War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1999 Hurry
"Why did you fast forward after only a few words this time?"

As Wei Ran waited, muttering to himself, the white light gradually faded, and he heard a series of coughs, the hoarse chirping of cicadas, and the temperature gradually warming up.

Finally, the white light disappeared completely, and his vision returned to normal, allowing him to see everything before him.

At that moment, he was wearing a complete Soviet military uniform.

Looking in the direction from which the coughing sound came, Wei Ran was surprised to find that the person coughing was Dong Weixin, who was sitting on the steps of a log cabin not far away.

In his hands, he held a large Soviet-style sickle and a small hammer. Beside his legs, on a wooden stake, was an anvil no bigger than a fist.

After the coughing stopped, Dong Weixin dipped the sickle in the tin bucket next to him, then placed it on the felt and carefully tapped the blade with the small hammer.

"Dong! I miss you so much! How are you?! Do you miss me?!"

Just then, a blonde girl dressed in a Soviet female soldier's uniform, carrying a small basket, ran excitedly past Wei Ran toward Dong Weixin.

is her?

Wei Ran recognized her at a glance; she was the little nurse named Amy who had run into the ward just before the white light appeared, the same little nurse who had saved them.

"I brought you bread and boiled potatoes, as well as milk and a smoked fish! And some pickled cucumbers that I made myself!"

Under Wei Ran's dumbfounded gaze, the blonde girl took out one food item after another from the basket she was carrying and placed them on the steps next to Dong Weixin.

At the same time, she asked questions in fluent Mandarin, such as whether she had a cough, whether she needed strength, and even whether she missed home.

Not only that, she took out a small knife and skillfully cut open a piece of bread that was obviously fresh out of the oven. Then she tore off a large piece of meat from the smoked fish, along with a few pickled cucumbers and a pre-peeled hard-boiled egg, and put them inside. Finally, she looked at Dong Weixin with a pair of big, watery eyes full of love, waiting for him to accept the loving lunch she had prepared for him.

But at this moment, Dong Weixin seemed to have been stung by a scorpion, and withdrew his hand that was instinctively reaching for the food.

He saw Wei Ran, and he also saw Liu Paotou walking behind Wei Ran, and he especially noticed their Soviet army uniforms.
Then he looked down at his gray-blue overalls and dirty shirt, and his originally sallow face turned red with shame.

"That bastard found a Russian wife," Liu Paotou, who was already in his forties, said with a beaming smile.

It was only at this moment that Wei Ran truly saw Liu Paotou's appearance. Compared to before, his complexion was much rosier, but he was still thin and his hair had turned white prematurely.

In addition, he noticed that the other person did not seem to have any weapons on him—just like himself.

"I didn't marry a foreign woman, I didn't! Cough cough cough!"

Dong Weixin's frantic rebuttal was only halfway through when he started coughing uncontrollably again. The nurse next to him, named Amy, quickly put down the food she was holding and instinctively tried to pat his back.

But Dong Weixin instinctively tried to dodge again. This time, the young and brave nurse hugged him tightly, ignoring his struggles, until he stopped struggling and coughing.

It was only at this moment that Liu Paotou, who hadn't done anything, sighed, walked over to Dong Weixin's other side, sat down, and gently placed his hand on Dong's shoulder.

"Child, no one blames you. You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself."

Liu Paotou reassured her, "I think this young girl is quite nice. I'll make the decision for your parents; you two are a good match. Don't feel pressured."

Do you know how many people died trying to save my life?

Dong Weixin asked in anguish, "Master Feng died, a whole cartload of wounded soldiers died, right there on that little hill outside Juyong Pass, just so I could live."

Wang Bingchu's older brother also died. He tricked me into seeking help. When I found you and went back, he...
I don't know how to explain this to Shouxian and Yimo. I... cough cough cough! I'm too ashamed to face them!
So many people died just so I could live. How can I possibly have the face to talk about love here?

"If you survive, their deaths will not have been in vain."

At this moment, Wei Ran walked over, squatted down in front of the three of them, raised his Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera and pressed the shutter button on them.

"They risked their lives to keep me alive, just so I could stay here."

"Your hands aren't for gripping guns."

Liu Paotou didn't give the other person a chance to finish speaking, "You have to become a writer. Your father said when he was alive that there's no future in being a bandit. You have to open a factory, an arsenal, and make guns and cannons to drive away the Japanese devils."

"I cough! Cough cough cough!" Dong Weixin's face turned red again as he coughed uncontrollably.

How has he been feeling lately?

Liu Paotou switched to fluent Russian and asked Amy, the nurse who hadn't spoken until now but had been tightly gripping Dong Weixin's hand.

"I still can't do heavy work, and I cough whenever I get excited."

The nurse, Amy, explained with concern, "The camp assigned him to teach the soldiers Russian and some common Chinese phrases. He also usually takes care of weeding the neighborhood."

"What about you? What about you?" Dong Weixin calmed himself down again and asked with envy.

"I was sent to learn skydiving."

