Chapter 5 Chapter Four

September 1817 "Look, I'm fat." Shi Li looked at herself in the mirror.It's been a long time since she observed herself so carefully, at most she just combed her hair or straightened her clothes. Cake spent the past four months with Fei's family, and her whole body became happy, even her flat breasts became round and plump. Lace smiled and watched the tailor tailor another set of plain clothes for Sealy. "You were too skinny when you first arrived," she said. "I'm glad that Betty's craftsmanship can be put to good use." Shirley turned around and looked at her closet of clothes.

"Please hold still, ma'am," demanded the tailor. Shirley grimaced, "I won't be able to wear that dress anytime soon." "It's still early," Lace said, coming to the mirror, "but my figure has changed since Raven was born." Then she turned to the little doll playing on the floor, and said lovingly: " Darling, you are worth everything I pay for." The tailor named Benny was a pretty Irish girl, with a lot of traps in her mouth, and she still wanted to speak, "Mr. Fei won't try to change you, ma'am." Lace smiled and shook her head, "Max is not picky about my figure, he loves me."

Shirley smiled lightly. In fact, she didn't think Lace needed to lose weight. She could be said to be the incarnation of Venus, flawless, especially her vibrant red hair. I'm sorry for her charm and temptation. "Max doesn't like me in mourning," Rhys sighed, returning to the lounge chair. "Last year we mourned her mother Erin, and now..." Sadness appeared on her face, and Shirley knew she was thinking of Fili again. Shirley had to go into mourning for another eight months, which meant that adults in the Fei family could only wear plain clothes. After that, Shirley couldn't wear fancy clothes. This was a Creole rule she had to abide by, or she would be criticized by the natives of New Orleans. .Even the letters she wrote had to be trimmed with black borders, she was not allowed to wear any jewelry, and she had to wear a black gauze hat to cover her face when she went out, and her clothes could only be small, inconspicuous slate buttons.The social occasions she can go to are very limited, especially not to associate with other men.

Xi Li didn't suffer from such isolation, and even rejoiced that she had too much alone time to seek inner peace, so that she could face Fei Li's death well.However, she occasionally helped the family with some chores. Although she did not get along with the servants as well as Lace did, she gradually became able to work with these black slaves, and she discovered that there were many strange things about the southerners, especially the Creoles.But what astonished Xi Li the most was that the Fei family had countless cousins, and there were all kinds of negative rumors and secrets in their past.Everyone was gossiping about it, but no one had ever confirmed it. Shi Li really wanted to tell Fei Li that he didn't prepare her for this.

There must be a lot of gossip about Fei's family, and even Lai Si was involved.One afternoon, Hedi, the wife of Max's younger brother Alex, grabbed Shirley to start a conversation. "Max really changed a lot in the ten years they were married," said Hotie / "Before that, he was the most ruthless man in the world. I heard that he killed his previous wife." "How is that possible?" Shirley questioned.Max may be quite dignified, but his tenderness and consideration for Lace and his love for his children are obvious to all. "Oh, don't doubt it," she said, "but of course he was proved innocent afterward, but in those days everybody thought he was bad to the bone, and for good reason."

"Why do you say that?" Shirley asked. "He was so cruel to everyone, even Rice." Shirley shook her head resolutely, "No, Hetty, I won't believe it!" "I'm telling the truth. Although he loves Lais very much now, the reason why he married her was to cover up his shame." "Shame?" Xi Li repeated, wondering if there was something wrong with her ears. "Oh yes, Lace was engaged to someone else, but Max seduced her and then dueled her fiancé, he was such a heartless devil in those days, his son was made out of him— —No, of course not your husband Philip, may God rest in peace. I'm talking about his other son, the Jettin who ran away from home." She leaned over, with a mysterious look, "He's reduced to Pirates, my husband told me that."

"What an unfortunate family!" Xi Li murmured, but her face turned pale. "Isn't it?" Hoti replied proudly, "Didn't Fei Li tell you? I'm surprised at this—the Fei family's attitude towards Jie Ting is really weird, they never mention him, I think They wish he hadn't been born! His activities will be a drag on the Fei family, and Alex said that Jedine has always been a rough and selfish child." She sighed, "But Feili is like an angel, and treats everyone So kind and understanding, oh, I didn't make you sad, did I?" "No, no." Xi Li pretended to be calm on the surface, but her heart was beating wildly.

Only Rhys and Max knew how she got to New Orleans, and Max made up a story explaining that several sailors escorted her through the pirate attack and brought her back safely after a few days. "If it was known that Jedingbo was involved," Max told Shirley and Rice privately, "then it would be easier for the authorities to cast a net to catch Jeding, and every time his name was mentioned, someone would always say hello to him." His whereabouts have aroused interest, and now pirate activities are becoming more and more rampant, causing a lot of pressure on the political circles and shopping malls, I know that many people want to use Jeting to kill chickens and monkeys."

