The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 42 Applying Medicine
Lei Sanxiang had served in the military and knew the importance of using both kindness and severity.

This move would not only save him from the resentment of the two boatmen, but also establish his own prestige.

Lin Qian explained, “Third Brother, you are the boatswain, in charge of the crew’s punishments. If you get too close to the crew, they will lose their respect for you; if you stay too distant, you will easily incur their resentment. This is the difficulty of being an officer. So today I put you in charge of punishments, both to establish your authority and to show your kindness.”

"This..." Lei Sanxiang suddenly found the wine to taste bitter.

"When you go to apply the medicine to those two, if you know how to start, say a few words of comfort. If you don't know how to start, that's fine too. Just apply the medicine. If applying the medicine yourself seems too much like doing a favor, you can leave the medicine in their room. In any case, you've been a soldier, so you should have seen how the military wins people over."

“Captain…” Lei Sanxiang’s voice trembled.

He understood that Lin Qian's words came from the bottom of her heart, and that every word was spoken from his perspective. The captain truly regarded him as one of his own.

Not only did they not intend to use him to establish their authority, they also groomed him to be an officer.

Yet he misunderstood Lin Qian so much, truly... truly heartless, truly judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person, truly biting someone and not recognizing a kind heart.

Lin Qian continued, "When you go, take the opportunity to inquire about the boatman who humiliated the woman. If he was just acting out of momentary passion, that's fine. But if he's inherently wicked, find a chance to get rid of him to avoid being harmed by such a villain..."

He made a living as a pirate, indulging in all sorts of vices, but Lin Qian didn't care. The only thing she couldn't tolerate was someone who was ruthless and psychologically twisted.

This kind of bastard who randomly beats people looks like a ticking time bomb. If that's the case, it's best to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Lei Sanxiang: "Helmsman... I..."

Lin Qian deliberately sighed and said, "Alas, Third Brother still calls me Captain. It seems there's still some resentment in his heart. As for this whip..."

Lei Sanxiang stood up, cupped his hands deeply and said, "Master, I, Lei Zhendong, have never submitted to anyone in my life, but today I submit to you!"
If anyone should apologize, it is I. I was narrow-minded and short-sighted, and I failed to live up to the captain's painstaking cultivation.

If the captain raises his whip again, I'll be utterly ashamed. From this day forward, I will obey any order from the captain, and if I disobey, may I be buried at sea and become a thieving bastard!

Lin Qian stood up and held his shoulder: "It's good that you have no more grudges. Let's not talk about these sentimental things. Come on, let's drink!"

As Lin Qian spoke, she picked up the wine jar and took a big, hearty gulp.

Lei Sanxiang also took a big gulp, then put down the wine jar and said seriously, "Brother Lin, I still have to go apply medicine later, so I can't drink with you for much longer. Let me make this clear beforehand: you don't win this round of drinking today. Don't go out and brag about it, or you'll tarnish the prestige of us Shandong people."

"Haha, no problem, no problem," Lin Qian replied with a smile.

……

evening.

Fore-and-aft side of the cannon deck on a large sailing ship.

The idle boatmen were gathered here gambling and chatting.

A few weak, mournful cries were mixed in.

"Stop howling, no matter how hard you howl, you won't stop the bleeding," a boatman said impatiently.

The two men who were beaten during the day were now lying on the deck, their backs covered in blood and gore, and there were bloody welts on their bodies. They looked extremely miserable.

"Please, have mercy and help me find some more medicine..." the man who had been beaten the worst pleaded.

"I asked Zhou Zhiku this afternoon, and he said that the wound medicine on the ship had been used up a long time ago. Uncle Chen said that after he finishes cooking dinner, he will scrape off some soot from the bottom of the pot and give it to you two to use first."

Upon hearing this, both of them shuddered.

Using soot from the bottom of a pot to stop bleeding is a folk remedy used by poor people. Whether it works or not depends entirely on fate; for those with bad luck, using it might actually make them die faster.