Liu Paotou's tone was unconsciously tinged with excitement, but he quickly suppressed it and explained, "After jumping off the plane, I was like a cloud, drifting wherever it took me. Several times I almost ended up hanging from a tree."

"so good"

Dong Weixin looked enviously at the few clouds floating in the azure sky, "They must look just like birds."

"Can't compare to Wei Ran"

Liu Paotou said with envy, "He was sent back to conduct reconnaissance, fight the Japanese, and search for the lost troops."

How is things at home?

Dong Weixin immediately pressed Wei Ran for an answer, his eager gaze reminding the latter of his friends who were indeed fighting the Japanese on the south bank of the Yangtze River at that moment.

“Not good,” Wei Ran sighed. “It’s a tough time.”

"I heard that before spring this year, Commander Zhao also..."

“Yes.” Wei Ran nodded. With just that one sentence, he already knew what year it was.

"I do have some good news."

At this moment, Liu Paotou said, "Just two days ago, our Anti-Japanese Allied Army was reorganized into the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army Training Brigade. I heard that this time, not only will the scale be expanded and more comrades be brought over for training, but once the training is complete, we will start fighting the Japanese devils!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Weixin's face showed undisguised eagerness, but soon, the eagerness in his eyes disappeared, leaving only loneliness and helplessness.

"Teaching more soldiers to speak Russian is just as effective in combat."

Wei Ran reassured him, "Fighting the Japanese isn't just about using guns and knives. Didn't we give you that camera back then?"
If you can't hold a gun, surely you can hold a camera and press the shutter? If you photograph the Anti-Japanese Allied Army soldiers training, they're fighting the Japanese just the same thing.

"Is this also fighting the Japanese?" Dong Weixin stared blankly at Wei Ran, his eyes, which had become numb, suddenly gleamed with fervent light.

"Why not?"

Wei Ran naturally affirmed, "Those photos will definitely inspire more soldiers like you who have lost their direction."

If you can pick up a camera, some of them might be able to pick up a radio to send a message, some might be able to pick up tools to repair guns, and even if they can't pick up any of those, they can at least pick up a needle and thread to help the soldiers mend their clothes.

"I understand, I can handle the camera! I can."

Dong Weixin started to speak, but then sighed, "What's the use of that broken camera? I can't even buy film anymore."

"I have a camera, I'll get it for you right now."

Just then, the nurse Amy said, "I'll go get it right away! Wait for me!"

As she spoke, the brave nurse even kissed Dong Weixin on the cheek before getting up and running back the way she came, leaving Dong Weixin, blushing furiously, wiping the remaining foreign saliva off his face.

"It seems this silly blonde girl has really taken a liking to the young master of our Dong family village," Liu Paotou joked.

"Liu Paotou, stop teasing me."

Dong Weixin sighed, "This young nurse fled to Harbin from Poland with her parents, supposedly because her mother was Jewish."

"And then?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

"Later, her father was drafted into the Soviet Red Army and went to the front, and her mother died of illness shortly afterward."

She was studying medicine in Harbin at the time, and somehow ended up here with a few close classmates.

Dong Weixin said helplessly, "Her classmates were all members of the Anti-Japanese United Army, and she thought she was too."

"So you two are really dating?" Wei Ran asked with a gossipy air.

"I"

I think it's great.

Liu Paotou patted Dong Weixin on the shoulder, "Don't feel guilty. Wei Ran is right. Even if you can't hold a gun anymore, you can still hold a camera, right?"

“I can carry it,” Dong Weixin said subconsciously, but then he added, “I don’t know… I don’t know if Shouxian and the others are doing well. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

"Should we write a letter to get in touch?" Liu Paotou suggested.

"It's time to forget about it."

Dong Weixin shook his head. "Let's wait until we drive the Japanese away. After we drive them away, we'll have to go back to Xifengkou to attend their banquet."

Just then, the nurse Amy ran back with a camera and excitedly handed it to Dong Weixin. "Use this! My father sent it to me from the front lines. He said he captured it from the Germans!"

After a slight hesitation, Dong Weixin reached out and took the camera handed to him. It was also an Ikonta, or rather, a Super Ikon 531/2 camera capable of taking eight large frames.

"This isn't like my old one."

“It’s different,” Wei Ran said. “This camera’s film is easy to buy, Wei Xin, don’t let this camera down.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Weixin paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "I will definitely film it well."

As he spoke, he reached into the canvas satchel at his waist and, after some rummaging, pulled out a Japanese-style bag wrapped with a strap.

Opening the bag, Dong Weixin took out the Icanta camera that had brought Wei Ran to this time and space. After a moment's hesitation, he handed it to the nurse, Amy, saying, "Consider the camera a loan. You can keep this camera as collateral. Wait here."

"it is good!"

Before Dong Weixin could finish speaking, the young nurse Amy readily took the camera and the bag containing it, beaming as she slung it over her shoulder, as if she were exchanging tokens of love.