"I hope they arrest Li Minni for the operation," Xi Li said. "You know, Mr. Fei, I don't like your son, but he is not as cruel as Li Minni after all." "Of course," Lace added gently, "Jeting is actually very kind in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't be willing to risk his life to send you back, would he?" Shirley remained silent, her eyes lowered.Lace didn't know about her abnormal relationship with Jie Ting, but Xi Li decided to keep this secret forever. After all, Lace was very optimistic about her stepson, and after she told the truth, the family might blame her for not sticking to women's morals. In fact, she was also at fault, and she didn't even dare to confess to the priest for atonement. In this way, she aggravated her psychological burden, but it taught her how to admit that she had sex with her ex-husband's brother--and what's worse, she couldn't bear it. Take that sensual pleasure!

If Fei's family didn't let her live so comfortably, she might consider entering a nun's convent to become a nun. Anyway, she doesn't plan to remarry. Fei Li is her first love and only love. She will never live with other men again. .And Lace's three children were quite a hit with her, and widows and spinsters were usually relatives' chaperones, according to Creole custom.An eight-year-old Wen Na and six-year-old Angie often go to her place. Shirley saw the entertainment room next to the big house, small but cozy, usually used as a resting place for boys or bachelors, but the only baby son of Rice and Max is still a baby, and the Fei family has no other children. The Bachelor, at the encouragement of Rice, Shirley decided to transform into her studio.

"You make these places so beautiful!" Lace pushed the door in and praised, "You have a good idea of ​​colors and decorations, don't you?" She looked at the canvases on the wall and on the table. Scattered brushes and paints, and then looked at Xi Li with some surprise, "I heard Max said that you asked him to buy materials, but I didn't expect you to be a painter." Shi Li immediately blushed, "Oh, no, I'm not a painter. I'm just... drawing for fun... Oh, please don't look at this, I want to keep my privacy." Lace's hand immediately withdrew from a closed painting. Shirley tried to explain for fear of offending Lais, her face flushed with embarrassment, "No one has seen my drawings...it's just some graffiti...it's just a way to pass the time. When I was a child, I liked to draw here and there. Painting, after my mother passed away, I have no time..." She cleared her throat anxiously, "I hope you don't mind if I change this room like this, the paintings I make here are really shameful, just moving my pen can let me Relax...but if someone will read it, I would rather stop writing. If Fei Li is still alive, I will never devote myself to this painting. He will definitely insist on watching my immature works. I can't bear this pressure." "Shili..." Lace said in a gentle tone, "You don't have to feel uneasy. How you want to use this room is entirely up to you. I'm glad you have this hobby, and I will never disturb you." "Thank you." Shi Li's voice was almost inaudible. Laisi looked at her bowed head, "Honey, you are so introverted and quiet, sometimes you really worry me." "I have whatever I want, I'm satisfied...you don't need to worry about me." Shi Li tried to leave the room, so as not to continue the conversation. For Lace, it was easy for her to get along with the people around her, and she seemed to have endless enthusiasm and vitality, but Shi Li was only close to a few people in her life: her father, siblings, and Philip, and only with her. They were together, and she dared to venture to say what she felt and thought, but even so, no one, not even Phillip, could touch the deepest secrets of her soul. That strong desire cannot be expressed in words or resorted to words. She originally hoped that the sense of security that Fei Li gave her would allow her to open her heart one day. Shirley would never allow the hours before bedtime to think about Phillips because it would give her nightmares and scenes of him reaching out to her for help before he drowned would leave her covered in sweat and tears. Woke up, even though she knew that Fei Li had passed away, she still felt that Fei Li was calling her so vividly. After Xi Li moved to her studio.An orange-red cat also lived in with her, and Shirley named it Vita, the Roman kitchen god of the oyster, and got along very well. On this sunny morning, Shirley