The catfish boy hummed and chirped into the captain's cabin with the food box and put the food on the bookcase. A bowl of steaming brown rice, a plate of cured meat, a plate of tempeh, and a bowl of hot soup are nothing more than a bowl of seafood soup. At sea, it's a hearty lunch.

The catfish boy put the cup in front of Chongwen and said, "Sun Daguan, why don't you always speak?"

Chongwen looked at the catfish boy and finally said, "My brain is very messy, I don't know what to say." ”

The catfish boy smiled: "When I was beaten and felt aggrieved, I jumped into the water, submerged underwater, and watched the fish and turtles swim in front of you, which is funny." Come up from the water, make a pot of fire, grill some green shrimp, scallops, razor clams, etc., and have a pot of wine, and then there will be no worries at all. ”

Chongwen showed a hint of a smile: "Oh, this is a good way, I'll try it someday." ”

The catfish boy suddenly knelt down, endured the pain under his ribs and kowtowed to Chongwen, and said: "Daguan, if you didn't save me desperately, there would be no me, from now on, the life of the catfish boy will be sold to you, and you will take it whenever you want." ”

Within a day, it was the second person to bow down to him.

Chongwen was a little moved in his heart, which person in the world did not swear allegiance to him, it was because he was the emperor and the master of the world, and a few of them were sincere. This child is not because of his identity, but because of his person, because of his blood and sweat to save his life, so this child repays him with sincere gratitude, and only such loyalty can be truly reliable.

He suddenly understood that it was precisely because he fought for others for the first time in his life. He got the kneeling of scholar Huang Qian, not because of the majesty of heaven and the righteousness of the monarch and ministers. Sincerity can be exchanged for sincerity, this is the most simple truth in the world, but unfortunately the emperor will never understand. He finally understood the difference between him and his grandfather and King Yan, he had never done anything for anyone, and there was no loyalty in the world for no reason.

Suddenly, he felt that his body and mind were light, and it seemed that all his grief and anger disappeared with the disappearance of dizziness and vomiting.

In the vast East China Sea, he felt that this small boat was his home for the first time. This home is completely different from the home in the Imperial City of Nanjing, in that home, husband and wife, father and son cannot laugh casually, and brothers and brothers must be wary of each other. The Son of Heaven has no friends, just a great guardian, and that home has only countless troubles.

On the sea, there are no monarchs and ministers, only brothers who move forward hand in hand and desperately strive for survival, which is natural mutual loyalty.

He got up and helped the catfish cub, and said for the first time in his life: "If you don't live up to me, I will live up to you, from now on, you and I will be called master and servant, and we are really brothers." I don't want your life, I want you to live and die with me, and I want to live and die with me, and I am a brother with the living and the dead. ”

The catfish boy endured the pain under his ribs and stood up, feeling that this Sun Daguan had suddenly changed, the person was still the same person, but his eyes were firm, his demeanor was calm, the smell of alienation and indifference on his body was gone, the whole person became cordial, and overnight this noble man became his kind, exuding a familiar atmosphere.

This feeling made the catfish boy at a loss for a while, but Chongwen pulled him to the desk and said, "Since we are brothers, I want you to take another pair of cups and spoons, and we will eat at the same table." ”

The catfish boy said curtly: "What is the identity of the small one, you can't lose your courtesy." ”

Chongwen smiled and said, "Don't you recognize me as a brother?"

The catfish boy showed a bright smile and said happily: "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Sun, but in front of outsiders, I'm still a big official." ”

Chongwen smiled: "That's it. ”

This meal was very sweet, and in the past, he did not speak a word when he worshiped literature and food, and he did not say anything when he slept in bed, and he abided by the teachings of the saints. Now that they are all thrown into the country of Guava, it is really enjoyable to talk and laugh with this little brother.

Chongwen asked while drinking the soup: "Why didn't your grandfather give you a name, it was always inconvenient for the grandfather and grandson to walk by nicknames." ”

Catfish Boy said: "I heard my grandfather say that the thieves at sea humiliated their ancestors, and they were afraid of implicating their families, so they had to be incognito and walk with a nickname, and after a long time, no one knew their real names." ”

Chongwen secretly thought that this general soldier was smooth and smooth, and he did not hide his identity as a thief. However, he will wander in the East China Sea in the future, and sooner or later it will reach the ears of the government, causing ** annoyance, and it seems that it is better to be incognito.

He smiled and asked the catfish boy, "What do you think I should have a good nickname?"

The catfish boy thought for a moment and said, "You saved me on the day of the storm at sea, how about calling the Rolling Sea Dragon?" Chongwen smiled and said nothing.

After eating, and as he was cleaning up the cups, plates, and chopsticks, the ship suddenly remembered the brass bells, and then the footsteps were moving, and it seemed that the sailors were rushing to the upper deck. Chongwen looked at the catfish boy suspiciously, and the catfish boy said: "This is the soul bell, Xu De is dead, everyone wants to give him a funeral." ”

The narrow upper deck was packed, and more than 40 heroes saw off their companions. The wrench Xu De was wrapped in a white cloth, and two 4-pound guns were dropped with iron chains on his ankles, which were placed on the amidships. His brother Xu Rong was wrapped in a white scarf on his head, crying and crying aside, and two sailors supported him.

