Liang Jian: I have a canteen

今天是日本宣布无条件投降80周年纪念日（1945年8月15日—2025年8月15日）——
After a four-day train journey, Xu San and Huan Ji finally arrived in Qingdao.

After a day of rest, the two finally boarded a ship bound for Tokyo.

Looking at the passenger ship in front of him, Xu San recalled that the last time he took a long-distance voyage was a few years ago when he went to Nagasaki.

That time
I can't really describe my feelings; I just wanted to think about it and observe it.

Go and see if you're feeling smug.

Following the flow of people, Xu San and Huan Ji arrived on the ship. Xu San did not rush to find his room, but instead carried his suitcase to the bedside.

Looking at the sea across the ocean, and the seagulls.

Huanji stood beside him, watching for a while, and then asked, "If you go, will you come back?"

"I don't know!" Xu San replied calmly.

"Any thoughts? Is this your first time leaving your own country?"

"Hmm, I wonder if I'll get seasick? If I do, I'll probably lose weight in these three days."

"Haven't you ever been on a boat before?" Huanji asked.

“Once you’ve ridden the small boat, the big boat is gone.” Xu San turned around. “Now that you’ve seen enough, let’s go back to our rooms.”

Huanji nodded and followed Xu San back to the cabin.

Individual cabins on ocean liners are generally not very large. Xu San and his group only booked a medium-sized cabin this time. Even if it was a bit larger, it wouldn't be much bigger. The size would be about the same as a standard cabin at a Home Inn.

A large bed, a little space to move around, and a bathroom—that's not much space left.

Seeing that there was only one bed, Xu San sighed.

"Why are you sighing? Do you hate me that much?" Huanji finally couldn't help but complain.

"No!" Xu San said casually, "It's just that I don't really like women."

Despite her intense dissatisfaction, Huanji put away her luggage.

“She wasn’t a ninja.” Xu San thought of Reiko among the female ninjas, so he added, “It’s just that I have a friend who died at the hands of a female ninja.”

Huanji sighed, as if the mystery that had been troubling her was beginning to clear. After resting for a moment, Huanji continued, "Do you know which school of ninja they belong to?"

"Koga," Xu San replied casually, shifting the blame to Koga.

"Do you know who it is?"

"do not know!"

"Then I can help you check."

Xu San looked at Huan Ji and asked, "Why?"

"I just wanted to help get revenge," Huan Ji said, downplaying the issue.

"Thank you!"

The cabin was small, with only a tiny window. After a while, Xu San felt a bit stuffy.

So he said to Huanji, "Want to come to the bar and have a couple of drinks with me?"

Huanji paused for a moment, then asked, "Did I bring up something that hurt you? Was that friend a woman?"

Xu San nodded, acknowledging it, and left the rest to Huan Ji to guess.

Xu San opened the hatch, and Huan Ji followed him out.

After several twists and turns, Xu San and Huan Ji found the bar.

Unfortunately, it's not open yet.

Somewhat disappointed, he went back to the cabin, grabbed a bottle of strong liquor, rinsed himself, and returned to the deck.

He opened the bottle, took a sip, and then handed the bottle to Huanji.

Huanji took it, sipped it, and then frowned. "This liquor is very strong."

"This liquor is usually around 70 proof, similar to vodka. But it should still be to your liking." Xu San took the bottle and looked up. "Let's go to the upper deck; the view is better from there." (End of Chapter)