"Could we buy medicine from the pleasure boat? They should have some on board..."

"Iron Palm Zhou, how dare you mention the flower boat? After you pulled this stunt, do you think they'll stay here? They'll row away this afternoon."

The man who hit the girl originally had a name, but after this incident, he was given the nickname "Iron Palm Zhou".

Most of the boatmen despised Iron Palm Zhou's behavior. He had caused them to be punished during the day and offended the pleasure boat, leaving them with nowhere to entertain themselves at night. Therefore, they all loathed him, and seeing him lying in a pool of blood suffering, they only mocked him. Another man who had drunk himself into oblivion was surnamed Lü and was nicknamed "Drunken Cat Lü."

He was even more unlucky, actually. He was not yet twenty years old, had never been with a woman in his life, and this was his first time going to a place like this.

As a result, the girls on the pleasure boat poured a lot of drinks on him, and before he could even kiss her, he had already spent four ounces of money on drinks.

I woke up to find myself in the sea.

He woke up to find himself tied to a pillar, with girls on a pleasure boat whipping him as he cried and begged for mercy.

When I woke up again, I was in the ship's cabin. After listening to other people's stories, I finally understood what had happened.

I felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed.

Fortunately, he was an honest person, so the boatmen weren't too bad to him.

If the whip marks on his back are not treated, he will most likely not survive, which is why the cook, Uncle Chen, was willing to bring some soot from the bottom of the pot.

Just then, footsteps came from the gangway on the deck. The boatmen thought it was Uncle Chen and all looked over.

Unexpectedly, Lei Sanxiang walked over, and everyone looked away.

Lei Sanxiang was usually a generous man who often treated everyone to drinks, so many boatmen were close to him. But now, when they saw him, they would only say, "Lei the boatman."

Lei Sanxiang nodded in response and walked over with a stern face.

The boatmen spontaneously made way for them.

Walking up to the two people lying on the ground, Lei Sanxiang frowned and said, "Go get a rag and wipe the blood off them."

The boatmen dared not disobey, so they quickly fetched rags, lifted the two men up, and wiped away the blood scabs on their bodies and chests.

However, this activity caused the wounds, which had already begun to scab over, to reopen, causing the two men to gasp in pain, but they dared not utter a sound in front of Lei Sanxiang.

Lei Sanxiang made the two men lie face down on the deck, took out some wound medicine from his pocket, and handed it to the boatman: "Apply it to them."

Upon seeing this, the two expressed their gratitude.

The boatmen around them were also whispering among themselves.

Although the two men deserved to be punished for their mistakes, the severity of the punishment, coupled with the lack of medical supplies on board, inevitably evoked a sense of shared sorrow among the other crew members.

Now, Lei Sanxiang has come personally to deliver the medicine.

This clearly proves that Chief Lei is still the "Brother Lei" they know, and he still cares about everyone.

The boatman took the wound medicine and applied it to the two men.

As soon as the medicine was poured, Iron Palm Zhou arched his body as if he had been branded with a hot iron, letting out a scream.

Lei Sanxiang cursed, "If you're a man, you should put up with it."

Iron Palm Zhou nodded repeatedly, but sweat poured down his forehead.

Fortunately, the medicine was very effective; it stopped the bleeding immediately when applied to the wound.

After a while, the effects of the medicine dissipated, and the pain lessened. A cool sensation came from the wound, and Iron Palm Zhou groaned comfortably.

While applying the medicine, Lei Sanxiang said in a tone of lecturing his own brother, "Now you know what pain is? When you hit her, didn't you think about whether the girl was in pain? Even though they sell their bodies, they are still human beings, not objects. How could you treat them like this?"

Iron Palm Zhou said aggrievedly, "The girls on the pleasure boat are all shrewd. I only patted her lightly twice, and she turned around and said I hurt her. She's clearly trying to extort money from me!"

(End of this chapter)