came to her favorite hiding place in Fei's family's courtyard. Lace said that Fei Li likes to read poetry and philosophy books under the two rows of lemon trees.So Shirley imagined him lying on a bench with his slender legs crossed. On a whim, she began to trace his face.She found that the power of the charcoal moving on the drawing paper seemed not to be her own, and when it was outlined, she frowned. Something was wrong, those eyes... So she painted a few more strokes, but the more she drew, the less she looked like it.Finally, she bit her lower lip, squinted her eyes, and shook her head, while Vita meowed beside her.As if wanting to share with her. "No." Xi Li said loudly, "Not quite right, why can't I remember what happened to Philip..." Suddenly her hands trembled, and even the drawing paper shook.Those eyes seem to have aura now... But it's not Fei Li's eyes, she feels sweat on her forehead and above her lips, these eyes have an added taste of playfulness, and they look at her so cynically... "Look at me, Shirley..." She swallowed hard and forced herself to let go of the drawing paper, and Vita jumped forward to play with the portrait.Shi Li clutched her chest with one hand, feeling her heart beating uncontrollably. Don't be stupid, she told herself, feeling terribly angry, he's not here and you won't see him again, how can you break down so easily?But the feeling is still there.She closed her eyes. Sometimes the memory seems like yesterday, months of undoing nothing seems to help, and she can still vividly feel Jatin caressing her breasts, his knees pushing her legs apart, his hot cock. Masculinity blowing on her skin, he looked into the depths of her eyes as their bodies joined, sucking in her intense ecstasy.He is so mighty, even though she strongly resisted.Probably stopped him too, Shirley told herself, but the crux of the matter was that she didn't want to resist him, and that alone was enough to make her despise herself for the rest of her life. Shirley brought back the drawing paper that Vita had played with, crumpled it up, put the drawing set back in the studio with a heavy heart, and went to the kitchen.The kitchen is very lively.It turned out that the two daughters of Lai Si also came to stir up trouble. "Xi Li," Angie yelled first, jumped down from the table and hugged Shi Li's waist, "We are helping mother make bread." "Yes, I can see that." Shirley replied, stroking the child's head. "You didn't help," Wen Na said to the girl, "You just cared about eating!" An Qi wrinkled her nose and pouted her lips, "Mom said I could." "Okay, okay!" Shirley tried to mediate, "Someone has to taste it, right?" She took a small piece of bread from Angie's hand.Put it in your mouth, "Well... how do you say it in American, it's great?" Two little girls giggled and corrected her pronunciation, Laisi looked at them disapprovingly, "Girl, don't be rude!" "It's okay, I asked them to correct my voice," Xi Li said with a smile. "Their English is much better than mine." "It took me a long time to learn to speak English," Rice admitted, "Now I live in New Orleans and I need to learn English well. Every year, more and more native Americans come here, and of course there are some Creole nobles. Insisting on not speaking a word of English, or even allowing other people to use that language in front of them, Max insisted that children be bilingual, so, he said, that two cultures would not be excluded." "Philip is very talented in languages." Xi Li mentioned casually. "Jeting is too, but..." Lace immediately stopped talking, and she felt uneasy when she saw Xi Li flinch, "I'm sorry, Xi Li." "It's okay." Xi Li murmured. "I don't know how I mentioned him. In the past two days, I often think of Jieting, and even dream about him." Lais shrugged and smiled strangely, "Noni said this is the appearance of Noah." "What appearance?" "You have to ask Noni for an explanation." She said, and then covered Wenna's ears with both hands, making a "voodoo" mouth shape. Rice comes from a Catholic family. Of course, she does not believe in the gods believed in Africa and Haiti, but voodoo is very popular in New Orleans. Every year, hundreds of believers gather by the lake or St. John's Bay to worship their gods and hold celebration.Rice didn't want her children to be associated with the sect. Xi Li believed that Noni was a devout follower of voodoo, and she was curious, so she went outside to find the rather temperamental housekeeper, who was about to pick up another plate of sun-dried