gentleman's manor

The servant sent by my father told me that I would be sent to India and would not be allowed to return to China for five years.

He ordered his servant to give me two thousand pounds secretly, and informed me that due to political reasons, he had severed the relationship with my father and son. He hoped that I could use the money to live in India in peace, and there would be a day when I would meet again.

I was on a ship going to India, and there were many criminals like me on this ship, most of them were civilians, who were caught for stealing or killing people.In the past, I was always high on the morning, thinking that they were lowly ants, and dismissed them at all, but now, I am just like them.We are all humble ants, in the face of power and money, everything seems so insignificant.

About to enter the vast sea, the future is unknown.But I looked at the land of my hometown, but I didn't have the slightest nostalgia in my heart.

The ship started, and the huge oars swayed the waves neatly, and the voices of the sailors collectively chanted in their ears.

As the boat drifted away, I suddenly saw a familiar figure among the crowd on the shore. I wasn't sure if it was him. Does he know about me?Will he come to see me off?There is no answer to all this, because the ship will not stop, it is gradually sailing away until it enters the boundless sea.

It is strange that I fell in love with sailing when I was sent to the colony as a prisoner.

I like the days of riding the wind and waves on the sea. Every storm is like experiencing life and death, but as long as it survives, the sky will be sunny.

I often stand alone at the top of the bow, facing the sea wind and the hot sun.The strong wind blows my body, and many fish jump forward with the boat.I am like a sea bird that is not afraid of the wind and waves, flying to the depths of the sea against the wind, and that feeling is a surge of heart that has never been felt before.

The open sea brought me a new feeling. It seemed that everything in Britain was gone, and even the betrayal and threats of relatives fell with a wave and disappeared without a trace.

In India, I bribed the local governor's office and obtained the qualification to do business freely.To avoid trouble, I also changed my name to Edward Gary.I was born again with a new identity, and people thought I was just a disfigured ordinary businessman.

Over the course of a few years, I made some money and got some crews together and built a fleet.We traveled from colony to colony, buying local produce and selling it in Europe.Through cooperation with other fleets, our income is very good.

The adventurous life at sea almost made me forget my past, until I heard that a man named Edward Fairmont was inquired in various ports.

Who will come to me?Is it father?

And when the figure of that person flashed in my field of vision, I was stunned.

On the port, he was walking among the bustling crowd. He was wearing a black monk's robe, his pale skin was reddened by the sun, and his soft hair was wet with sweat and stuck to his cheeks.He was still as gentle and handsome as I remembered, and the moment he appeared, he disturbed my peaceful heart.

Why is he here?What did he come to me for?

I stood on the high side of the ship, looking down at him.But when he was about to see me, he turned around and hid behind the sailboard.

After a while, I looked over quietly, and he was gone.

The harbor at night was lively, sailors gathered in groups of three or four, they drank and ate meat, enjoyed women, made loud noises, and got bloody for a little quarrel.

At night like this, the sky seemed even wider.The stars are far away, but the airflow from the ocean seems to have brought something farther than the starry sky, like ice and snow falling deep in the heart, which makes people sad.

I stood alone in front of the window of the room. A white candle on the bedside table was shining brightly, and the light was sprinkled on the glass window, reflecting my face.

A ferocious welt was still clearly printed on my face from between the eyebrows to the corner of the mouth.Looking at this ugly face, I reached out and squeezed out the candle. The wick made a crackling sound at my fingertips, and the room became pitch black.I swept everything on the table to the ground, then leaned on the glass and panted heavily.

I am ugly and pathetic now, and I still bear the reputation of a murderer on my body, how should I face him?How should I face him?Why did he come to me?Doesn't he hate me?If he can't find me, he will give up automatically, right?

The next day I ordered out to sea and left him behind.

Every time I go to sea, I think, when I come back next time, he must have left.

Who knew that he was such a stubborn person, and he searched for two years, often going in and out of various ports, and sometimes going inland.How much I want to just appear in front of him and tell him that there is no need to search hard, I am here.But every time this time, I seem to have exhausted my courage and become a complete coward.

I still remember how some children on the side of the road threw stones at me. They threw stones and then ran away quickly, shouting at me as they ran: "Scarface! Scarface!"

The merchants who trade with me will also show contempt in the face of me. I know that they often hurt me in private.

Other people's cold eyes and ridicule, after a lot of experience, don't take it to heart.But he is not someone else, he is the person I like, when I was young, I wish I could show my best side in front of him all the time, I don't want to leave ugly memories in his heart.

Now he's actually in the priesthood, working in the church, which costs a lot of money to help the locals, and I hear he's going around raising money.I sent the crew to give him money and concealed my identity, but there was a faint hope in my heart.

