Chapter 10 Chapter nine

Dr. Saunders gets up early in the morning.He was out on the veranda just after dawn.When Akai heard the doctor calling him, he served breakfast: a few small and delicious bananas called "fingers", as well as fried eggs, toast and tea that must be included in every breakfast.The doctor has a good appetite and eats a lot.There was very little luggage to pack, Akai's clothes were wrapped in kraft paper, and the doctor's clothes were stuffed into an off-white Chinese-style pigskin suitcase.Medicines and surgical instruments were placed in a small tin box.Three or four locals stood on the landing in front of the verandah, waiting for the doctor to see them.The doctor called them up one by one over breakfast and told them he was leaving this morning.Then he went to Cheng Jin's residence.Cheng Jin's house is located in a coconut tree garden. It is a magnificent single-family house and the largest house on the island.The house has a lot of style, which can be seen in the bits and pieces of architectural details.However, this kind of publicity is in stark contrast to the dilapidated surroundings.The surroundings of the house were deserted, with no garden, empty food cans and torn packing boxes strewn everywhere.All kinds of chickens, ducks, dogs and pigs walked around, picking at the garbage dumps, trying to find something to eat from them.The interior was furnished in a European style, with smoked oak sideboards, American rocking chairs of the kind you might find in a Midwestern hotel, and coffee tables covered with plush plush tablecloths.On the wall are many enlarged photos of Cheng Jin and other family members, each of which is framed in a huge gold frame, which is extremely luxurious.

Cheng Jin was tall and strong, with a majestic expression on his face.He wore white canvas trousers and a heavy gold watch chain on his wrist.His surgery was successful, and he never dreamed that his eyesight could be restored to this extent.But although his eyesight has recovered, he still hopes to keep Dr. Sanders on the island for a while. "You are such an idiot! You want to go with that small sailboat!" Cheng Jin said angrily when the doctor told him that he would go to sea with Captain Nichols, "Aren't you very comfortable here! I really don't understand Why don't you wait any longer, it's much better to go on a Dutch boat for two days! Nichols is a bad fellow."

"You're not much better yourself, Cheng Jin." Hearing this wisecrack, Cheng Jin grinned slowly, revealing a row of expensive gold teeth.There was no displeasure in his smile.He liked the doctor and was very grateful to him. When he saw that he could not be persuaded to stay, he stopped pushing.The doctor took care of him for the last few words, then took his leave and left.Cheng Jin accompanied him to the gate before turning back to the house.The doctor went directly to the market and prepared some food for the trip.He bought a sack of rice, a bunch of bananas, canned goods, whiskey, and beer.He asked the man to send the things directly to the shore, where he waited for him, and then returned to the guest house.Akai was ready, but a patient who came in the morning was still waiting there, ready to carry his luggage, probably because he wanted to earn a few pennies.When the doctor and his party reached the shore, one of Cheng Jin's sons was already waiting there, ready to see him off.He gave the doctor a roll of silk as a parting gift as his father had ordered.He also gave the doctor a square package wrapped in white paper with Chinese characters written on the white paper.The doctor secretly guessed what was inside.

"Chandu?" "My father said, this is a good thing, maybe you didn't bring so many, so let me give you some more." There was not even a soul in the schooner, and the dinghy that had been moored to the shore was gone.Dr. Sanders called Captain Nichols' name aloud, but his voice was very thin and hoarse, and it could not be heard far.The sons of A Kai and Cheng Jin also yelled for help, but no one responded.So the doctor and Akai packed their luggage and provisions into a canoe, and let a local man row the boat to take them to a place farther away to search.After turning around and returning, Dr. Saunders shouted again:

"Captain Nichols!" Then Fred Black appeared. "It's you, Nichols went ashore to fetch water." "I didn't see him." Black didn't speak anymore, the doctor boarded the sloop, Akai followed him, and the native handed their luggage and food up. "Where do I keep my stuff?" "There's a cabin over there," Blake said, pointing ahead. The doctor walked out of the cabin.The passenger cabin was near the stern, so low that one could hardly stand up straight in it, and the cabin was extremely cramped, with the mainmast passing through it.The ceiling was dark, and hung a smoking signal.Nichols' and Fred Blake's mattresses were spread lengthwise and took up most of the space, with only a tiny bit of room aft for the doctor to sleep on.He went back on deck and let Akai take down his mattress and suitcase.

"It's best to keep the food in the cabin too," the doctor said to Fred. "There's no room. We've got our own things in the cabin. Tell your men to look below deck, it's empty." The doctor watched Blake.He didn't know anything about the sea, and he probably took a steamboat on the Minjiang River occasionally.The little sailing vessel was over fifty feet long, much too small for such a long voyage.He wanted to ask Black something more, but Black walked away looking sullen.Obviously, even if he agreed to let the doctor aboard, deep down he was still reluctant.There were some old canvas chairs on the deck, and the doctor took one and sat down.

After a while, an Australian native came.He was completely naked except for a dirty loincloth around his waist.He was very stocky, with a mass of curly hair that was graying. "Here comes the captain," he said. Dr. Sanders looked in the direction of his finger and saw the boat coming towards them.Captain Nichols was at the helm, and the other two Aussies rowed.They approached slowly along the coast, and the captain called out: "Utan, Tom, come and help carry the barrel." Another Aussie came out of the cabin.These four Australian natives made up the entire crew.They were all Torres Strait Islanders, tall and strong, and in very good shape.Captain Nichols came aboard and shook the doctor's hand.