flour. "Nonnie?" The old black woman raised her head, "Yes, ma'am, what can I do for you?" "Can you tell me, please, what is Noe?" "Noe," she repeated, putting down the tray, with a straight and slender body, and a hint of a smile in her bright black eyes. "There are several kinds. Noah is a spirit of voodoo, and each Noah is divided into good and bad parts. Riba is an evil spirit. He will make people's blood rush when he wanders at every crossroads. ……Understand?" Shirley nodded, blushing slightly. "But Riba is particularly sympathetic to men. With Riba's assistance, men may escape disaster. Even Suli and Dabala—" "I see." Shirley interrupted immediately, lest Donny introduce every spirit she knew, "I just wanted to know...why did you tell Less about her dream that Jeting was a Noah appearance? " "Because Noah cast magic power in a dream, ma'am," Noni's eyes sharpened, "you also had the same dream?" "It's not about Jetin," Shirley replied softly. "It's about my husband. I often dream that he's still alive." "Ah!" Noni tilted her head and looked at her with pity, "That's not the appearance of Noah, ma'am, when your man is gone, your heart and your bed will leave you feeling empty, Isn't it? But one day, you'll find another man to fill that void, and then you won't dream of him again." "I don't know," Shirley replied questioningly, "I don't think I'll ever marry again." Noni smiled, "Ma'am, I'm an old woman, I know what you think may not be what you want." That night, Fei's family held a small family gathering, and some older cousins, including Max's younger brother Alex and younger siblings Hedi, also came to join in the fun.They gathered in the hall, talking endlessly.Drink cups of espresso, and even tear cakes and dip them in wine. Shirley kept silent, nestled in the corner without saying a word, being a loyal listener and spectator, her eyes fell on Max and Lais from time to time, usually at this time, their precious son must have been sent to bed early, but tonight Max made an exception and let him sleep on his chest. From time to time, Max stroked the little doll's red hair with his big hands. This loving action moved Shirley quite a bit. It took midnight for the guests to leave one after another. Max handed the child to Lace and sent Alex and Heidi on the road. He turned around and asked, "Is there anyone else who hasn't left yet?" "It's all gone," Lace told him. "Thank goodness." Max untied the black scarf and let it hang loosely around his neck. He grinned and looked at his wife who was whispering to the baby. Lace raised his face, and the two looked at each other affectionately. , Their intimate eyes made the whole room at least several degrees warmer. Only then did Xi Li realize that she was redundant, she cleared her throat, "Uh...good night, I should go." She said, pretending to yawn, and walked towards the back door, "It was a wonderful night!" "Wait," Max yelled, turning his attention away from his wife, "I'll ask Ali or Anu to take you back to the playroom. It's late, you can't go it alone." "Thank you, but it's not necessary," Shirley said. "It's only a short distance, and I've walked it myself several times in the night." "If you're sure—" "Oh, yes, yes." Shirley interrupted hastily, "I don't need company." "Good night." Laisi turned and carried the child upstairs as if she was dreaming. Shirley came out of the house, still restless, as if the whole day had ended.Lingering anyway.Of course she could imagine the errands after Max and Lace went to bed, it was nice to have her husband's comfort.She felt guilty and wanted to get rid of this envious idea, but she couldn't. Shi Li stepped on the stone path leading to the game room, thinking in her heart, if Fei Li was waiting for her there.What would happen, I couldn't help but my eyes turned red and my eyes stinged.She had never felt so alone.Even during the days when she and Fei Li fell in love with each other, she always believed that he would come to her, but now this expectation has come to nothing. She walked with her head down, assuming that Philip was still alive, waiting for her at the door of the cabin. "I want you all night," he might tell her.Then he hugged her into his strong arms, and his lips brushed against her hair, "I want to hold you down... possess you... love you..." The image suddenly disappeared, leaving her alone with the darkness.This night was very deep, and her heart was also very heavy. She knew that the feeling of fear of the dark would strike again.Ever since she