Kneeling 16 400-word masterpieces,

The Red Sea is long gone. The ship is sailing in the Indian Ocean. But the sun still set late and got up early, occupying most of the night. Night is like paper soaked in oil, becoming a translucent body; It is embraced by the sun and cannot be separated. Perhaps it was intoxicated by the sunshine, so the sunset glow of the night after faded camel red. When Hong Xiao was drunk, the sleeper in the cabin woke up in a greasy sweat, took a bath, rushed to the deck to blow the sea breeze, and another day began. This is the end of July, the hottest time of the year, and the third day of the China lunar calendar. China is hotter than usual. Afterwards, everyone said it was a sign of war, because it was the year of the Republic of China 1937.

The French mail ship Vicomtede brageloone is heading for China. At eight o'clock in the morning, the washed third-class deck was wet, but someone was already sitting, French, German exiles, especially Tyrion, Indian, Annan, not to mention China. The sea breeze has been hot and dry, and the fat man's body has been blown dry by the wind, covered with a layer of sweaty salt frost, as if he had just bathed in the Dead Sea in Palestine. After all, it is early in the morning, and people's interest has not been dried up by the sun, and they are lazy and anxious to talk and do things. The French policemen newly sent to Annan or the Chinese Concession are flirting with the coquettish Miss Youtai. Bismarck once said that the characteristic of French ambassador is that he can't speak a foreign language; These policemen don't know German, but they really express their feelings and make Mrs. You giggle, which is much better than their diplomats. This woman's beautiful husband likes watching it very much, because cigarettes, beer and lemonade have been stained a lot these days. The Red Sea has passed, and we are not afraid of fires caused by heat, so after a while, cigarette butts will be everywhere on the deck except scattered peels, pieces of paper and bottle stoppers. The French are famous for their clear thinking and clean articles, but everything they do is messy, dirty and noisy, but look at the mess on this ship. This ship, relying on the ingenuity of people, is full of people's troubles and hopes, and is excited all the way, returning a small square of water polluted by popularity to the heartless and endless sea in minutes.

As usual, a group of China students return to China every summer. There are also more than a dozen people on this ship. Most of them are young people whose jobs have not yet been decided. When they return to China at the beginning of the summer vacation, they can relax. Those students who know nothing will not be willing to leave home until it is cool in autumn. Some of these children on board are studying in France, others in Britain, Germany and Belgium, and they go to Paris to increase their nightlife. Therefore, they also took a French ship. They met at the ends of the earth and felt like friends. When they talk about the motherland that is invaded by foreign countries and civil strife, they can't wait to go back to serve. The boat is moving too slowly, and everyone is homesick and worried that there is no place to put it. I don't know where two sets of mahjong tiles suddenly came. Mahjong, of course, is a national skill, which is said to be very popular in America. Playing cards not only has the flavor of hometown, but also suits the world trend. The number of people can make up more than two tables, so besides eating and sleeping, gambling all day for fun is really wonderful. Just after breakfast, the restaurant below was busy playing the first round of cards, and only two China women and a child could be seen on the deck-at least the shipping company didn't treat him like a human being and didn't let his parents buy him tickets. The woman wearing sunglasses and carrying a novel is dressed elegantly. Skin is white among orientals, but it is a pity that this white color is not fresh and dry. She took off her black-rimmed glasses, her eyes were thin, but her lips were too thin and her lipstick was not rich enough. If she stands up from the couch and meets a thin figure, perhaps the outline is too hard, like a Fang Bi, and she looks mid-twenties. The age of new women, like the age of old women's wedding invitations, needs the so-called external evidence of textual research scientists to determine the authenticity, which is intangible in itself. The boy's mother, in her thirties, wore a semi-old black cheongsam, full of fatigue and drowsiness, and naturally hung her eyebrows upside down, which made her even more miserable. The child is under two years old, with a flat nose, two squints and high eyebrows. They are so far away and lovesick, just like the faces of China people in newspaper cartoons. As soon as he learned to walk, he kept running around; Mother is afraid of the heat, holding hands, tired and irritable, worried that her husband will win or lose in the following, and can't help but scold her children for being annoying. The child changed his purpose after not running far, and jumped on the woman who was reading a book. That woman is usually narcissistic and cold-hearted-like a nonchalant guest at a big party or an untimely unmarried girl at a wedding reception-but now she shows disgust, and black glasses can't cover it up. The child's mother felt a little sorry and pulled the belt and said, "You naughty child, go and make trouble with Miss Su! Come back quickly. -Miss Su, study hard! You study so well and read all day. Mr. Sun often tells me that only a female student like Miss Su Can can win face for China. They are beautiful. They are doctors. Where can I find such a person? For example, we came to a foreign country for nothing, never read a word, stayed as housewives all our lives, studied at home, and forgot to have children-scared! Damn it! I told you not to go. You must have soiled Miss Su's clothes. " Miss Su has always looked down on this poor Mrs. Sun and disliked children the least, but after hearing this, she was happy and smiled kindly: "Let him come, I like children best." She took off her sunglasses, closed the book in front of her, and carefully held the child's wrist leaning against the pool to avoid rubbing her clothes. She asked him, "Where is Dad?" The child didn't answer, but opened his eyes and asked Miss Su, "Bo! Wave! " Blow spit and learn to blow bubbles from goldfish raised in the canteen. Miss Su panicked and took out a handkerchief to defend herself. Mother tugged at him, clamoring to hit him in the mouth, and sighed, "Needless to say, his father is gambling down there! I don't understand why all men love gambling. You see, we are all in the same boat, gambling in the dark. Win some money back. No problem. Like us, Mr. Sun lost a lot of money and gambled. I hate it! " After listening to the last few petty words, Miss Su couldn't help but feel contempt for Mrs. Sun and said coldly, "Mr. Fang doesn't gamble." Mrs. Sun's nostrils turned to the sky and she gasped, "Mr. Fang! He also played cards when he got off the boat. Now he is busy chasing after Miss Bao, so he has no time. People's lifelong events are much more important than gambling. I can't see that Miss Bao's beauty is dark and thick, which will cause Mr. Fang to suffer in the third class instead of the second class. I think they should get along well. Maybe when they come to Hong Kong, they will get engaged. This is really' a thousand miles to meet'. " Miss Su's heart ached at this. She answered Mrs. Sun and comforted herself by saying, "That's impossible! Miss Bao is married. She told me herself. The money she spent studying abroad was paid by her married husband. " Mrs. Sun said, "How romantic is it to have a betrothed husband? We are old-fashioned, and we finally learn something new this time. Miss Su, let me tell you a joke. Mr Fang and you are old classmates of China. Does he always talk casually? Yesterday, Mr. Sun told him that he was unlucky in gambling, and he was still laughing. He said that for many years in France, Mr. Sun knew nothing about French superstitions: his wife was unfaithful and cheated others, his husband became a turtle, he won the lottery and he won gambling. So he said that a man should comfort himself if he loses a bet. Mr. Sun told me that I blamed him for not questioning Fang. What does this mean? Now it seems that Miss Bao's fiance will definitely win the first prize in the aviation lottery. If you become Mrs. Fang, Mr. Fang will be very lucky in gambling. " The malice of honest people, like the gravel in rice or the thorns in fish fillets, will give people an unexpected pain.