Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty

One evening a month later, Dr. Saunders was sitting on the terrace of the Van Dyke Hotel in Singapore.It was a small, dusty terrace with a view of the street below.Cars are rampaging; taxis are pulled by two strong pony horses;From time to time, a few tall and thin Tamils ​​passed by on the street. Behind their silence, behind their silent and secret movement, was a long night's long journey.The shade of the trees on both sides of the street blocked the sun, and the sunlight splashed on the ground through the leaf gaps, forming irregular spots of light.Chinese women in trousers and gold pins in their hair came out of the shade into the sunlight, like marionettes crossing the stage.Now and then a young planter passed by in the street, a suntanned man in a double-brimmed hat and khaki bunt.His strides were long, probably a habit left from walking up and down the rubber plantation.Two dark-skinned soldiers walk past with their heads held high—they know how important they are.They looked smart in their neat uniforms.Noon has passed, the sun has turned golden yellow, and there is a sense of refreshing indifference in the air, as if I hope you don't pay too much attention to your life at this moment.A water truck drove by, leaving a watermark on the dusty road.

Dr. Saunders was in Java for two weeks.Now he is waiting for the first ship to Hong Kong, where he can board a coastal merchant ship and return to Fuzhou.He's glad he made the trip.He came out of a life that had been the same for many years, freed himself from every useless habit, freed as never before from all worldly shackles.His heart was jumping with joy of spiritual independence, as if he was in heaven.It was a great joy to him to know that no one in this world could disturb his peace of mind.Although he adopted a different method, he has been able to no longer bother the world, which is exactly the realm that a practitioner pursues all his life.When he was immersed in self-satisfaction like a Buddha meditating, someone patted him on the shoulder.He looked up and saw Captain Nichols.

"I happened to pass by and saw you sitting here, so I came over to say hello." "Sit down and have a drink." "I do not mind." The captain was in the shore clothes, not old, but badly worn.His lean face was poked with a two-day beard.His nails were black and stuffed with dirt.He looked down at his feet. "I've been to the dentist," he said, "and you're right. The dentist said I must have them all pulled out. He said he wasn't surprised I had indigestion, and in his opinion, I've made it this far." It's a miracle."

The doctor took one look at him and noticed that his upper front teeth were gone, making his flattering smile more repulsive than ever. "Where's Fred Blake?" asked the doctor. The smile on the corner of the captain's mouth suddenly subsided, but there was still a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. "It was a sad ending, poor young man," he replied. "What's the meaning?" "Fell overboard one night, or jumped off by itself, and no one noticed, and was gone the next morning." The doctor could hardly believe his ears. "storm?" "No, the sea is as calm as a lumberyard. He was very depressed when we left Candela. We went to Batavia as planned, and I guess he was waiting for a letter there, but it didn't come without me. I don’t know, it’s useless to ask me.”

"How did no one notice that he fell overboard? The man at the helm?" "We anchored the boat that night, so we were very drunk. It had nothing to do with me, but I told him to cheer up, and he told me to mind my own business. I said, well, whatever. As long as it doesn't affect me Go to sleep and do whatever you want." "When did this happen?" "A week ago, last Tuesday." The doctor leaned back.It was quite a blow.Not so long ago he was sitting and talking with that kid.He felt then that there was an innocence and longing in Fred that was very attractive.It made the doctor very sad to think that he was now adrift in the sea, at the mercy of the tide, and wasting him.He's still just a kid.Regardless of his outlook on life, the doctor always feels a sharp pain in his heart when a young life passes away.

"There is one more tricky thing for me," continued the captain. "We played cribbage, and he won almost all my money. We have been playing cards since you left, and I and He's unbelievably lucky, you say. I'm a better poker player than he is, and I wouldn't be riveting him if I wasn't sure. I doubled the bet, and you know what, I still lost It's a mess. I'm starting to wonder if he's cheating, but I'm not qualified to teach me how to do that. I don't really see him cheating, he's just lucky. Anyway, in Bada He took every dime I made on the voyage when I was in Via.

"I opened his safe after it happened, and we bought a few while we were in Merauke. You know, I had to do it because I wanted to see if there was any contact address for any relatives. For this kind of thing I'm serious. But you know what, there's nothing in it, it's as empty as the palm of your hand. That vile bastard wrapped all the money in his belt and jumped overboard with it." "You must be very disappointed." "I never liked him, from the beginning. He's a liar. Listen, it's all my own money, most of it. Don't tell me he's just that good at poker. If it wasn't in Penang Sold the 'Fenton' to a Chinaman and I don't know what to do. Looks like I'm a victim."

The doctor stared at the captain.It was a strange story, and he wondered how much truth there was in it.Captain Nichols filled him with disgust. "I said, you didn't push him overboard while he was drunk, did you?" asked the doctor harshly. "What does it mean?" "You didn't know he had money in his belt, which is a lot of money for a bum like you. I can't rule out the possibility that you killed that poor child." Captain Nichols' face turned green all of a sudden.His mouth was open and his eyes were glazed.The doctor giggled.His surprise attack paid off.What a villain!Just then, he noticed that the captain's eyes were not on him, but behind him.He turned to see a woman walking slowly up the terrace steps.She was short and fat, with a pale, pie-flat face.Her eyes somehow bulged a little, they were impossibly round and shone like boot buttons.She was wearing a black skirt, the skirt was very tight, and the flesh on her body was drawn into folds.On her head was a black straw hat, like a man's style.Her clothes are really inappropriate for the tropics.She looked very hot and furious.

"My God!" gasped the captain, lowering his voice, "it's my wife!" She walked leisurely to their table.She looked at the sullen man with disgust in her eyes, while he looked at her helplessly and pitifully. "Captain, what's wrong with your front teeth?" she said. He smiled flatteringly. "Didn't expect to see you here, dear," he said. "It was a wonderful surprise." "Captain, let's go have a cup of tea." "Yes, baby." He stood up.She turned around and left just as she had come.Captain Nichols followed her with a serious expression on his face.The doctor thought that the captain would never know the truth about poor Fred Blake.He could not help smiling grimly as he watched the captain, walking beside his wife, silently down the street.

Suddenly there was a breeze, and the leaves on the trees rustled.The sunlight poured down through the gaps in the leaves, dancing around him for a while.He thought of Louise and her ash-blonde hair.She is like a temptress in ancient legends, men who fall in love with her will be destroyed.She is an enigmatic woman, bearing the duties of the family with poise and composure, while calmly waiting for what will befall her in due time.The doctor wondered what would happen to her.Thinking of this, he sighed, because no matter what will happen in the future, even the most luxurious dream will come true, and in the end, it will all be wiped out, leaving only illusions.