In the evening of this day, as night fell, the medical workers at Aka Hospital also finished their work for the whole day. While chatting in various languages about the bombed barrels outside the refugee camp, they rushed back to their dormitories.
.
In the dormitory assigned to Wei Ran and others, everyone sat around two hospital beds, each holding a lunch box facing each other, tasting their first dinner after entering the refugee camp.
Compared with the outside, the food in this refugee camp is naturally worse. Each person has a piece of flatbread that is slightly dry and hard, and a spoonful of curry-like paste is all. It is not clear whether there is meat or vegetables in it.
.
"Are we staying here tonight?" Edelweiss asked as she bit into the big cake in her hand that was bigger than her face.
"Let's rest here first."
Wei Ran and the hot air balloon sitting opposite looked at each other and said with a smile, "Let's go to that house to have a look later. The conditions there are better."
"I don't know if there's going to be a fight outside," Cradle said worriedly.
"I haven't heard too many gunshots yet, probably not yet." Sewing Machine replied, "And we are in a refugee camp, so we don't have to worry too much."
"We can't help here"
Rama said with a sense of disappointment, “During the whole day, our ambulance only brought back one pregnant woman.
By the way, Mrs. Cradle, how is the mother doing? I didn’t even take pictures of her and her baby.”
Hearing this, Cradle and Edelweiss glanced at each other subconsciously, then nodded with a smile, "She survived. She and her child survived. She is a healthy girl. I'm sorry, I couldn't find you at that time.
Come and take pictures of them."
"Are they still in the hospital?" Rama asked, "I can go find them later."
"No, no need."
Edelweiss said, "The veterinarian left his camera to me. I have already taken pictures of them. The mother and daughter have been picked up by their families."
"That's it"
Rama was relieved after hearing this. It was obvious that this little girl was extremely serious about her work and had unusual enthusiasm.
Seeing Edelweiss next to him looking at him and inadvertently touching his shoes with his shoes, Wei Ran bit off a piece of big cake, chewed it hungrily, and said vaguely, "Don't worry, I will remember to put it
It was developed from a photo.”
"Then I'll leave it to you." Edelweiss immediately showed a bright and heart-wrenching smile.
After finishing the simple dinner in two or three mouthfuls, the hot air balloon took out a pack of cigarettes and shook it, "Shan, no, Mr. Dongfeng, how about we go smoke a cigarette?"
"certainly"
Wei Ran nodded and handed the lunch box to Hanwad, who was in charge of cleaning it. He got up and followed the hot air balloon out of the dormitory. He climbed over the windows at the end of the corridor not far away without any quality, and finally stood on the side of the road where they stood.
Next to an ambulance.
"I'll give you this camera."
Before the other party could speak, Wei Ran took out the Nikon half-frame and two films prepared in advance and handed them over, "This is a half-frame, and each film can take 72 pictures."
The hot air balloon happily took the camera and hung it around his neck, "This couldn't be better."
"Do you need me to teach you how to use it?" Wei Ran asked.
"I know how to use a camera"
The hot air balloon replied, "Before everything went bad, I also had a rangefinder camera, a Leica rangefinder camera, and I sold it."
"That's good"
Wei Ran thought for a while, then took out a roll of film from his pocket and handed it to the other party, "How about I give you an extra roll of film, and help you take some pictures of the scenery in the refugee camp? I plan to send it to my family."
"Of course!" The hot air balloon happily took the third film, "I asked you to come out because I wanted to borrow a camera from you. In addition, I also want to give you a small gift."
"What gift?" Wei Ran asked curiously.
"this"
Hot Air Balloon said, taking out a newspaper roll from his pocket and handing it to Wei Ran, "Your skin color is too conspicuous here, it might be better to cover it up, I mean, Mr. Dongfeng."
Hearing this, Wei Ran took the newspaper roll handed to him and weighed it, then looked around before opening it.
Inside this newspaper roll is an Arab square scarf with a yellow background and black plaid, and a label hanging from the corner. However, inside this square scarf, there is a Makarov pistol produced in the Soviet Union and a bullet-filled bullet.
spare magazine.
"Where did you get it?"
Wei Ran asked without raising his head. Naturally, he knew that the square scarf he bought from nowhere was completely a "packaging bag". What the other party really wanted to give to him was actually this pistol.