escaped from the Crow Island, she has been unable to overcome the fear of being alone in the dark. She quickened her pace, focusing on the outline of the entertainment house, and her breathing became more and more rapid and heavy. Something approached her, causing her body to tremble in panic. She opened her mouth to yell, but her mouth was covered with a hand, and she writhed hysterically.The eyeballs protruded, but the steel-like arms could not move. An unfamiliar voice came to my ears, "Relax, dear. Relax, don't be afraid of me, you will not be in danger, I am your old friend, Lu Jieke, remember?" She trembled even more, Lu Jieke's words pushed her into the abyss of absolute horror. Jack continued to speak softly, "You have to help me, that's why I'm waiting for you to go out, come on, stand still, I want you to do something..." When he heard the trigger sound of the revolver, he froze, and then he felt something cold and metal pressed against his temple, and a steady voice broke the deadlock. "Let go of her, you bum, immediately!" "My God!" Jack murmured, letting go of Shirley's waist and mouth with both hands, and holding them up. Shirley staggered back, turned around, and saw Max put the gun to Jack's head. The young pirate looked the same as four months ago, with a cloth scarf wrapped around his head and a black cloth wrapped around his broken eye, and he was dressed in sloppy clothes. When she found half of his body stained with blood, she couldn't help opening her eyes wide. God!Could it be that he was seriously injured? "Old Fei?" Jack asked cautiously. Max ignored his question.His eyes drifted to Xi Li, "Did he hurt you?" Shirley shook her head, speechless for a while. "Very good." Max said calmly. "Go back to the house." When he saw Xi Li hesitated, he emphasized his tone, "Go!" She walked back towards the house step by step. "Before you do anything, maybe you can get me to make it clear," Jack told Max. "If you trespass on my land, I can let you go, but if you invade my daughter-in-law, I can't forgive you!" "I didn't rape her, I—" "who are you?" "I'm the biggest idiot in the world," Jack muttered, pushing the gun away.He could only restrain himself a little, "My name is Lu Jieke." "What are you doing here?" "I'm here for Captain Gowen." He replied angrily. Shirley leaned against the outer wall of the house, her sense of fear gradually disappeared, and her breathing became easier. She watched Max allow Jack to turn around and face him intently. "...I should have thrown him into the stinky swamp earlier, and the matter could have been settled," Jack said, his posture relaxed a lot, "He was blown like a sieve, and he might not live long, but I thought you might think--" "Where is he?" Max asked sharply. Jack pointed to the water's edge. "There's a canoe." "Anyone else?" "No, I can swear to it." The two men went to the canoe, Shi Li watched their backs as they hurried away, her eyes widened. Jie Dingang was injured, maybe he was dying, did he meet Li Minni? She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt, and immediately followed Max and Jack. Out of curiosity and another unknown feeling, she stepped on the broken branch, and Max turned his head vigilantly. Looking at it, she stopped uncertainly, and to her relief, he didn't order her to go back to the house, but just turned around and walked on. Max came to the water's edge and threw himself on the canoe, his shoulders visibly tensed. Shi Li quickly followed, came to Max's side, and immediately held her breath. It was Jie Ting, with blood on his bandages and shirt, completely unconscious on his side on the small boat, fingers slightly curled.It was strange to see a burly man who had always been lively and vigorous looking so helpless.Shi Li looked up at Max, only to see that he was silent and his face was like a stone sculpture. "I can't take him any farther," Jack said. "Just getting him into this log is killing me." Max handed the gun to Sealy, "Be careful with the trigger," he explained. She nodded, but her face was pale, remembering the last time she held a gun. Max glanced at Jack, "Mr. Lu, you go back to the house with us, I want to have a private talk with you." Jack objected, "No! I've done my best. My crew is waiting for me to go back and set sail. Your own son can handle it by himself! Anyway, I can't protect him anymore-in fact, I can't protect my own head either! I'm too dangerous here, everywhere—" "I didn't give you a choice." Jack looked at the gun in Shirley's hand, seeing