War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 2026 Scum
On his third day in Yan'an, Wei Ran strolled leisurely through the red city accompanied by five beautiful girls, but he never turned off airplane mode on his phone.

Even so, he still knew exactly what had happened during those three days.

The two kettles were buried in Wang Cheng's family cemetery, next to Wang Cheng's cenotaph and the graves of Wu Chunian and others.

Wang Cheng's wife, Gao Hongyan, and their son, Li Weihe, told Xia Shushi in detail the story of the two kettles and Wang Cheng's story.

During those three days, the handbag, knee pads, and letter that Wei Ran had given to Gao Hongyan, as well as the letters that Wang Cheng had sent home, were all sent to the museum.

In that era of material scarcity, and even greater scarcity of supplies at the front lines, the gaps between the lines in Gao Hongyan's letters to Wang Cheng were enormous, and Wang Cheng's replies to Gao Hongyan were written in those gaps.

The unique romance between the lines also reveals some of the microcosms of that era.

When the interview about the old lady Gao Hongyan, especially the part where she recounted Wang Cheng's hardships during the famine, was shown to the audience on screen, Wei Ran also received a letter that Gao Hongyan had asked Xia Shushi to give to him.

"Where did you get that handbag?" Xia Shushi, who came to deliver the letter, asked curiously once again.

"Don't ask anymore."

Wei Ran looked at the letter sealed with glue and carefully put it into his briefcase.

"Fine, if you don't want me to ask, then I won't ask."

Xia Shushi changed the subject, "When do you plan to go back?"

"Are you going back?" Sui Sui asked on behalf of Wei Ran, who seemed a little distracted.

"We're not as carefree as you."

Qin Qi yawned, "Hurry up with your man and make him turn this story into a script as soon as possible."

"You should let your man handle this kind of thing."

Sui Sui proudly raised her chin, "We're going to stay here for a few more days."

"I knew it"

Xia Shushi shook his head helplessly, "You guys continue to relax, we'll head back first."

After saying that, he pulled Qin Qi into the SUV driven by Zhang Yang.

"Where are we going next?" Sui Sui asked, hugging Wei Ran's arm.

"I'll listen to you."

Wei Ran thought for a moment and said, "I reckon we'll have to go back to Kazan. We should at least let them know."

“We definitely need to go back, and Belial and the others are over there too. We have to find a way to get them out,” Sui Sui said after thinking for a moment. “But there’s no rush.”

"Whatever you say, where to next?"

“Pagoda Mountain!” Sui Sui said, already opening the car door and getting into the car driven by Marta.

"Where do you think that scumbag Wei got that handbag from?" Qin Qi couldn't help but ask on the way to the airport.

That thing can only come from two places.

Xia Shushi thought for a moment and said, "They either come from our neighbors on the peninsula or from the United States."

“I think it was the United States,” Qin Qi said. “Maybe some American soldier picked it up.”

I think it came from the neighbor's house.

Xia Shushi leaned close to Qin Qi's ear and said, "Have you forgotten? There's a quiet, unassuming girl next to that scumbag. She seems to be the girl next door."

"Which one?"

"Who else could it be? The quiet Lyubov who wasn't with us this time," Xia Shushi reminded him.

"Oh--"

While Qin Qi suddenly realized this, another group of people in the Time Cafe in Kazan were discussing Wei Ran.

“I heard from Aurora that Victor is preparing to go back to his country,” Anna said with interest, holding a cup of coffee. “And he’s doing something like a fool, opening a photography studio.”

"Photo studio?"

Upon hearing the news, Dalia rushed over and joked, "Is this little guy still dreaming of becoming a war photographer?"

“If he wants to be a war photographer, he should at least go to Wulan,” Apoli said. “China is too far from the battlefield.”

"So he's not coming back? Does that mean everyone's retirement plans are going to fall through?" Wei Ran's cheap mentor, Mr. Kajik, asked with a hint of schadenfreude as he held a cup of Chinese-style milk tea.

