Chapter Eleven: On the Ship
The sea breeze blew on her face with a hint of wetness.
Ling Qingyu closed her eyes and carefully explored the information brought by the wind. In the summer, for a ship powered by sails, it was not an easy trip for a ship sailing from Quanzhou to South Asia. The wind in this season blows to the northeast. A return trip would be much simpler and faster. But now, they are going opposite of the wind. For a navigator, this requires more skill.
Ling Qingyu jumped off the bow and took over the operation of the middle sails. She directed the sail's directions. Even though the Aeolus is much bigger than the small craft she handled before, the basic logic is the same. With Ling Qingyu's adjustment, the ship's speed increased a bit.
Ling Qingyu threw the rope back to a sailor and ignored the expression on his face. Since departure, her familiarity with wind direction and currents, and the ability to navigate, reflected the experience of a veteran. This amazed Ding Dong and the sailors. The other people had never been on a ship before and didn't have strong reactions to a little girl navigating and altering the sails. But Ding Dong, Zheng Xi and the few other sailors had been on voyages before and could recognize the skill of this little girl. She was able to perform beyond Lin Jianshen and Ding Dong's abilities.
Ling Qingyu didn't pay much attention to their doubts and surprises. If she hid her skills on a ship full of amateurs, they might end up dead; following the expectations of those people on land. In this vast ocean, the ship was its own world. The more outstanding her performance is, the more at ease the sailors would feel.
Even though it had only been ten days since setting out, skepticism and doubt from the sailors had disappeared. No matter how weird this female leader may be, they will follow her as long as she can lead them to their destination. Of course, Zheng Xi was the first to accept this situation. His reasoning was that since he had been sold to this woman, the more reliable she is, the easier his life would be. Even if she were a monster, he would still be okay with her.
Compared to Ling Qingyu's carefree and comfortable attitude, her neighbors were not so fortunate.
Yan San and Lu Yao were vomiting into a wooden bucket.
Ling Qingyu had intended to walk over, but then decided against it. She went to stand next to Ye Shiyi and patted him while asking, "Shiyi, are you used to it now?"
After Ling Qingyu's training, and due to his young age, Ye Shiyi only vomited for three days before getting used to the ups and downs of the sea. Yan San and Lu Yao were different. They had been vomiting so much that their faces turned green. Their limbs were even weaker than the people in the lower level.
In the sailor's cabin below, many people were leaning on the walls or lying down. Gu Sui leaned against the deck and looked thoughtfully at the men across from him. It had been around ten days since they stepped on the ship. That woman named Ling was a kind person. After leaving the waters of Quanzhou, she cut off all the prisoners' shackles with a sharp blade. Afterwards, she raised her sails and let them rest in the cabin. Everyone had their own beds with a locker. The amount of food they received was enough. Only, the taste wasn't too good. But, after arriving in the vast ocean and experiencing its waves, many started experiencing seasickness. They threw up almost everything they ate. The group of prisoners wasn't much better. Some of them also had wounds on their bodies and suffered even more. The curious one was the man opposite of Gu Sui. He had the most injuries when they stepped on the ship. He looked young. Most of the time, he kept his head lowered and sat at an unobtrusive place. He also rarely spoke. Even when he felt sick, he didn't hug a bucket and violent throw up, but quietly repressed it. There were a few times when Gu Sui noticed him swallow it back and admired his self-control.
"The weather today is pretty good. Are you guys doing well?" With a clear laughter, Ling Qingyu opened the cabin door and walked in.
Seeing the wooden buckets filled with less vomit, Ling Qingyu felt very satisfied. In the first two days, this room was so disgusting that she didn't dare to walk in. She found a few wooden buckets and asked them not to vomit on the floors but in the buckets. Then, she got Zheng Xi and Shi Fang to clean. Oh, Shi Fang. Doctor Shi was Ling Qingyu's biggest surprise. Zheng Xi found him next to a barrel of liquor while cleaning up the cargo compartment. Of course, he also discovered that three barrels that contained white liquor were empty. Who knew how many days this Doctor Shi had been drinking. But, it was perfect. The liquor barrels became vomit buckets. Shi Fang also became a laborer.
Not only was he responsible for cleaning, he also took over kitchen duties. Originally, this was supposed to be Lu Yao's job. But since Lu Yao had lost his ability to work due to seasickness, Ling Qingyu had to take over for the last two days. She then passed this work to Shi Fang, with Ye Shiyi's help. It was quite fitting since Shi Fan was responsible for the crew's health. It didn't only include seasickness and injuries.
Ling Qingyu had Ye Shiyi carry the barrels inside, after seeing these people's condition. Their food now consisted of thick congee and buns, with fried cabbage and meat on the side.
"Mm, looks like you guys will recover in another day or two." Ling Qingyu looked around and nodded her head in satisfaction. Shi Fang's seasickness medicine was somewhat effective. Of course, this was also because of the one hundred silver bill that she had given to Zheng Xi for medicine. Lu Yao couldn't use everything, so the extra were brought aboard.
