The winter night in Yangzhou was unusually warm. I was sweating after walking a few miles. Although it was a wilderness, there was no wind. The land that was flooded by the flood was like yellow sand, but it was as bright as day under the moonlight. There were few trees around, and except for the fact that the wheels often sank into the mud and sand and slowed down, it seemed really peaceful.
We did not act according to my plan, because there was an official road more than 20 miles away from the river, and there was a short woods 50 miles away. I felt that there was no need to completely follow my somewhat time-consuming and labor-intensive plan and give up this open road. Although there would be people chasing us, we should be able to go more than 100 miles by then.
I didn't see Huang Xin in the team, which made me feel a little uneasy. Long Xing came up to me and told me that the girl was with his wife. Women always have endless things to talk about when they are together. This is the unanimous conclusion of Long Xing and I. Long Xing didn't say much to me. He still had to run around to check on various situations. But he still asked me slyly if the girl was my future sister-in-law. Fortunately, he ran fast, otherwise he would definitely be beaten up by me.
My horse was sometimes slow and sometimes fast, circling around Mrs. Long Xing's carriage. But I didn't see any signs that anyone was going to come out and talk to me, so I had to ride forward dejectedly, acting as the leader in front of the team.
The Qianshan City garrison also sent out 500 soldiers and horses to protect us along the way. I was satisfied with this. The leader looked familiar to me. I asked him to come to my side. I looked at him carefully, and the thinner he looked. He was still a child soldier, and he often had a childlike smile on his face. Of course, he was just a child, about sixteen or seventeen years old. He didn't have much beard, but the edges and corners on his clean chin were quite clear, as if he had experienced some scenes, and there was a feeling in his eyes that other people of his age didn't have. I looked at the soldiers who were protecting us. Many of them were about the same age as him. I thought I had to revise what I said.
"I joined the army in Changsha." He saw that I was reminiscing, but he also saw that I couldn't recall it for a while.
I suddenly remembered that he was the leader of the Mao thieves on Yuelu Mountain, who was brought back by Zhou Cang. In fact, he was not even a Mao thief. He was just a Mao kid. He couldn't steal anything, so he dug up other people's ancestral graves with a group of other people. How cruel! I secretly praised them in my heart. Those kids really dared to play.
But when I saw them, they were just a group of poor kids who were almost freezing. And this was their leader. Now that I think about it, he has really grown up a lot.
"What's your name?" I hadn't noticed him at the time, but now I think he will become someone.
"Liao Hua!" He answered loudly, which gave me a better impression of him.
"Liao Hua, be careful with your brothers in Yangzhou!"
"I understand. Thank you, sir..." I guess he paused for a moment after thinking about whether the number of thanks was just right. But after the pause, I didn't hear his next words. I heard a burst of wailing that broke through the air. I knew it was the signal of the enemy's attack. At that time, I cursed in my heart: I have never been able to live in peace.
It seemed that everyone was used to it. No one panicked. The people in the carriage carefully braced their crossbows. Then, they looked at both sides of the carriage with expressionless faces. In theory, there would be no fools charging from the front or the back of the long snake. So, I also raised Tianlang Chao and looked left and right, trying to recall where the horn just came from. My hands were on my body, and I was wearing armor neatly, without a helmet, and still had a horsetail. I took off my cloak and prepared to kill. I looked at Long Xing's carriage unconsciously, and saw Yan Rou, Song Qian, and Nan Zheng rushing there. I felt relieved and saw Wenwen also got into the car.
There really are those who are blind. From the noise in front and Long Xing's loud command, I realized that they were actually coming from the front. However, when I saw that a large number of archers in Long Xing's convoy couldn't shoot arrows, I was a little anxious in the car. I had to tighten my heart. The other party obviously knew that our crossbows were powerful, so they chose to be difficult to fight, but they could avoid a large number of people from being exposed to such an accurate group of crossbowmen. They seemed to know us very well. However, they must have underestimated the adaptability of Long Xing's Xianbei tribe. The car behind slowly unfolded to the front, and Liao Hua and his men rushed over without thinking. I just saw the enemy, and I saw Liao Hua and his men rushing in like a group of mad dogs. I admit that my metaphor is a bit indecent, but I felt that way at the time, because it reminded me of Zhou Tai. The other side immediately became a little angry and soon began to retreat, but it seemed that they had no choice. They must hate this bastard who came to rob us. Now it seemed that they could not escape even if they wanted to, just like being bitten by a mad dog. Long Xing and I, why even he looked a little scared this time, and then suggested that we should not fight this person unless we could kill him quickly in the match. I think we all looked at each other, watching the group of mad dogs bite the group of enemies into pieces, making them dizzy and confused, up and down, and finally, lying in a mess. This kid is too powerful. In addition to this, I really can't think of any other words to describe these people.
