The boy in charge of reporting to the adults quickly climbed the slope of the stones, the sea water forming patches of white alkali in his hair, arms and back, the constant sweat staining his chin viciously, he was out of breath, and it was difficult to speak coherently for a few minutes after being blocked by Don's "lad" - fortunately what he needed to express was not so complicated: "'Nail'...... Something is wrong! He shouted.

"What's wrong?" It was a young and cautious young man, and he reached out and touched the boy's face, which was as hot as a pancake on the stove, "Tell me clearly, what's wrong?" ”

"He was stung by a jellyfish and screamed in pain." The boy licked his lips: "My mom has already rushed over with baking soda and vinegar." Black eyes rolled, and he was a little nervous: "I went to Nail's house, but I didn't find his mother - so I thought maybe I could find his father - he might be here...... It's the 'nails' that say. ”

The lad nodded, "All right," he said to the boy, "you wait, I'll go and see for you, if he's really here." He thought for a moment and added, "If it's not important, he'll be out soon." ”

He gave the boy to a companion, and alone himself bent down the small rough stone path into the alley, where the door on the other side of the alley soon opened, and he entered.

The courtyard of the Don was as shady and noisy as ever, with trusted people scattered among the hyssop and olive groves, who circled the Chegalle like a planet around the sun. Some of them had the privilege of being able to approach him at will and talk to him and gossip with him—his nephew, the heir Mayare, his beloved thug Toto (the father of the "Nail"), Father Angie, old Andreana, and the recent addition—Dr. Hopkins, a strange outbackman, who could hardly be said to be out of some necessity or preference, and most of the time, he stood behind Don, his slender limbs almost completely obliterated by the shadow cast by the massive body of the leader, and occasionally, The gray-blue eyes that no one likes in the crevices left by Don's slightly messy gray curls — they are reminiscent of the sky before a hurricane or the undercurrents under the sea, soft, clean, and undisturbed, yet with unimaginable traps and threats.

When those eyes look over, they will pretend to look away inadvertently, or just walk away.

"They don't like me." Anthony. Hopkins said.

"I remember you told me," Chegalle sniffled, "only gold will be liked by everyone." He slid his eyeballs and glanced at the man beside him, "And you're really not very likable, you have to admit, at least you're not as cute as Sasha is." He paused and said fairly, "A lot of people aren't as cute as he is." ”

Immediately afterward, he could be said to be horrified to find Hopkins curling his lips: "I can't deny this." The child's father triumphantly confirmed.

Chegar twisted his face away and made an unbearable expression.

"I'll have to say it first," he whispered to himself, "I'm definitely not jealous or anything...... Of course, children...... If I have children...... I wouldn't be so stupid, I swear. As if to get out of this childish situation, Chegalle suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the courtyard.

This morning Don decided to move the marble table from the center of the courtyard to the left, in order to get a little shade from the olive grove, and the people went into action—they removed the gorse and roses that occupied the new place on the table, sprinkled grass seeds, and tamped the ground...... All was going well, but it got stuck on the tonnage marble table—they had six boys, pushing and dragging and shoving, moving less than three feet in two hours, and it was suggested that a small crane should be built, but how to get the crane attached to the heavy truck up a steep slope and into a narrow alley to finally push through the gate for only two people to enter and exit side by side became an insurmountable problem.

"A bunch of stupid people who make people sigh!" Chegalle complained loudly, "No one has ever thought about how it ended up here?" ”

As he strode toward the crowd, he took off his shoes, shirt, and hat, revealing his fat, moist pale flesh, and the people moved out of the way in awe as they watched him walk to the table and bend down into it.

Chegalle's bare feet tread tightly on the freshly mowed grass, the broken grass stalks piercing the soles of his feet, he took several deep breaths in succession, moving his head, neck, shoulders and waist under the table - he lowered his head slightly, his back arched, his two thick arms outstretched, his fingers clutching the edge of the table, his warm skin clinging to the rough bottom of the marble tabletop, his knees bent, his trouser legs rolled up, his calves like two huge flesh-colored stumps...... "Hey! Hi! Hi! He reminded the young people standing at the table loudly: "Attention...... All right! Let's get up...... Rise...... Come! ”

Hopkins watched intently, a very rare phenomenon, not all of them have fat that turns into muscle in just a few seconds - muscles swell and roll, replacing soft fat in the blink of an eye, the skin becomes tight, thin and smooth with their help, and the large and small blood vessels are clearly visible, especially on the neck and limbs - the old Samson (a warrior known for his strength in the Bible) straightens his legs a little, and the four feet of the marble table, carved into shells, leave the ground with dirt, "now...... At. Don gave instructions under the table, and his voice was buzzing, like a lion roaring in a deep cave: "Now! ”

The gray-white stone table, like a living, deformed giant turtle, rose a little higher in the eyes of surprise and admiration, and then moved very slowly but steadily towards the front left—the young assistants in charge of guidance and support were a little scrambled, but thankfully they didn't get it wrong or foolishly put their toes under the table when it hit the ground.

