Chapter 149 Surprise interview and forced sale of musical instruments
From the second day after returning to Volgograd, Jima didn't know which muscle was wrong. Every day, he ran to the travel agency next door more diligently than clocking in at work, and shamelessly pestered the little girl at the front desk, Sasha, in all kinds of tricks.
Taste of hospitality.
Although this guy annoyed the small front desk of the travel agency, the studio next door lost such a noisy guy, and it rarely returned to its former peace.
Now that there is almost a week left until he returns to Hongqi Forest Farm for classes, Wei Ran is finally able to calm down and continue to study on his own the teaching materials that Karl Pu prepared for him.
As for the Chinese musical instrument that the other party asked him to learn on his own, Wei Ran still had no idea. Even the wooden fish the size of a rice cooker that he bought online was sent to the travel agency next door by Ji Ma and became one of the decorations at the front desk.
Apart from these insignificant episodes, what made Wei Ran the happiest was that since returning from Berlin, he found that he had never had nightmares again. Every night he slept extremely solidly until dawn, and he also felt extra special every day during the day.
I am full of energy, and my study progress has naturally improved significantly. Of course, those who don’t understand still don’t understand, and the number of questions in my study notes has also accumulated.
As time passed by, the end of November came, and a sudden heavy snowfall visited Volgograd on the riverside. And with this heavy snowfall, Nikolai came here early in the morning.
"Mr. Nicholas, have you had breakfast?" Wei Yan put down the topography he had just opened and said hello in a unique Chinese way.
"have eaten"
Nicholas first carefully observed the expression on Wei Ran's face. Seeing that he looked lively and full of energy, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and placed the bag he was carrying on the table with a smile.
He said, "Put on these clothes. A reporter will come to interview you later."
"That photo?" Wei Ran immediately thought of the reason.
Nicholas smiled and nodded, "After expert appraisal, that photo has been confirmed to have captured the first red flag in the Capitol Building."
"Great!" Wei Ran immediately smiled and waved his fist, but then asked nervously, "There's still an interview? Come here? Do I need to clean up?"
"No, it's fine as it is." Nicholas pushed the paper bag forward on the table again, then turned and shouted toward the door, "Dalia, come here and help."
Under Wei Ran's surprised gaze, Teacher Dalia from Hongqi Forestry Farm walked into the studio wearing a decent formal suit and carrying a brown horsehide briefcase.
"Teacher Dalia, why are you here?" Wei Ran stood up straight subconsciously.
Teacher Dalia lowered her head and looked at her watch, then said with a smile, "Victor, you still have three minutes to change clothes, which is ten thousand rubles per minute."
"It's true, Teacher Dalia, you're right!"
Wei Ran cursed secretly and hurriedly opened the paper bag on the table and took out a set of expensive-looking black suits, matching shirts, leather shoes, belts, ties and even socks.
After he hurriedly put on his clothes and put on his shoes, Teacher Dalia walked around him, then opened his briefcase, and after some selection, he took out a black glasses case from it, opened it and pushed it to Wei
Burn.
"Put on your glasses. You will have a simple interview later. If you forget your words, you can take off your glasses and wipe them. I will give you tips then. In addition, it can also improve your scholarly temperament.
"
"Um...thank you"
Wei Ran didn't know what to say other than thanking him. He gratefully picked up the glasses, which didn't even have a prescription and were just for show, and put them on his face.
Teacher Dalia continued to look around Wei Ran, then rummaged through her briefcase, took out a watch with a green canvas strap and handed it to Wei Ran, "Put this watch on too, now your temperament
Once you have it, you also need some accessories that highlight your style. Although this watch is not expensive, it is just right.”
Wei Ran took the watch and looked at it honestly. It was a Timex tide watch. Although it looked more outdoor-oriented, after putting it on the wrist, just as Teacher Dalia said, it changed easily.
The hint of scholarly demeanor disguised by this outfit made the whole person look a little brighter.
Looking around Wei Ran again, Teacher Dalia personally helped him change the tie method, and then took out a box of nail clippers and a razor from the briefcase, "Clip your nails yourself."
Cut it and shave it clean."
"Um...do you need to take it so seriously?" Wei Ran asked as he took the nail clipper.
"Since it is a disguised identity, it must be as perfect as possible."