"These kids are really amazing." Nan swallowed his saliva. He must have thought of himself as an adult, but no one reacted to who was talking, just echoing. Long Xing and Yan Rou didn't even echo, they just ran in front and behind to tell everyone to keep the queue and not to lose their footing. He started to urge the whole team to move forward. After all, this place is not a safe place, but fortunately, at least Liao Hua in front is picking up those stragglers and preparing to withdraw. I asked someone to tell him to catch a live person to see who is so annoying that he came to rob me again.
I seem to be used to being robbed, and so are everyone else. Others were fine, as the Xianbei tribe members under Long Xing had already taken this as casually as eating. Because it was late, the Xianbei people who were not driving the carriage threw down their bows and crossbows and pulled the quilt to sleep. The others were still looking around with some vigilance.
Liao Hua asked the man to come back and he would catch him immediately.
I felt something was not right, so I quickly ordered people not to arrest them, but Liao Hua and his group immediately left.
Why do I feel that if something goes wrong, something will go wrong? I feel a little strange and a little annoyed, because this time is no exception.
Although they were not too dense, some robbers with crossbows still emerged from the far northwest Huangshagou. From where I was, it was just a black mass. They seemed to be shooting at me fiercely. It should be because it was dark, and the distance seemed to be a little unclear, so there were many people, but the arrows were much less. I was still wondering why I felt so relaxed.
Those who had just fallen asleep immediately got up again, but still drew their bows and arrows and fought back without any expression.
As a result, both sides were like this. We walked and shot, and they followed us and shot, but did not rush over. Occasionally, someone would get hurt, but it didn't seem so serious. They were mostly scratched by arrows, or twisted their arms when drawing the bow. At the end of their strength, even ordinary leather coats were not very comfortable to wear. Finally, some Xianbei people felt that the distance was a bit far, so they simply stopped shooting. However, they did not continue to sleep. Instead, they had nothing to do, so they packed their bags. Then they talked about other things. Soon, everyone stopped shooting and started to do some defensive work when others rushed over. Under the command of Po Liuhan with various strange accents, the convoy was divided into three rows, protecting the elderly and children in the middle.
There were arrows shot at me. At first I would block them, but later I was too lazy to touch them. They just made me itch. Finally I had to hide from the rain behind a covered car. I asked myself, are we fighting or playing a game? It seemed that neither we nor they took it seriously. They were bored, and we were even more bored.
I went to my brother and sister-in-law's car to ask about their situation. At that moment, I saw a weak arrow hit the canopy and then slowly slid down. It struggled to cling to the car to show its value, but in the end it fell on the yellow sand and was crushed in two by the wheels.
However, I know they are well prepared and determined, because half an hour later, they are still shooting. The moon is moving, we are moving, they are moving, and the arrows are flying. There must be something wrong with their leader's brain.
Liao Hua rushed back and saw my guilty look, so he ordered people to rush over. I stopped him, then grabbed an arrow and told him that the enemy was too far away and rushing over would increase casualties. And most importantly, I didn't know the enemy's strength.
The rain of arrows became more and more intense. I don't know if they ran out of arrows, or if we didn't fight back and they felt something, or if the ditch was getting farther away from us and they refused to leave it.
The rain finally stopped completely. I ordered everyone to be on guard. It should not be such a joke. They might charge. A Xianbei man next to me muttered that it would be better if they charged earlier. I watched carefully. He was really patient. He actually collected arrows for half a day. The arrows were almost piled two feet high on the car. I think the commander over there must have a big problem with his brain. I secretly praised his patience.