Chegalle came out from under the table, his hair dripping and his face as red as a burnt lobster, and instead of immediately sitting down or standing still, he walked slowly around the courtyard, slowing down his breathing, moving his hands and feet, and his body, and soon the muscles disappeared, his skin slackened again, and he returned to his old squishy old self—except for a little hot flashes on his cheeks and a little shortness of breath, and Mama offered him a large glass of wine with ice, which he drank.

"Today's dinner has to be early," Chegalle said contentedly, "with some roast chicken and tender beef." ”

"I'm afraid I won't be able to participate." "My son was stung by a jellyfish," Toto said. ”

Chegal cast a surprised and concerned look: "Too bad," he said, "How's it going?" ”

"It shouldn't be too bad," Meyare interjected, "I heard they've rubbed him with vinegar and soda." ”

"To be on the safe side, it's better to take the hospital for observation," Chegalle gestured, "Also, Anthony, you go with them - if I'm not mistaken, you have research...... Those things? ”

In fact, about 50 percent of the poisonous plants and creatures in this world have been very carefully known and understood by Hopkins, and there are many dangerous "things" that can kill people in an instant—since the boy did not die immediately, it shows that the little thing is either mild or insufficient, and it is most likely the latter, because children who live by the sea should have been accustomed to minor stings and bites, and there are too few things that can make them panic and scream but not fatal. Hopkins, who is small, was able to almost immediately make a straightforward table with a solution at the end.

But it is clear that there are people who do not want to accept this love.

"I don't think it's necessary." Toto said that he did not resemble his own son—not so much a big nail or a screw, but a hammer, short and strong, and dark-skinned, and Hopkins found him clenched into his fists as he spoke, his center of gravity slightly dropped, as if he were about to fight at any moment, but his eyes were down, and he did not dare to look directly at Don, because for whatever he was doing, he was somehow going against Don's will: "A little trouble...... He's your friend. ”

Chegalle glanced at him with a gentle expression, "No," he said, "My dear Toto, no, you are wrong, he is not my friend, he is our friend." ”

"You have to remember this." Tang looked around and emphasized.

＊＊＊

The father of the "nail" was right, it was just a small trouble, Hopkins examined the little boy with the nickname of the very image, and it was basically determined that it was a cyanide jellyfish, that is, the tentacles can reach sixty feet long, commonly known as the kind of lion's mane, its toxin is very strong, if it is directly "whipped", even a strong and powerful adult will inevitably die, but fortunately, the little "nail" was only gently swept by the edge of its tentacles, so it was not seriously injured, of course, it is necessary to stay in the hospital for observationThe viciousness of the cyanide jellyfish lies in the pain and damage it brings will be as strong as a burst.

After listening to Hopkins' report, Chegalle pondered for a moment: "Let the lads move...... In groups of two, they patrol the sea in small boats, fifty dollars a day per person, and find cyanide jellyfish or some other dangerous thing by the pound, a hundred dollars per pound, from me—that's all, otherwise the children won't be able to play in the water in peace—I think you've warned everyone on the island that it's not permissible to go into the water until the waters have been thoroughly cleaned? He turned his gaze to his nephew as he asked.

"Of course, Don." Said respectfully.

"Excellent." Chegal smacked his lips in satisfaction: "I hope they will be able to complete this task quickly, but accurately." ”

"Of course, Don, I promise."

＊＊＊

"What do you think?" Chegalle leaned against the window and watched his nephew, who was no much thinner than him, walk briskly out of the courtyard, followed by Nail's father and several others.

"Cyanide jellyfish?"

"Cyanide jellyfish." Chegalle slyly retorted, "What else could it be?" ”

"It depends on whether it's whole or rotten and decomposed."

"What's the difference?"

"The whole one is easier to deal with." Hopkins replied sincerely: "Almost all jellyfish have extremely tenacious vitality, and this is not only shown in their bodies - broken tentacles can regenerate, and tentacles that leave their bodies can survive for a long time, including their stinging cells - a decaying and decomposing cyanide jellyfish often means thousands of small vipers full of lively stingers, hidden, nimble, and difficult to catch...... Who knows when they're going to jump out and sting you? ”

Chegalle stared at Hopkins until the nearby coffee pot whirred.

"You're right," he said firmly, "the whole one is easier to deal with." Fresh coffee? ”

(To be continued)

Yuyu's father has undergone surgery and his condition has stabilized, thank you for your understanding, support, encouragement and blessings!

Resume updates from next week.

Thank you again for your continued support!