"Is everything in order, doctor? My 'Fenton' is not an ocean liner, but it is a ship that everyone dreams of, and can withstand any storm." He glanced at the dirty and messy boat, with a sense of satisfaction in his eyes, just like a craftsman looking at his familiar tools with satisfaction. "Okay, we're leaving." The captain suddenly shouted. At his command, the crew hoisted the mainsail and foremast, weighed anchor, and the ship sailed lightly out of the lagoon.There is no cloud on the blue sky, and the sun shines on the sea, reflecting sparkling waves.The monsoon is blowing gently, and the sea is gently surging with waves.Two or three gulls circled in great circles above them.From time to time, a flying fish jumped out of the water, drew a long arc in the air, and plunged into the water again, splashing a small tuft of spray.Dr. Saunders was reading and smoking a cigarette, and when he was tired, he looked out to sea and the green islands that hurried past them.After a while the captain handed over the rudder to a member of the crew, and then came and sat down beside him.

"We drop anchor at Badu tonight," said the captain. "We've got about forty-five miles to go, and there's nothing wrong with it from the guidebook. There's a place for a boat there." "Where is that?" "It's a deserted island, and we're just spending the night there." "Blake still doesn't seem to like me on the boat," said the doctor. "We had a fight last night." "What's wrong?" "He's just a kid." The doctor understands that on this journey, he must let himself have all the value.However, he also understands that when a person confesses his illness to you, it shows that you have gained his trust, and then he will tell you many other things.The doctor asked about the captain's physical condition again, but everything that should be said has been said before, and there is nothing to elaborate on now.The doctor took him to the cabin and examined him carefully after he lay down.Afterwards they returned to the deck.At this moment the gray-haired Aussie was walking aft with his supper.His name was Tom Uub, and he was both a crew member and a cook.

"Come on, Fred," the boat called. Everyone sat down. Tom Uub took the dish out of the saucepan. "Smells good," said the captain. "New dish, Tom?" "It seems my boy must have helped," said the doctor. "I'm probably fine if I want to eat these." The captain said, scooping up a lot of rice and meat from the plate and stuffing it into his mouth. "What do you think, Fred? As far as I can see, there is a doctor on board, and the two of us All had a great time." "Better, I say, than Tom making it himself." They whetted their appetites and ate a big meal.Then the captain lit his pipe.

"If I don't have a stomachache after this meal, I must say, Doctor, you are a miracle doctor." "I won't get sick." "What I can't figure out is why a talented person like you should settle in a place like Fuzhou. If you go to Sydney, you will definitely make a lot of money." "I'm fine in Fuzhou, I like China." "Really? You studied medicine in England, didn't you?" "yes." "I heard that you are an expert, and there is a big clinic in London. Of course, I don't know very well." "How can you believe the rumors?" "It's so funny that you gave up everything and went to settle in a dirty, messy, poor Chinese city. You must have made a fortune in the UK." said the captain, looking straight at the doctor.His small blue eyes rolled cunningly, and his smiling face was full of deliberation.The doctor, however, meekly accepted his temptation.The doctor smiled, showing his large, discolored teeth, and his eyes were alert and alert, but not embarrassing at all. "Have you thought about going back to England?" "I haven't thought about it. Why do you want to go back? My home is in Fuzhou." "I'm not blaming you. If you ask me, the UK is hopeless. Too many rules, I don't like it at all. Why can't they let people live free? It's hard to understand. You're not an official resident Right, isn't it?" asked the captain suddenly, as if deliberately trying to catch the doctor off guard.Only this time, he met his opponent. "Captain, don't tell me you still don't trust me. You must trust your doctor, otherwise the treatment won't have much effect." "Trust you? If I don't believe you, I won't let you on board." The captain suddenly became very serious, after all, this is a matter closely related to himself, "I know that from Mumbai to Sydney, no one can compare You, if the rumors are true, I wouldn't be surprised if you were successful in London and couldn't find a better doctor than you. I know, it's a degree a man can get, and you've got it. I still I hear you'd be a baronet by now if you stayed in England." "To be honest, those degrees are actually useless to me," the doctor said with a smile. "It's a wonder your name isn't in that book. What's it called? The Guide to Famous Physicians?" "Why do you think I'm not here?" the doctor whispered cautiously, smiling. "A friend of mine in Sydney checked you. He told a friend of his about you, and that person was also a doctor. My friend said you were a miracle doctor, amazing, and then they checked you out of curiosity." "Maybe your friend got the wrong version." Captain Nichols smiled slyly. "Maybe, I really haven't thought about it." "Anyway, I haven't been inside the prison yet, Captain." The captain was slightly shocked. Although he immediately restrained the emotion, his expression changed.Inadvertently, Dr. Sanders inadvertently hit the point, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.The captain laughed. "Well said, Doctor. I haven't either. But don't you know that a lot of people go to jail for no real fault, and some would have been in if they hadn't run away." They looked at each other, then laughed together. "What are you laughing at?" said Fred Black.