Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

The afternoon before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ships laden with chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and fine silks and satins arrived at Hong Kong Island.

Just as the brothers were preparing to disembark, Chi Honghai glanced back at the hatch.

"Don't disembark the silks and satins yet. Wait until I go inside before you disembark and set them up."

"Understood, sir."

After giving his instructions, Chi Honghai disembarked and headed into the house.

Pushing open the door, I saw Wu Wanru cleaning the room.

He was about to take a step in when he instinctively pulled back. After glancing down at his shoes, he lifted his foot and looked at the sole.

After confirming that his feet were clean and only had a little sand on them, he kicked the steps to shake the sand off.

After going through the process several times, I finally felt comfortable entering the room.

Seeing his expression, Wu Wanruo simply smiled and continued with her work without saying a word.

After entering the house, Chi Honghai closed the door tightly, then walked to the window and closed the window that had been open.

The room suddenly dimmed.

"What are you doing? You can't see anything."

Chi Honghai walked up to the lady, took the broom from her hand, and put it aside.

He pulled her to sit next to him.

"Why are you acting like this today? Before, when you came back, you always went to check around the island first. This time, you went straight back to the house and locked the doors and windows, like you were doing something wrong."

"You can't just say things like that. How could I be doing anything like a thief?" Chi Honghai pressed his finger to her lips. "I was too tired from being out these past two days, and I felt a little unwell when I came back, so I wanted to get off the ship and go back to my room to rest."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanruo grabbed Chi Honghai's wrist to prepare to take his pulse.

Seeing that his wife was serious, Chi Honghai withdrew his hand and swayed slightly.

"It's nothing, no need to take my pulse. I'm just too tired, I'll be fine after a rest."

When Wu Wanruo saw her husband return in such an unusual manner, she was unsure of what he was up to.

She instinctively wanted to reopen the window to let in some light, but Chi Honghai stopped her again.

Do you want me to tell the truth?

Wu Wanruo turned to look at Chi Honghai's dark, bright eyes, her tone sounding somewhat weak.

"Don't I deserve to hear your truth?"

"It's worth it, of course it's worth it, it's absolutely worth it." Chi Honghai held his wife's hand, preparing for a brief moment. "I haven't seen you for several days, and I've really missed you, my wife."

This is not a lie. After all, a lady like Wu Wanruo is indeed rare. It is perfectly normal for her to have some thoughts about her after being away for a few days.

But it's not the truth. Whether it's saying that they're not feeling well or that they've missed each other for a few days, it's all just to buy time.

The words were straightforward and logical, which explained why her husband closed the door and windows when he entered the house.

After all, the head of the household needs to maintain his authority in front of his servants, and he rarely lets them see his tender side.

Wu Wanruo did not try to open the doors and windows again, but listened to the sounds of livestock outside.

"So you went out these past two days to buy livestock," Wu Wanruo said, then stopped. "These livestock, you didn't steal them, did you?"

Chi Honghai smiled and said, "Madam, although I am a pirate, stealing livestock is too low-class for me. You should know that your husband is the son of a pirate who robs government ships. Besides, robbing civilians is not my style."

As he spoke, he reached out and gently poked Wu Wanruo's nose: "Why does Madam miss me so much?"

These words made Wu Wanruo a little embarrassed, and she turned her head away and didn't turn back.

Seeing this, Chi Honghai took off his boots, unbuttoned his coat, and was about to lie down on the bed.

He first stretched, pretending to be sleepy.

"Madam, I am truly exhausted today. Would you mind taking a nap?"

As he spoke, he lay down, but instead of landing on the pillow, he landed on Wu Wanruo's lap.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wu Wanruo could only hold the person in her arms with both hands.

Even with his eyes closed, Chi Honghai couldn't fall asleep, peacefully enjoying the feeling of lying in his wife's arms.

Chi Honghai "woke up" as evening approached and the sun began to set.

He wasn't really awake; he just needed to eat, and he was worried that his wife was hungry.

"You're awake?"

Wu Wanru looked down at him and said softly.

"Hmm..." Chi Honghai first turned his head to look at the window and saw that the outside light was getting dimmer. "The sun has set, it's time to eat. I told Ai Si when I went back to the room that he would bring the food later, so Madam doesn't need to worry."

Wu Wanruo sighed softly: "I'm worried about you, you're so tired."

Chi Honghai slowly propped himself up and, in the dim light, looked into his wife's eyes.

"Knock knock knock"

When the doorbell rang, Chi Honghai knew that Ai Si had come to deliver the food.

He hurriedly got up, went to the door, took the delivered items, and then peeked out to look around.

Ai Si whispered, "Don't worry, sir."

Chi Honghai nodded, then asked Ai Si to close the door, and took the food back to his room.

They found a few candles and lit them.

"Even when you're awake, you won't open a window."

"Hey, you don't understand. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

Wu Wanruo put down her chopsticks: "Tell me, what did I not understand? What did I say wrong?"

One sentence left Chi Honghai speechless. After a long pause, he could only force a smile and keep trying to comfort him.

The leftovers were not taken out tonight, but were left on the table.

Under the dim candlelight, Wu Wanruo, who had been tossing and turning all day, was indeed sleepy.

After watching his wife fall asleep in bed, Chi Honghai tiptoed away from the things on the table.

He won't be able to sleep tonight.

He picked up his pen and ink, and with a few pages of letter paper, he began to write in the dim candlelight.

……

The next morning, before Wu Wanruo woke up, Chi Honghai gently opened a crack in the window.

Many people are running around carrying various items.

Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on the table, making the ink on the letter paper clear and bright.

Chi Honghai gently closed the window, and the room became dark again.

Everything is just the eve of light; you only need to push it open with your own hands to see it.

As morning approached, Wu Wanruo slowly woke up from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, Chi Honghai was already sitting at the table.

It felt like something was about to happen, and I was very excited.

"What's wrong?" Wu Wanruo asked softly.

Chi Honghai turned his head and saw that Wu Wanruo had already woken up. He picked up the letter on the table, got up and walked to the bedside, comforting her and saying that everything was alright.

In a moment of emotional turmoil, Chi Honghai finally heard the sound he was looking for.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums rang out outside, startling Wu Wanruo, who was lying on the bed.

Chi Honghai stroked Wu Wanruo, and only then did she realize that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"You've kept the doors and windows closed since yesterday, so everyone could decorate for the Mid-Autumn Festival, right?"

After getting dressed, Wu Wanruo, with a touch of petulance, said, "Why did you keep this from me during the Mid-Autumn Festival? It's not like we've never celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival before."

As she walked toward the door, Chi Honghai did not stop her this time.

"Let me tell you, I was in Guangzhou Prefecture at the time..."

She froze as she spoke.