Chu Changge spent two days on the pirate ship but did not find out anything, only that the one-eyed pirate was the pirate ship’s captain. As for his true identity, no one knew. But Chu Changge could guess from his words, on the day he first met him, that he must have a great connection with his own life.
Originally, Chu Changge did not believe much in Hua Ziqing's words and had long since made up his mind that no matter who his birth parents were, they had nothing to do with him. But this time, when he met this person, in the middle of the vast ocean, who was related to his birth, he could not help but want to find out what was going on. The closer he got to the truth, the more he wanted to know. This was probably what he was feeling at this moment.
The pirate ship sailed slowly, without a fixed course. Chu Changge asked the one-eyed pirate where the ship was heading, and his answer was——I don't know.
"It was because we've gotten lost." That was the one-eyed pirate's explanation.
When Chu Changge heard this explanation, he had the urge to kill him. If you can't even recognise your direction, how can you be a pirate!
"Do you know in which direction the Central Plains is?" Chu Changge asked.
The one-eyed pirate stood by the mast, looking out into the distance. He shook his head afterwards and calmly answered, "I don't know."
"......then, what do you know?" Chu Changge asked rather powerlessly.
The one-eyed pirate thought for a moment and said, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west."
The corners of Chu Changge's mouth slightly twitched as he gritted his teeth. "What else do you know?"
"The wind at sea blows half the year towards the southeast and another half the northwest. There's an island to the northwest, and if we're lucky, we'll end up on that island."
"What if your luck isn't good?"
"Wait until the first half of next year when the wind blows from the southeast to blow us back."
At these words, the blue veins on Chu Changge's forehead kept on popping out, and he asked with a black face, "So, if you have bad luck again, and be blown once more by the northwest wind, you have to repeat doing what you've just said?"
"Wow, a hint is all that you need. Nephew, you have a lot of wisdom!" The one-eyed pirate had a look of admiration on his face. He had been blown back and forth across the sea for several springs before he figured out the pattern. "It's just that my luck hasn't been good for a long time." The one-eyed pirate said as he looked off into the distance one more time.
"......" Chu Changge knew it just by looking at him.
The one-eyed pirate withdrew his eyes and added, "But now that you are here, things are different. The fact that my ship has drifted to you and rescued you in the middle of a vast ocean means that you are quite lucky. Maybe, if we drift for a few more months, we'll be able to dock."
He knew he had always had good luck, but with such a boatload of unlucky pirates, no amount of good luck could counter the growing bad luck around them.
After a long silence, Chu Changge suddenly leapt to a high place and pulled the alarm bell.
When the alarm bell rang, all the pirates came on the deck while looking at each other in bewilderment. On the other hand, the one-eyed pirate tilted his head to look at Chu Changge, curious as to what he wanted.
When Chu Changge saw that all the people had almost arrived, he cleared his throat and shouted, "From this moment on, this pirate ship will be taken over by me."
His words caused a storm of protest from all those present.
"We already have our Captain. Why would you want to take over?"
"Yeah, we have our Captain."
"Captain, what the hell is going on here?"
"Yeah, what's going on, Captain. Say something."
……
Chu Changge listened quietly to the talk between the pirates. After a long time, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he said in a very calm manner, "In that case, as long as he dies, I can take over this ship?"
His single sentence shocked everyone. All those present were like crows and peacocks making no sound.
The one-eyed pirate also flinched for a few moments, then burst out laughing as he said, "Nephew, we pirates are all coarse people and don't understand your jokes, so stop playing around."
"I'm not joking." Chu Changge's face suddenly sank as he said, "I'm taking over this ship. Are you willing or not?"
The one-eyed pirate simply stopped smiling as he scowled and said, "I was kind enough to save you, but don't go too far. Be careful, or I'll throw you into the sea and feed you to the sharks."
Chu Changge repeated in a heavier tone, “I want to take over this ship.” A chilling aura of ‘those who go against me will die’ covered his face.
The one-eyed pirate said unhappily, “Look at your refined character. How come you act more of a bandit than me?!”
“If you make them obey my command, you will be the vice-captain.” Chu Changge said with great mercy. [+]
The one-eyed pirate thought for a moment and finally decided to back down. He laughed a few times at the crowd of pirates and then said, “I’m on good terms with his father, so just let him be the captain if he wants to.”
The crowd faces were full of black lines. Captain, if you act this way, you’ll make your brothers disappointed! He robbed your boat with just his words. If this matter gets out, how can they still have any face to walk on the street in the future?
The one-eyed pirate let out a long sigh and then said in a serious tone, “What you guys do not know is that I also have difficulties in doing so.”
The crowd looked at him in unison as they heard his words. What are the difficulties? We’re giving you a chance to explain.
The one-eyed pirate sighed again and hesitated for a few moments before saying, “I can’t beat him.”
Ugh. The crowd was instantly petrified.
After a long time, someone shouted, “We still have to fight even if we can’t beat him! It’s better to lose in fighting than being a loser.”
“Yes, Captain. You have us to give you a helping hand. What are you afraid of?”
Someone started shouting 'ho ho ho', and soon everyone followed suit.
The one-eyed pirate slapped the back of his head as he began to get a headache and suddenly shouted, “Shut up!”
All the pirates immediately silenced.
The one-eyed pirate snapped, “Do you think I can become an undefeatable cockroach just by roaring and yelling a few times? Anyone who doesn’t like it will fight him. If he wins, I’ll make him captain, and if he loses, he’ll be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.”
When the crowd saw that the Captain had said so, they dared not disagree anymore. Even if the Captain could not beat the man, they were certainly no match for him.
