Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

At dawn, it was chilly.The doctor woke up suddenly from the cold. He opened his eyes, but saw that the door of the cabin was open.The captain and Fred slept on separate mattresses.It must be because the smell in the cabin was too pungent, so they opened the door of the cabin to dissipate some of the lingering smell of opium.Suddenly, he found that the boat was no longer swaying from side to side.He stood up, his head was a little heavy, he had smoked too much last night, and he couldn't adapt for a while.So he decided to get some air on deck. Akai fell asleep leaning on the chair, and the doctor patted him on the shoulder lightly.He opened his eyes and smiled slightly, making his youthful face even more delicate.Akai stretched and yawned.

"Make me some tea," said the doctor. Akai stood up immediately, and the doctor followed him on the deck.The sun has not yet risen, and there is still a dim star hovering above the sky, but the night is not as dense as before, and has turned into a dark and hazy gray, making the "Fenton" look like it is floating on the clouds. same as above.One of the crew was at the helm, wearing an old coat, a scarf round his neck, and a battered hat that fell limply on his head.Seeing Dr. Saunders come on deck, he nodded stiffly to the doctor.The sea was very calm at this time, and they were walking between the two islands.The two islands are very close to each other, and the sea in between is very narrow, like a canal.There was a slight breeze, and the Aussie at the helm was sleepy.The dawn passed silently between the low and tree-covered islands, solemn and solemn, looking very calm, as if deliberately covering up the panic in his heart.However, don't try to find any traces of concealment from it. It comes to the world gracefully and shyly, just like a pure girl, with a serious, cold and ruthless expression, but it is soul-stirring.The sky at this time is like a faded ancient statue, glowing with a dull grayish white.The primeval forests on both sides are still shrouded in darkness, but the soft fish-belly white illuminates the gray-black sea surface little by little.At this time, the originally slowly rising light paused for a while, and then, the clouds broke and the sun rose, and a new day came with a smile.The doctor and his party shuttled between the uninhabited islands, the sea was as calm as a mirror, and the surroundings were so quiet that one could not help but want to hold their breath.Faced with such extreme tranquility, it is easy for people to have a strange and exciting illusion, thinking that this is the beginning of the world. For the first time, it ushered in the eyes of the world.At this time, an unprecedented purity surged instinctively from the depths of the soul.The complexity accumulated by human beings from generation to generation has disappeared, and only the simplicity at the beginning of human beings remains in the soul, without any pretense, as straightforward and solemn as a straight line, which makes people feel joyful from the bottom of their hearts.In that instant, Dr. Saunders experienced the ecstasy of the mystic.

Akai brought a cup of jasmine tea.It is very pleasant for a doctor to sit leisurely in an easy chair after letting his thoughts run wild, enjoying the happiness brought by material things.The air is a bit cold, but exudes a soft fragrance.At this moment he wanted nothing but to sit forever in such a steady boat, swimming among the green islands. The doctor sat quietly for an hour, feeling at ease.At this time, footsteps came from the cabin door.Fred Blake also came out on deck.He was in pajamas, his hair was disheveled, and he looked very young.Sleep wiped away his tired face, and his face was full of the radiance that young people should have when they wake up, unlike Dr. Sanders, whose face was still covered with the wrinkles that were left behind by the years after waking up.

"It's early, doctor." Fred saw the empty teacup in the doctor's hand and said: "I was wondering, can you make me a cup of tea too?" "Ask Akai." "Okay, I just need Wu Tan to pour me a few buckets of water." He went forward and gave a few words to one of the crew, and then the native Australian lowered a bucket into the sea by a rope.Fred took off his pajamas and stood naked on the deck as another crew member scooped up water from a bucket and poured it on him.Then the crew lowered the bucket into the sea again, and Fred turned around.He was tall, with broad shoulders, a slender waist, and a beautiful inverted triangle figure.His arms and neck were tanned, but the rest of his body was very fair.He dried himself off, put on his pajamas, and walked to the stern again.His eyes were piercing, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, outlining a slight smile.

"You're a fine boy," said the doctor. Fred shrugged nonchalantly, then sank into the chair next to the doctor. "Did you know we lost a boat last night?" "have no idea." "The wind was the devil. The jib was gone and it was torn to shreds. I can tell you that Nichols was not at all happy about escaping to the sheltered island. To be honest, I really thought it would be It's over." "You've been on deck?" "Yes, because I thought, if the ship goes down, it's better to be out in the open." "But I can't survive."

"Yes, I know that." "Are not you afraid?" "Don't be afraid, it's a disaster that can't be avoided, if it's God's will, then there's nothing you can do about it." "I was terrified." "Nickels thought it was hilarious to say you were well into the afternoon." "It's a matter of age. Older people are always more likely to panic than young people. I can't help but think, you're still young, and you've got a long way to go. Compared to you, I'm a bad old man, but I More scared than you, it's just ridiculous."

