Chapter 6 chapter Five

Dr. Sanders did not return directly to the guest house.He had just warmly invited the two strangers, not because of a strong desire to entertain them, but because it had occurred to him while talking to them.Now that he has left the patient behind and left Fuzhou, he is not in a hurry to go back.It was his first vacation in years, so before going back, he planned a trip to Java.Dr. Saunders thought that if Captain Nichols and Blake could take him with him, even if he didn't go to Makassar, he could go to an island with more convenient transportation, and then he could take a steamboat , to wherever he wants to go.Cheng Jin's operation has been successfully completed, but because there is no ship passing through Takala, the doctor has already prepared to stay for another three weeks, but now he has the opportunity to go to sea, so the desire to leave here is churning deep in his heart Getting up made him feel unbearably anxious when he thought that he had had nothing to do in Takala for a long time.The doctor walked along the broad street, and in less than half a mile he came to the sea.There is no pier here, and there are coconut trees everywhere, growing wildly to the water's edge.The local huts are built in this coconut grove.Children play happily, and scrawny pigs are chained to stakes.The silver sandy beach stretches into the distance, and several dhows and canoes are moored by the sea.The hot sun shines on the coral sand on the beach, giving off a fine layer of light. Even if you walk on it with shoes on, you can still feel the soles of your feet burning.There were many crabs on the beach, and when these ugly creatures saw someone approaching, they hurriedly avoided it.There was a triangular sail boat lying on its bottom, and three Malays in native aprons were working on it, all of them were as black as coal.There was also a lagoon with a reef in the middle, about a few hundred yards in length, very deep and very clear, and some boys were playing around.A schooner belonging to Cheng Jin was moored beside it.Not far from the schooner was Captain Nichols' small sailboat. Compared with Cheng Jin's magnificent big boat beside him, it looked extremely shabby, its hull was faded, and it was in urgent need of a new coat of paint.If it is drifting in the vast sea, it must look like a flat boat.A trace of hesitation arose in the doctor's heart. He raised his head and stared fixedly at the sky.There is no cloud in the sky, and there is no wind. The coconut leaves stand quietly on the branches, motionless.A low, broad skiff was moored on the sand, and Dr. Saunders thought it was the boat Nichols and the others had rowed ashore, because he hadn't seen any crew on the dinghy.

After seeing enough of the scenery, the doctor turned around and strolled back to the guest house.In the room, he changed into Chinese trousers and a silk tunic.He's used to wearing them like this for a long time, and he always feels safe and at ease in them.The doctor took the book and sat outside on the veranda.The guest house is surrounded by fruit trees, and on the other side of the path in front of the door is a large-scale coconut tree garden.The coconut trees grow tall and straight, neatly arranged in rows.The bright sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, casting yellow spots of various shapes on the ground.Behind the doctor, the accompanying boy was preparing lunch for him in the kitchen.

Dr. Saunders is not a well-read person, and he rarely reads novels.He is very interested in human character, so he likes to read books that show the abnormal side of human nature.He read and read Pepys's diary, Boswell's Life of Johnson, Florio's translation of Montaigne, and Hazlitt's essays.He also likes ancient travel notes, and whenever he carefully tastes the countries he has never been to in Haklut's writings, he always feels joy in his heart.His family has collected an astonishing number of books describing China, all of which were written by missionaries in the early years.He reads these books neither for better understanding of China, nor for self-cultivation, but because whenever he reads these books, he can always find opportunities for contemplation.When he reads these books, he always has a sense of humor that is unique to him, and it is this sense of humor that allows him to secretly cheer while watching how those missionaries are tirelessly expanding their careers in China.If the writers knew that he was in such a mood, they would be surprised.He's a man of few words, but he's also very approachable when he does chat, though he won't force you to talk to him.He loves his own jokes, but he doesn't want to share them with others.

Now the doctor was reading a volume of Father Gu's travel notes, but he was quite absent-minded. His mind was full of the two strangers who had suddenly appeared on the island.After living in the East for so many years, Dr. Saunders had seen countless people, so it was easy to identify what kind of character Captain Nichols was.He must have made a fuss.Judging from his accent, he is British, but he has been wandering in the waters of China for so many years, which means that he is likely to cause big trouble in the UK.His wretched and cunning appearance is not a gentleman at first glance.He had only a small broken sailboat, so it was impossible to get anywhere successfully.This liar has worked so hard for so many years, what he paid is not proportional to what he got, and the return is pitifully small.The thought made the doctor look ironic, and his sigh fell into the still air.But it's also possible that Nichols himself prefers dirty work, after all, he is the kind of person who is willing to do anything.If you hear what he said, you have to forget it, you can't believe it at all, and don't expect to rely on him, otherwise you will only be disappointed.He said he knew Cheng Jin.It is very likely that this is the case: presumably he is idle most of the time, has little serious work, and is therefore thankful to be able to work for a Chinese employer.If you had any shady business to do, he was the kind of guy you'd want to hire, most likely he'd worked for Cheng Jin, captained one of his schooners.