As she spoke, Teacher Dalia took out another square scarf from her bag, folded it, and stuffed it into Wei Ran's chest pocket herself, leaving only a little edge exposed. "In addition, when you are being interviewed, speak quickly.
Slow down. The slower you speak, the more obvious your temperament will be."
After the other party said so, Wei Ran naturally couldn't brush off their kindness. After trimming and polishing his nails honestly, he applied some extra hand cream, and finally made Teacher Dalia nod with satisfaction.
"There's still an hour left."
Teacher Dalia finally took out a manuscript from her briefcase and handed it to Wei Ran, "I'll give you 15 minutes to memorize it. After 15 minutes, I will ask you questions."
After Wei Ran heard this, he quickly picked up the manuscript. Fortunately, there were not many questions, and the corresponding answers were also few, so it was not difficult to memorize them.
While Teacher Dalia was waiting with her watch in hand, fifteen minutes had just passed when she asked her first question.
Before Wei Ran could finish his first sentence, he was interrupted by the former, "It's too fast. Speak slower. The tone of voice should change a little, but don't be too exaggerated. Also, sit up a little straighter. There is no camera."
When doing this, you should look directly at the interviewer. When there is a camera, you should face the camera directly. Now start over."
Under Teacher Dalia's corrections over and over again, Wei Ran also adjusted his speaking speed, facial expressions and sitting posture little by little.
Although this kind of assault-style training was meant to sharpen one's skills before the battle, under her guidance, the results were remarkable after half an hour. If nothing else, it at least frightened Ji Ma, who had wandered back from next door.
.
"What are you doing? Are you planning to make a movie?" Jima asked curiously.
"Go aside, you have nothing to do today."
Nikolai pulled Jima aside like a fly, and while asking questions on Darya's behalf, he watched her smear Wei Ran's face.
As Wei Ran answered again and again, Nicholas nodded with satisfaction, and Teacher Dalia finally completed the packaging of Wei Ran's external image.
Finally, they sprayed some cologne in the air and asked Wei Ran to walk over. Teacher Dalia and Nicholas looked at each other with satisfaction, and then motioned to Wei Ran to keep his current sitting posture, while the two of them personally put the study materials on the table.
The materials were put away and replaced with several history books found in the studio and a map of the Battle of Berlin.
Randomly picking up a red and blue marker and drawing some arrows on the map, Teacher Dalia waved her hand to Jima, who was watching the fun, "Help me go to the car and get that wooden box."
Ji Ma, who was originally watching the excitement, took the car keys and ran out of the studio. Soon after, he returned to the studio carrying a wooden box that was more than one meter long and half a meter wide.
"What is this?" Wei Ran asked curiously.
"The background that enhances your artistic foundation is also the Chinese musical instrument I helped you choose, so that you won't waste everyone's time by taking the percussion used by monks to the Hongqi Forest Farm."
As Teacher Dalia spoke, she opened the wooden box sent by Jima, took out a guqin from it, and carefully placed it on the bookshelf diagonally opposite the long table.
"Are you going to let me learn this?" Wei Ran asked with an ugly face. If he could learn this thing, he would have majored in history, and he might not have even considered going abroad.
Teacher Dalia replied matter-of-factly, "It looks very Chinese, doesn't it? Also, remember to pay. Culp bought it after going to France to participate in an underground auction."
"Shall I pay?" Wei Ran's eyes widened even further.
"Don't worry, it's not expensive. Although it is an antique that is nearly a hundred years old, it actually only costs 20,000 US dollars because of its shady origin." Teacher Dalia said with a smile, "If you don't want 20,000 US dollars,
It’s a waste, just try to learn how to play it.”
Before Wei Ran could say anything else, outside the studio, several SUVs with the words "Moscow Patriotic War Museum" on them slowly stopped at the door.
"Why is it the Patriotic War Museum in Moscow? Isn't it the Mamayev Ridge?" Wei Ran asked Nikolay who was sitting aside watching the fun, and for a moment he forgot about the guqin. The two of them
The museum is miles apart.
"To be precise, it should be more than Mamayev Hill." Nikolai did not explain in detail. Instead, he asked Jima to get into Wei Ran's bedroom, leaving only Teacher Dalia outside to help him.
Wei Ran welcomes unexpected guests.
