The storm continued, but gradually, the ship's tilting and spinning were brought under control. Gu Jingheng stood at the cabin door, his hands braced against the bulkhead, steadily facing the deck.
The girl, held in the middle-aged woman's arms, looked up and, although she could only see his back, she inexplicably felt a sense of security.
The man's back resembled a mountain peak, exuding an unstoppable aura that seemed to awe all around him, standing there imposingly.
As Qiu Pingshuang watched, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, hiding in her mother Madam Xing's arms.
At the foot of the bed next to them was Old Madam Huo, who was holding Sun Wanqing, her face pale and revealing her anxiety.
Sun Wanqing was held in Old Madam Huo's arms, huddled in the corner between the bed frame and the cabin wall, which helped her maintain some stability and prevented her from rolling around on the deck due to the turbulence.
However, the ship was rocking so violently that it would sometimes be lifted high and sometimes suddenly drop under the wind and waves. The extreme ups and downs made Sun Wanqing very seasick.
"Qing'er, are you alright?" Old Madam Huo tenderly cupped her granddaughter's face and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
"girl!"
Chunrou and Xiazhi were right next to the two of them, clinging to the bed legs, barely managing to keep their balance.
"Girl, please suck on another slice of ginger."
Ginger can relieve motion sickness. Sun Yun'er told Chunrou about it when Sun Wanqing got seasick before, so Chunrou specially prepared some for this trip.
Although Sun Wanqing didn't like the taste of ginger, she knew this wasn't the time to be willful, so she obediently put a new piece in her mouth, replacing the one she had just been eating.
Even though everyone stayed inside the cabin, the entire floor of the ship was flooded, and the windows were broken due to the strong winds and the ship's loss of control. It was impossible to tell whether the water was rain or river water, which was constantly being blown into the cabin.
Because of the ship's rocking, no one could sit steadily on the stools or beds; everyone fell to the ground, their clothes already soaked.
Suddenly, the ship rocked violently again, and a wave crashed into the house through the broken window!
"ah--!"
The sudden jolt and the water crashing down made the people inside the house gasp in surprise.
Just now, only their clothes were wet, but now most of the people in the room are soaked to the bone.
The younger women were alright, but some of the older women were shivering, whether from fear or the cold.
"Grandmother, I've taken ginger, so I'm fine now. How are you?" Actually, Sun Wanqing's complexion was still not good.
"Grandmother is fine, just a little cold," said Madam Huo, shivering again.
However, by this time, almost everything in the room was soaked with water, making it not only unusable for keeping warm but also uncomfortable to wear.
Feeling sorry for her grandmother, Sun Wanqing immediately broke free from Old Madam Huo's embrace and held Old Madam Huo in her arms, mimicking Old Madam Huo's actions to warm her up.
Inside the cabin, a little girl suddenly started sobbing.
The sound of crying made the already frightened and anxious crowd feel even heavier.
Disturbed by the crying, Old Madam Qiu roared, "What are you crying for? No one's dead yet!"
The two maids, Cuizhu and Zhenbao, who were holding Madam Qiu in their arms, immediately patted Madam Qiu's back to help her catch her breath. At the same time, they gave a wink to the woman next to the younger maid, signaling her to comfort the girl.
"Madam, please don't be angry. He's just a ten-year-old child. How could he not be afraid?"
Old Madam Qiu closed her eyes, trying to suppress the nameless anger and fear in her heart.
Qiu Pingshuang broke free from her mother Madam Xing's embrace and moved to Old Madam Qiu's side using both hands and feet. Following Sun Wanqing's example, she put her arms around Old Madam Qiu.
"Grandma, are you cold? Your granddaughter will shield you from the wind."
Qiu Pingshuang's soft voice was the best comfort to Old Madam Qiu at this moment, and she held Qiu Pingshuang's small hand in hers, warming it.
But then he looked at the old and young lying all over the floor, and anger rose in his heart again. He cursed, "The Qiu family spends so much money every year to support these sailors, and they can't even withstand a storm. Now, who knows where they've all gone! If I could go back, I would definitely find these lowly creatures who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun, cough cough cough..."
"Grandma, don't be angry, don't be angry. Take care of yourself." Qiu Pingshuang quickly continued to pat her back to help her breathe.
In Madam Qiu's eyes, there was not only resentment but also worry. She glanced at Madam Huo, and although her view was blocked, she knew that Madam Huo was in that corner.
Old Madam Huo also sighed inwardly.
After the New Year, she took her granddaughter Sun Wanqing to a temple to offer incense and stay for a while. The temple was located on a mountain not far from Yongning City, and it only took a few days to get there.
After staying at the temple for more than a month, when the grandfather and grandson were about to go home, they encountered the Qiu family who had come to offer incense.
The Qiu family were major merchants in Yongning City, dealing in cloth. Although they were merchants, the Sun family did not refuse to associate with them because of this.
Qiu Pingshuang, the youngest daughter of the Qiu family, and Sun Wanqing have known each other since childhood. Although they are not close, they are not strangers either.
Madam Qiu suggested that since the weather was getting warmer, she invited Madam Huo and her granddaughter to go out for a stroll, enjoy the spring scenery, and see different beautiful landscapes.
Madam Huo thought it was a good idea. She rarely went out, and now that she was traveling with the Qiu family, it would be more lively with more people around, so she agreed.
After traveling for several days, they were returning to Yongning City by boat when they unexpectedly encountered this accident.
Madam Qiu sighed heavily. She was worried that if something happened to Madam Huo or Sun Wanqing because of this, how would she explain it to the Sun family when she returned?
Gu Jingheng, who was standing at the door, also heard the commotion inside. Without turning around, he said loudly, "Women and girls, don't worry. Our captain and crew are experienced and will soon regain control of the ship. The ship won't be rocking like this anymore."
Gu Jingheng's voice was deep and resonant, sounding like a calming and soothing balm, inexplicably convincing.
Everyone fell silent, listening to the sound of the wind and waves, and praying that the ship would soon become stable.
Sure enough, gradually, the ship's erratic spinning stopped, and even the turbulence lessened considerably.
The dark, inky sky outside the window gradually brightened a bit.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor.
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