Ran's wound. Another woman who came to help immediately used a clean piece of cotton cloth to re-bandage the wound on Wei Ran's leg.

"Is this your child?"

Wei Ran noticed the little boy who had helped add charcoal was quietly watching by the bedside. He turned his head and asked curiously, "Why did you bring him to such a dangerous place?"

"My son"

Brother Zhao and his wife gave the same answer in unison, their tone full of pride.

"If we can't defend this place, nowhere is safe."

Brother Zhao said, "If the Japanese devils really get in, I can't run far with my limp, and your sister-in-law with the child can't run far either."

"I might as well not run anymore."

While busy applying medicine powder to the wound on the other side of Wei Ran's thigh, Brother Zhao's wife said, "If we're going to live, we'll fight off the Japanese devils and live together. If we're going to die, it'll be worth it if the whole family can die together."

"Can fight back"

Just then, Wen Laoga's weak voice reached everyone's ears, "The three northeastern provinces have been lost, Rehe has been lost, and the Great Wall cannot be lost either. We must fight to the death, even if it's for the sake of the children, we must hold off the Japanese devils."

"You're awake? That's good, being awake means you can live!"

As Dr. Zhao spoke, he quickly asked his son to serve him a bowl of chicken soup. "Drink some soup, drink more. You're really deficient in blood, you need to replenish it properly."

"Outside."

It's temporarily suspended.

Wei Ran, who had just gone out, answered Wen Laoga's question, "The Japanese didn't invade. They were even driven away by us during the day. Now it's a stalemate."

"That's good"

Wen Laoga breathed a sigh of relief before taking a sip of the chicken soup that the little guy had spooned to his lips.

With the little guy's help, Wen Laoga finished a bowl of soup and ate the chicken, red dates, and angelica root inside. He then laboriously raised his hand to touch his chest, saying, "Mine, mine."

“It’s in the box over there.” Wei Ran knew what the other person was looking for. “Your wine gourd and the Five Emperors Coins are all there, as is the Mauser C96.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Laoga stopped struggling.

"The company commander you knew well, he was killed in action."

Looking at the cave ceiling glowing red in the firelight, Wei Ran said, "I brought his pistol and hat back."

His name is Yue Dachuan.

Wen Laoga also looked at the cave ceiling that was reddened by the light. "He was my brother-in-law, my wife's younger brother. He studied at Northeastern University a few years ago. Back then, the warlord patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him to study more, saying that only by studying could he... He... He... Fengtian hadn't been retaken yet, how could he have died?"

"I...I didn't have time to bring his body back," Wei Ran said apologetically.

It's not your fault.

Wen Laoga sighed, and the cramped space, barely big enough to fit a cave dwelling but only big enough for three beds, fell silent once more.

"Young man, what's your name?" Wen Laoga asked the young man from the Zhao family who brought over the second bowl of soup.

Zhao Shouxian

The little guy answered in a clear voice, "I was born in the autumn of the twelfth year of the Republic of China, the day the Constitution of the Republic of China was promulgated. My father named me Shouxian (守宪).

"It's a good name."

Wen Laoga said weakly, "Shouxian, give me my wine gourd."

“You can’t drink alcohol,” Zhao Shouxian said. “Now…”

"There's no more wine in there," Wen Laoga said. "Give it to me."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Shouxian put down the soup bowl and took out Wen Laoga's wine gourd from the box.

With a listless expression, Wen Laoga took the gourd and stroked it for a moment. Then he took down the five-emperor coins hanging on the gourd and handed them to Zhao Shouxian. “If my son were still alive, he would be about your age. His name is Wen Shaotong, and he was also born in 1923. His birthday is on the summer solstice.”

If you don't mind wearing these five-emperor coins, then wear them for protection and peace.

"Upholding the Constitution"

At this moment, Doctor Zhao spoke up, "Wear it, and kowtow to your uncle."

"thump!"

Zhao Shouxian immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times before accepting the string of five-emperor coins.

"Survive"

As Dr. Zhao limped out, he said, “After we drive the Japanese away, if you are still alive and my family’s Shouxian is still alive, and if you have no descendants, I will arrange for Shouxian to have a son adopted by you as his grandson, and he will be surnamed Wen and named Wen Shaotong.”

"If that's what you mean, Brother Zhao"

Wen Laoga seemed to have perked up, "Then I'll live until the day the Japanese are driven out."

