"I'm honored to have this opportunity." Wei Ran agreed without even thinking about it. If there was a chance, he would of course want to take a look.
At this moment, the motorcade had stopped. Hans glanced at the inconspicuous dessert shop on the roadside, then patted the flower and sat quietly in the back row. The little guy stepped out of the spacious carriage under the leadership of Wei Ran.
At the same time as the car stopped, Maura and her daughter Anna were already waiting at the entrance of the small courtyard. And it can be seen that they have carefully cleaned the yard in the past two days. Although it is difficult to hide the old traces left by the years on the yard, at least it looks clean.
"Let me introduce it"
While speaking, Wei Ran opened his satchel again and handed the original manuscript to Maura. After the other party took it, he helped both parties. A brief introduction was given.
To Wei Ran’s expectation, Hans not only knew Russian, he even spoke it very well. What surprised him, Ji Ma, and even Anna was that Maura could even speak a few simple words in German. This undoubtedly makes communication between the two parties much simpler.
After Hans finished introducing the children and grandchildren of the family who came with him, Maura also introduced her daughter Anna to them.
While Anna was bringing freshly baked egg tarts and various other hand-made desserts to the little guy who was losing his teeth, Hans and his family also walked into the not-so-spacious living room and sat down. As for Wei Ran and Ji Ma, they occupied the tables and chairs in the yard with the few men and women in suits who followed them, sharing the same freshly baked desserts.
After more than an hour, the little guy with a mouth full of food scraps ran out of the room, took Wei Ran's arm and walked into the room. After they entered, Then he allowed Anna to pick him up and wipe the chocolate from the corner of his mouth with a tissue.
"Victor, come here and sit down."
Hans greeted Wei Ran and sat beside him, holding in his arms a matryoshka doll that was the size of a thermos and was extremely exquisitely made. , pointing to the original memoir manuscript on the table and asked, "Victor, give this original memoir manuscript a price you are satisfied with. Of course, this is in addition to the investigation fee."
Wei Ran took the coffee from Anna and said with a smile, "As I said when we were in the car, this manuscript disappeared after Mr. Ivan died unexpectedly, although it did take a long time to get it back. Some strength. But I think it’s better to give it back to Ms. Moura and Ms. Anna. This has nothing to do with the investigation itself, right?”
Hans looked at Wei Ran in surprise, then hesitated for a moment. Maura said, "Since Victor has said so, Maura, this manuscript will be left to you for safekeeping."
Moura hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and agreed to the former's suggestion. He signaled Anna to put away the file bag placed in the center of the coffee table.
Hans carefully put the oversized matryoshka doll in his arms into the wooden box at his feet and said, "Moura, if it is convenient, I would like to go to Mr. Ivan's house."Leave a bouquet of flowers at the cemetery. "
Maura looked at each other with her daughter who had just sat back next to her, then sighed and said in a slightly depressed mood, "Let Hannah take you there, I will prepare lunch for you. "
Hans, his wife and Wei Ran who were sitting on the other side looked at each other, then stood up and nodded, "Please prepare more beetroot soup and potato pie. "
"Of course it's no problem." Maura smiled and watched the people in the room pass through the door under the leadership of her daughter, leaving only various expensive gifts around the sofa.
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“Jima, you stay. "Wei Ran pointed to the house behind him, "Protect Ms. Mora inside. "
"Don't worry"
Jima deliberately patted the belt covered by the suit in front of the men in suits who were practicing German with him.
When Hans' son saw this, he immediately winked at the men in suits under the oak tree. The latter nodded in return and called his two companions to stand at the door of the yard.
Ignore the street. The neighbors who were watching the excitement on the opposite side, led by Anna, walked towards the vast cemetery that was only two to three hundred meters away.
Along the way, Wei Ran was also at Hans's. After proactive questioning, he briefly described in German what happened to Maura and her daughter two days ago.
After listening to Wei Ran’s story, Hans frowned. Just now, Maura had flatly rejected his offer to take them to settle in Germany. He originally thought that their mother and daughter were living a pretty good life, but he didn't expect it to be so rough and difficult in Han.
In Si's silence, everyone followed Anna through the dilapidated streets, lush trees, and densely packed tombstones on the lawn, and finally stopped in front of a tombstone that was just shrouded in sunlight through the tree canopy.
It can be seen that there originally seemed to be a red five-pointed star on this tombstone, but five corners have been deliberately chiseled off, and a crisp swastika has even been painted on it with black paint.
But it can also be seen that the swastika painted with paint has been polished with sandpaper, leaving only a vague outline, and there are still a few under the tombstone. The bouquets were either withered or blooming flowers or wild flowers.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Anna showed a plain smile that did not match her age, "Although there are indeed some idiots who are dissatisfied with our family. It’s too friendly, but some people still remember the old guys buried here, and they don’t mind taking their children to my dessert shop to eat a few egg tarts and drink a cup of coffee. "
Hans sighed, took the bright red one that his grandson had been holding in his arms, knelt down and gently placed it in front of the tombstone, "Anna, can I give Mr. Ivan a new one?" Tombstone? "
"That's it"
Anna refused matter-of-factly in a calm tone, "Even if it were made of iron, there would always be some idiots who would find a way to turn it into what it is now. look. remember theirOne simply doesn't need a better tombstone. If you don't want to remember, you can't remember them even if you bury them next to them and pour water on them. ”
“I have only seen such ridiculous things in Mr. Ivan’s memoirs. "
Hans sighed, put his forehead on the tombstone and closed his eyes. After a long time, he stood up with the help of his son and said, "Let's go back."
