Under the setting sun, Wei Ran, who was already so hungry that his chest was pressed against his back, dragged his sledge slowly on the icy street. On the sledge behind him, there was nothing except a classroom for the little ones from Alexandria.

The only thing that was moved here was a wooden podium and a few books borrowed from the library, and sitting there was a little guy who was only four and a half years old.

According to Alexander and others, this little boy named Bogdan is the child of their teacher Yuri.

Not only were the children headed by Alexander the former students of Mr. Yuri, but after they lost their parents for various reasons, the same teacher Yuri took the risk to find them one by one.

Come back and take care of her together.

Even, according to Alexander, they originally had 16 classmates, but because the house where Teacher Yuri's house was also hit by German artillery shells a few weeks ago, only six students, including Alexander and Bogdan, survived.

A child.

Behind Wei Ran, the other five children worked together to drag two sledge trucks. On the two sledges, one placed some books, and the other placed bundles of firewood and some equipment such as saws and axes.

tool.

Just from the regular size and shape, Wei Ran could tell that these firewood were basically decomposed from the floor or furniture. And these were not many bundles of firewood, but these children were unwilling to throw them away.

All "wealth" beyond books.

As night fell, the three sledges, which needed to stop and rest from time to time, finally, led by Wei Ran, entered the abandoned building and saw Ke Na, who had been standing at the entrance and exit of the basement waiting anxiously.

"You're finally back!"

Ke Na immediately breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Wei Ran, and then asked, "Where did you find so many children?"

"Picked up"

Wei Ran responded vaguely, yesterday he picked up a little baby, and today he picked up so many "middle school students". If he goes out tomorrow, will he pick up more children?

The answer is almost yes. This long war and this long hunger have caused too many tragedies and too many orphans for this city.

"Take everyone down quickly!"

After Kona finished speaking, she slightly lowered her voice, which was not loud at all, and said close to Wei Ran's ear, "Mrs. Via's son Belia didn't come back today, and Lidia hasn't come back either. Mrs. Via came back from the sun."

I was worried about them even before sunset."

"Lidya didn't come back either?" Wei Ran immediately frowned. "Before the sun set, the Germans dropped a bomb not far from us." Kena explained slightly panicked, "I

Worrying with Mrs. Via..." "I understand"

Wei Ran nodded, picked up Bogdan who had fallen asleep on the sledge, and helped carry an extra bundle of books, and then he was the first to walk up the broken stairs to the warm room in the basement.

There was no difference from when we left. The little guy, who was no more than seven or eight years old, was sleeping next to the fire. Mrs. Via was holding the baby Galina alone, and nestled next to her legs was the little girl who liked to eat her fingers.

, Wei Ran remembered clearly that the little girl’s name was Anastasia.

"You are finally back"

Mrs. Weiya said as Wei Ran entered the door, "Kena and I are very worried about you meeting...where do these little guys come from?"

“Meeted halfway”

As Wei Ran spoke, he handed the little boy Bogdan in his arms into the hands of Mrs. Via.

This little guy is about the same size as Anastasia who likes to eat her fingers, and of course, almost as skinny.

"I heard..." "Don't worry"

Mrs. Via shook her head, "I believe that both my Villa and Lydia will be fine."

Without waiting for Wei Ran to say anything else, Mrs. Weiya took out two keys strung together with a rope and handed them to his hand. At the same time, she changed the subject and said, "You and Ke Na go prepare bread for the children.

In addition, take an extra third of the dried fish and deal with the mouse. Finally, who can help introduce these boys and girls? "

Wei Ran took the key and said, "This is Grandma Weiya, and the one at the door is Sister Kena. Alexander, please introduce your classmates! I'll prepare food for everyone."

When they heard that there was food, Alexander and his classmates immediately brightened up. For these teenagers who are growing up at the age of "junior high school students", their hunger is actually more serious and more unbearable than that of adults.

.

"Hello, Grandma Via, I am Alexander..."

Taking advantage of the little guy's polite introduction, Wei Ran also greeted Ke Na to leave the warm room and walked to the door of the next door with a candle lantern.

"Mrs. Via said rats can be eaten."

Kona took advantage of Wei Ran to open the door with the key and fetched the saw first, and then whispered while she couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"I see"

Wei Ran nodded, opened the locked door, and walked into the room that was regarded as a material warehouse with Ke Na holding a candle.

At this time, in addition to Wei Ran's portable flask and a few coals brought back from baby Galina's home yesterday, there were also rats still in cages and two additional traps.