her unsteady look, worried that she would accidentally shoot the gun, "Honey, you don't need to point that thing at me" "Shut up!" Max yelled, then bent over and lifted the limp body on his shoulders, and then turned back to the house.Shirley and Jack followed closely behind. Shirley pointed a gun at Jack all the way. Just seeing him brought back the horrible memories of Crow Island. She didn't believe in Jack at the time, and now she has no reason, but her mind is full of question marks. "Is it Li Minni?" she asked in a low voice. "Yeah! Li Minni is like a dog picking up a mouse, chasing us around, leaving us with no chance to breathe. About two weeks ago, Li Minni attacked the Prodigal Son, and Gu Wen was bombarded by artillery. He ...The situation is really bad. I, Old Ou, and a few close friends hid him to heal his wounds, it was a swamp, in—" He cleared his throat, "But Li Minni was chasing after him, and there was an assault." He shook his head, but his tone was full of pride, "We all risked our lives to fight them, and Li Minni finally had to can retreat." When he added, the childish enthusiasm faded a lot. "Of course, when we got Gowen out of there, he pretty much died." "You brought him here without risking your own life," she whispered. "Why don't you just throw him off and run for your life?" "Get rid of him?" Jack asked back, feeling insulted, "After he's done so much for you, you say something like that!? I'd die for Gowen—see, I didn't lose it for him An eye? And he'll work for me, or any of his minions!" "So much for me!" Shirley repeated sourly. Fei Jieting... Captain Gu Wen... no matter who he is... he is a selfish and cruel thug after all, if he is not seriously injured, she really wants to kick him again! They entered through the back door, and Lace immediately went forward, followed by Noni, Lace was puzzled for a moment, "Max—" she glanced at Max's brow. "Upstairs!" her husband managed to utter, and he led his son into his childhood room, where he waited for Lace to light the lamp, and then pulled back the heavy coverlet before putting Jetin out of bed. For a while, there was no conversation. Lace and Noni hurried in and out to fetch a large number of towels and medical supplies. Lace picked up the scissors and cut open the tattered clothes and makeshift bandages. Xi Li silently handed the gun to Max, moved to the bedside, clenched her fists and looked at the injured Jetin.His injuries were serious, he was shot on his right blade and leg, there was a deep knife mark on his waist, blood was still left from the broken ribs, the blood clots from the bridge of his nose to his ears were congealed, and there was also a knife wound on his right side, although he had already The skin was ripped apart and stitched together, but it didn't look very clean and tidy. "Old Ou and I took out the bullet." Jack said. "I'm afraid it's too late to have surgery now." Shirley felt the same, but didn't echo it aloud. Les took off the bandage covering Jeding's eyes, and sighed softly. "Blinded in the explosion," Jack said. Xi Li took a step forward, but Laisi stopped her, "It's fine for me and Noni to take care of him, maybe the rest of you leave the room for now." "Should we invite the doctor?" Xi Li suggested, her voice was so calm. Max shook his head and barely looked away from his son, "Once people know that my son is here, they will definitely be surrounded by local and federal authorities, let alone those who want to get the bounty. No matter how bad Jieting's situation is, I will I'm afraid I won't be able to keep him." "Yes." Jack agreed. "People like me and Kowen can't find a safe haven." Max looked at his son, "We have to do our best, I hope—" He stopped, gritted his teeth, and when he controlled his emotions, he motioned for Jack to go out with him, "I have something to ask you." Shirley stayed and watched the two women remove the rest of Jedine's clothes.Jieting's naked appearance is amazing. She occasionally acts as her father's assistant to heal patients, but she has seen other men naked, but she is not so shocked. Maybe she still has the feeling and memory of his body!Especially since she still finds Jeting threatening.As if he was just a sleeping lion, ready to jump up and pounce on her at any moment. A maid appeared at the door carrying a basin of steaming water.Shi Li took her hand, nodded to her, put it on the small table beside the bed, and then picked up the clothes that Lace had thrown on the floor. Noni immediately took over and