Chapter 1181 of the War Photographer's Notes: Walker and Xiao Su's Mother: "This room will be yours from now on. You are not allowed to go upstairs without the lady greeting you. I will tell you the other rules later. You should familiarize yourself with the room first, etc."

I'll call you out when you're done." After saying that, Yang's mother left the room and helped Wei Ran close the door.

Putting away the Mauser bayonet that was still held in his hand, Wei Ran leaned against the wooden door and listened to the Peking Opera that Yao Canhua was singing outside. At the same time, he also looked at the room, which was about 20 square meters.

In addition to a solid wood wardrobe and an iron frame bed covered with a mat, this room also has a green ceiling fan above the head. On the other end of the bed, there is also a bedside table with a lamp.

In addition to a few furniture and dark brown teak floors underfoot, this room also has a floor-to-ceiling window with a hanging flower door.

After passing through the wooden door on the floor-to-ceiling window, there is a balcony facing the gate of the small courtyard. There is also a bamboo deck chair and a small wooden table that is not too big.

Hearing that the opera was still singing outside, Wei Ran walked to the closet and opened the door and took a look. Seeing that there was nothing inside, he immediately quickly looked under the bed and the drawers of the bedside table.

Finally, he walked into the balcony, took out the cigarette case from the metal book and opened it.

This silver cigarette case from Leningrad can hold a total of 22 cigarettes. The 12 French silk cigarettes that originally came with it have been smoked long ago, and he later put none of the cigarettes in it.

I brought it, and now all that's left in it is a cigarette holder made of deer antler.

He took out the camera, medical kit, and food box in turn, and quickly checked with his guqin and flashlight, but the reality made his teeth itch.

Needless to say, the Guqin Yaoguang was packed in the piano case, but there was no film in the camera, the food box was empty, and even the flashlight had no batteries.

He put these things back into the metal book one by one with his front foot, and there was a knock on the door behind him.

Seeing this, Wei Ran immediately opened the door, and then found the girl named Qiushi standing at the door holding three long paper tubes on a wooden tray.

Looking past this pretty girl, Wei Ran happened to see the famous prostitute Mei Xiang walking upstairs alone along the wooden stairs, and Yao Canhua, who was singing just now, was sitting with the stout girl named Jasmine.

There was something whispered at a table.

"Brother Wei Ran, on the left is your salary for this month, a total of 120 yuan."

The girl Qiushi standing at the door raised her delicate chin and gestured towards the wooden tray she was holding in her hands.

Taking a look at the opponent's big watery eyes, Wei Ran looked at the tray the opponent was holding, reached out and picked up two paper tubes and two banknotes pressed by the paper tubes from the left.

Look at the right side of the tray, where there are also two banknotes pressed by a long paper tube.

"Mother Yang is waiting for you in the kitchen." Qiushi lowered her voice slightly and gestured in the direction of the kitchen with her big watery eyes.

"I'll be there later"

Wei Ran responded with a smile, and after waiting for the girl, who was probably about the same age as Lu Xinda, to turn around and walk towards Miss Jasmine and Yao Canhua, he closed the door and tore open the two long paper tubes in his hands.

In this long paper tube, there are a total of 50 Yuan Datou rolled up, plus the two green paper bills with a face value of 10 yuan and Mr. Sun's picture on them, it is exactly 120 yuan.

"The capitalists of later generations are worse than the lonely girls of this era."

Wei Ran mumbled and put the two green tickets into his pocket, took out the food box and threw the silver coins in.

What he said was not false at all. Although he had not worked seriously since graduating from college, he had never heard of any boss who paid wages first and then made people work - it would be great if they could not hold down wages for a month.

Already.

What's more, although his entry into this historical segment was delayed due to a few thieves, he still had to make a lot of preparations.

At least he knew clearly that as early as the end of 1935, the government banned the circulation of silver coins. Even so, Miss Meixiang still insisted on using genuine Yuan Dafa's wages, which was really conscientious.

Without daring to waste too much time, Wei Ran collected his wages for the next month, took off his upper body tunic suit, unbuttoned the cuffs of his white shirt and rolled up the cuffs, then opened the door and walked straight through the living room on the first floor.

Entered the kitchen.

There is a small door in and out of the kitchen. Through the small door, there is a small space between the back of the house and the courtyard wall.

This is also the place where later generations of sanitary ware would pry windows into the basement. But at this time, in addition to growing onions, coriander and the like, one end was blocked by a boiler room that did not exist in later generations.

And Aunt Yang, who was nominally Aunt Weiran, was sitting on the horse at the door of the boiler room, busy picking vegetables.

Seeing Wei Ran coming over, Yang Ma immediately picked up a mazha from beside her and handed it to Wei Ran to sit down. While busy, she said happily, "Miss, I am very satisfied with you. You have to work hard. In addition, you have to remember

A few rules."

"What are the rules?" Wei Ran said, reaching out to help the other party choose the food.

"You don't need to do this rough work."

Yang's mother took the beans from Wei Ran's hand and lowered her voice slightly and said, "Our lady is a very clean person. Her leather shoes must be wiped every day, and the soles must be wiped clean before entering.

