Due to the unfortunate death of his mother, this orphan child lives together thanks to the support and care of his aunt.
Kyle Poirot's family is doing business. Since the beginning of13rd century, after Genghis Khan's westward expedition to Mongolia, the traffic and trade between the East and the West have gradually prospered, and the eastern Mediterranean has become an important starting point for moving eastward. Due to the convenience of geographical conditions, Italy actively participated in the trade with the East. As Venetians in Italy, it is under this historical background that the Polo family joined the ranks of traveling and doing business in the East.
1253, Kyle's father Nicola Poirot and his uncle Matu Poirot left Venice by boat and went to Constantinople to do the jewelry business. At this time, Nicola Poirot's wife was pregnant, and when Kyle was born, his father and uncle were already overseas.
Ma is his first name and Poirot is his last name. At the age of fifteen, he skillfully shook Mimi (L incarnation) every day: a tool to pull water to make the boat move forward. , driving a unique Venice boat with its tail up, and making a living by transporting guests and goods.
Venice is a city composed of more than 120 islands, and hundreds of bridges connect the islands together. The canals are criss-crossed, in rows (zhi √): arranged in order like fish scales and comb teeth. Between large and small buildings, water traffic extends in all directions. The residents of this water city ride cocky phoenix-tailed boats, just like we are riding bicycles and galloping freely in the city now. For Venetians, rivers are streets and roads.
Xiao Marco often goes to the dock where the big ship stops, waiting for the guests and goods from the big ship, and then sends them to his home or other places to get his salary and live with his aunt.
Every time I go to the dock and see a big ship returning from a long voyage, I often think of my father in my letter. Especially seeing the welcoming crowd, receiving their loved ones respectively, and hearing the joyful cries of their loved ones, Xiao Marco felt a sour sadness in his heart.
Sometimes, he would think: Dad and uncle have not returned yet, and many merchant ships never came back once they went out to sea. Did something happen to dad and uncle? Otherwise, I have been away for fifteen years. Why haven't I heard from you? That's a long time. At the thought of this, Xiao Marco was desperate and shed tears. However, whenever the ship returns to Venice, he still goes to the dock to pick up guests and goods. In addition to being forced by life, I have always wanted to see my father return from a long voyage.
Kyle missed her father most when he was a child. He began to study at school. After knowing some words, he carefully wrote down geographical terms and liked places with pictures. He learned from the book what Europe is, where Asia is, Constantinople is in the east of Venice and Genoa is in the north. He tried to imagine what the East was like. Is there a church there? Is there a priest? Did father find gold and jewels there? Does it take so long to find gold and jewels? Mother told him that his father and uncle would come back. This strengthened Kyle's determination to see his father. He often comforts his sad mother: "Don't worry. When I grow up, I will definitely go to the East to pick up my father and bring you a lot of gold and jewels. " Then his mother said to him, "What's the use of gold jewelry? Your father's safe return is better than anything else. "
The Polo brothers introduced everything they knew about Europe to Kublai Khan. They told the majestic yellow robe emperor that there were kings and popes in the west. A king rules a country, but a pope can rule a region. In the west, there are different sects, such as Islam, Catholicism and Christianity. The same religion has different factions. Wars often occur between different factions. Both sides describe each other as heretics and want to destroy each other by force. Therefore, in the armed conflicts in the West, there are not only wars for territory, but also wars for sects. Kublai Khan likes listening to these things very much. Although western missionaries and individual businessmen had been to China before the Polo brothers knew Kublai Khan, Kublai Khan and his brothers were busy with the war and had no energy to understand western affairs. Therefore, before the Polo brothers, no westerner had been interviewed and asked by Emperor China so seriously.
With Kublai Khan's permission, the Polo brothers started their business in China. After a few months, they made a lot of money. When their pockets are full, they begin to miss home. On this day, the Polo brothers were in high spirits when they heard that Kublai Khan's army had won a great victory. So the two brothers took the opportunity to ask him to return to China. Kublai Khan immediately agreed and asked them to report to him after setting the departure date.