wrinkled her nose at the stench. "I'll get some clean clothes," murmured the housekeeper, "and burn this thing." "Good idea." Shirley agreed, then put the clean cloth into the basin and twisted it. She looked at Jie Ting's bloody eyes, her stomach turned up unconsciously, thinking, she hated this man so much, why would she sympathize with him? "I've never seen anyone suffer such a serious injury." As Lace said, the hand that wiped Jeddin's upper arm trembled uncontrollably. So Shirley took over gently and efficiently removed the bandage, which, as expected, became as inflamed as the rest. "I've seen it." Shirley said, putting the removed bandage aside. "When the Austrians and Prussians attacked Paris, King Napoleon turned France into a military country, and a boy was injured during the war..." She paused, not knowing how to use the tense in English, "Since three years..." "Three years ago." Rice corrected. "Yes, the boy was sent back to his family in Paris. They asked my father to go over and I was his assistant. The boy's injury is not far from that of Jeting." Shi Li put a warm cloth on the wound, his body twitched, and she had to clean the wound again, "my father said, this is a typical war wound." "Is the child dead?" Lace asked. Shirley nodded, and brushed Jeting's long hair aside, "The problem is the infection, if we can make him survive the infection and fever..." "We have to do it," Rice said strongly, "for Max!" Shirley found that the relationship between the father and son is quite complicated. It seems that they are at odds, and the two have a considerable degree of misunderstanding about each other's feelings, but Max's concern for Jeting is beyond doubt.She knew it would be too cruel for Max to suffer the loss of his two sons in just a few months. But she looked at Jie Ting, and another thought came to her mind... If Jie Ting miraculously survived...but she might be permanently blind. She thought of those fiery blue eyes, and she believed that Jie Ting would rather die than I am willing to face the rest of my life relying on the support of others. "We've planted a lot of herbs in our garden," Lace said, and walked out the door. "I believe Noni has already begun to prepare the home remedy. I'll be right back, okay?" "certainly." So it was just Shirley and Jadine alone as she put the cloth back in the hot water and twisted it against his wound.Even though he was unconscious, there must have been pain, because he began to moan and squirm uncomfortably. "My friend, I can easily take revenge on you now." She said softly. "Of course you never dreamed that you would fall into my hands, did you?" She frowned and removed the blood clot from the wound, only to see Jieting's chest rising and falling violently. "But I don't really feel proud of seeing you hurt like this." She pressed against the wound again, sucking out the blood. "You'd better bear with it, the next few hours are not going to be very good." Jie Ting murmured incoherently, stretched out his hand softly to his side, Shi Li pushed his hand away, and continued to tell him calmly. "No, friend, don't move around, you are going to make things difficult for me, and I won't let you succeed." Next, Xi Li wiped his eye injury with a wet cloth corner. When he turned his face away, Xi Li immediately held his face. Her touch seemed to comfort him and he became quiet. "You have to get better," she said, continuing to wipe away the blood. "You can't die...you have to recover to avenge Fei Li. You said that Li Minni must pay the price, and I want you to do what you say!" "What's the matter with him?" Shirley asked, standing in the doorway, just coming from her studio. She slept very restlessly last night, and was always worried about Jieting's situation. She knew that Fei's family would take care of him wholeheartedly, and with Noni's thaumaturgy, there shouldn't be any problems.But when she woke up early in the morning, she was still worried about coming to see him. The bed unit came up to his waist, his eyes and other injuries were covered with clean bandages, and he muttered French. Lace sat on the edge of the bed with a haggard look on her face, "I've started to have a high fever." "You're tired." Xi Li said, her eyes still on Jie Ting. "Max insisted on watching him through the night—and I couldn't sleep without him." Lace changed a cloth over his face. "He's going to explain to the kid that we have a client who's sick." "Will they come to see him?" "I don't think so, but even if they come, I'm