After a long flight, when Wei Ran and Anfiya walked out of London Airport with their suitcases in hand, they immediately wrapped their windbreakers tightly in unison.
"The weather in this shitty place is as cold and gloomy as the hearts of British people." Wei Ran complained angrily as he looked up at the drizzling sky.
"Boss, should we go to the address of that store now, or should we find a place to settle down first?" Anfisa, who was holding an umbrella alone, asked while reaching out to stop the taxi.
"Let's get there first"
Wei Ran opened the trunk and put his luggage in and said, "After you send me to the place, you first go to find a hotel nearby."
"Don't you need to rent a car?" Anfisa once again confirmed the question she had asked before boarding the plane in Kazan.
"No need," Wei Ran said confidently, "You can even go back first after sending me to the place."
"Boss Aurora asked me to keep an eye on you." Anfisa got into the car and continued, "She is worried that you will be deceived into freeing electricity."
Waiting for Anfisa to report the address to the taxi driver in English with a Cockney accent, Weiran fiddled with her phone and asked, "What if I want to go without electricity?"
"My sister and I will help you hide it": Anfisa switched to Russian and said in a matter-of-fact tone without thinking.
"I will give you a bonus." Wei Ran smiled and drew a big cake for the other party.
"Thanks"
Anfisa said politely with a smile on her face. Although she and Anfiya usually had nothing to spend money on, and they received double wages from Wei Ran and Suisui respectively, they had long been dismissed.
A certain money-obsessed girl jumped into the eyes of money and became extremely enthusiastic about saving money - even though they never thought about what the saved money was used for.
The two reached a consensus and ended the topic following their common habit of never mentioning any privacy-related topics on public transportation.
In each other's silence, the taxi safely drove Weiran and Anfisa to a historic-looking street in Enfield, and finally stopped at an intersection.
"The store you want to go to is in that pedestrian street, on the left."
The taxi driver took the money from Anfisa Mines and said while giving change, "I'm sorry, cars are not allowed on that street during the day."
"It's good to have it here." Anfisa smiled and took the change, then opened the car door, held up the umbrella again, and took the suitcase from Weiran.
The two of them walked along the pedestrian street for almost ten minutes. Anfisa, who was holding an umbrella alone, slowed down a little and included the boss, who had been soaked in the rain, under the umbrella. He stopped and whispered, "The road
opposite."
Wei Ran casually looked up at the shop across the street, and smiled. Just like what he saw in the screenshot provided by Anfiya, this place had become a flower shop, and inside the floor-to-ceiling window, there was also a flower shop.
Filled with all kinds of flowers.
After a moment of observation, Wei Ran pushed the suitcase to Anfisa, took off Hassan's leather briefcase fixed in the suitcase and said, "We seemed to have passed by a hotel just now. Let's stay there. I'll finish my work for a while."
I called you."
"OK"
Before Anfisa could finish her words, she had already grabbed their suitcases and turned around in the direction they came from.
After waiting for a while, Wei Ran took his briefcase and crossed the street to open the glass door of the flower shop. Along with the sweet knocking of the wind chimes, a sense of warmth came along with the scent of flowers on the shop floor.
Glancing at the potted dragon boat flowers hanging around the bar, Wei Ran observed them leisurely.
The flower shop covers an area of about 100 square meters. In addition to the flower stands filled with flowers around the wall, there are also several long tables in the middle. On these tables, there are also various patterns of wrapping paper and some such as
Tools such as pruning shears.
"Need help?" A middle-aged Asian woman who was busy at the long table greeted her gently.
"It would be best if you could speak Chinese," Wei Ran responded with a smile, "I'm not very good at English."
"Chinese?" the middle-aged woman asked in surprise. Although her Chinese had an accent that she didn't know where, she still spoke it well.
"right"
Weiran
Nodding, he pointed to a pot of dragon boat flower beside the bar and asked knowingly, "Is this a dragon boat flower? It's a national flower without electricity."
"Yes," the middle-aged woman said with a smile, "few people here know that it is the national flower that does not require electricity."
"So you are actually a free person?" Wei Ran asked.
Although she was surprised why this young man who broke into the flower shop but didn't look like he wanted to buy flowers would ask this question, the middle-aged woman still smiled and shook her head and asked, "What do you want to buy?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm not actually here to buy anything."