“Very well.” Chu Changge stretched his back and said incredibly lazily, “Whoever doesn’t like it can jump into the sea by themselves. Don’t bother me.” After speaking, he went into the cabin to sleep.
The group of pirates look at each other. What kind of luck has the Captain had in his life to save an ancestor and had to support and serve him halfway?
Facing the torn stares of his brothers, the one-eyed pirate coughed awkwardly and said, “Dismissed. Let’s go back to our work.”
They refused to go. “Captain...”
The one-eyed pirate barked, “Even you people want to ride over my head?”
Seeing that the Captain was angry, the crowd immediately dispersed.
As soon as his men withdrew, the one-eyed pirates wiped a bitter tear in the wind. If one didn't work hard when one was young, one would only be a henchman all one’s life. Only a henchman!
*
Inside the cabin, Chu Changge leans back and closes his eyes, contemplating how to lift himself out of his difficult situation.
The wind was blowing northwest. Even if they were lucky enough to be blown to the island that the one-eyed pirates said, it would be a big problem to get back to the Central Plains from that said island. Rather than leave it to fate, it would be better to make the first move. If he could just find out which direction the Central Plains was in and sail that way, they would undoubtedly be able to dock.
But now, he was just like the one-eyed pirate, who only knew that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and nothing else. So how was he going to tell the direction of the Central Plains?
Chu Changge tossed and turned, thinking hard but unable to think of an answer.
If only Yunshu were around. No matter what happened, she would always have a solution. Her solution would be a bit strange and weird, but it was better than nothing. Now, if only he could return to the Central, he would be willing to swim back with dry food on his back.
Unable to think while lying down, Chu Changge simply stood up and paced back and forth in the room. He was anxious now, very anxious. He had never been so anxious in his life. It was his bad luck to run into a bunch of pirates who couldn’t tell the difference between north and south! The Heavens were against him, weren’t they?
Suddenly, from the corner of Chu Changge’s eyes, he saw a flash from an iron box. It was unlocked and had a dirty piece of cloth draped over the edge, which seemed to have something drawn on it. He opened the box and took out the cloth to look at it. “It’s a map!” He was overjoyed and looked down at the box again, only to see that there was also a copper disc with a pointer inside apart from the map.
“What are these things?” Chu Changge asked the one-eyed pirate as he went out with the map and the disc. [+]
The one-eyed pirate tilted his head listlessly and answered, “I don’t know.”
“Isn’t this boat yours?” The implication was, how can you not know what’s on your boat?
“Didn’t you just say that you were taking over this boat?”
“Don’t go on a long detour with me. What the hell is this! Is it a navigational tool? Something to give directions or something?”
The one-eyed pirate took another look at the disc, then turned back to look out to sea with a long sigh, and then another long sigh......
The corners of Chu Changge’s mouth slightly trembled as he asked rudely, “Thinking of your dead mother?”
The one-eyed pirate let out another long sigh, then looked at Chu Changge with a sad face as he said, “I have just lost a ship and am thinking whether to throw myself overboard or hang myself. Can you just leave me in peace?”
“......I’ll give you back your boat when we get to the Central Plains.”
“It’s no use.” The one-eyed pirate said sadly, “My dignity has been trampled on by you, and I don’t want to live......”
The corners of Chu Changge’s forehead jumped wildly, and he stared at the one-eyed pirate for a moment without any expression. Finally, he couldn’t bear it any longer and flew to fetch the rope from the mast to make a few loops around the one-eyed pirate, then pulled hard and tied the lower end of the rope to an iron stake on the deck. With a slap of both of his hands, it was done.
Before the one-eyed pirate could react to what was happening, he was already hoisted into mid-air.
“You, you, you......what are you doing?!” The one-eyed pirate moved his hands and feet about in the air.
“Giving you a hand.” Chu Changge replied indifferently. “The sea is windy, and before long, you will be dried and become a dry corpse.”
The one-eyed pirate, too heartbroken for tears to come out, scowled miserably as he said, “Don’t be so serious! I was joking. Really. Life is so beautiful that I want to live a few more years.”
“So, do you know what this is?” Chu Changge asked, holding up the round disc.
The one-eyed pirate shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Then there’s no need for you to live anymore.” Chu Changge went back to the cabin after saying that.
The one-eyed pirate was in a hurry, “Hey, you don’t have to rush off. If you want to leave, put me down first......”
“Captain, what are you doing up there?” A young pirate minion asked as he approached.
“Ah, oh, ahem, blow-drying. I’m blow-drying myself. It’s so windy here......so windy...... achoo......”
“Sigh, what an embarrassment.” The young pirate walked away with feelings of distressed and disgusted, leaving the one-eyed pirate alone in the wind.
This time, the one-eyed pirate honestly wanted to die. What had he done in his past life that he could meet a living ancestor in this one?
Noob Translator's Musing
The One-eyed Captain reminded me of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Oh, when the Chinese refer to someone as their ancestors:
A person made you headache. For instance, you can call a child 祖宗， if he is very naughty. - ac09
When you want someone stubborn to accept your plans, ideas, proposals, you may call him/her 祖宗 (jokingly) e.g. 赶快出发吧，祖宗！再不走就来不及了！[Hurry up! PLEASE! If we don't go now, we'll miss it!] When you want to calm down someone who annoys you, you may also say 祖宗(also jokingly). e.g. 别吵了，我的祖宗！[Stop shouting, I'M BEGGING YOU!] Note that the Chinese attach great importance to the respect of older generations, so calling others "ancester" is actually rare. The deep meaning of such sentences is "I would rather admire and worship you as my ancester if/than …"🤭 - prochesseur
Answers for the question from mirisi in hinative: In slang, what does it mean when you call someone a 祖宗 (ancestor)?
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