They didn't have to wait long before a middle-aged woman with a microphone in her hand walked out of the car. Behind her, there were several staff carrying cameras and fill lights, as well as several men and women.
"Mr. Lu Ren, we meet again." Teacher Dalia calmly shook hands with a middle-aged man who followed the reporter into the studio.
"Ms. Sasha" Director Lu Ren shook hands with teacher Dalia, whose pseudonym was Sasha. He looked at Wei Ran impatiently and asked, "Is this Mr. Victor, the donor of those two photos?"
"He is indeed the Victor who found those two photos."
After finishing speaking, Teacher Dalia raised her hand towards the middle-aged man and said, "Victor, this is Mr. Lu Ren, the deputy director of the Patriotic War Museum."
"Hello, Director Lu Ren." Wei Ran shook hands with the other party in a neither humble nor overbearing manner.
"Thank you very much for your willingness to donate such two precious photos. They make up for the regrets in history." While Director Lu Ren was speaking, the reporter over there had already turned on the microphone and camera.
Although this process was somewhat different from what was expected, fortunately the change was not big, and Wei Ran completely relaxed after a brief period of nervousness.
Under the guidance of the reporter, Director Lu Ren and Wei Ran sat down at a 90-degree angle at the corner of the long table. At the same time, they also intentionally or unintentionally took the guqin on the bookshelf behind Wei Ran into the camera.
.
As he, the female reporter and curator Lu Ren asked and answered questions according to the script, time passed quietly, and the snow outside the window gradually became smaller. And the deputy curator Lu Ren also personally gave the interview after the interview.
Weiran signed a letter of appointment as an honorary consultant to the Patriotic War Museum.
It is hard to say whether it is a loss or a gain to trade two valuable photos for such an honorary consultant title, but even Ji Ma, who is hiding in the bedroom and watching the excitement through the crack of the door, knows that after the interview just aired, Wei
It could cause a stir in at least Russia and Germany.
When everything was finished and the rushing reporters and the deputy director named Lu Ren were sent away, the heavy snow outside the studio finally stopped, and Nicholas, who had been hiding in the bedroom, looked at him with a smile on his face.
The envious Ji Ma came out.
"How do you feel?" Nicholas asked with a smile while sitting in the seat that originally belonged to the reporter.
"More tiring than the game hunting at Hongqi Forest Farm." Wei Ran wiped the sweat from his forehead and truthfully stated his feelings.
"Every effort will be rewarded."
Nikolai looked in the direction of the Volga River and said leisurely, "Soon, those two photos and your name will appear in the news. Victor, from today on, you will be a well-known historian."
"What kind of historian am I?" Wei Ran loosened his tie in confusion, took off his glasses and threw them on the table, "I originally wanted to be a war photographer."
"Then Mr. Photographer, would you like to pay the auction fee for that Chinese guqin?" Teacher Dalia changed the topic with a smile.
"Twenty thousand dollars?" Wei Ran asked with a grimace. Why did he feel like he was being taken advantage of when he spent hundreds of thousands of yuan to buy a musical instrument?
Teacher Dalia shrugged, "Including the clothes you are wearing and Culp's travel expenses to and from France, the total is twenty-four thousand U.S. dollars. How about a total of twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars?"
Wei Ran nodded dumbfounded, and finally endured his heartache and went into the bedroom, took out 25,000 US dollars in cash from the safe and handed it over to Teacher Dalia.
Although the other party is suspected of buying and selling by force, he is not a fool. Even if he thinks with his toes, he knows that those two photos were sent to the Patriotic War Museum in Moscow. It must be the credit of Teacher Dalia and Karp.
.So due to emotions and reasons, Wei Ran would take the initiative to pay a reasonable remuneration even if the other party didn't mention it.
Although I knew the truth in my heart, the two photos that were estimated to be worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for only a letter of appointment, and more than 20,000 US dollars were added to it, which really made Wei Ran, who had just become rich,
Some hearts bleed.
Teacher Dalia, on the other hand, acted as if nothing was wrong. She exaggeratedly sniffed the banknotes that Wei Ran had photographed in his hand, and then said hello to Nicholas coolly, leaving her hands empty without even picking up the briefcase.
He left the studio, drove away in his car, and disappeared at the end of the silver-covered road.
