"Oh, I'm sorry..." Dr. Buck didn't expect that Ferdinand was a bit mysophobic, so he quickly took off his gloves and threw them aside. "I'm very sorry, I lost my temper for a moment, but I hope the consul will take our proposal seriously!"
"Enough, enough!" Ferdinand waved his hands impatiently and said, "Things are not as simple as you think. Do you think these humble indigenous people will change their living habits?"
"Pooping feces into the depths of the desert to be exposed to the sun? Who will do such strenuous work, and who will provide the funds? These people are so poor that they can't even afford to eat, so do we expect them to add to the troubles in their lives?"
"And what are you talking about about drinking boiled water? Come on, this is a desert city. Where do you get the fuel? The limited shrubs and trees in the desert are not enough for them to make fires for cooking. They have to boil water every day?"
"As for building sewers, that is even more impossible. The locals have no money, and the canal company cannot pay for it... Do you know how much money we in France have invested in building the canal?"
"In 11 years, we have invested a total of 1.8 million pounds! Now all our work is to recover the investment! We will not increase any other extra expenses!"
"That's enough. I'm very grateful for your voluntary labor, but unfortunately everything you proposed is unrealistic. Please go back. There is a long journey waiting for you, so I won't send it away!"
After saying that, Ferdinand turned and left! At this moment, the intensive sound of horse hooves coming from the east of the street was getting closer and closer. A group of French cavalry who came to support quickly surrounded the medical team. The tall horses began to isolate the distance between the medical team and the Canal Company building. Buck and the others were bit by bit. Forced out.
"Forget it, Mr. Buck, we have done our best. These French people are basically a group of vampires, and the locals are still very wary of us. We can't change anything. Let's go back to the ship..."
Buck licked his thirsty lips and looked at the direction where the horse disappeared and whispered, "Wait a little longer, I hope the horse will gain something back there!"
Just as the medical team slowly retreated to the sampan, Ma Hui and the others also encountered trouble. Just as Buck and Ferdinand were arguing, Ma Hui and others were suddenly attacked by a group of teenagers wearing turbans.
The screaming teenagers picked up the stones in their hands and threw them at Ma Hui with all their strength. The translator scolded them several times, but it didn't work.
At first, there were only four or five teenagers harassing Ma Hui. After a while, more than 20 people were throwing stones. Ma Hui had five or six big bruises on his head. Stars appeared in his eyes. He had no choice but to hug him. My head was racing.
"What are these kids yelling about?"
"Report sir! They called us evil pagans and said we were the devils who brought the plague!"
"Damn, it's really unreasonable. The plague has broken out a long time ago. We just arrived today and it's all my fault... Look at the front. There is a small mosque. Let's go somewhere to hide..."
More and more children were chasing them, and rocks were flying over like rain. The three of them, no longer caring about their religious habits, smashed open the wooden door of the mosque and rolled on the carpet like a rubber ball.
When they arrived here, the children finally did not dare to throw stones, but when Ma Hui and others looked up, they found that there were more than 20 strong men around them, all with big beards on their faces, glaring at them.
It was obvious that these foreigners from Malaysia had angered them, and storming the mosque was the greatest disrespect to God.
"Catch them! Cut off their heads! How dare you destroy the wooden door in the mosque, don't let any of them go..."
Ma Hui subconsciously wanted to touch the gun, but when he reached out, it was nothing. He realized that in order to prevent the local indigenous people from misunderstanding, the weapons had been left with the medical team. Now, except for a dagger in the boot, there were no other weapons. .
The surrounding desert natives were getting closer and closer, and they all clenched their fists with ferocious expressions. They didn't have much time to worry about the emergency.
"Translate...translate the exact words I said!"
"I am a believer in Allah. I am a Muslim from China. I also believe in Allah... I am a descendant of the eunuch Sanbao, Zheng He who came here during the Ming Dynasty..."
At the critical moment, the translator couldn't do much, so he translated directly according to Ma Hui's original words, and thought to himself, "What's the use of this? How could the people here know the Three Treasures Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty? It's life-threatening. My life is going to be lost!" "
At this critical moment, an old voice suddenly came from the depths of the mosque, "Wait a minute! Don't do anything, I have something to say..."
An imam with a snow-white beard walked out with the support of his attendants. He bent down and looked at Ma Hui lying on the carpet and said lightly, "I know Sanbao Eunuch, what is your name, and what evidence do you have to prove your identity?" ?”
Ma Hui wiped the sweat from his forehead, straightened his body and knelt on the carpet, "Please give me a compass, let me know the direction of the Holy Land, Mecca, so that my forehead can always face the Holy Land..."
When these words came out, the imam and the people around him were stunned. This was really something only a believer could say. It was the rule to pray with your head toward the holy place.
However, people are in different directions, so a kind of compass for locating the location of holy places has been understood. Generally speaking, this is used by herdsmen who travel frequently, and few others know about it.
In accordance with the rules of his hometown, Ma Hui bowed to the holy place and recited scriptures under the guidance of the imam. Although there were some differences in movements and intonations, considering that Ma Hui was a distant relative who had been living in China for thousands of years, these differences were not significant. Strange.
"Child! The story of the Three Treasures Eunuch is widely circulated in the Middle East. He once brought a huge Ming Dynasty fleet to worship the Holy Land. We all know this... But the Chinese name of the Three Treasures Eunuch is Zheng He! And you You said you called Ma Hui, how can this be a family?"
The horse looked back and saw that there was a door. Being able to know the name of the three treasure eunuchs meant that the ancestors had really been here. With this layer of incense and love, at least his life was saved.
"Yes, you are absolutely right. The Sanbao eunuch's name is indeed Zheng He, but his family name is not Zheng!" Ma Hui proudly straightened his back. "My ancestors have always lived in Yunnan, and they have always had the surname Zheng He." Ma! The real name of Sanbao Eunuch is Ma Hui! He was given the surname Zheng because of his contribution in the battle of Zhengzhou during the Jingnan Campaign!"
"I am a descendant of this branch! Please believe me, because there is no benefit to me from deceiving you!"
Speaking of this, the old imam's eyes were full of tears. The old stories were all consistent at this moment. He finally knew that he was not a thief or a devil, but a relative who had been homeless for thousands of years.
"Child! Welcome home..."