Rat cage.

"Wait a minute and heat some hot water."

Wei Ran gave instructions, opened the wooden box on the table with another key, took out a piece of bread from it, and carefully sawed it into slices like yesterday.

At the same time, Kona, like Mrs. Via yesterday, used the scale in the box to carefully weigh each piece of bread. At the same time, she also said weakly, "I heard Wei Ya

Mrs. Yata said that this scale is still the property of the Soviet Bank, and it was originally used to test the weight of gold nuggets."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Now the things we weigh are as precious as gold." Wei Ran stopped pulling the saw, took a breath and corrected himself, "Now if there is one kilogram of gold and one kilogram of gold,

If there are kilograms of bread placed in front of me, I will definitely choose bread."

"I will definitely choose bread too," Kena couldn't help but swallow her saliva as she spoke.

"Can you tell me what happened before I joined you?" Wei Ran asked tentatively.

"Here?" Kena pointed to her feet.

Seeing Wei Ran nod, the girl carefully wrapped the pieces of bread with a handkerchief and said, "My family and Mrs. Wea's family used to live in the two rooms next to each other on the far right on the third floor. Of course, you can't see it now.

It has been turned into ruins.

After my father entrusted me to the care of Mrs. Via, the war situation became worse and worse. Then one day, when the two of us were looking for food together, we found Andrei, the child of my mother's colleague, and brought him

He brought it back."

At this point, Kona sighed and said with a wry smile, "But when we came back with Andre, we found that our apartment had been hit by a German artillery shell.

The shell not only turned this apartment into ruins, but also killed many neighbors living here. It took Mrs. Via and I a whole day to find these three apartments that were still usable.

The basement. This used to be a bakery warehouse, and the three of us were saved by some yeast and half a bag of oats stored in the warehouse."

Speaking of this, Kona wiped the corners of her eyes, "Later, we picked up many children one after another. After Lydia discovered us, she decided to take care of these orphans together, and then we found you as a caregiver."

"These..." Wei Ran hesitated and pointed his finger at the bayanqin and the small drum in the canvas protective cover placed on the corner of the table.

"The snare drum was left behind by my father," Kona explained proudly. "As I told you, he is a musician in the Leningrad Radio Orchestra."

"What about this one?" Wei Ran asked, pointing to the very familiar bayangqin placed side by side.

"That was Uncle Shostakovich's instrument."

Kona wiped the short piece of staff on the bayanqin with her sleeve and said, "Look, there's his signature here."

“dsch motivation…”

Wei Ran subconsciously said that not only Olga had mentioned this music signature to him a long time ago, but before deciding to enter this period of history, he also specifically searched the list of Shostakovich's musical works, and based on the premiere

The time is memorized.

The reason... is naturally a cliché or a clue. After all, he is no longer a novice now, so he will naturally not fight an unprepared battle.

"You know this?" Kona looked at Wei Ran in surprise. "When I was about your age, I saw the premiere of his opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk County" in Leningrad."

"Have you seen it too?!"

Kona looked at Wei Ran in surprise, "January 22, 1934! Marie Opera House, right? Which row of seats are you in?!"

"Have you seen it too?"

Wei Ran asked in astonishment. Of course he had never seen it himself. He even only had a rough idea of ​​what the opera was about, and he only wrote down the opera as a talking point for clichés, but he didn't.

To think that this little girl, who is technically not yet an adult, has actually seen this opera!

"certainly!"

Kona stroked the bayan and said excitedly, "The ticket for that opera was my 9th birthday gift. It was also the first time I watched an opera! At that time, I vowed to be an opera singer! Damn Germany

Man. If it weren’t for them, I would almost have realized my dream!”

"So is this bayan a gift from Shostakovich?" Wei Ran asked with a deliberately envious look.

“That’s not the case”

Kona first glanced at the door, then tiptoed close to Wei Ran's ear and whispered, "Uncle Shostakovich is a composition professor at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music, and my mother is also a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music.

Teacher, nkvd once met Uncle Shostakovich in school. At that time, he was playing the bayan on the school lawn to find inspiration for his creation.

My parents were listening to him playing the piano, and my mother said that she, my father, and several of her students also danced on the lawn."

"Then what?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

Kona nodded, "Then of course the NKVD took away Uncle Shostakovich, and Uncle Shostakovich gave his bayan to my parents for safekeeping.

Since then, this bayan has been sitting in my house. My parents have been looking for an opportunity to return the bayan to him, but before they could see him again, the damn Germans came."
To be continued...