During this time, Liao Hua pushed a man over. He was a captured bandit. He was a little afraid of the tall general without a bun in front of him - me. He asked me to spare my life. I asked him why he came to rob us. Someone sent them a letter. I was going to pass by here and would bring a lot of gold, silver, jewelry, food, and other things. The boss didn't dare to come at first, but there was no food in the mountains in winter, and there were few people coming and going, so he had no choice but to attack us. After that, he kowtowed to me and asked me not to eat him. I think I was a little confused, and then I looked at everyone who was also a little confused.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, causing the wolf to let out a strange cry. The man immediately huddled up and fell to the ground. I immediately understood what was going on. The idea of a prank came to my mind, but I needed someone to help me. But now the enemy situation in the northwest is unknown, so I temporarily put aside the idea of a big prank and just sent a message first, because I saw that the best partner for deception was right next to me. A little trick shouldn't cause any big impact.
"Today is not the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and the moon is not full. I have no appetite. Tie him up first and let me enjoy him slowly in two days." I deliberately gritted my teeth.
"Do you want to wash him clean?" As expected, Long Xing understood what I meant after hearing my first two sentences and immediately followed my instructions.
"Starve him for two more days to let him feel at peace inside." I feel like I'm becoming more and more like a monster.
The situation is more serious than I thought, and the guy fainted from fear. The people around him obviously understood what was going on. After all, they had heard a lot of rumors along the way. Although there were still enemies in the ditch to the west, they kept their distance from us, so everyone still laughed heartily.
The bandits in the ditch hadn't moved yet, and there were no torches. But here we were a little too brightly lit. The main reason was that the road conditions were quite bad. Fortunately, we had a lot of animals, otherwise it would definitely not be a good thing for everyone to push the carts laboriously on such a road.
I have been near the car of Long Xing's family, because several people who did not participate in the battle, or who we did not allow to participate in the battle, are here. I must be at ease. Although the whole scene is a bit weird now, I still feel at ease.
The annoying guys hadn't retreated yet. They were still advancing at a distance from us, following us like this, neither getting closer nor going further away. It really annoyed me. I felt a little sleepy. Although I was thinking about the enemies in the ditch, I still often took a nap to get some rest. I thought I shouldn't be living on the battlefield. I could actually take a nap at this critical moment.
As the sky got brighter, I felt even more exhausted. I kept closing my eyelids as I went back and forth. Long Xing's command was very effective, as there were always people taking a rest. But unfortunately, there was only one commander, and although it was a cover, it had to at least look like a cover.
"Brother, be careful, the other party is making a move." Long Xing was not in a hurry and spoke calmly so as not to shake the morale of the troops, because if you look closely at the commander, you can find that he is obviously very sleepy.
Fortunately, my spirits recovered immediately. I looked in the distance and saw that the group was approaching. There were not many people, only about a thousand. I stretched my body and suddenly felt how cold the winter morning was. I rubbed my face hard, trying to make myself completely normal. Finally, I could get rid of this childish game. I think we were all a little annoyed.
The arrows of Long Xing's men did play a big role. The momentum of the advance was immediately stagnant, but their reaction was indeed very fast, showing that they were well-trained. They immediately retreated a little and started shooting at us. I was more convinced that they were officers and soldiers. They had no war horses, but all of them had bows and arrows, and were also equipped with long spears or swords and shields. They shot in a row, and the others quickly retreated a little, drew their bows and came up to continue.
I waved my hand to signal Liao Hua and all his cavalry to attack quickly, because I saw arrows hitting the carriage hard, and some of us started to get really shot. I thought it was time to charge, otherwise Liao Hua and his men would be shot in vain.
Long Xing and Yan Rou looked at me, and I nodded my head, but I still left Long Xing to protect the team, and Yan Rou led dozens of our foreign teenagers to rush up. Then our crossbows gradually stopped shooting. I was a little excited, I haven't felt this way for a long time. However, the horse kept moving, and it kept spinning when I restrained it.
The rain of arrows soon stopped, and the enemy began to fight. Under Liao Hua's almost "brutal" mad dog-like fighting style, the enemy's formation was still torn open. Although it was not the first time he had seen this style, even the battle-hardened Long Xing still felt a little unnatural when looking at this style. However, it seems that this battle will end with our victory. We also have people like Zhou Tai, a barbarian, and we should have some advantages in the battle formation.