While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already sat across from the middle-aged woman. Under the slightly wary gaze of the other woman, he opened his briefcase and took out a few printed photos and handed them to her.
"I'm here to see Mr. Guochang, the recipient of this letter."
Wei Ran pointed to the envelopes and the unique logo in the two photos, and then pointed to the red pattern on the floor-to-ceiling window next to the two of them, "I found information about the sale of this store more than ten years ago on the Internet.
On the sale information, I saw the same logo as on this envelope, so I found it here, ma'am."
"The Mr. Guochang you are looking for is my uncle."
The middle-aged woman didn't wait for Wei Ran to finish before she said, "He passed away in the 1980s."
"Sorry." Wei Ran arched his body apologetically.
"It doesn't matter." The middle-aged woman waved her hand, stood up, and poured Wei Ran a cup of hot tea with flowers floating in the air. She said with emotion, "This store used to be run by my uncle. At that time, it was still a jewelry store.
.”
"What's your... name?" Wei Ran asked tentatively.
"Excuse me, my surname is Zhou"
The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Where...did you...find that letter from the free phone? What was written on it?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "It was indeed found from Free Power, a place called Mo's Village."
Wei Ran nodded, "We haven't opened the letter yet. Originally, we planned to have Mr. Zhou open it himself, and we hoped that he could help us solve some historical mysteries."
"Mo's Village? Found it from Mo's Village?" The middle-aged woman asked in surprise, "Sagaing Province...Mansi Town, yes, Mansi Town, is it the Mo's Village in Mansi Town?"
"It is indeed there." Wei Ran nodded, looking at the other person expectantly, waiting for the woman who seemed to know something to give any useful clues.
Unexpectedly, she said after a slight hesitation, "I have heard the stories between my uncle and the expeditionary force since I was a child. The one he mentioned most was Mo's Village. Young man, what do you call it?"
"Weiran"
"If it's convenient for you, you can go home with me."
The middle-aged woman stood up as she spoke, "Although my uncle has passed away long ago, my father may know something."
"Of course it's convenient." Wei Ran stood up as he spoke and put away some photos on the table.
"Then come with me." Before he finished speaking, the flower shop owner had already put on his coat and opened the glass door with an umbrella.
When Wei Ran came out with her briefcase, she immediately locked the glass door and hung a sign saying it was temporarily closed.
Holding an umbrella and leading Wei Ran out of the pedestrian street, the two got into an old-looking Land Rover and drove straight out of the city.
"My home is in Epping, in the northeast corner of London."
Ms. Zhou, the owner of the flower shop, said apologetically while driving, "So the journey is a bit far, and it will probably take more than an hour."
"It doesn't matter, I have plenty of time." Wei Ran said politely, "It does disturb your business."
"It's okay." Ms. Zhou waved her hand nonchalantly, "Can you tell me how you found that letter?"
"certainly"
Wei Ran paused for a moment and briefly described the Chinese characters on the helmet and what Xia Shushi and II found in Mo's Village.
"Just for the straight characters on a helmet." Ms. Zhou obviously didn't understand the seriousness of Wei Ran and his friends.
Wei Ran smiled, "For the sake of those soldiers who have no way to go home."
Ms. Zhou was stunned and said subconsciously, "My uncle seemed to have said this often before. I was younger than you at that time."
Hearing this, Wei Ran was also stunned, and then sighed.
As the two chatted, time flew by quickly. By the time Ms. Zhou stepped on the brakes, there were already stretches of farmland surrounding her.
"This area in front is my family's farm." Ms. Zhou pointed to the house wrapped in farmland directly in front of the car, and then opened the car door.
Following the other party out of the carriage, Wei Ran tightened his windbreaker again, while not forgetting to observe the old-looking building in front of him.
Compared with this old house with a strong colonial farmer style, the glass greenhouse next to the house is obviously more eye-catching, and this glass greenhouse is even larger than the connected old house.
Although separated by glass and water mist, he could still clearly see that the glass house was filled with various flowers and tropical plants.
"My flowers are all grown there"
Seeing Wei Ran staring at the flower room, Ms. Zhou explained with a smile, and then led him into the door.
Before he could take off his windbreaker that was stained with water drops, Wei Ran saw a white-haired old man carrying a hoe walking out from the other side of the glass door connecting the greenhouse.
"Qixiang is back"
The white-haired old man put down his hoe and said hello, then asked with a smile, "How come I haven't seen this young man before?"