Wei Ran, who was walking last, also placed the flowers in his hand under the tombstone, patted the broken tombstone, said goodbye to his friends in another time and space, and followed everyone back to the dessert shop in silence.
It was naturally inconvenient for him and Jima to participate in the next affairs of their two families, so they simply said goodbye to everyone in advance and returned to the hotel in the city of Kiev in a rented car.
" Is this the end of the matter? "At the door of the hotel, Ji Ma returned the rented car and pistol to the beautiful girl, took the deposit returned to him, and waited until the other party drove away, then asked with some disappointment.
"Otherwise, what else are you thinking about? "Wei Ran squinted at the sun above his head, walked towards the hotel and said, "In two days we will have the opportunity to follow Mr. Hans and his family to visit Berlin. "
"Really? ! Ji Ma suddenly became energetic when he heard this, "It seems that I have to contact the German who has prepared it in advance." ”
“Prepared German? "Wei Ran waved his hand before the other party opened his mouth, "Forget it, I've already guessed it, you don't need to say anything. "
Ji Ma pointed his middle finger at Wei Ran's back and said dissatisfiedly, "Maybe you will need me to translate for you then.
Wei Ran raised his hand and said perfunctorily without looking back, "Come on Ji Ma, I'm looking forward to that day." ”
While the two of them were waiting, another two days passed. The Hans family took Maura and Anna, mother and daughter, who had changed into new clothes, and called the waiter waiting at the hotel. Ran and Jima rushed to the airport and boarded the flight to Berlin.
After the plane landed, everyone drove to the bank of the Spree River. Compared with 1945. In Berlin, Wei Ran can no longer find many familiar buildings when he returns to his hometown. Even the location of the original clinic is now occupied by the Palace of World Culture. As for the former, it has been moved to the Spree River. On the opposite bank.
On the bank of the cold windy river, Hans, who has already passed his sixties, pointed to the World Cultural Palace on the other side like a tour guide and explained, "As long as I can remember, my father and mother have Tell me often. Where the American-built ‘Pregnant Oyster’ is located, there used to be a small alley.
My family’s clinic was at the end of that alley a long time ago. Later, in order to build that ugly building, we had to move to its current location on the opposite bank.
I even clearly remember that when I was a child, when the weather was good, I could easily see the Berlin Wall from the roof of the clinic. At that time my fatherMy mother often told me that Uncle Ivan was on the other side of the Berlin Wall. "
Jima looked at the building on the other side of the river and whispered to Wei Ran, "I think it's pretty."
"Maybe"
Wei Ran muttered absently, turned around and looked at the clinic behind him, which was not much different from what he remembered, and couldn't help but ask Hans, "Is this clinic still open now? ”
“It has been out of business since my father and mother retired.
Hans led everyone into the clinic and said, "They lived here in their later years until my father passed away two months ago, but by that time our hospital chain had already opened in Germany." of several states. ”
Under the introduction and guidance of Hans, Wei Ran and Ji Ma walked into the clinic last. Compared with the curiosity on the faces of Ji Ma and Mo La, Wei Ran was There are too many familiar layouts found here.
The iron-frame hospital beds and dentist chairs that can be seen upon entering, as well as the kerosene gas lamps hanging overhead, and the metal medical first aid neatly placed on the corner table. The box. It was all a little bit integrated with the clinic in his memory.
Hans took everyone to the bathroom, bent down and gently lifted the light green enamel bathtub, pointing to the bottom. The brightly lit cave entrance said with emotion, "I used to be curious about why the entrance to the basement was built in this place. Fortunately, Mr. Ivan's memoirs gave me the answer. "
"Can we go down and have a look? Anna asked, holding her mother's hand.
"Of course, of course!" "After Hans finished speaking, the first one bent his waist and got in along the hole.
The group of people lined up to enter the basement. This is the only place that is different from Wei Ran's memory. It can be seen that , after the war, perhaps it was the idiot Mario and his wife Mora who expanded the basement.
The basement is now almost as large as the ground, not only close to the walls. The shelves surrounding the load-bearing columns are filled with food and supplies, and there is even a fully equipped operating room.
And one of the specially vacant walls is filled with pictures.
There are photos of Dr. Lodge and Nurse Leni taking Mario and Maura fishing in the Spree River as teenagers.
These photos include Mario and Mo. There are photos of La running from a distance carrying books and holding hands, and photos of them puffing out their cheeks and blowing out the candles on the birthday cake. There are also photos of the two of them putting on white coats and wedding dresses as they grow up. .
Even in the photo of the two of them getting married, the person who witnessed the wedding was Ivan who was on crutches and missing one leg.
In the later photo. , Dr. Rocky disappeared suddenly, and soon after, Nurse Leni also disappeared, and Mario and Maura also had a cute child
With this in the photo. The child is just like Mario and Mora back then.Growing up little by little, Mario and Mora also grew older little by little, until in the end, only Mario was left, holding a cane, sitting alone on the bench in front of the clinic, looking lonely with a pair of blank old eyes. Looking at the sparkling Spree River not far away, no one knew what he was thinking at that time.
"This idiot..." Wei Ran muttered to himself after reading the memories that covered an entire wall. Even the pessimistic and negative mood that I had been feeling during this period became a lot more relaxed.