I boarded a car and asked someone to bring paper and pen. I wrote a few words, preparing to let Liao Hua take this bandit who fainted from fear. Let him return to report to the two brothers Yang and Yan. I also added a special praise for Liao Hua, considered the words, and finally decided to summarize it with the word brave. Let him read more military books, which should be of great use. After all, he is still. And what Brother Pei is like now, he will be like in the future. I understand, and I unconsciously think of my sister again. My sister has far more troubles than me now. I don’t know if he can hold on. I sighed, folded the written note and stuffed it into my belt. As a result, I found the map in it. Fortunately, Jia had just changed into the body, otherwise according to my habit, my belt would be full of things at this time.
Then I leaned on the shaft and watched from a distance how the battle was going. Song Qian was also watching from the car next to him, but it was obvious that he seemed to be looking forward to being allowed to go into battle; Nan didn't need to do that, but his brother-in-law wouldn't let him. I knew it wasn't his brother-in-law who wouldn't let him, but his brother-in-law's wife. As a result, both children felt a little disappointed.
Xu Wenwen, the wild girl in the car behind, saw that nothing was going on, and immediately jumped out, along with the talented woman. Seeing this, Song Qian immediately went to ask the talented woman, but I don't know what he would ask. I continued to pay attention to the battle, just occasionally looking around to see what was going on here. I saw that even Huang Xin was in a dilemma, and I think children's ideas are always strange. Long Xing came to the car window and said a few words casually, but his facial expression was still serious.
The wife of the Tujing man in the front carriage also came out to get some fresh air. She kept her back to the battlefield, and although Tujing Lie was pulling out the arrows stuck in the carriage, he kept looking back. His wife obviously noticed this and got a little angry. She said a few words and ran to the back of the carriage shed where she couldn't see the battlefield. Tujing Lie, as if he had made a mistake, immediately ran behind the shed and started to coax his wife.
I got out of the car and apologized to the couple who were dragged into this mess for no reason. But I couldn't tell anyone what I was thinking. But they were all a little panicked. I was serious. I would be fine when I got to Jingzhou, and they hurriedly agreed. But I really felt a little sorry. After all, they followed me and thought they would be honored by being safe and sound, but they didn't expect to be chased all the way and suffered a lot. It would be better for them to go on their own and maybe they would be safer.
When I was really apologetic, Huang Xin came over, holding Song Qian's hand. It seemed that she also had questions to ask me, and it must be Song Qian's questions that stumped her.
Suddenly, Long Xing's white horse started to neigh. Its two front legs kicked up into the air. Seeing this, Long Xing immediately jumped on the car and looked in the other direction. In fact, there was no need to look at all, because an arrow hit the carport on this side, leaving its tail feathers trembling outside. Then, in my sight, more than a dozen arrows flew towards me without any hesitation. I turned around and saw that there were actually four people here who had no reaction, their eyes were still fixed on the arrow on the car.
Nan's exclamation had already sounded. But my action had been completed perfectly. The four people were held in my arms. They lowered their heads at the same time, and even hoped that a turtle shell would suddenly grow behind them.
Something hot flowed down my face. An arrow had pierced my hair. The arrowhead must have pierced my head. But I didn't feel any pain on my head, because the feeling on my back was much worse. I fell forward and pushed them under the car. I couldn't stand up for a while because I couldn't feel where my waist was. I heard Long Xing's shouting, and soon there was a horn sounding. I didn't know what they were going to do, but I knew I had to stand up. I couldn't let everyone down. Although I didn't care about anything, I had to stand up. I held the wheel with my hands, thinking about how many times I had been injured. It seemed to be the fourth time: the first time was when I injured my left arm in Changsha. I lifted my leg and squeezed the blood that flowed down my thin cheek to my mouth. It was fishy and still a little warm. I stood up on one leg against the car and lifted up the other leg with all my strength. That time, I welcomed the end of the Yellow Turbans in the flying snow. Thinking about it, the sound of the bowstrings around me seemed to become a beautiful and melodious sound of nature, and the cloudy sky seemed to be snowing. The second time, my right arm and stomach were disabled, and I didn't know how much time I slept. But I still remembered the story of Katuyan and Alta. I walked to the original cart with the side wood of the cart, muttering those words: "The younger brother went forward and stabbed his heart, and the sister heard the roar and threw the basket down... Alta struggled in the belly of the mammoth, and Katuyan panicked on the rugged road... Katuyan called his brother's name, but Alta couldn't give an answer. The sister leaned on her brother and cried, but no one comforted her sadness. "Sister, sister, do you know how much your brother misses you? I sighed, pulled the shaft wood with my hand to get on the car, and the pain in my back made me sweat. But I still stood on the car and took off the arrow that looked like a straw tag. Long Xing shouted at me, called me "Brother Xin", and dodged behind. I waved to show that I was fine. Later, it was the third time. I was hit by a poisoned arrow again. I didn't expect that I was not dead after being poisoned. I must be really lucky. I waved my hand to slap an arrow away, but it seemed that I was a little dizzy. This slap only slightly changed the direction, and the arrow pierced my cloak. This is the fourth time, but I don't know how badly I was injured. But at least I can see the enemy situation over there clearly. There are no more than a hundred people. I just don't know if the people on both sides are accomplices. But at least I think these groups of people should have some relationship. I just don't know who sent them. I'm too lazy to think about it. Tu Jinglie seemed to be moved, and rushed up to support me anxiously: "Thank you, sir, Xin, you should find a place to hide quickly."