After speculating a lot, Dr. Sanders had a good impression of Captain Nichols, and he was completely fascinated by Nichols' kindness and friendliness, and even his rascal appearance had a special flavor because of it.And that excruciating indigestion adds to Nichols' delight, making him even more likable.So the doctor was happy to see him again in the evening. Dr. Sanders' interest in people is neither scientific nor human.He just wanted to have some fun with them.He judges them objectively, exulting in unraveling the complexities of their individual personalities like a mathematician solving a difficult problem.Although this knowledge has no use for him, his satisfaction is an aesthetic.And he was unaware that knowing and judging others gave him a subtle sense of superiority.Compared with most people, he is less prejudiced and less disgruntled.Many people are very tolerant of their own vices, but have little patience for things that don't interest them; those who are a little more broad-minded can tolerate others with a gesture of understanding, but they talk more than they do; few people Can really accept those who behave differently from themselves, and don't get bored.People are seldom shocked by the fact that someone has committed adultery with someone else's wife, and may be able to keep their composure knowing that someone is cheating at poker or forging checks (if you are the victim, you may have this but it's hard to be a close friend with someone who doesn't say the "H" when he should be, and if that person scoops up the gravy with a knife, they're almost at odds. There may be an intersection.Yet Dr. Saunders lacks this sensitivity.Bad table manners were as innocuous to him as a festering ulcer, and right and wrong were as innocuous to him as good weather and bad weather.He treats people and things as they are.Although he always evaluates others, he does not condemn them. He is a bystander, watching all living beings with a smile.

He's a nice guy, everyone likes him, but he has no friends.He's a pleasure to keep company with, but that's all, he doesn't become close friends with anyone.In this world, he doesn't care about anyone, it's enough for him to have himself.His happiness is not based on others, but from himself.He is actually very selfish, but because he is objective and shrewd, almost no one notices this, and no one is troubled by it, after all, he is not greedy for anything, nor is he in anyone's way.Money doesn't mean much to him, and he doesn't care whether patients pay or not, so everyone thinks he is kind and caring.To him, time is as unimportant as money, so he is also willing to see a doctor for others.Whenever he sees patients suffering from diseases and begging him for treatment, he is always very happy.He plays with patients and their families, having fun with the life they reflect.To him, each person is like a page of a book, and each page is a reprint of the previous one, and these pages are superimposed one by one to form a long and endless book is his interest.How do people, whether they are white, yellow, or black, face important moments in their lives?He was always curious about that.But no matter how people reacted, it didn't touch his heart, nor disturb his nerves.But since death is the most important thing in everyone's life, he is always interested in how he will face death.When he tries to reach the depths of people's consciousness, the depths of people's souls where they realize for the first time that the race against death has begun , a slight shudder spread all over his body, but it was just a way of expressing curiosity.His emotions were not affected, he felt no sorrow, no pity.He was just a little curious, how could those things that are vital to one person be worthless to others?

But his demeanor was full of sympathy and compassion, and he knew exactly what words would ease people's fear and pain at the time.Nor does he leave his patients alone, on the contrary, he comforts them, encourages them, and makes them strong.To him, practicing medicine is a game, and playing this game well gives him an undeniable sense of satisfaction.He is naturally kind to others, but this is instinctive friendliness, that is to say, it doesn't matter who he is, he will not be interested in helping people: if you are in a critical situation, he can come to rescue you, and once you are finished, He doesn't care about you anymore.He dislikes killing, neither hunts nor fishes.He did this only because he believed that every creature had the right to live, so whenever he saw mosquitoes or flies flying by, he preferred to drive them away with a wave of his hand, rather than slap them to death.Maybe he is such a rational and passionate person.It is undeniable that he lived a kind and good life (of course at least you can't narrowly define kindness as something that only agrees with your sensual inclinations), because he is kind and friendly, and he has devoted his life to the cause of saving lives and healing the wounded .But if motives are counted, then he has nothing to praise, because his actions were not motivated by love, pity, or kindness.