I bent over in the dim cabin for quite a while before finally spotting Samuel Reed in a corner. He was chatting and laughing with a few people around him. Although he sat in the farthest corner, he was clearly the center of attention for the group. I recognized the two people beside him—they were from Quanzhou city. We weren’t close, but their faces looked familiar. Thinking about how these people who knew me hadn’t spoken up for me just now, I felt a bit stifled inside. When they saw me come in, those two guys turned their heads away, pretending not to know me. I couldn’t tell if they felt a bit embarrassed or simply had no intention of acknowledging me.

I ignored them and walked straight up to Samuel Reed, clasped my hands in a respectful gesture, bowed deeply, and sincerely said, “Thank you, Mr. Reed, for saving my life.”

Samuel Reed didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned his head and looked me up and down repeatedly. For some reason, his expression was completely different from the indifference he’d shown earlier. His gaze made me feel a bit uneasy. Seeing that he still didn’t speak, I thought to myself that this person was truly strange. Maybe he had really acted out of chivalry and didn’t care for these post-rescue formalities. So I bowed again and turned to leave.

At that moment, Samuel Reed’s voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, came from behind me: “Minsheng, do you really not recognize me?”

I looked at Samuel Reed in confusion, a strange feeling flashing through my mind, and couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Reed, what do you mean?”

Samuel Reed smiled slightly, patted my shoulder, and motioned for me to go outside with him. Not knowing what was going on, I followed, my confusion growing. Had he come to Quanyong Hall for treatment before? But I couldn’t recall ever seeing this face.

We finally reached a place with fewer people, and Samuel Reed said, “Minsheng, I recognized you right away. You haven’t changed a bit. I’m your Seventh Brother. How is your sister?”

“What? Seventh Brother?” I cried out in shock and hurried to look at him closely. But the tall, cold, and sharp-featured man before me bore little resemblance to the gentle, handsome boy next door I remembered. And then I recalled that painful childhood experience—I thought only my sister and I had escaped. Could it be that Seventh Brother had survived too? If the person before me really was Seventh Brother...

Maybe seeing my continued confusion, Samuel Reed added, “You’re still as slow as ever. Have you forgotten how we used to go to the back mountain to pick wild fruit when we were kids? You almost got bitten by a poisonous snake, and I was the one who used a stick to drive it away, remember?”

I looked at him again, starting to believe him, and asked, “It’s true I almost got bitten by a snake when I was little. Then tell me, what’s my sister’s name?”

“Amin.” Samuel Reed tapped a cigarette on his hand, then fished a match out of his pocket. He struck it hard on the back of his pants—there was a sharp hiss as the match flared to life.

So, he really was Seventh Brother? Did that mean I had a companion on this strange ship? I started to feel excited, wanting to acknowledge him, but seeing his odd way of smoking, I hesitated again.

This man was definitely a soldier—many soldiers liked to show off their smoking skills in front of civilians. And earlier, when he’d rescued me in front of Frank Grant and the others, his calm demeanor had left a deep impression on me. It seemed likely he’d even seen combat.

The Japanese were burning, killing, and looting everywhere, conscripting men wherever they went. He was far from retirement age, so why was he on this ship? Could he be a deserter? I really couldn’t connect this man with the Seventh Brother who always looked out for my sister and me.

Samuel Reed took a drag on his cigarette. “Minsheng, I really did escape from the army.” I nodded silently. He continued, “In these damned times, a man has to look out for himself.”

I nodded again in silence. Through the smoke, he asked, “How’s your sister? Why isn’t she with you?”

His words brought up painful memories. I shook my head and said softly that we’d been separated, and couldn’t go on. I thought of the old days—my sister, Seventh Brother, and the other neighborhood kids always playing together. Seventh Brother wasn’t the oldest among us, but because of his loyalty and cleverness, he became our leader. We’d roast sweet potatoes in the mountains, catch snails in the fields—whenever we got into trouble, Seventh Brother would always stand up for us, and he was especially kind to my sister and me.

Samuel Reed waved away the smoke with his hand. I saw his brow furrow as he asked, “How did it come to this? That day, I was hiding in the abandoned well and heard your parents urging you to run. After that, I never saw you again and thought you’d made it out.” He paused, then added, “But it’s no wonder—you were both so young back then.”

My nose stung, and I called out Seventh Brother, then told him roughly what happened after the bandits raided our village. Both of us were overcome with sadness. Later, I asked, “Why did you change your name?”

He thought for a moment and said, “After the bandits left, there were hardly any people left in the village. My parents were gone too. The villagers told me to go seek out my uncle, so I changed my name and became his son. Later, when the war started, I joined the army, hoping to learn some skills and never let my family be hurt again. But even though I learned some martial arts, I ended up completely disillusioned with the army.”