The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 60 Qingmeifang Relocation

It was just getting light in the early morning.

The city of Guangzhou has not yet awakened from its slumber.

There were few pedestrians on the street.

Outside the entrance to Qingmeifang, a long line of waiting patients had already formed.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The knocking continued.

"Coming!" Mei hurriedly lifted the curtain and ran out from the backyard.

With a creak, the door opened.

There were already seven or eight people standing outside the door.

Leading the group was the young master with a stern, cold face; it was none other than Bai Langzai.

Mei recognized Bai Langzai and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you! Did you come to see my father for a medical checkup today?"

Bai Langzai nodded.

"My father hasn't gotten up yet. Please sit and have some tea while I go call him..."

He was only halfway through speaking when his mouth was covered and his arms were trapped behind his back.

The hands that held her were like iron clamps, and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.

The crew members quickly tied Mei'er's hands and feet, stuffed burlap into her mouth, and put her into a sack.

The moment Mei was stuffed into the sack, she saw her father being carried out of the backyard like a pig.

The father's hands and feet were also bound, and his mouth was stuffed with burlap.

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, then both slipped into the sacks. After tying the openings, they struggled desperately, but no matter what they did, they couldn't break free.

Bai Langzai said to his men, "The captain has ordered that all items in the clinic be taken away exactly as they were, especially all kinds of medicines and instruments. Pack them carefully, make sure they are not mixed up or left out."

The subordinates obeyed the order and split up to carry out their tasks within the clinic.

Two hours later, all the items were packed.

Behind the clinic was a small river, and the crew members methodically loaded the goods onto the ship.

Su Kang was a loner, and his neighbors were not familiar with him. Screams often came from his clinic, which also caused the surrounding shops to suffer from poor business.

Therefore, when they saw the clinic relocating, everyone was overjoyed, and no one came up to ask why.

Mei was put in the bag for two hours. At first, she struggled violently, but soon she ran out of strength.

Suddenly I felt someone lifting me up, and I was terrified, so I struggled desperately.

Just then, a low, threatening voice came from outside the sack: "If you move, I'll slash your father."

Mei froze, no longer moving.

Bai Langzai made the same threat to Su Kang again.

The father and daughter seemed to be frozen in place.

The small boat traveled eastward along the waterway, and after bribing the guards at the water gate, it successfully left the city.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Kang was finally released from the sack.

Looking at the sky, it was already full of stars.

"Dr. Su, we meet again." Lin Qian smiled warmly and ordered someone to untie Su Kang.

As Lin Qian instructed, Su Kang was not tied tightly with ropes. Although his hands and feet were numb, they were not necrotic.

The first thing Su Kang did after taking the bag out was to look around for his daughter, but there was only a burlap sack at his feet on the deck, and no sign of his daughter.

"Where's Mei'er? What have you done to her?" Su Kang roared, grabbing Lin Qian with both hands.

Lin Qian walked to the side of the ship and pointed to the sea, saying, "Your daughter is over there."

Su Kang stumbled and ran over, following Lin Qian's finger. He saw a warm yellow array of ship lights spread out on the sea, just like ten thousand stars.

On the Tanka boat closest to the St. Anna, Mei was also looking up. The father and daughter asked each other for a long time to make sure that each other was alright before they were relieved.

Su Kang shrank back and angrily asked Lin Qian, "What do you want?"

Lin Qian pointed to the cabin: "Some of our brothers are injured, so we specially invited Doctor Su to treat them."

Bai Langzai said, "All the items in the clinic have been transported to the ship. Doctor Su can just tell me what he needs."

The fact that the father and daughter were separated into two boats was already a clear threat.

Their weakness was exploited perfectly, leaving Su Kang no choice but to comply.

Su Kang knew perfectly well what was going on and had no intention of being foolish enough to feign stubbornness and then back down when threatened. He merely glanced at him sideways and then spat, "Despicable."

Lin Qian: "Take good care of the wounds. If my men do anything wrong, your daughter will be missing a piece of her body."

Su Kang stared at Lin Qian with murderous intent, but in the end, he could only shoulder his medical kit and go down to the cabin.

The wounded were placed in the lowest compartment, next to the gunpowder compartment.

This location is below the waterline, making it the safest place as you're unlikely to get hit during combat.

Su Kang went down to the bottom warehouse and saw more than a dozen wounded soldiers lying there. They were all seriously injured, and their wounds had been hastily treated, but most of them had reopened.

These are the Zhu people who were accidentally injured when Lin Qian attacked the water village.

Su Kang put down his medical kit and went to treat the patient, while several crew members held up candles and lamps behind him.

……

On the boats of the Tanka people.

Seeing her father trapped on the large ship, Mei made up her mind to jump into the water.

Bai Qing pulled him back from behind.

"Let me go!" Mei'er punched and kicked Bai Qing.

Bai Qing felt no pain at all. He twisted Mei'er's hands behind her back and with just a little force, Mei'er cried out in pain.

Seeing the little girl cry, Bai Qing quickly stopped, thinking to herself that people on the shore are so dramatic; she only used a little force and she was already crying.

Mei'er knew she couldn't beat Bai Qing, so she could only huddle in a corner of the Tanka boat.

After a long while, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.

Bai Qing brought over a bowl of warm porridge and handed it to her.

"Eat," Bai Qing said as gently as possible.

Mei'er had been tied up since early morning and hadn't had any food or water all day. She was also filled with fear and anxiety. Only when she smelled the aroma of food did she realize that she was both thirsty and hungry.

He carefully took the warm porridge, blew on it to remove any non-existent heat, and then took a bite.

It tastes awful.

She glanced at Bai Qing, and seeing that Bai Qing was eating with relish, she didn't say anything more, and tilted her head back to drink the porridge.

Fortunately, I was starving, so I swallowed it whole without caring about the taste.

After finishing their meal, Bai Qing casually rinsed the bowls with seawater and put them away, then blew out the ship's lamp.

"Go to sleep," Bai Qing said.

Mei'er said "oh" and obediently lay down, but she was worried about her father, and being in an unfamiliar place with the boat rocking incessantly, she couldn't fall asleep.

After enduring the ordeal for a long time, she called out to Bai Qing in a low voice, "Sister?"

Bai Qing opened his eyes in the darkness, his right hand gripping the dagger at his waist: "What is it?"

"Please let me go."

Bai Qing coldly replied, "No."

"I miss my father."

"Bear it."

"I want to go home..."

"Bear it."

The little girl sobbed softly. Bai Qing sat up helplessly and lit the boat lantern again.

There was nothing she could do; the captain had ordered her to keep a close eye on the girl, ensuring she neither ran away nor mistreated her.

It's harder than killing someone.

Seeing the little girl crying harder and harder, Bai Qing asked gently, "Little girl, what's your name?"

"My name is Su Qingmei, and my father's name is Su Kang."

"We're on our way to Nan'ao Island. Once we get there, you'll be able to meet your father and have a new home."

This new home is bigger and more comfortable than my old one.

We have an endless supply of firewood, an unbreakable stove, and we'll never have to drink cold water or eat undercooked rice porridge again. Isn't that great?

Su Qingmei gradually stopped sobbing: "Really? How much longer?"

Bai Qing reached out and touched the little girl's hair: "Almost there, almost there."

(End of this chapter)