afraid they won't recognize him. The last time he came back was five years ago, but he only waited for a few minutes." "Philip..." Jie Ting muttered, not so easy to hear, "It's my fault...don't punish...Philip didn't..." Jetin moved, knocking the pillow off.Lace hurriedly pushed the pillow back on his head, inspecting the bandage over his eye. Shirley tried to avoid longing to go to him, but forced herself to stay at the door. Jie Ting continued to babble, and touched the mattress with both hands anxiously, as if looking for something to hold. "He seems to be recalling his childhood with Philip." Rice said, returning to her seat. "Sometimes only Jedine makes mistakes, and they both have to be punished at the same time. Fili never complains, but I believe Jertin has a lot of mistakes." A strong sense of guilt." Shirley couldn't imagine Jeting feeling guilty about anything. "So there is competition between them?" "Oh, yes!" Lace looked sadly at Jeting's beard. "Probably because their father neglected them too much. After the death of his ex-wife Connie, Max didn't care about anything but discipline them. Everyone in New Orleans knows that Phillip is a good boy and Jaddin is a bad boy." Child, in fact, this is a big burden for the two brothers." “我想杰汀一定很嫉妒菲立。” “噢，他们互相嫉妒，但是我相信他们两人愿意为对方拚死拚活。”莱丝起身，摸了摸后背后，显然几个钟头下来也够她受的。 “我来接手吧！”席莉提议道。 “不用了，谢谢，我怎么能要求你做这事，我去叫诺妮跟我换班。” “不麻烦，”席莉说，“记住，家父是大夫，我对病房一点也不陌生。” 莱丝扫向半裸的杰汀一眼，“但是必须替他做的——” “我是……我已经是结过婚的女人。”席莉说，“我不会吓着，何况诺妮必须帮你张罗家里大大小小的事，我却是闲着没事。” 席莉示意莱丝离房，恍若这事就此安排妥当。 莱丝顿了一下，用一种古怪的眼神看着席莉，“我留意到你对杰汀的反应，如今要你照顾他，实在难为你了。” “我们法国女人向来就事论事，我不会让感觉影响应该做的事。” 莱丝仍是望着她，最后耸了耸肩，“好吧，我跟诺妮还是打点家务事，如果有问题，派凯丽或李娜来找我们，谢谢你，席莉。” “这没什么，”席莉坐下来，突然冒出一句话，“莱丝，他为什么会离家出走？” 莱丝在门口停下来，思忖良久才开口，“部分是家庭因素，部分是他的天性使然，他厌恶任何一种形式的权威，尤其是受不了他父亲的压力吧！”她叹口气离去。 席莉解释不来为何这一刻如此执意要照顾杰汀，她只知道她必须留下来，她凝视着杰汀，回想他壮硕的身体如何重重地压住她，释放出的威猛力量深入她体内。 她对杰汀应该持怎样的心态？他伤害她，不过他也是她的救命恩人。 “你是我见过最难看的男人，”席莉告诉他，“可怕的怪物，古汶……这名字挺适合你，我或许相信你是菲立的兄弟，但绝不是孪生兄弟，你有他的眼睛，但那是你唯一可炫耀的相似之处吧！” 她碰了碰他脸上的绷带，“现在或许连唯一的优点也保不住。” 她让指头轻轻拂过绷带，杰汀似乎感觉到她的触碰，唇边发出低声呻吟。 “我相信你非常嫉妒菲立。”席莉略作迟疑才抚弄起他的长发，大男人留这么长的头发简直像野人．但她指尖所触，都是那么平滑浓密。 “菲立具备好男人应该有的一切，”她继续说：“你却是这般不像样，你们两人怎会是亲手足呢？菲立是这么彬彬有礼，你却……丁点规矩也不懂。” 她的目光转向远处，“我知道那种吃醋的感觉。我的妹妹们各个是窈窕淑女，能够毫不费力吸引男人，而我……” 她顿了一下，然后苦笑着说：“你很清楚我是这么没有女人味。” 她的笑意全消，“你要我纯粹因为我是菲立的妻子，对不对？你只是把我当作偷来的一样东西，然后随意丢弃，但是菲立爱我的人，这点你绝不懂，你对女人不会产生这么刻骨铭心的感觉，你也就不会明白什么是真爱，纵使短暂也值得——” 席莉骤然打住，她居然爱抚起杰汀的头发。她抽开手，她中了什么邪？竟然对他有这种举动？她慌乱起来，于是起身让自己忙一点，由床边拿起诺妮特制的药膏，为他肿胀的脸、干裂的唇上药。 杰汀的嘴唇动了动，却是发不出声音。 “等会儿我再替你的眼睛换药，”她说，“朋友，我不是大夫，不过我相信你不会失明，算你运气好，或许诺妮说的挪厄没错，你身边必定跟着一个。” 席莉把药膏放下来，转向他不动的身躯，却是呆怔住，她感觉到他的注意，他知道她在这里。 她注视他毫无表情的脸，“杰汀？” 他突然动起来，抬手举高到扎着绷带的肩头。席莉惟恐他碰伤自己，伸手去拦他的手，反而被他紧紧扣住，血液无法畅通．而且令她痛得只能深吸一口气。 “不要这样，放手！”她想扳开他的拳头。 在她能够再深吸口气之前，她忘掉手臂，忘掉杰汀在弄痛她，而开始打起颤来，他们之间敞开出某种共同感觉，交流起一种她未曾有过的暖意。她错愕地望着杰汀的脸，他的呼吸粗重．这刹那问，席莉感同身受…… 他害怕孤孤单单陷在一片黑暗中，被那种有爪的东西撕裂！ “不！”席莉惊恐地挣脱开他的束缚，揉着已经阏青的部位，然后转向他，只见他右手一张一合。 席莉勉强回到床边，杰汀没动了，但是她感觉得到他的反应，是的，他知道她的接近。 她用颤抖的手抹了抹脸．拨开垂落的散发。 What happened?是她想像力太丰富吧，但她想逃离这房问，逃开他，但是说也奇怪，她又怕丢下他一个人。 “我没有必要留下来陪你，”她说．“我不欠你，我才不……”她说不下去。然后她情不自禁地在床沿坐下来，握起他的手，抚弄起他的手臂。他的指头再度握住她。 “杰汀？你听到我讲的话吗？”席莉看着他，目光眨也不眨，但他昏沉沉地发着烧入睡。 席莉缓缓地低头望向他身子，留意到被单滑落到他臀上，当她目光落在他胸毛和阴毛的部位时，不禁脸红起来，她从来没有如此端详男人的身体，既好奇又难为情。她不知道其他女人是否会认为杰汀具有魅力，或许他十分魁梧，深具男人味，但实在称不上英俊，而他又不修边幅，把头发、胡自蓄这么长，看来更是龌龊、粗糙又野蛮，或许这是他的本性。 “我不知道你这种人会不会爱上任何人？”她喃喃道，不经意地把玩起他修长的指头。 “当然不会，对不对？这对一个海盗来说太麻烦了，你们这种人向来跟爱情绝缘！” “今天是礼拜四，朋友们很快会上门来拜望！”莱丝焦虑地说，“我是不是要想办法把他们打发走？我该怎么说呢？恐怕杰汀待在这里的秘密守不住了。 庄园里的每个人都知道有个陌生人住在家里头，消息没多久会传到镇上，然后议论纷纷，警方必定会过来盘查，然后——” “我察觉到这些状况了。”麦斯说着，把妻子拉到他膝上抱着，“目前我们必须想出说服人的谎言。” 莱丝双臂勾住麦斯的脖子，挫败地叹口气，“麦斯，我实在不擅于撒谎，一个套一个，到最后连我自己都搞不清楚。” 席莉由图画室的角落观察这对恩爱夫妻。她刚由杰汀的房问出来，她在那里又是待上一个漫漫长夜，她已经在那病床畔守了将近一个礼拜，所持的理由仍是大家各有所司，唯独她闲着，所以当仁不让。 杰汀还未恢复意识，却梦呓不断，有时候会唤起她母亲，康妮在这对双胞胎五岁的时候过世。席莉记得菲立提起他母亲总是充满忧伤和遗憾，然而杰汀对她似乎只有敌意。 他经常挂在嘴边的另一个名字是菲立，但是杰汀对菲立的感觉实在不是外人所能理解。 席莉总是到体力不支才让诺妮或费家人接手照料杰汀几个钟头，但她会尽可能再回去交班。每当她在场，杰汀会比较安稳，不论喝汤、换药、清洗伤口都能——顺从她。 没人理解这情况，尤其是席莉自己。费家人当然会揣测起她的动机已及杰汀对她的特别反应。 “席莉，”莱丝用一种颇困难的口吻告诉她，“或许你是基于菲立的立场照顾他的兄弟，但是——” “这跟菲立无关。”席莉诚挚地回答。 “但是你为杰汀所做的事，并非我或诺妮或其他人做不来——” “我在那里的时候，他的情况比较好，”席莉警觉到自己的防卫．却压抑不住，“这是事实，你自个儿也承认了。” “这倒是实情，”莱丝承认道，“但这并不表示你必须把自己累垮呀！” 席莉让自己板起脸来，“杰汀是你的继子，你有权作任何处置，如果你要我离他远一点，我当然只好照你的意思了。” “不，我没这意思——”莱丝收住口，微皱起眉头，他们双方心里有数，已经在吵架边缘，“席莉，我不想跟你吵嘴，我只是想让你明白，你没必要为了照料他而累坏了自己的身子，至少有其他人可以代劳。” "I see." “这就好了。” 她们互换一种困扰的眼神，然后席莉回到杰汀的房间，心中庆幸莱丝不再阻止她。日复一日，她发现这份看护工作变得越来越重要，而杰汀似乎也知道是她，也能认出她的声音…… 席莉把心思拉回莱丝和麦斯的对话。 “亲爱的，我们该怎么告诉人家呢？”莱丝问道，“当他们认定我们有所隐瞒，必定怀疑跟杰汀有关。” “我有个主意。”麦斯徐徐地开口，“但不算好，如果采用这法子，对我们每个人都有危险，我还是另想个办法！” 莱丝和席莉交换忧虑神色，然后莱丝转向丈夫，“麦斯，我们现在恐怕没有时间了。” “这倒是真的。”席莉眉心紧蹙地附和道，“你把这主意说出来，或许我们以考虑……” 突然一股奇异的感觉袭上她心头而令她打住，在层层的黑暗中，一个影像呈现在她眼前……那是杰汀。她脸色转白，抓起裙摆，快步走向门口。 “请恕我告退，我该去看看杰汀的情况了。”她说完，急奔向宽敞的楼梯间，飞也似地拾级而上。