“Quite the opposite”

Karp, who had been silent until now, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "It's better for that little madman to stay in China forever. As long as he lives in China, he's safe. As long as he's safe, we can enjoy our retirement in peace."

"Calp is right."

Dalia said gleefully, "We still have to worry about Victor's safety in Russia, but now we can leave that problem to China and those who want to murder Victor."

"China probably doesn't need to worry too much about his security."

Anna said with a smile, "But those who want to murder Victor are probably going to have a headache about how to do it."

“I’m starting to look forward to those rats doing something stupid,” Apoli expressed with great interest, eager for a good show.

Time really flies.

"That clueless newbie has now grown into a towering tree that can shelter us," Culp sighed.

"I still feel a little sad thinking that I won't be able to see him again," Dalia said, but her expression was one of great relief.

That's not necessarily true.

Before the words were finished, a woman in a formal suit walked into the temporarily closed library amidst the clatter of her high heels on the floor.

"Why are you here?" Dalia asked her friend in surprise.

“Your good student landed a job as a historical consultant with one of my colleagues a few days ago.”

The woman in formal attire had already sat down next to Dalia as she spoke. "So you'll probably see Mr. Victor, the historian, again in the future."

"You came here just to deliver this good news?" Dalia said, snapping her fingers at Lyubov behind the bar, who immediately brought her a cup of coffee.

"of course not"

The woman in formal attire said, "I'm here today simply to learn more about your students."

"Victor is nothing but a scumbag who's always chasing after women."

Dalia said, "He even had inappropriate thoughts about my Olena, so we sent him back to China."

"And he's not one of our students."

Culp immediately stated, "He is our shareholder, I mean, the largest shareholder of Time Film Studios. We only tutored him in foreign languages."

“I’m in charge of teaching him French,” Anna said, holding her coffee cup. “He has a real talent for French.”

“I’m in charge of German,” Dalia added. “How can an excellent historian not know German?”

“I’ll be responsible for teaching him Italian,” Calp said, shrugging. “As we all know, Italy was one of the Axis powers during World War II, and as a historian, it is absolutely necessary for him to learn some Italian.”

"And you two?" the woman in formal attire asked, as if she were just going through the motions.

"I was indeed his mentor in the field of war history."

Kajik said, "I must say, Victor is an excellent student. Although he had inappropriate feelings for another of my students, Maya, Maya is already married, so this does not affect his academic achievements."

Furthermore, considering his achievements over the years, I'm preparing to approve his doctoral degree this year.

"Dont look at me"

Apoli pointed to the name tag on his chest. "I'm not a teacher, I'm just a security guard here."

"I'll help you polish it up."

The woman in formal attire seemed unsurprised by this response: "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"The Victor and Aurora you're looking for are not the rumored couple."

While gently stirring her coffee, Dalia casually remarked, "They are actually cousins. Also, I heard that Aurora is planning to continue her studies in China in the next few years."

“So that’s how it is”

The woman in formal attire exclaimed with sudden realization, "So it's here."

"This whole area belongs to that girl, including the winery next door. Of course, her cousin Victor's medal was also thanks to her investment and hard work."

And let's not forget, the sporting goods produced by the factory invested in by Aurora's parents have saved many lives, thanks in large part to her connections and friends in China.

Dalia cautioned, "This kind and patriotic Russian girl is a bridge of friendship between China and Russia, and also a guarantee for the retirement life of us poor people."

What? Is someone trying to embezzle our retirement funds again to buy a villa in Sochi and keep a mistress?

"I will relay this message and warn some people."

The woman in formal attire smiled and made the promise, then picked up her coffee cup and asked casually, "Next, tell me about the star you've been grooming, Dima Allah?"

“He’s Time Film Studio’s flagship product, I mean, a star.”

