Chapter 61

While Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun were chatting on the boat until noon, the boat was finally loaded with goods. Then, several boats formed a fleet and sailed southward with the north wind. Lunch was eaten on the boat, but because of the separation of men and women, Xie Lingyun did not invite Zhou Chong to eat with her.

Originally, the sea journey from Songjiang to Shuangyu Port took less than a day. Usually, the goods were loaded the day before, and the boat would set sail early the next morning, arriving at Shuangyu Port in the afternoon. However, this batch of goods from the Xie family was urgently needed, so the boat set sail immediately after the goods were loaded. By evening, the fleet had just reached Zhoushan Island. Because the sea conditions in the Zhoushan Archipelago were relatively complex, it was impossible to sail at night, so the fleet had to anchor on Zhoushan Island for the night and set sail again the next morning.

Zhou Chong's cabin was next to Xie Lingyun's, and the furnishings were almost the same as in Xie Lingyun's room. As soon as the boat docked at Zhoushan Island, someone immediately delivered dinner to Zhou Chong's room.

To be honest, the food on the boat was really not very good, mostly fish. Zhou Chong's dinner today consisted of a bowl of rice, a steamed fish, a plate of fried fish slices, and a bowl of precious vegetable soup. These were specially prepared for Zhou Chong because he was a guest on the boat. If it were the ordinary crew members, they would probably only have rice and steamed fish.

Zhou Chong, who did not like fish, could only finish his rice by drinking the vegetable soup. After having the room cleaned, he felt a bit bored and walked out of the cabin onto the deck, looking at Zhoushan Island under the starlight.

Zhou Chong had previously heard Xie Lingyun introduce Zhoushan Island, knowing that after the maritime ban, it was the only island where civilians were allowed to live. The people of Zhoushan Island relied on the sea for their livelihood, not only fishing but also providing various conveniences for smuggling after the rise of smuggling.

For example, the Zhoushan port in front of Zhou Chong was built very well, with wide roads and well-planned berths, much more regular than the smuggling port he had seen in Songjiang. Some passing smuggling ships were quietly anchored at sea. There were also many entertainment venues for the crew in the port, such as brothels and casinos. These places were now the most bustling, and after dinner, the crew members on Zhou Chong's boat began to go ashore in groups, laughing and heading towards the places with bright lights and music.

"Zhou Gongzi, aren't you going down to take a walk?" Just as Zhou Chong was admiring the night view of Zhoushan Port, a graceful voice came from behind him. Without turning around, Zhou Chong knew it was Xie Lingyun speaking.

"The sea is rough and the wind is strong, and the weather is so cold. Why doesn't Lingyun stay in the cabin to rest?" Zhou Chong did not turn around but leaned on the railing and said calmly.

Xie Lingyun, who was behind Zhou Chong, was wearing a fox fur cloak and holding a delicate hand warmer. She walked lightly to Zhou Chong's side and leaned on the railing, saying softly, "Although this is not my first time at sea, I am still a bit seasick. The cabin is too stuffy, so I came out to get some fresh air."

"Ha ha, I used to be seasick too, but after taking many trips, I gradually got used to it. If Lingyun feels unwell, you can prepare some fresh ginger and smell it from time to time, which can alleviate seasickness." Zhou Chong said with a smile. In his previous life, he was not only seasick but also carsick, so he knew many remedies for seasickness. In contrast, his body in this life was quite good, and he did not feel seasick at all on his first trip.

Xie Lingyun looked at Zhou Chong with a puzzled expression. According to her investigation, Zhou Chong had lived in Songjiang all his life and had never been to sea. But from his words, it seemed he had often traveled by boat before?

Zhou Chong realized he had said something wrong and quickly changed the subject, "Lingyun, we have known each other for quite some time. I often see you busy, rarely having a moment of leisure. Do you naturally like doing business?"

Xie Lingyun was about to ask when Zhou Chong had taken a boat, but when she heard his question, her expression froze for a moment before she said softly, "As a woman, I naturally hope to stay at home and embroider, but unfortunately, the Xie family has only one daughter, and the large family business needs me to manage it. I have no choice!"