The chief soldier was barefoot, shaking the copper bell, and sang around the corpse: "The sea is cold, come from the ship~"

All the sailors responded in unison: "Come on~"

"It's cold at sea, come from the house~"

"Come on~"

"It's cold at sea, come to bed~"

"Come on~"

Everyone was surprised to see that the mysterious nobleman who had been silent in the cabin actually walked out of the cabin, and the catfish boy accompanied him to join the funeral crowd.

The crowd was filled with the rancid and fishy smell of the cabin, and the sea breeze could not blow away, Chongwen was used to it, and he didn't feel any discomfort. He stood side by side with the men, and seemed to have returned to the little village by the canal, where the old sailors and their companions saw off the captain, and there was no sound of the waves. Now, Chongwen's pulse beat with them, breathing the same sea breeze and stepping on the same deck of the ship, expressing his awe of death with the same low groan.

At this moment, he really became a member of the 48 grandma thieves. Like them, he had dirty, unkempt hair, a full beard, and a foul stench. What's more, he is no different from them in spirit, and he can be like Xu De at any time, desperate to save this small boat that everyone depends on, and what is there to fear when his soul returns to the sea.

I don't know when, the bell of the conjuring gradually stopped, the chief soldier beckoned, and several men came over to lift Xu De's body. The chief soldier chanted softly: "Eat fish and shrimp alive, feed fish and shrimp when you die, heaven is fair, paid and paid, Grandpa Dragon King doesn't have to be surprised, be kind to this hard-working person." With the chanting of nothingness, the body was thrown into the sea, causing a splash.

Liu Guan squeezed out of the crowd, walked to the starboard clearing, and said in a loud voice: "Brothers, we have reached the depths of the East China Sea, but the officers and soldiers may still chase after us. I, Liu, were originally begging for a living at sea, it's not a big deal, I'm a mother, Liu is already a desperate person, are you willing to live and die with me?"

The sailors shouted in unison: "May I die for the sake of the ship!"

Liu Guan laughed and shouted: "Okay! Now raise the flag, hang the sails, sail to the Jiayin position, and set sail! Go to the top of the sails, keep an eye on the sea, and report at any time!"

Sailors: "Wow!"

The bird boat rides the wind and waves and heads northeast. I don't know if it's the beauty of the heavens, or the blessing of Mazu Niangniang, the weather is fine for a few days, and the sailors on duty are enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine in late autumn while working, laughing and scolding each other.

The unworthy sailors gathered in the bilge, gambling day and night, and from time to time there were the frenzied cheers of the winners, or the wails of the unlucky losers. Emperor Shenwu strictly banned gambling, but the men on the sea have no tomorrow today, no matter how many, Zhenhaiwei also turned a blind eye, so gambling on the ship was rampant.

The magnificence of the East China Sea is indescribable, the blue sky is like a wash, and the blue sea has no waves. A group of flying fish crossed out of the sea, drew a silver light in mid-air, flew more than 10 zhang and fell into the sea, stirring up a splash. Sometimes, in the distance, the giant whale bared its back like a mountain, and a column of water several feet high erupted above its head, attracting a burst of amazement from the ship.

Whenever Li Qiqian shouted and whistled, he would always attract a scolding from Aban Baijie: "Mother, are you impatient, I shocked the dragon lord to send a storm, and I will be the first to sacrifice you to the sea." ”

The sun rises in the east, and a large fire jumps out of the horizon, as if the burning heavenly palace gives birth to a child of fire. In the evening, the sun sets, the golden sun shines on the sea, and the golden spots jump, reflecting on people's faces.

The catfish boy became the emperor's husband, which was his second teacher after Liu Li, and Chongwen had to start with the most basic knots.

The catfish boy used his dexterous hand to pull out the sail knot, and Chongwen learned it at a glance. But Chongwen ran into trouble on the mooring knot, this knot is getting tighter and tighter, no matter how big the wind and waves are, it will be constantly pulled, and the old bollard iron stakes on the dock will grind out deep water. The knots of Chongwen's tie were loose and loose, and they couldn't be tightened, so they could only be broken and reknotted again and again.

The catfish boy said: "Good sailor, the knotted rope has the power of gods and ghosts. Legend has it that there is a miraculous octopus in the sea, teach people to tie a kind of fishing knot, the knot has no junction, but it has the power to bind, you can find your own things tightened, throw it into the sea to bind the fish and turtles, what kind of big fish can not escape the fishing knot, that is the god of the knot. ”

Chongwen said fascinatedly: "If only I could catch the knot, I can tie King Yan by throwing it to the Fengtian Palace." ”

Catfish boy heartless nonsense: "It just so happens that the eldest brother is the son of heaven, isn't it good." ”

Chongwen smiled bitterly, if you kid knew that I was driven down by the one in the Fengtian Temple, I don't know what I would be shocked. The saints do not die, and the thieves do not stop, this is really true.

The catfish boy removes a strange knife from his belt, with two edges at both ends and the handle in the middle. It was an old knife, the handle was full of black greasy, and the black iron blade exposed a strip of white steel on the blade, which was extremely sharp. The catfish boy held the knife in his hand, skillfully cut off the rope, handed it to Chongwen, and said with a smile: "Okay." ”

Chongwen took the knot, but stared at the knife in the catfish's hand, and said, "This thing is interestingly tight." ”