Culp chimed in, "From the very beginning of his career, he's made anti-war films. What? Did some Nash rat infiltrate your ranks?"

"We have many more films scheduled for release soon."

Anna added, "Including the Siege of Leningrad, Viktor, whom I just mentioned, had already written the script a year ago, and the actors from Time Film Studio have been working hard to hone their acting skills for this film under Dima's guidance."

"I'm really looking forward to the release of this movie, and I'll definitely help you overcome all the obstacles," the woman in formal attire earnestly promised.

Is there anything else I've missed?

Dalia asked, "We've been waiting for you all morning. It wouldn't be worth taking a day off to come here for coffee if it were just for a few words."

“And this café, especially these precious historical photographs,” the woman in formal attire said. “Cafés like this should continue to exist.”

"she"

Apoli pointed to Lyubov, who was busy behind the bar, "That's Victor's real girlfriend. She'll be in charge of running this place from now on."

"Are you Victor's girlfriend?" the woman in formal attire asked with interest.

"That's right"

Lyubov nodded in agreement and said with remarkable ease, “I come from the partisan village of Vorkuta. I was 14 years old when I legally married Viktor in a Komi traditional ceremony. My wedding was approved by my guardian, so it was completely legal even under the laws of the Russian Federation.”

"Where is your guardian?" the woman in formal attire asked with interest.

"Two years ago, they were attacked and killed by a pack of wolves while migrating with their reindeer. This incident was reported in the local news."

When Lyubov said this, her eyes were already red and large tears were streaming down her face. "Victor has always taken care of me. He is very good to me, so I don't mind if he has any ambiguous relationships with other girls."

He promised to let me manage everything here, and I'm very content with my life now. He cares about me a lot, and I love him very much. We'll have children in the future.

"He really is a complete scumbag."

The woman in formal attire clapped her hands in admiration, and of course, everyone present knew exactly what she was praising.

“Any other questions?” Dalia asked.

"How do you explain that conspicuously pink security team?" the woman in formal attire asked.

“That’s the security team that serves Mrs. Lyubov. As everyone knows, Mrs. Lyubov is very fond of pink,” Apolly said matter-of-factly.

"That's right"

Without a second thought, Lyubov agreed. In just a few words, she had not only stopped crying but had even wiped away her tears. "I really like pink."

I can't think of anything else for now.

The woman in formal attire put down her coffee cup as she spoke. "Take good care of the kind Mrs. Lyubov. We will also respect the wishes of the parties involved and keep this romantic transnational marriage a secret."

"Thank you," Apoli said noncommittally.

"I won't bother you anymore."

After the woman in formal attire finished speaking, she decisively got up and left the coffee shop.

"Lyubov, your acting is very good. Would you like to try being an actress?" Kalp extended a gentle invitation.

"What acting skills?" Lyubov asked blankly. "I'm telling the truth."

“You’ve passed,” Culp smiled.

"Thank you for your compliment on the coffee I brewed," Lyubov replied, her response perfectly tactful.

“We should leave too,” Dalia said, putting down her empty coffee cup as well.

Watching them leave, Lyubov let out a soft sigh and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, will Sister Aurora kill me if she knows what I did?"

"Who do you think prepared the script you received?" Apoli asked with a smile, watching the car drive away outside the window.

"It's Sister Aurora?!" Lyubov's eyes widened. "Why would she do this?"

"Someone has to be Victor's apparent weakness."

Apoli's smile remained unchanged. "Although there won't be any danger, there has to be someone like this around."

"Like a proton?" Lyubov suddenly switched to Chinese.

"My understanding of Chinese language and culture is far less than yours."

Apoli said, "From now on, Victor will control the parts under the sunlight through you. Good boy, don't let Victor down."

"Ok!"

Lyubov nodded, suppressing her excitement. She had no interest in running a business with the Hela girls on the second floor of the library like Lola, but she was filled with an irresistible longing for those parts under the sunlight.

(End of this chapter)