"Dad, this young man's name is Wei Ran."
After a brief introduction, Ms. Zhou, known as Qi Xiang, asked Wei Ran to sit down on the sofa by the fireplace and asked, "Where is my eldest brother?"
"It's in the study room," the old man said as he placed the hoe in a wooden box next to the glass door.
"You sit down for a moment and wait until I call my eldest brother over to talk together."
Ms. Zhou poured Wei Ran a cup of hot tea and explained additionally, "My eldest brother is my uncle's son."
"Thank you." Wei Ran stood up slightly and took the fragrant tea brought by the other party.
"Dad, please sit down and listen together later."
After Ms. Zhou finished speaking, she quickly walked to another room next to the flower room. In less than a minute, she walked out with a middle-aged man who looked particularly elegant.
"Let me introduce"
After Ms. Zhou waited for everyone to get ready on the sofa, she first introduced Wei Ran and his purpose, and then said to Wei Ran, "He is my eldest brother and my uncle's son Zhou Qiguang."
"Hello Mr. Zhou"
Wei Ran shook hands with the other party respectfully, then took out the photos from the briefcase and the double-ended gun oil can he brought with him and placed them on the table. He picked out what he could say and recounted it carefully.
"That's right, that's right"
The white-haired old man picked up the oil can with a double-headed gun and said, "I have seen this oil can. When Brother Shouzheng was alive, he held this oil can every day. Young man, where is the letter?"
"The letter is still in Mo's Village." Wei Ran looked at the other party and replied, "We haven't opened the letter yet. We were originally thinking of..."
"well…"
The old man sighed, put down the gun oil can and said, "My eldest brother passed away in 1986. Before his death, he kept saying that when there was no more war, he would go back and send Brother Shouzheng and his brothers back together.
.In a blink of an eye, it’s been so many years…”
"Old man, back then..." Wei Ran asked thoughtfully, "Do you know what happened back then? Also, the Chinese characters on that helmet..."
"This matter started in 1942." The old man looked at the elegant middle-aged man walking in Bangbang, "Qi Guang, go and move all the boxes left by your father."
"Hold on"
The middle-aged man named Qi Guang nodded politely to Wei Ran, got up and went upstairs to bring down a wooden box that looked very old.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As the wooden box was opened, Wei Ran's face couldn't help but be shaken.
The most conspicuous things in this box are a shiny wooden gun case and a neatly stacked set of British Expeditionary Force uniforms. On top of the uniforms, quietly lying a canvas-covered
A set of British Army P44 kettles and a second generation FS fighting dagger.
In addition, there are many small items in this box. These small items include a pocket watch-style compass, a Japanese soldier's body, etc.
Among the multifunctional knives seized, there was even a Minghai brand camera produced by the Japanese back then, and a Gurkha scimitar that had probably cut down countless Japanese and vines.
"These are all left by my eldest brother"
The old man sitting opposite Wei Ran carefully opened the stacked uniforms and took out a photo album with a slightly worn cover from under a pair of straw sandals and handed it to Wei Ran, "The things you want to know are basically all here.
It’s in this photo album.”
"wait a minutes"
Wei Ran took out a pair of white cotton gloves from the briefcase beside him as quickly as possible and put them on, then respectfully took the thick photo album with his hands.
Gently opening the almost patinated cover, the first photo Wei Ran saw was the one that Xia Shushi had sent, in which they were holding a kettle and clinking glasses in a cave.
However, around the photo fixed on the page, the name of the person pointed by the arrow was also marked in detail with black pen characters. At the same time, it was when he opened the album,
There was also a fleeting but hard-to-ignore burning sensation at the tiger's mouth of his left hand.
Rubbing the tiger's mouth with his gloves, Wei Ran continued to turn the pages. On the second page, there was also a photo fixed. In this black and white photo, it showed a burning bonfire. There was a bonfire on top of the bonfire.
Wei Ran was very familiar with the kettle, and there were a few people sitting around it who were slightly blurry because they were out of focus.
Around this photo, as if writing a diary, everything that happened at that time was recorded in black traditional Chinese pen characters.
"When this photo was taken, Mr. Luke and I, who were escaping with us, had not had any water or rice for a whole day. It was also on this day that I met Squad Leader Liang and Qin Shouzheng..."
Seeing that Wei Ran seemed to be immersed in the story recorded in the photo album, the white-haired old man gently waved his hand and led the elegant middle-aged man slowly towards the glass door leading to the flower room not far away.