He will find me right?If he really finds me, I will never leave him again.

……

Edward told me about his days in these years.

When he spoke, there was always a smile on the corner of his mouth, and the content was relaxed and humorous, as if he had been very satisfied all these years.But I know that everything is not as simple and beautiful as he said.Sailing on the sea all year round, life must be difficult, and it is almost like risking your life.

Originally, the noble young man whose every move seemed to have been sculpted by the principles of a gentleman, now seems to be a different person.

The heaviness and calmness between his brows are created by going through dangers and storms. It is completely different from the indifferent attitude deliberately put on by young people. Some people can't see through his deep eyes and his calmness. What is he thinking under his expression.

We spent the whole afternoon, and most of the time he talked about his life at sea, and he talked with great interest, which often made me laugh.I could feel that he was trying to please me, and whenever Edward wanted to please someone, he always did.We had our estrangement and then separated for many years, but he was able to create a comfortable conversation atmosphere without making me feel cramped, and all the nervousness I saw him at first disappeared, as if we had never cut off communication , has always been the closest friend.

In the evening, I got up to say goodbye to him.

He asked me to stay and said, "I still want to treat you well? Just stay tonight."

"There are activities in the church tonight, and the wives nearby are preparing for the upcoming Christmas. I am responsible for presiding over the prayers." India is so hot all year round that people don't realize that Christmas is coming.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" he asked me with a smile.

"I'm glad to be with you." I said looking at him.

From that day on, Edward became a regular at our church.He comes to see me almost every day, and we don't need to talk a lot, we can just simo quietly for a whole day.We also play around together, just like when we were teenagers studying.Such a happy day is like a phantom, I can't even feel the passage of time, everything makes me forget it.

We did not disclose our mutual friendship publicly, so people who came to church still complained to me in private.

"It's disgusting. Why is he suddenly coming to our parish?" said a woman. "He comes every day. I heard he never went to church."

"Since he came, my husband doesn't like to come to church anymore."

"Kids would be intimidated by him, he just looks like a savage pirate."

Another gentleman said: "After several conversations, I found that his etiquette is very good. If he is not so greedy and harsh, maybe he can be accepted. After all, he is a capable man."

Although people denounced him collectively in private, but when they met in person, they had completely different expressions and tried their best to please him.After I announced to everyone that Edward donated to the church, people could not object to him coming to church, and some people even quietly inquired about his net worth.Every rich bachelor is a cake in the eyes of the wives, even if they don't look good, it doesn't matter.Some wives even felt that because of their ugly looks, no one would marry their daughters to him.She wondered how much money she could get in exchange for her if she didn't dislike him and agreed to betroth her daughter to this disfigured man.

And I also encountered a new embarrassment.

Every morning, there will be young ladies around me waiting for my prayers. It used to be no trouble, but recently it has made me more and more nervous.At this time, Edward would sit in a certain seat in the middle of the cathedral, watching me from a distance.I smiled at him, but instead of giving me a smile back as usual, he stared at me with a blank expression on his face.

"The girls here are very enthusiastic, not as reserved as the gentlemen's ladies (lady: gentleman's wife and daughter)." Once, I actually explained it to him without thinking, and I didn't know that I was explaining. What.

"In the eyes of many merchants, you are a good candidate for a son-in-law." Edward mercilessly pierced through my cover-up.

"I...I have told many people my decision not to marry for life, but...you know...I can't rudely reject them because of this. I am a pastor, and it is my duty to take care of the parishioners." I murmured said.

"Hehe, it's the responsibility of taking care of the dreams of young women, right?" He said sarcastically.

I remember when this guy was a kid, he liked to make long, slightly sarcastic remarks.After growing up, the long speeches are gone, but the sharpness seems to be engraved in his bones.

"A gentleman shouldn't embarrass people." I said helplessly, "Can't you pretend you didn't see it?"

"I have long lost my status as a gentleman, not to mention that as an upright and polite person, I can't turn a blind eye to things that make me uncomfortable." He raised his eyebrows and said.

It was the first time he talked about his identity in person, and I felt a little sour, so I didn't refute.

"Why don't you just agree to the pursuit of a certain lady? I believe that as long as you wave your hand, a large number of girls will be reduced. When their parents give you a heavy dowry, your future life will become very rich." He continued.

"I've said it before." I said, "I'm not going to get married."

"Or you don't like the identity of a businessman, and you want to marry a lady of the gentleman class with a matching status." Edward said relentlessly.

"Enough! Edward, let's not discuss this topic, I'm not interested in women!" I said angrily.

"Oh, that's really an answer that makes me happy." He raised the corner of his mouth and sneered.