Chapter 60: Qingmei Workshop Moves
Dawn was breaking dimly.
Guangzhou City had yet to awaken from its slumber.
There were hardly any pedestrians on the streets.
Yet outside Qingmei Workshop, patients were already crowding, waiting.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The knocking kept coming.
“Coming!” Mei’er hurriedly lifted the curtain and ran out from the backyard.
With a creak, the gate was opened.
Only to see seven or eight people already standing outside.
Leading them was a young scholar with a cold face—it was Bai Langzai.
Mei’er recognized Bai Langzai and said in surprise: “It’s you! Are you here today to have my father treat your illness?”
Bai Langzai nodded.
“My dad hasn’t gotten up yet. You all sit and have tea first. I’ll go call him…”
Halfway through her words, her mouth was covered, and her arms were pinned behind her back.
The hands holding her were like iron clamps; no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
The crew members deftly bound Mei’er’s hands and feet, stuffed her mouth with coarse cloth, and put her into a sack.
In the instant she was stuffed into the sack, Mei’er saw her father also being carried out from the backyard, trussed up like a New Year’s pig.
Her father also had his hands and feet bound, with coarse cloth stuffed in his mouth.
Father and daughter exchanged a glance before both were put into sacks, mouths tied shut. The two struggled desperately but couldn’t break free no matter what.
Bai Langzai said to his men: “The Helmsman orders that all items in the Medical Hall be taken as they are, especially the various medicinal materials and utensils. Pack them carefully without mixing them up or leaving any out.”
His men obeyed and split up to act inside the Medical Hall.
Two hours later, all the items were packed up.
Behind the Medical Hall was a small river. The crew members methodically carried the goods onto the boat.
Su Kang had a reclusive personality and wasn’t close with the neighboring shops. Screams often came from the Medical Hall, dragging down business for the surrounding shops as well.
So when they saw the Medical Hall being moved, everyone was delighted, and not one came to ask the reason.
Mei’er had been stuffed in the sack for two hours. She struggled violently at first but soon had no strength left.
Suddenly she felt herself being picked up, panic surging in her heart as she struggled with all her might again.
At that moment, a low threat came from outside the sack: “Move once more, and I’ll slash your father once.”
Mei’er froze instantly and stopped moving.
Bai Langzai gave the same threat to Su Kang.
Father and daughter were like they had been fixed in place by a spell.
The small boat followed the water route eastward, bribing the soldiers at the Water Gate with silver and successfully leaving the city.
After an unknown time, Su Kang was finally released from the sack.
Looking at the sky, it was already full of stars.
“Doctor Su, we meet again.” Lin Qian smiled amiably and ordered someone to untie Su Kang.
As per Lin Qian’s instructions, the ropes on Su Kang weren’t tied too tightly. His hands and feet were numb but not necrotic.
The first thing Su Kang did upon coming out of the sack was to search everywhere for his daughter, but on the deck there was only a sack at his feet and no sign of her.
“Where’s Mei’er? What have you done to her?” Su Kang roared furiously, lunging at Lin Qian with his hands.
Lin Qian walked to the ship’s rail and pointed at the sea surface: “Your daughter is there.”
Su Kang stumbled over and looked where Lin Qian pointed, seeing ship lanterns spreading a warm yellow glow across the sea surface, just like countless points of starlight.
On the nearest Tanka Boat to the Santa Ana, Mei’er was also looking up into the distance. Father and daughter called out to each other for a long time, confirming each was safe before relaxing.
Su Kang shrank back and said angrily to Lin Qian: “What do you want?”
Lin Qian pointed at the cabin: “Some brothers are injured. We’ve specially invited Doctor Su to treat them.”
Bai Langzai said: “All the items from the Medical Hall have been brought onto the ship. Doctor Su, whatever you need, just tell us directly.”
With father and daughter separated on two boats, the threat was clear.
They had grasped his weakness perfectly, leaving Su Kang no choice but to comply.
Su Kang saw it all clearly and had no intention of pretending to be stubborn only to yield under threat like a fool.
He just gave a sidelong glance, then spat: “Despicable.”
Lin Qian: “Treat the wounds carefully. Wherever you botch treatment on my brothers, that’s where your daughter will be missing a piece.”
Su Kang stared at Lin Qian with eyes that wanted to devour him, but in the end, he could only shoulder the medical box and go down to the cabin.
The wounded were arranged in the lowest hold, together with the gunpowder hold.
This place was below the waterline, unlikely to be hit by gunfire in battle, making it the safest.
Su Kang went down to the bottom hold and saw over a dozen wounded lying there, all seriously hurt. Their wounds had been crudely treated but most had split open.
These were all Pearl Commoners accidentally injured by Lin Qian during the attack on the Water Village.
Su Kang set down the medical box and went forward to treat them, while several crew members held candles behind him for light.
……
On the Tanka Boat.
Seeing her father trapped on the big ship, Mei’er steeled herself and tried to jump into the water.
But Bai Qing pulled her back from behind.
“Let me go!” Mei’er punched and kicked at Bai Qing.
Bai Qing felt no pain or itch from it and twisted Mei’er’s hands behind her back. With just a slight force, Mei’er was in so much pain that tears flowed.
Seeing the little girl cry, Bai Qing quickly let go, thinking to herself that shore people were just affected—she had only used two parts strength, and she was already sniffling.
Mei’er knew she couldn’t beat Bai Qing and could only huddle in a corner of the Tanka Boat.
After a long while, she smelled a fresh fragrance.
Bai Qing came over with a bowl of warm porridge and shoved it into her hands.
“Eat it.” Bai Qing tried to speak softly.
Mei’er had been bound since early morning, hadn’t touched water or food all day, and had been frightened. The smell of food made her realize she was thirsty and starving.
She carefully took the warm porridge, blew on the nonexistent steam, and took a sip.
It was awfully bad.
She glanced at Bai Qing, who was eating it with relish, and didn’t say anything more, tilting her head back to gulp it down.
Fortunately, she was starving and swallowed it all without caring about the taste.
After eating, Bai Qing rinsed the bowl casually with seawater and put it away, then blew out the ship lantern.
“Sleep.” Bai Qing said.
Mei’er responded with an “oh” and lay down obediently, but she was worried about her father, in an unfamiliar place, with the boat rocking nonstop—how could she sleep?
After enduring bitterly for a long time, she softly called to Bai Qing: “Sister?”
Bai Qing opened her eyes in the darkness, right hand gripping the dagger at her waist: “What is it?”
“Will you let me go?”
Bai Qing said coldly: “No.”
“I miss Daddy.”
“Bear it.”
“I want to go home…”
“Bear it.”
The little girl sobbed softly. Bai Qing sat up helplessly and relit the ship lantern.
There was no helping it—who told the Helmsman to order her to watch this little girl well, neither letting her escape nor mistreating her.
This was harder than killing.
Seeing the little girl cry more and more heartbrokenly, Bai Qing asked softly: “Little girl, what’s your name?”
“My name is Su Qingmei, and my dad is Su Kang.”
“We’re heading straight to Nan’ao Island. Once we arrive on the island, you can see your dad again and have a new home.
This new home is bigger and more comfortable than the old one.
The home has endless firewood, an indestructible stove, no more drinking cold water, no more eating undercooked rice porridge—okay?”
Su Qingmei gradually stopped sobbing: “Really? How much longer?”
Bai Qing reached out to stroke the little girl’s hair: “Soon, we’re almost there.”