"Whoever has the final say is a dog," Dr. Zhao said, as he and his wife, who was both amused and exasperated, walked out of the cave dwelling.

"Uncle Wen, you have to survive."

Zhao Shouxian shook the five-emperor coins on his wrist and said in a serious tone, "After we drive the Japanese away, I'll ask my mother to find you a wife. There are plenty of beautiful widows in our village. When you have a son, I'll return these to your younger brother."

"Okay, okay"

Wen Laoga's young yet weathered and scarred face was filled with an unstoppable smile. "When the time comes, I'll have your mother find me a pretty young widow."

"Then you'd better survive!"

As Zhao Shouxian spoke, he hooked his right little finger with Wen Laoga's right little finger, saying, "Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years, whoever goes back on their word is a dog."

"Whoever goes back on their word is a little dog."

When Wen Laoga said this, he seemed to have a lot of strength. "In that box, there is also the smallest Mauser pistol. Consider it a gift from your uncle to you."

"Really?!" Zhao Shouxian's eyes lit up.

He was still just a child; the chance to get a Mauser pistol was something he never even dared to dream of!

"Of course it's true, but you must protect your parents," Wen Laoga instructed with a smile.

"Yes, yes! I will definitely protect my parents!"

As Zhao Shouxian spoke, he had already clipped the three pistol boxes, which contained no bullets, to his waistband.

"Go ahead, if anyone asks you where you got the Mauser pistol, tell them to come find me."

Wen Laoga waved his hand, clearly having already decided that this little sprout was planning to go out and show off his Mauser pistol.

"Then you should take good care of your injury!"

As Zhao Shouxian spoke, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he picked up the bowl of chicken soup and fed it to Wen Laoga spoonful by spoonful before leaning on the Mauser pistol at his waist and running outside with an air of smugness.

Watching Zhao Shouxian leave, Wen Laoga breathed a sigh of relief.

You can't lie to children.

As Wei Ran said this, he had already taken out a cigarette case and a lighter from the metal notebook.

"He's just a kid, but he acts like a little adult."

Wen Laoga forced himself to stay awake and sighed, "Even for the sake of these children, we have to hold off the Japanese devils."

"Yes, even for the sake of these children, we have to hold off the Japanese invaders."

Wei lit a cigarette and handed it to the other man. After Wen Laoga held it firmly in his hand, Wei lit another one and took a puff.

"Where did you get that camera?" Wen Laoga asked casually amidst his puffs of smoke.

"It was captured," Wei Ran answered matter-of-factly.

"Wait until dawn."

Wen Laoga paused for a moment, then said, "Take a picture of me too, and a picture of Brother Zhao's family as well."

"Okay, I'll take pictures of you all."

Wei Ran readily gave his assurance, and the cave fell silent once more as the cigarettes between the two burned out.

After an unknown amount of time, or perhaps not long at all, the exhausted Wei Ran entered a beautiful dream where a person with a flower in hand stood on the city wall, firing at the Japanese soldiers.

When the sound of cannons boomed in his dream, which was filled with the sounds of gunfire from the Flower Machine Gun and the screams of the Japanese soldiers, Wei Ran suddenly woke up and sat up—the sound of cannons did not come from his dream!
"The Japanese devils are attacking!"

Almost simultaneously, Wen Laoga woke up and struggled to sit up, saying, "Quickly, pull me up. Give me a hand."

"You should rest and recover. I'm going out to take a look." Wei Ran said, standing up and limping out.

"boom!"

Just as Wei Ran pushed aside the bundle of corn stalks, the sound of cannons became even clearer. At the same time, pieces of broken city wall bricks mixed with mud came crashing down from above.

Before the dust and smoke from the earth and rocks had settled, Wei Ran crawled out of the cave and limped toward the top of the city wall that was being bombarded.

At that moment, he did not see that in the sky, which was obscured by the city wall, more than 20 Japanese planes were flying towards him from a great distance.

He didn't see that in the cave behind him, Wen Laoga had already staggered out of bed, picked up the two Mauser pistols without bullets, and followed him step by step, supporting himself against the wall.

Just as Wei Ran braved the artillery fire to climb the city wall, and just as Wen Laoga struggled to move out of his not-so-large cave dwelling, the two of them, along with the soldiers and civilians around them, heard the roar of airplanes in the sky—an opponent they could not defeat.

(End of this chapter)