"Hey"

Dong Weixin subconsciously reached out his hand, but then put it down. "Never mind, you can have them all. There are still a few rolls of film inside that haven't been developed yet, so you must keep them safe."

In addition, there are two other gifts: a gourd and a small knife. You may receive them.

"Do not worry!"

The nurse, Amy, gently patted her handbag. "I'll take good care of everything inside, photographer."

“What kind of photographer am I?” Dong Weixin shook his head bitterly.

Stop sighing and complaining.

Liu Paotou said, "Now that we have a camera, why don't we take a picture together? I just came to see you; I'm about to head back to the other side of the river."

"You want to go back?" Dong Weixin was taken aback.

"That's right"

Liu Paotou said, "I'm going back too, to find those scattered Anti-Japanese Allied Forces and bring them back."

"Brother Wei too."

"Let's take a group photo together," Wei Ran said with a smile, "so we can drive the Japanese away as soon as possible."

"Okay," Dong Weixin nodded through gritted teeth.

"Let me take a picture of you first," said nurse Amy.

"Okay, then let my nephew's wife take a picture!"

Liu Paotou said gleefully, "If your parents knew in the afterlife, they wouldn't have to worry about you anymore. Weixin, do you know who gave you that nickname?"

"You?" Dong Weixin blurted out a stupid question.

"When you entered school, I wasn't even fully grown yet. How dare you name the headmaster's son?"

Liu Paotou laughed and scolded, "It was that schoolteacher your father specially kidnapped for you from Fengtian. Son, we'll do the old and worn-out work, but the reform movement is all up to you."

"it is good"

Dong Weixin gritted his teeth and agreed. Then, he refused Wei Ran and Liu Paotou's help and stubbornly stood up on his own, standing between the two of them on the steps of the log cabin, allowing the nurse Amy to take a group photo of the three of them.

"Let me take a second picture of you two."

Before Wei Ran could speak, Liu Paotou said, "Next time I come, remember to wash it beforehand. I'll find a chance to bury it in your parents' graves so they can be happy."

"it is good"

Dong Weixin agreed again. At the same time, the nurse Amy handed the camera to Liu Paotou, stood in the spot that Wei Ran had given her, and generously put her arm around Dong Weixin's arm.

"Click"

Wei Ran and Liu Paotou simultaneously pressed the shutter button on the happy-looking nurse Amy and Dong Weixin, but even the two of them couldn't describe Dong Weixin's expression.

I won't delay any longer.

As Liu Paotou spoke, he handed the camera to Dong Weixin, saying, "I have to leave now."

"I should get going too," Wei Ran said, glancing at head nurse Su Shengnan standing not far away.

"I came back alive," Dong Weixin said rather cautiously.

"I'm still waiting to drink your wedding wine, so I definitely have to come back." Liu Paotou patted Dong Weixin on the shoulder and called to Wei Ran as they walked away into the distance.

"After we drive the Japanese devils away..."

As the two turned around, Dong Weixin said loudly, "I will marry her then, and you all have to come to the wedding banquet, you all have to come."

"Okay, I'll definitely go."

Wei Ran and Liu Paotou agreed together, both with the same smile on their faces, before being stopped by head nurse Su Shengnan.

"Have you met Su Laowu?" Su Shengnan asked, with a small baby in her arms.

“He’s still alive,” Wei Ran said with certainty. “I haven’t met him, but he’s still alive. I’ve asked around for you, and someone has seen him.”

"Please take a picture of me and my child too."

Su Shengnan said, "If... if you can find Su Laowu, tell him that our child is healthy and I'm waiting for him at Beiye Camp."

"it is good"

Wei Ran nodded, raised his camera, and took a photo of the mother and son.

"Is there anything else you want to convey?" Wei Ran asked.

I don't think they'll last.

Su Shengnan looked at the young couple in the distance, "But love is never favored. I will take good care of them for you."

"Take this."

As Wei Ran spoke, he pretended to reach into his pocket, took out his personal wine flask, and handed it to Su Shengnan.

"This is."

"The strong liquor that Su Laowu asked someone to bring you"

Before Wei Ran finished speaking, a look of intense surprise appeared on Su Shengnan's cold, serious, and slightly harsh face.

She couldn't wait, and even trusted Wei Ran implicitly, to hold the tiny baby in her arms. She then unscrewed the lid of the wine jug, took a deep sniff, and carefully took a sip. She was immediately choked and burst into tears.

He will come back.

Wei Ran waited until the other person put away the small wine pot before returning the baby he was holding to them. "He will definitely come back. He is really still alive."

I'm waiting for him to come back.

Su Shengnan's tone became much more determined because of the wine the innkeeper had given Wei Ran on credit, "You must also come back alive."

"Okay," Wei Ran replied again, and followed Liu Paotou in a more distant direction.

I know Su Laowu.

Liu Paotou waited until the figures behind him had become blurry before whispering, "He was sent back half a year ago, you really?"

Let's give her some hope.

Amidst another sudden surge of white light, Wei Ran sighed, "She's a mother now, and she needs a source of hope to sustain her life."

(End of this chapter)