Deputy Tang still wasn't ready to give up. He pressed, "Brother Xiao Pu, have you really never thought about how we'd abandon ship if it went down?"
Xiao Pu fixed Deputy Tang with a meaningful look. "Brother Tang, that's not the right attitude. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If the ship really goes down, neither you nor I will get off lightly. I'd advise you not to dwell on it. You'd be better off thinking about how to keep the ship from sinking."
Deputy Tang smiled awkwardly. "Of course I understand that. But I'm really worried about my parents, my wife, and my kids back in Xiang City. I can't afford to die. If something happens to me, they really won't have any way to survive."
Xiao Pu nodded faintly, but said nothing more. He simply grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and leisurely cracked them open.
Your wife and kids? If you cared so much about them, why weren't you more restrained when you were chasing women? You never hesitated when it came to killing, burning, robbing, and pillaging, either.
Weren't those other people's wives and children? Their parents?
Now you're bringing up your wife and kids, like a cat crying over a mouse. Xiao Pu found the whole thing nauseating.
Of course, though Xiao Pu was a scholar, he still understood the ways of the world. He was eating and drinking at their expense, and they'd invited him over with every courtesy. It wouldn't do to answer with harsh words. If the other man wanted to say something, let him. People had it hard enough already.
Deputy Tang sighed. "Forget it. There's no point thinking so much about it now. Who knows if my wife and kids are even still alive? I'd better focus