Door.
After the door was closed, the old man reached out and picked off a dragon boat flower that was in full bloom, and said casually, "Qi Guang, call your cousin and ask him to arrange for someone to go to Mo's village to have a look."
"How to deal with it?" The elegant middle-aged man had already taken out his mobile phone while speaking.
"Let's take a look first. That young man doesn't seem to have any malicious intent."
The old man paused for a moment, and then continued with a certain calmness, "But if anyone dares to act recklessly in Mo's village, let your cousin send them directly to their mine and smash them with rocks until they die!"
"
"I'll make a call right now." The elegant middle-aged man had already pressed the dial button before he finished speaking.
Not long after the old man returned to the room, Wei Ran also finished flipping through the photo album page by page.
However, before they, the old and the young, could say anything, Xia Shushi discovered the call request.
"Sorry, I'll take a call."
Wei Ran smiled apologetically and waited until the old man sitting opposite nodded kindly before pressing the answer button.
"Brother Weiran, have you arrived in the UK?"
As soon as the video call was connected, Xia Shushi, who was wearing only shorts and a T-shirt on the screen, was trembling and stammering.
"You came to England?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.
"Just... Ah... Ah Zhi just arrived."
Xia Shushi wiped his heavy nose and said, "Have you found Mr. Guochang? I brought that letter... brought... Ah Zhi! I brought it. Come to the airport to pick me up quickly, and remember to bring me some clothes, Ah
sneeze!"
Looking at the surprised old man opposite, Wei Ran twitched his lips and asked, "You were robbed right after you got off the plane."
"Grab a piece of shit"
Xia Shushi blew his nose hard, got into a fast food restaurant, found a seat at the back and said, "I'm in a hurry. I've been in that damn place without electricity for so long that I forgot it's still winter. I
I didn’t even bring my card...ah--ah-ah! Come here quickly, or I’ll freeze to death if you’re later, I’ll be at the airport.”
"Just wait a moment." Wei Ran put his phone on the table and looked at the old man opposite him with an embarrassed look, who could no longer hold back his laughter.
"Qixiang, ask your friend to pick you up at the airport." The old man said with a smile, "Young man, please give your friend's phone number."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ran quickly found out Xia Shushi's phone number and gave it to Ms. Zhou.
Wait for the other party to start
After making a phone call, Wei Ran hesitated for a moment, then finally pointed to the pattern of the dagger and dragon boat flower on the photo album and asked, "Old man, I'm very curious about what this pattern means."
"No special meaning"
The old man smiled and explained, "When my eldest brother was alive, he took the husbands of my two sisters into trading business. That symbol is just their company's trademark."
"So that's it." Wei Ran said as if he suddenly realized it, not caring at all how true the other party's words were.
"Since your friend has arrived in England with the letter, let's take a good rest first. When your friend arrives, let's read what is written in the letter together."
"I'm sorry to trouble you," Wei Ran said politely.
The old man waved his hand kindly, "Qixiang, arrange a room for this young man, and then get some food. When his friends arrive, we can have a meal together."
"Come with me," Ms. Zhou warmly greeted Wei Ran upstairs and arranged a guest room for him that could just overlook the flower room outside.
Watching Ms. Zhou turn around and leave, Wei Ran quickly checked the room and immediately hid in the bathroom and took out the metal notebook.
Turning to the latest page, he saw at a glance that there was a blue vortex and a line of small words on the page - on the day of returning home, raise a glass and drink together.
The detective took out the items floating inside from the blue vortex. What he gave this time was the British P44 kettle that he had just seen in the wooden box. The difference was that the canvas cover of this kettle was still fixed.
A slightly worn cbi war zone armband.
Of course, as expected, the material of this kettle has once again been replaced by titanium and stamped with an hourglass mark. Even the metal lid seems to be thicker than the original.
Unscrewing the lid of the kettle, Wei Ran immediately smelled the strong aroma of wine. Although he only drank it once, he clearly remembered that Qin Shouzheng called this wine "local cannon wine".
After screwing the lid back on, he opened the canvas cover and took out the kettle and matching cup, and then took out a simple filter made of nylon cloth.
Seeing that there was nothing else in the canvas cover, Wei Ran restored it to its original shape and took back the metal book. Of course he wanted to drink this pot of wine, but definitely not now.