"I'm so afraid of becoming like that, can I still think?" "My body is scared, but it doesn't affect my mind to think." "You're a character too, doctor." "I don't know that." "Before you said that you hoped we would give you a ride, I was quite dishonest. I'm really sorry." He hesitated for a while and said, "I'm not in good health, and you know it, so I'm a little nervous. I'm not against strangers. people." "It doesn't matter." "I don't want you to think I'm an asshole." He glanced at the quiet scenery around him.They had sailed out of the narrow bay between the two islands and into what seemed to be an inland sea, calm and blue as a Swiss lake.The waters are surrounded by small low-lying islands covered with a thick layer of vegetation. "Compared to last night, it's a world of difference. After the moon rises, the storm will be more violent. I have never wondered how you can sleep. You know, the sound of the wind and rain is so loud."

"I smoked opium." "When you went down with the Chinese boys Nichols said you were going to smoke opium. I didn't believe it at all, but when we went down, my God, the smell made my head explode." "Why don't you believe it?" "I can't imagine a man like you being so self-deprecating." The doctor chuckled. "You should be more tolerant of other people's bad habits." He said calmly. "I'm not blaming anyone." "What else did Nichols say about me?" "Actually..." He paused for a moment, when Akai came over and took away the doctor's used teacup.He was dressed in white, very neat, slender and elegant, "It's none of my business. He said you were dismissed for certain things."

"To be precise, my name was erased from the register." The doctor interrupted Fred calmly. "He also said that you must have been in prison. This is understandable. Someone as smart as you and famous in the East should settle in such a filthy Chinese city. Anyone will have imagination." "Why do you think I'm smart?" "I can see that you're well-educated. I don't want you to think I'm a villain. I studied accounting before my health broke down. I didn't live like this before." The doctor smiled slightly.Nobody looks healthier than Fred Blake.His broad chest and strong physique completely exposed the lie that he had tuberculosis.

"Would you like to hear what I have to say?" "If you'd like to share it with me." "It's not about me. I rarely talk about myself, and there's nothing wrong with being a little secretive as a doctor, so patients trust me more. I'm just speaking from experience. When an accident destroys the When you plan your own career, whether it is absurdity, crime, or disaster, you can’t think that you are finished anyway. Maybe this is the opportunity for your good luck. Looking back on the past after a few years, you will feel that , Thanks to that disaster, you can have a new life now. If you want you to go back to the original boring and boring life, it is absolutely unwilling."

Fred dropped his head. "Why are you telling me this?" "I thought it might work." The young man sighed softly. "People are so hard to understand. I've always thought people were white and yellow, but now for me it's impossible to know what people are going to do in a pinch. I've seen a lot of bad people Nichols is more of a villain than Nichols. He would rather be mean than aboveboard. You can't trust a word he says. We've been together for a while now, and I've seen him clearly. Given the chance, he'd even My own brother can kill. There is no decency in him. You should see his performance last night. To be honest, last night was a close call and almost finished. But he was so calm that he didn't show any face Erhong. You will be amazed to see it. From my point of view, he is clearly intoxicated. He said to me: "Fred, pray, if you can't break through to the edge of the island now, wait for the storm to come later. After all, we're going to feed the fish tomorrow morning.' He had a smirk on his ugly face when he said that. But it was all fine in the end. I've sailed in Sydney Harbour, never It's admirable to have seen anyone steer a boat as well as he does. We're all talking here now because of him. He was daring enough last night. But if you give him twenty quid, Let him put us together, do you think he will hesitate, absolutely impossible. So, what do you think about this?" "I have no idea." "But don't you think it's funny that a natural liar can be so kind. I always hear people say that those villains usually speak wild words and bully the weak, but when they are in crisis, they are cowardly. I hate that Guy, but I couldn't help admiring him last night." The doctor smiled, but did not answer.The young man in front of him confessed his confusion about the complexity of human nature so frankly, which made the doctor feel a burst of joy. "And he's very pushy. We play cribbage and he's smug the whole time, I keep winning, but he's still the same." "He told me you were lucky." "As the saying goes, love is good, poker is bad. It's not about luck. I've played poker all my life, and I've got a hand. That's one of the reasons why I later studied accounting. I just have that kind of brain. It's not luck. It depends on whether the luck is good or bad at the time. I know cards. In the long run, only if you play well can you be a winning general. Nichols thinks he is very smart, but he plays cards with me. There is no chance of winning at all.” They didn't chat anymore, they just sat next to each other, comfortable and at ease.After a while Captain Nichols woke up and went on deck.He was wearing dirty pajamas, unwashed, unshaven, full of decayed teeth, and the slovenliness left by his usual slovenliness was simply disgusting.He was scowling, his face looking gray in the morning light. "Doctor, it's coming again." "what?" "Indigestion. I ate something before bed last night, and I know I shouldn't eat before bed, but I'm so hungry, I must eat something. I'm fine now, and my chest hurts like hell." "Let me figure out a way." The doctor said, standing up with a smile. "Even if it's you, it doesn't matter." The captain said dejectedly. "I know my fault. Every time I encounter bad weather, it will definitely do it. It's as non-negotiable as my name is Nichols. It's cruel. Extremely. I've been at the helm for eight hours, and anyone would think a little cold sausage and a little slice of cheese would be all right. Well, what the hell! One can't help but eat."