You also need to change your clothes every day, and they must not smell like sweat. Your dumb uncle will take you to buy a few sets of clothes later, and he will also buy you a pocket watch."

Speaking of this, Yang Ma took out a silver pocket watch from her apron pocket and showed it to Wei Ran. Then she took it back and said, "Miss is a punctual person. This watch must be set with the first floor when you get up every morning."

The big clock is against the clock, but don't dare to let it run slower.

In addition, the biggest rule in this book apartment is that you are not allowed to play with money, drink alcohol, or smoke. If you are found out, you will be fired. Do you remember this?"

"I remember." Wei Ran nodded and asked in a low voice, "When is Miss' birthday?"

"The twenty-fifth day of the seventh lunar month," Yang's mother replied subconsciously, "but Miss' birthday is on the Western calendar, which is September 9th every year."

After answering Wei Ran's question, Yang's mother looked at Wei Ran suspiciously, "Why are you asking this?"

"Just ask," Wei Ran joked and changed the subject, while secretly muttering, "She is indeed a Virgo!"

"Although Miss is easy to talk to, I don't usually inquire about her affairs." Yang's mother whispered.

"Aunt, let's talk about the other people. What are their origins?" Wei Ran asked.

"Jasmine and Qiushi were both saved by the lady."

Yang's mother lowered her voice a little lower, put down the food in her hand and explained almost close to Wei Ran's ear, "Miss Jasmine was picked up by Miss eight years ago. At that time, she was begging for food at the door of Seventh Heaven. It was raining heavily that day.

, the lady saw that she was pitiful and took her back."

"She is that young man's aunt?"

"Can't"

Yang's mother explained, "The young lady needed someone who could play, play, and sing, so Jasmine found her nephew. I heard that the child's father died of cold in the spring. At that time, he was still working as an assistant in the troupe.

, Jasmine only recognized him when she accompanied her to a theater a while ago."

"Where's Qiushi?" Wei Ran asked.

"That girl also has a hard life. During August last year, her father wanted to sell her to a brothel to get some money for cigarettes. Although the girl looks delicate and weak, she has a very fierce temper!

I saw it with my own eyes. At that time, she broke away from her father and wanted to throw herself into the Haihe River. Fortunately, Cao Muba and I were passing by on behalf of the young lady at that time, so we managed to rescue her."

"What about the mute uncle?" Wei Ran asked.

"Cao Mute is not ordinary"

Yang Ma's voice became even lower, "It seems that he used to be a communications soldier for Marshal Zhang. When Marshal Zhang returned to the Northeast, he was sent to Tianjin on a business trip. Later, Marshal Zhang was killed in a bombing, and he was also arrested.

I almost got beaten to death and even hurt my throat."

"Miss picked it up too?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"That's not the case"

Yang's mother explained, "Miss is kind-hearted. When she saw Cao Dumb begging for food in Quanyechang, she rewarded him with five yuan. Later, one time, Miss's car broke down as soon as she drove to the entrance of Zhongyuan Company. Although Miss Jasmine also learned

She knows how to drive, but she doesn't know how to repair cars.

When the lady was worried, Cao Dumb, who was selling cigarettes on the street and was already relying on the five yuan given by the lady, saw him and came up to help repair the car. The lady simply hired him to be a driver, which saved money.

That girl Jasmine doesn’t dare to pour into the garage every day when she drives.”

Before Wei Ran could continue to ask, the mute Cao also knocked on the kitchen door.

"Go!" Yang Ma immediately urged, "Follow your mute uncle to buy things."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran immediately stood up and followed the mute uncle standing at the door and walked out.

When the two of them were about to go out, the girl named Jasmine also asked Yao Canhua to get up and go out together. When the mute uncle drove out of the garage, a milk-white four-door Chevrolet car was immediately brought in.

Yao Canhua, wearing cloth shoes, got into the rear compartment.

After Wei Ran also sat down in the passenger seat, Cao Duba immediately drove the car slowly out of the yard and drove out slowly.

In the stuffy carriage, Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the world outside the car door. The various beautiful Western buildings along the way, the various foreigners who appeared from time to time, and the clanking trams all seemed to convey a busy and prosperous atmosphere.

picture.

But this world is by no means the romantic Republic of China era that those brain-dead sisters of later generations yearn for.

The slow tram on the street was crowded with people, and there were many "tickets" outside. The policemen directing traffic in the middle of the road would wave their batons to unruly rickshaw drivers.

A few times, so that for a moment he had the illusion that he was on the streets of Mumbai, India.

romantic?

Romance, how can Chinese people in this era be romantic?

All he could see were those young girls or women with good looks, standing under the signs of "Eighty cents for anything", "60 cents for anything" or even "40 cents for anything" in order to survive, looking forward to those who were waiting for them.

Coolies who have to do heavy physical work under the sun can have time and extra money to take care of their business.

He could also see the scrawny smokers huddled at the door of the opium dens that could be seen almost everywhere. They were trying to breathe with their mouths wide open in the eyes of the people around them, as if they were hoping to escape from the smokers who had not allowed them to do so.

I smelled some "second-hand smoke" in the smokehouse I entered.

He could also see that in this hot weather, there were still some half-year-old children who were either busy selling newspapers or cigarettes, or doing heavy physical work like adults.
To be continued...