Chapter 4 Three Sentences (Part 1)

"If you write fast, you will never write well; if you write well first, you will soon be able to write fast." - Quintilian, the most famous orator in ancient Rome

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But how could a mother forget the flesh and blood that fell from her belly? Atia's heart was completely broken from the moment the ship left the Italian coast. She was already "dead", even though her husband would enjoy greater glory and wealth in the future.

And when Turinus stepped off the deck of the ship, he saw where he was going. It was not so much the island of Malta, but a promontory on the island where even the wind could not avoid it. The pale yellow rocks were roaring in the waves. It was shivering below, dotted with some gray-green vegetation above, and the white clouds seemed to fall on the promontory, and then the color became darker as it went up, and soon turned into lead gray. After the ship docked at a sunken beach, Turinus stepped on it, accompanied by fully armed soldiers and centurions.

"It's hard work for you to come here." Turinus said, covering his cloak.

"It's not hard work. We will renew the garrison once every five years. The annual salary and allowance here are as good as each other. It is more cost-effective than going to a dangerous battlefield." The centurion who took the lead had no expression on his face.

When Turinus heard this, he felt bitterness and despair in his heart. The garrison was renewed every five years, which meant that it was indeed a life sentence. Then, he put on his sandals and stepped on the ladder on the edge of the cliff, winding up and seeing limestone everywhere. At the top, he finally saw his house, a building also made of limestone. Deeply connected to the surroundings. There is a hanging curtain at the door. Turinus stood there and looked around. There was not a single fishing boat to be found on the empty sea, not even a deck. On the mountain above, there was a military camp with about fifty people stationed inside. People around. There is a separate spring for drinking.

There are also fifty people. On the side where the promontory connects to the land, there is a naturally formed, very narrow stone beam in the middle. There are stone pillars below to support the surging Gulf Stream. These fifty people are also on the road. At the end of the road, there is a small fortress bridgehead, staring at the residence of Turinus.

Vonteius, whom Lepidus entrusted, lives there. Even though he has to perform his duties conscientiously, he tries to avoid face-to-face contact with the subject of surveillance. So I lived in that bridgehead every market day. Ten soldiers will get a day off and go to a Maltese market town to exchange some items and have some fun and relax.

"The high priest's rule is that every market day, the people over there must find a more beautiful woman to come over, so that his life will not be so 'poor', but he must find a different one every time." On the stone platform, Fonteus said to the clerk in the Centurion, "Also, if he needs books, wine, and meat, don't refuse, and do your best to satisfy him, but you are not allowed to send iron tools."

The sun gradually set, and Turinus wandered around his "room" casually for a while. There was no kitchen here, because his food was supplied by the soldiers over there. He leaned against a stone wall. There are oil lamps and many clay pots containing water, grain and bacon, as well as tables, chairs, couches and cabinets. They are not big or small. If you need to relieve yourself, there is also a separate place, which is relatively clean - two slaves sat down Behind the curtain, one is blind and is responsible for daily living, and the other is deaf and mute and is responsible for strength work.

This is also the only person Turinus comes into contact with in his daily life.

He was a little depressed, because he thought that he might spend his time here until his death, so he walked to the outside. He finally saw a row of ships with sails raised, and felt comfort in his heart, because here, the ships represented With hope, the ship quickly lit up its lights and flickered towards the headland. It was a small patrol fleet sailing from Corfu Island. It must have been deployed by Lepida to send out signals to confirm the situation.

Sure enough, after a while, a signal bonfire was lit on the bridgehead over there. After a while, the oars of those ships made a lonely and distant sound on the sea, and slowly disappeared - Turinus's heart became empty.

"I need some books to relieve my boredom, and a hook pen, and I also need a messenger." This was Turinus's thought as he sat in the room.

A few days later, when Turinus told the soldiers these requests, Fonteus quickly conveyed them to a higher level, and soon a reply came: "Don't send new books, send Varro Just send him the compiled history and natural history books. If they are large, you can let him consume his time slowly. In addition, the courier can give them to him, but he must live in your camp, and he is not allowed to have contact with Turinus on weekdays. ”

Then, Turinus began to sit in his room and write letters. He comforted his poor mother, and then wrote frantically to Corinna, describing his experience of philosophy, natural history, local scenery, and his love for Corinna. Thoughts of the warm and fertile Apennines.

At first, Corinna would still reply to letters, but gradually she became more and more lazy to deal with it. Turinus's life was monotonous, but hers was colorful, and more realistic beauty was waiting for her—— First kiss, first caress, first love, etc.

Within three months of this, Turinus lost hope. He sighed, "In the future, there is no need to send letters to Corinna. I will write one as a courtesy and put it in the box every month." . But I will still write and send the letter to my mother on time.”

After hearing this, the blind servant nodded, fumbled to fold the letters that Turinus had sorted out, and put them back in the box on the cabinet.

Soon, Turinus joined the military camp's drills - every time the trumpet sounded, he would jog around the entire cape, because he said that he had to fight against his weak body and illness. At first, the soldiers would stand on the tower and watch him, but as time went by, they got used to it. He read more and more books, and even started writing, but every evening, he would sit on the edge of the cliff, watching the patrol fleet come and go, and then he would go back to rest, which soon became an iron habit.

"He is generally healthy, although there are some minor defects, but it does not prevent him from continuing to be healthy." The military doctor would report to Fonteus like this after the routine examination, and then receive an additional reward of ten sesquiterres.

"He was very polite, definitely not like you big soldiers who were so rude on the bed. After he finished, he would invite me and the two slaves to sit opposite him, and he would recite poems or collections to us. And after each time, he would take out some extra silver and copper coins from the jar and give them to me to express his gratitude for my patience in listening." The prostitute wrapped in a red cloak symbolizing her status also reported Turinus's dynamics to Fonteus after finishing her work.

"You said he would give you all the coins? You know, the money he sent from Rome came all the way from afar." Fonteus asked.

The prostitute laughed and said to Fonteus, "Is this strange? What does he need money for?"

Yes, what does he need money for? Fonteus also scolded himself for being stupid. (To be continued...)