"Hiding is not my character. You go down first and settle the lady. I will talk to you after the fight." I drove him off the car and continued to stand on it. However, I only stood there as the target of public criticism. However, due to the heroic counterattack of the team, fewer and fewer arrows were shot at me. In fact, in the end, as long as they did not hit my face, I could only watch them shoot at my body. However, I must admit that I was actually wondering at that time, this armor is so good, where did it get pierced at the back, because all the arrows that shot at me, at least those I could see, seemed to make me itch for a while, and then fell down, and some would hang for a while, and then fall. I was there watching Long Xing commanding there. The horn was to let the cavalry of our alien legion who went to the west come back to join the battle group here, and Nan was also sent to charge. In the end, except for Yan Rou who stayed to preside over the team, even the chief of the Po Liu Han tribe went into battle.
The feeling of blood flowing down my neck was indeed not good, but if I moved, I would feel even worse in the back, so I had to endure it. I just held on like this, I didn't know how long I could hold on, I kept persuading myself to hold on for a moment longer. If the battle wasn't over, I would lie down and rest, but my hands kept holding on to the shaft tightly, so I didn't fall down.
I don't know when it ended. When I regained consciousness, I just felt a headache. Liao Hua had sent us to the water's edge. He was going back. I still remember one thing. I took out the note from my belt and asked him to take it back to Yang and Yan. It is said that Liao Hua saw me get on the boat and watched me for a long time before leaving. I think he must be full of self-blame, but I can't blame him for this, because I didn't expect the other side to have so many people. I can't figure out who has such a big grudge against me and they will be happy only if I die.
I am just a young man who is about to turn 18 and wants to live a quiet and happy life as a noble. Is it an exaggeration to kill me like this
When they were about to treat me, I found out one thing: there happened to be a traveling doctor on the ship I was on!
A middle-aged man with a face full of hard work and running came out, and said in a clear and powerful voice: "Thank you for letting me board the ship with you, Brother Yan. I was planning to go to Yangzhou to practice medicine, but I was stuck on the north bank and couldn't go over. Thank you very much. Your injury should not be serious. Let me treat you."
"Thank you very much, sir. Don't be polite, because I can't return the gift."
I was secretly boasting about my cleverness and wit when he put his hand on my back and said, "The arrow wound is one inch below the heart and half an inch in."
I was a little surprised that I was only hit by one arrow. But then I thought that I was stabbed so many times in Hanzhong but didn't suffer any injuries. I owed Fengxian a big favor.
"The arrow is out, the wound is not poisonous." I don't know if it was a soliloquy or something, but when I saw an arrow thrown in front of me, I suddenly realized that the arrow was pulled out. I was shocked because I really had no reaction, but after I saw the arrow and reacted, I felt extremely refreshed. I suspect it was a psychological effect.
"Go away." He said this to the person next to him.
I didn't want anyone else to do this for me, but the doctor didn't let me move. Long Xing and Yan Rou immediately came over and took off the life-saving Lingxi skin for me under his command. I don't know how he pulled it out, because I really didn't feel any pain.
As soon as the armor was removed, the brazier in the cabin was lit. He pushed aside my "tail" again. He probably noticed the blood on the back of my neck. Because he immediately opened my hair, probably to check the wound on my head.
"It's been very wet recently, so don't leave your hair in a bun. Just tie it up like this. I'll give you a waist massage. It might be a little painful, just bear with it."
