"Sixth Master, we have a doctor on the boat, along with medicine," Walter Klein reminded him.
"But the doctor is a man," Sixth Master replied.
Everyone froze, then quickly understood what their Sixth Master was struggling with. It turned out he was reluctant to let another man see his woman.
This was interesting. Their incredibly handsome and usually abstemious Sixth Master had actually been swayed.
"Sixth Master, it'll still be two hours before the boat reaches land. If we don't take action now, I'm afraid Sister-in-law won't be able to hold on until we get there," Walter Klein said dispassionately, simply stating the facts of the situation to Sixth Master.
What the final decision would be was up to Sixth Master himself.
There was no sound on the boat. Everyone waited for Sixth Master's decision. Ever-decisive, Sixth Master did not hesitate for long. "Call Little Ninth!" he said before carrying Sienna Johnson back to the cabin.
Little Ninth was Sixth Master's cousin, the ninth in seniority among their generation in the family, which is why everyone called him Little Ninth. Little Ninth was also a doctor.
"I'm going!" Someone ran off to find him.
Soon, a young, graceful-looking man of average height was called over. He didn't go in immediately but instead walked up to Walter Klein. "Brother Walter, what happened?"
Walter Klein looked a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said cryptically, "Sister-in-law is injured. Go take a look at her."
"How did she get injured?"
Walter Klein hesitated to answer. Most of the men on board were coarse types and didn't mince words, so one of them piped up, "She started bleeding heavily after Sixth Master played with her in bed!"
Upon hearing this, Little Ninth turned to leave, but not towards the cabin, clearly unwilling to provide treatment. Walter Klein stopped him, "Little Ninth, where are you going?"
"I'm going to sleep!"
"Sixth Master asked you to take a look at Sister-in-law. She's lost a lot of blood, and we still have two hours before reaching land. I don't think she can hold on till then."
"Actually, death isn't so scary!" Little Ninth tried to act wise.
"Her life is on the line. Quit fooling around and go check on her," Walter Klein said seriously.
Little Ninth grimaced. "You guys haven't been with Sixth Brother long enough to know how domineering he is! When we were young, no one was allowed to touch any of Sixth Brother's stuff. Once, my eldest paternal cousin accidentally broke a wooden gun Sixth Brother loved, and Sixth Brother, in turn, broke one of my eldest cousin's ribs!
"These days, I can tell Sixth Brother has taken a liking to that girl. If I examine her body, it'll be more than just a broken rib for me.
"Sister-in-law's life is valuable, but my life is valuable too!
"I'm my parents' only son. If I die, when my parents get old, there will be no one to perform their last rites."
Everyone recalled how Sixth Master had insisted on finding a doctor ashore, despite knowing Little Ninth, a highly skilled doctor, was on board. They suddenly understood. So that was the real reason!
Walter Klein patted Little Ninth's shoulder, his voice carrying the solemn weight of sending a hero off to certain doom. "Little Ninth, if you don't descend into hell, then we'll all have to!"
"Damn it!"
When Sixth Master saw that no one had come after a long wait, he came up to find someone himself. He spotted Little Ninth in the crowd and roared, "What are you dawdling for? I've been calling you for ages! Why haven't you gotten your ass over here?!"
"Sixth Brother, I'm a Surgeon, not a Gynecologist!"
"Get over here!"
Little Ninth shook his head frantically.
"I'll say it one last time: Get over here!" Sixth Master's anger was frightening. Someone gave Little Ninth a shove. Little Ninth stumbled a few steps forward.
Little Ninth steeled himself and went forward. The moment he reached Sixth Master, he was unceremoniously dragged inside.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat for Little Ninth. "...Little Ninth is Sixth Master's own kinsman, after all. Surely Sixth Master wouldn't kill him over this afterward, right?"
"Of course not! Brothers are like limbs; women are like clothes. You can always buy more clothes, but brothers, once gone, are gone."
"But we've followed Sixth Master for so many years, and this is the first 'garment' he's acquired. He has several kinsmen, though. If Little Ninth were gone, there's still Little Seventh, Little Eighth, Little Tenth..." Thinking about it this way, it seemed the 'garment' was indeed more important than a kinsman.
...
In the cabin, a strong smell of blood choked the air. The woman under the blanket lay deathly still. Little Ninth had her take some medicine, which temporarily staunched the bleeding. He wiped his sweat, looking as if he had just fought a difficult battle.
"How is she? She's okay, isn't she?" Sixth Master asked anxiously, grabbing Little Ninth.
Little Ninth looked at his Sixth Brother, his expression unreadable. "Sixth Brother, I know this is your first time with a woman, but you really need to take it easy! If this bleeding doesn't stop, Sister-in-law's life will truly be on the line."
Sixth Master kicked a chair in the cabin, and it shattered. Little Ninth flinched, thankful he wasn't that poor chair.
"How was I supposed to know she'd be so fragile? Isn't it normal to bleed a little the first time? But her? She's hemorrhaging!"
Little Ninth plucked up his courage and said, "Sixth Brother, could it be that your... thing... is too big, and Sister-in-law is too... petite? If the sizes don't match, of course there'd be problems."
Sixth Master's gaze swept over him dangerously. Little Ninth instantly wished he could bite his own tongue off. Why did I have to open my big mouth?! He quickly tried to salvage the situation, "...Actually, a woman's... private part... is very elastic. After a few... encounters... it will... stretch... and, well... accommodate better."
Sixth Master kicked Little Ninth's backside, yelling, "Get lost!"
Hearing that, Little Ninth felt as if he'd been pardoned and quickly slipped away.
The moment Little Ninth stepped out, he was mobbed by a group of gossiping men. They were all men on board, having drifted at sea for three months with virtually no entertainment. Now that such a sensational and risqué tidbit had fallen into their laps, how could they possibly let it go?
"Is Sister-in-law okay?"
"The bleeding stopped for now," Little Ninth replied.
"So, you saw Sister-in-law's body... Did Sixth Master do anything to you?" one of them asked, not fearing death.
Little Ninth felt the need to clarify this issue; it was a matter of his own life and death. "...My Sixth Brother had her wrapped up tight as a drum. I didn't see a thing. I just gave her some medicine to stop the bleeding for now. Once we're ashore, she still needs to go to a hospital."
"So, uh, why did Sister-in-law bleed so much?"
Little Ninth looked at the men on the boat, their eyes gleaming with an insatiable curiosity. He could joke around with his Sixth Brother, but he wouldn't dare spread wild rumors out here.
"I'm not sure about that. She'll have to be seen by a proper doctor."
Walter Klein emerged from the cockpit. Seeing everyone crowded around Little Ninth, he yelled, "What are you all gawking at? The boat's about to dock! Get to your stations!
"I won't waste more words.
"Just remember, Sixth Master is in a foul mood right now. If any of you aren't afraid of death and want to walk right into the line of fire, don't blame me for not giving you a heads-up."
"Brother Walter, rest assured. We definitely won't cause any trouble once we're ashore."
"Heh..."
"Yeah, really, no trouble, no trouble."
Walter Klein scanned everyone on the boat, clearly not very convinced by their words. "Remember what you just said!"