This might be the first time Xie Lingyun had confided in someone else, especially a young man of similar age. She felt her face turn red, but fortunately, it was already night, and the dim light on the boat made it impossible to see her expression clearly.

"Life is full of disappointments, and we are all the same. Since we were born, we have been living for others. For example, you, Lingyun, live for your parents and family, and I live for my two younger sisters and the people around me." Zhou Chong said, a bitter smile appearing on his face. Having lived two lives, he had more thoughts and understanding about life. Sometimes he would sigh deeply, but he knew that he had to take responsibility for everything around him.

"Living for others!" Xie Lingyun repeated the phrase softly, savoring the helplessness in it. She was deeply moved because the more she thought about it, the more she felt it described her perfectly.

The two stood on the deck, chatting about life, their hobbies, and even some trivial matters, but they did not talk about their business cooperation. This might be the most harmonious time they had spent together since they met. Under the cover of the night, both of them put aside their pretenses and showed their true selves to each other.

However, just as Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun were chatting happily, they suddenly heard someone shouting angrily at the bow of the boat, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. The footsteps soon turned into the sound of someone falling, and then came a series of screams.

Seeing this, Zhou Chong quickly stepped forward, shielding Xie Lingyun behind him. It was too dark to see what was happening at the bow, so the only thing he could do was protect himself and wait for the people on the boat to handle it. However, he did not notice that Xie Lingyun's gaze behind him seemed to have something different.

The commotion at the bow soon attracted the attention of the people on the boat, and soon a crowd gathered. A bald man who had led Zhou Chong onto the boat earlier walked up to Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun, dragging two bundles of something. He threw the bundles to the ground.

With a loud thud and two screams, Zhou Chong realized that the two bundles were actually two people. They were wearing black robes and had been grabbed by the bald man by their clothes, making them hard to see in the dim light.

The bald man bowed to Xie Lingyun and said, "Miss, these two guys sneaked onto the boat. I caught them and beat them up. Now, please decide what to do with them!"

Xie Lingyun stepped out from behind Zhou Chong, looked at the two groaning men on the deck, and nodded to the bald man, "Thank you, Uncle Hei!"

"Be... beautiful miss, I... I swear by the Lord, we are not thieves!" One of the men on the deck, wearing a black robe, said in a broken voice, with a strange accent.

However, when Zhou Chong heard the word "Lord," he was taken aback. Combined with the strange accent, he quickly walked forward to take a closer look. As he had suspected, the two men in black robes were Caucasians. One was older and stout, while the other was tall and thin. Both had their heads shaved, with a ring of hair around the edges, a style known as the tonsure, typical of Catholic priests. However, to Zhou Chong and the others, it looked quite ridiculous.

"Are you Catholic priests?" Zhou Chong asked, somewhat uncertain. He had seen this image in TV shows and movies in his previous life, but he was not very familiar with religion, so he asked.

The stout man in the black robe's eyes lit up when he heard Zhou Chong's words. He grabbed the corner of Zhou Chong's robe and said urgently, "Sir, you know about our Catholic faith, and you must know that we priests are the purest people in the world. Please, prove to this miss that we are not thieves!"

"Pure people!" Zhou Chong inwardly cursed the man for being shameless. Although he was not very familiar with religion, he knew that the Catholic Church was not a good organization. The Middle Ages in Europe, which the Westerners called the Dark Ages, were a time of frequent wars and diseases, the darkest period in European history, and the Catholic Church was the main cause of all this. In the period of European colonization, the Catholic Church played a leading role, with many priests gathering intelligence under the guise of preaching, laying the groundwork for military conquest.

Although Zhou Chong knew about the many misdeeds of the Catholic Church, he was also very curious. Although the Age of Exploration had begun, the Westerners had not yet reached the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, and he had not heard Xie Lingyun mention anything about Westerners. Now, two Catholic priests had appeared, which made him wonder how they had arrived.

Xie Lingyun also saw the two men in black robes and noticed Zhou Chong's puzzled expression. She asked, "Zhou Gongzi, are you interested in these two foreigners?"

PS: The new book is about to be released, please vote and collect!