When I heard this, I immediately gritted my teeth and prepared myself. He patted my shoulder and said, "Young man, don't be so nervous. It's okay." I also felt that I was too nervous and my whole body was tense. I was embarrassed and put my hands on the couch, but I touched the armor. I took it and looked at it carefully. There were many new gaps on the back, but none of them penetrated. There was only a slightly lighter knife mark on the left side of the heart, and there was a new damage on the knife mark. The arrow should have shot in from here. I suddenly realized.
"All right. You're a good young man, in good health. It's okay. The two wounds are not big, but you lost a lot of blood. You just need to rest for a while and eat more good food." The thin middle-aged man had already cleaned himself up in front of me, then saluted me, said he would go and see other wounded soldiers, and was about to leave.
"Please leave your name, doctor!" I hurried.
"My last name is Hua. Please forgive me for being a little disrespectful. I am used to being casual. I don't understand the etiquette, manners, and taboos of officialdom. My name is Hua Tuo."
I immediately knelt down in front of him and said, "This great doctor saved my life. I will never forget this for the rest of my life."
"It's okay, it's okay. Your condition is serious. Your injury is not fatal. I can tell from the look on your face that your life is not in danger. I can just apply some medicine on you. It's okay. Please get up. I'm just a doctor. I can't call you a god." He came to help me quickly, a little flustered.
"Do you remember that eighteen years ago I saved a dead baby, and there was a girl with that baby. That baby was me."
"I'm sorry, I've treated so many babies, I can't remember them all."
I had no reason not to believe him. He seemed very honest, even pedantic, and it seemed that everyone was the same in his eyes. From the first sentence he said to me, I knew that in his eyes, there were only two kinds of people: sick people and healthy people. Most of them were divided into three categories: healthy men, healthy women, and sick people. But maybe there were four categories.
While I was daydreaming, my savior had disappeared at the cabin door.
Long Xingxin helped me tie my hair up and asked me how I felt. I said I didn't feel anything. But I still felt a little uncomfortable when I moved a little. However, after hearing Hua Tuo's words, I felt much better.
"Brother, Tu Jinglie wants to see you, are you..." I quickly put on my clothes, tied them up a little, and motioned for them to come in.
But there were four people who came in, the four people who were embraced by me and then pushed out by me.
They looked at each other, and finally the girl said, "We are very grateful that you saved us like this... Are you okay now?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." I stretched my body to show that I was fine, but I was still grimacing.
"Don't move... Why, why did you save us like that? You are a noble marquis after all."
"Marquis of Wanhu? Do you think I'm an unlucky guy? I'm the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, but I've been robbed and injured many times along the way. The world is in chaos today, the people are living in poverty, thieves and corrupt officials are rampant, and even I'm not immune. We haven't reached the really poor places along the way, because the whole way is the official road. But I have to save you, you are the people of my great Han Dynasty, and I have to save you just because of the title of Ping'an. The teacher has always taught us that officials should put the people of the world first. I'm just doing what I should do. You go back and rest. After crossing the river, I will let you settle in Jingzhou as soon as possible. Jingzhou is a rare place without wars, and the political system is relatively sound. Good days will come there, but I don't know when other places will be like ours." Don't believe my lies, I didn't think so at all at the time. In fact, I didn't think so, or even thought about anything. I just cursed in my heart: "Four things that are in the way." And then I completed the action.
After sending them away, I asked who would come to pick us up, and a capable shiying official came in and saluted me. This shiying official seemed to be a talented person, but I was a little disappointed. However, I knew they would not come to pick me up, otherwise, no matter who it was, they would have jumped to take a photo of me. But I was still a little disappointed, but I knew they were in a lot of trouble now. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and Brother Zheng is very short of troops and generals. It is not easy to send someone to pick us up on the boat so thoughtfully. Obviously, this person is a very capable and reliable person, so he has won Brother Zheng's trust. However, we set out in a hurry and just sent people to the riverside. Could it be that we just happened to run into them? It was a bit too coincidental. Because I originally planned to wait at the riverside for a few days.
"Did my sister-in-law give birth? Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked with interest.
"boy."
"Okay, okay. You go down and have a rest first, and help us prepare lunch."
"Yes, sir." He answered timidly.
"Brothers, come over here." They both leaned over as they were told. "We're on a pirate ship. Inform the brothers on other ships."