"Left from my wife's father"
The hot air balloon replied, "He has died in the civil war. Keep this gun for self-defense. Didn't you promise to help me protect everyone?"
"Keep it for yourself"
Wei Ran said, having already returned the pistol and magazine to the other party, "This square scarf is enough."
"Are you an intelligence agent from which country?" After the hot air balloon took the pistol, he suddenly pointed the gun at Wei Ran.
Hearing this, Wei Ran smiled and said, "I am Doctors Without Borders."
"What about Mr. Dongfeng?" the hot air balloon asked.
"Internationalist Warrior" Wei Ran, who didn't even bother to raise his hands, replied matter-of-factly that he had just seen it and the gun didn't even have a bullet in it.
After a while, the hot air balloon asked almost firmly, "Are you staying here for Edelweiss?"
"For justice," Wei Ran replied calmly.
"I never thought that Edelweiss would one day represent justice."
The hot air balloon smiled at himself, and finally slowly put away the weapon and pinned it on his waist, as if he believed that Wei Ran stayed because of Edelweiss.
"Have you given up your suspicion so quickly?" Wei Ran asked with a normal expression.
"At least you did save a lot of lives in the operating room before."
The hot air balloon took out the pack of cigarettes again, took out one and lit it in his mouth, then handed the cigarette case and lighter to Wei Ran, "It's just that you gave it to me, no, Mr. Dongfeng gave it to me, it felt too dangerous.
I always have to figure it out."
"how about you?"
When Wei Ran took the cigarette and lighter, a pistol with a silencer appeared in his left hand holding the scarf.
"It's your turn, Mr. Hot Air Balloon."
Wei Ran said with a smile, "Don't worry, my gun is loaded with bullets. I also want to figure out your purpose."
"Purpose?"
The hot air balloon also seemed to realize that Wei Ran had no ill intentions. He leaned against the car door and puffed out smoke, saying, "Actually, I am already a Frenchman."
"I have heard"
After proving his strength, Wei Ran used the cover of his coat to put away his weapon, "You studied abroad in France, then joined the Outlaws, and obtained French citizenship after retiring."
"That's right"
The hot air balloon exhaled a large cloud of smoke, "I only obtained French nationality in the third year of the Civil War in Fencenen, but..."
"You can choose not to tell"
Wei Ran, who had already guessed something, sighed, "I've already put the gun away."
"They're all dead, they're all dead."
The hot air balloon slowly sat on the ground close to the car, suppressing the pain and said, "My wife, children, parents, and her parents all died in the civil war. I want to take them to France, but I can't even
None of their bodies were found."
"Is this why you stayed?" Wei Ran asked and finally lit the crumpled cigarette in his hand.
"Not the reason"
The hot air balloon smiled bitterly, "Where else can I go except here? They are all here. Where can I go after leaving here? To France? Without them, I have no interest in becoming a Frenchman."
"so..."
"I didn't save them"
The hot air balloon glanced at Edelweiss, who climbed over the window a little clumsily, "So I want to save other people, as many as I can, until..."
The hot air balloon stood up with the help of Wei Ran, patted his butt and said, "Until you die here."
After saying that, the hot air balloon warmly greeted the oncoming Edelweiss, walked towards the window at the end of the corridor, and quickly climbed over.
"Would you like a drink?" Edelweiss opened the door of the emergency vehicle as she spoke.
But then, she said with a slight embarrassment, "But I didn't find the wine, and I drank all the wine in the jug you gave me."
“Then let’s have a drink”
As Wei Ran said this, he walked to the passenger seat, opened the door and got in.
"But..."
Before Edelweiss, who closed the car door a little later, had finished her words, Wei Ran had already taken out his kettle and unscrewed the lid.
"I poured a pot in advance." Wei Ran pointed to the top of Edelweiss's head. The latter reacted and immediately took off the two glasses, allowing Wei Ran to pour half a glass for each of them.
"Ding"
Amidst the crisp and sweet collision sound, the goblets in the hands of the two men gently bumped together. At that moment, Edelweiss, who had been tense all day, seemed to have received a signal, and his whole body
Everyone seemed to be more relaxed.
As if taking poison to avoid reality, Edelweiss poured all the red wine in the glass into her stomach in one breath, and then picked up Wei Ran's kettle.