"Eat more. You will have more energy after filling your stomach," said Ling Qingyu with alacrity. Then, she walked over to the prisoner sitting in the corner. Without waiting for his response, she tore open his clothes and looked at the whip injury.
"Hmm." Ling Qingyu frowned. The whip wound showed a ferocious look. Although the wound had already closed, the skin both both sides were deep white with some redness. It was still inflamed. In these days, only the injuries on this person had not healed. Even if his injuries were the most severe; after resting for ten days on land, then during the voyage without the need of rowing, he should have recovered. Yet, this person's injuries came and went. Could it be? Ling Qingyu turned her head toward those eating and laughing. She let go of his clothes and asked Gu Sui standing opposite of them, "Do you know?"
Gu Sui smiled. This girl doesn't look old. Probably only sixteen or seventeen (considering Ling Qingyu was large for her age). But, she doesn't act like a girl. Her intelligence is something he had never seen before. Yet, she is still a girl. Her heart is too soft. It is passable to be nice to refugees since they are still good citizens with kind hearts. They won't do anything to betray her. But the others are prisoners. There is no need to be so good to them; giving them food, shelter, two changes of clothes and a doctor to treat their illnesses. In fact, after observing these people, he found that there are a couple of bastards mixed in with the group.
"You should look at his face more carefully," whispered Gu Sui closely to her.
Ling Qingyu looked at him doubtfully. Seeing he had no intention to continue, she turned around. The man continued to keep his head down. His messy hair and unkempt beard covered his entire face. He usually didn't react when she opened his clothes and when they used painful treatments on his wounds. Ling Qingyu thought, he probably won't react if I move his hair right? After thinking for a moment, she decided she shouldn't. Undressing him was to help him. There was no ill intention. But to lift a man's head and move his hair. Ling Qingyu felt a chill. Wouldn't that be dalliance?
It would be better to call Shi Fang over. If the patient still cannot be cured, then there is no need him to be a doctor anymore. Ling Qingyu stood and left with Shiyi.
Soon after she left, another burly prisoner crouched next to the man and whispered, "Yang Zhao, my older brother said to treat you well tonight. Or, are you willing to let it be the little one?" With a sly look, he glanced at the two teenagers in the cabin.
Even though his voice was very low, Gu Sui had good hearing and still understood the circumstances. He laughed mockingly in his heart and continued to eat his bun. He didn't plan to intervene. In these ten days, he finally understood that rowing was the most useless job on this ship. It was only required when in shallow waters or when there was no wind. So even though Ling Qingyu served them good food and drinks, she probably didn't weigh them heavily. So, Gu Sui wanted to see the girl's reaction when a problem arises.
Ling Qingyu was sitting on the deck and fishing. The sea breeze was just right, the route was correct and the speed was good. The people below were also finally recovering from their useless condition. A few days before, she really regretted recruiting these northerners. Not knowing how to swim is passable, but how can they be seasick to this extent! Not only did they not help in anyway, she had to make the effort to take care of them. This use of manpower was definitely not logical.
Things will get better. Ling Qingyu dropped her fishing line and looked into the distance. Things will get better.
"Sister, you hooked one!" called out Ye Shiyi at the side. Lu Yao was in a daze and naturally couldn't keep Ye Shiyi focused on training martial arts. So, other than helping Shi Fang, Ye Shiyi spent the rest of his time following Ling Qingyu. Whenever she had time, she would teach him; sea navigation, reading a compass, astronomy, and fishing. He felt that these few days were the happiest he had experienced in the last seven years of his life.
"Wow, it's a grouper. Shiyi, we will have a good meal tonight," said Ling Qingyu happily while packing her rod. She was tired of eating buns and cabbage everyday, and they didn't taste very good. The fish she had caught in the past few days were mostly inedible or unpalatable. Today is a lucky day. I actually caught a grouper. Time for delicious food.
"Go call Zheng Xi. We can't let Doctor Shi cook this," said Ling Qingyu to Ye Shiyi. Groupers must be steamed. If it is given to Shi Fang, he would probably do what he did in the past and make it unrecognizable.
During the night, Ling Qingyu, Zheng Xi, Ye Shiyi and Lu Yao, along with Yan San who said he had recovered, Shi Fang who had smelled the aroma, and the off-duty sailors, gathered in Ling Qingyu's captain's room next to her bedroom. They had a great meal.
After Ling Qingyu saw Shi Fang, her face darkened and she saved a big piece of fish for Ding Dong and others. But, she really didn't want to share with the rowers on the lower level. Even though she hooked a big fish, it was still not enough for so many people.
The grouper was very delicious. None of the crowd was polite with Ling Qingyu and rushed to grab it. Ling Qingyu naturally didn't give way. Among the wolves, she grabbed the most amount of meat.
However, Ling Qingyu didn't see how Zheng Xi cooked the fish. She didn't know that in order to save water, Zheng Xi didn't wash the fish. He also used sea water to steam it.
As a result, Ling Qingyu, who had eaten the most, had diarrhea at night.