After a moment of hesitation, she put down the wine glass, held the kettle in both hands and took a sip of the wine inside.
"Are you under a lot of pressure?" Wei Ran, who just took a sip of wine, finally asked.
"Um..."
Edelweiss responded with a voice that almost only she could hear. Her petite body curled up on the driver's seat, holding the bottle of red wine that was like a life-saving potion to her and said in a daze, "I'm afraid.
.”
"Are you afraid..."
"I want to go home"
Edelweiss, who was almost emotionally broken, covered her mouth tightly, lowered her voice, and said while holding back her tears, "I really want to leave here, leave immediately. I want to go home, and I don't want to die here."
"You now..."
Wei Ran paused, and seeing that the Living Ancestor did not stop him, he boldly continued, "It's still too late for you to leave now."
"I..."
After a moment of hesitation, Edelweiss took a sip of wine, then shook her head hard, "I can't leave, I can't abandon you and leave by myself, but...but...I'm so scared."
well...
Wei Ran sighed and drank the remaining red wine in the glass. Then he carefully wrapped the goblet in newspaper and stuffed it into the mesh bag above his head.
In the dim sky, Wei Ran stretched out his hand towards Edelweiss. The latter, like a child who had been wronged, curled her lips and shed uncontrollable tears, and handed one of her hands to Wei Ran.
, then crawled over the hood between the two people, and lay down in Wei Ran's arms just like last night, letting him hold her, crying unbridled in his arms, venting the thick emotions that could not be dissipated at all.
fear.
Similarly, Wei Ran, who was holding this girl, was also drawing some luxurious comfort from her.
He knew very well in his heart, just as Edelweiss knew very well in his heart that the lust between a man and a woman might not ferment at all between them.
But they couldn't resist drawing the precious warmth from each other's arms, just like... just like two poor children hugging each other tightly to keep warm in the winter in Leningrad.
Of course Xue Ronghua is afraid. For this little princess who came from a developed country and was pampered and grew up, everything here is her dream, but it is also a nightmare she has never experienced before.
No, maybe in her original understanding, the nightmare might just be "falling into the mud but not being able to take a bath", or maybe "a man-eating monster with goat's horns".
But here, everything here is a real nightmare for her, beyond her cognition.
It was a nightmare that made her run away and hide behind her omnipotent grandfather.
But who is born to be a fearless warrior?
Wei Ran? He is definitely not.
Are those Palestinian children born to experience nightmares? I'm afraid they are not.
"A warrior is not fearless"
Wei Ran hugged the thin girl who was biting his collar and crying, and murmured into her ear, "The warrior is obviously so frightened that he is about to run away, but he still chooses to stay.
Snow... Clara, you are already a warrior."
"Are they warriors like those patchwork tank soldiers in the story you told last night?" Edelweiss raised her head, sucked in the slightly embarrassed snot bubbles, and asked with tearful eyes.
"Yes." Wei Ran couldn't help but hugged the other party tighter, "Like them."
"I want to hear you continue telling your stories on the battlefield."
Edelweiss took out a handkerchief and blew her nose in an incomprehensible manner, then inexplicably moved her face to the other shoulder that was not wet with tears and lay down, "You promised me to continue talking yesterday."
"That was the second time I participated in a battle. It was by a river."
Wei Ran gently put one hand on the other person's head, looked at the increasingly blurry outline of the building outside the window, and whispered, "There, I met a little boy who was even younger than Rama.
His name is Nicholas."
"Why is it a child again?" Edelweiss, who was held in Wei Ran's arms, could not help but tremble.
"yes"
Wei Ran, who was also trembling, sighed, "Why is he a child again..."
"He...did he survive?" Edelweiss hugged Wei Ran tightly and asked.
"Survived"
Wei Ran's voice became stronger, "He survived and is alive and well. He and his friends are left with a good question."
"What's the problem?" Edelweiss asked blankly, looking sideways at Wei Ran who was almost swallowed by the darkness.
"If there is only one film left in the camera, should it be used to record war or happiness."
"I choose happiness," Edelweiss said almost subconsciously, "but I also want to record the war, no, let's be happy."
"There is only one negative..."
Wei Ran sighed, hugged the only listener in his arms, and talked about the things that happened by the Don River, hoping to give some encouragement to the girl in his arms, and also hoping to get some comfort from him.