The Poirot brothers are about to leave for home. Kublai Khan not only gave them a lot of silk and gold as gifts, but also asked them to send a letter (hán) to the Pope, asking him to send 100 learned priests to China for exchanges. At the same time, Kublai Khan also told the two brothers that they were welcome to visit China again with the priest delegation. The Poirot brothers agreed to Kublai Khan's request. Later, Kublai Khan sent an army to escort them for a distance and gave them a gold medal (in the area ruled by the Yuan army, you can pass any checkpoint smoothly by showing the gold medal issued by the emperor). The Polo brothers set off happily with rich gifts and gold and jewels bought in China. At this time, the descendants of Genghis Khan have conquered Persia and the two river basins, and established the ilhan regime belonging to the Yuan Dynasty in West Asia. The Yuan regime established transportation routes extending in all directions and set up post stations on major transportation trunk lines: in ancient times, people who delivered government documents changed horses or stopped for a rest ... On the way to the west, the Silk Road, which had been interrupted for about six centuries, was restored. The road is smooth. With the emperor's gold medal, the Polo brothers have a pleasant journey.
When Kyle's father and uncle looked at the gold, silver and jewels he earned every day, Kyle and his mother were struggling with hunger: although it was a merchant's home, there was constant war and business was not good, and the shop could not make money and had to pay employees. Kyle's mother knew that she couldn't make the store prosperous, so she closed it. After the store closed, their mother and son lost their financial resources. The little money Poirot saved when he was at home was soon spent. In order to support her son, Kyle's mother decided to be a maid.
Kyle's mother, the daughter of a small feudal Lord, received a good education from an early age and lived a rich and elegant life. When I first married Poirot, I originally wanted to live a comfortable life by this wealthy businessman, but Poirot's disappearance shattered her dream of a better life. She has to worry about survival. She could have remarried after her husband disappeared. With her good upbringing and the unique temperament of feudal children, it is not difficult to find a husband who can support her. From time to time, relatives and friends come to persuade her to remarry. However, every time she sees her lovely son, she thinks of her dear husband. She believes that her husband is not dead. The expectation of her husband and love for her son made her give up the idea of marrying someone else.
The life of orphans and widows is very difficult. In order not to starve to death, Kyle's mother began to work as a maid for some wealthy families. She gets up early every morning, goes to her employer's house to cook, wash clothes, clean, and sometimes serves patients for her employer's house. When she came home at night, she was too tired to walk.
When Kyle was a child, he sent his mother away from home every morning and stood at the door waiting for her to come back at night. He began to understand that it was for him that his mother was tired. So Kyle has been obedient and good since he was a child. If mom has any wish, just give a hint and Kyle will realize it at once. Seeing that his mother was exhausted every day, Kyle proposed to be a child laborer and earn money to support himself and his mother. However, his mother firmly opposed it, and asked him to study hard and do great things in the future, at least to revitalize his father's family business. Kyle obeyed his mother's wishes and devoted himself to reading and literacy.
Kyle goes to school with a schoolbag sewn by his mother on his back. Only when he came among his classmates did Kyle realize that he was really poor. Other children are dressed neatly, their hair is completely combed, and some are wearing perfume. On the other hand, Kyle looks shabby, his trousers are patched, a toe on his shoes has been torn off, and no one has helped him comb his hair. On the first day of school, Kyle became the object of ridicule by his classmates. Some people say that Ma is a beggar, while others say that Ma is a rag collector. Nobody wants to sit next to Kyle when the students are arranging seats.
After coming home from school, Kyle, who was deeply hurt, wanted to tell his mother about the injustice he had suffered during the day. However, Kyle gritted his teeth when he saw his mother tired. He thought, I can't make my mother sad any more. She is already very tired. She should share her worries for her mother, not worry about her. Kyle, a sensible woman, endured humiliation and said nothing in front of her mother.
When he first entered school, Kyle just followed his mother's wishes to study. He doesn't know why he wants to study. In his view, this is for his mother to study. He studies very hard every day, very hard. If he doesn't do this, he will feel sorry for his mother. Horses are very clever and gradually show their unique aura in their studies. Kyle is the first in almost every exam organized by his teacher. Whenever he got the first place in the exam, he happily said to his mother when he got home, "I got the first place back for you." Every time I hear my son say this, my mother's hardships are swept away.
As he grew older, Kyle gradually realized that learning was not only for his mother, but also for himself. Growing up day by day, Kyle studied very hard. At that time, the main courses offered by the school were religion, mathematics, logic, language and writing. No matter what courses, whether interested or not, Kyle studies hard as long as the teacher asks. Cleverness and hard work enabled Kyle to achieve excellent results. In all kinds of exams, his academic performance is almost in the top three. Excellent academic performance makes Kyle not only loved by teachers, but also respected by classmates. Although Kyle is in rags, his toes are often exposed outside his shoes, and there are more patches on his pants. However, none of his classmates looked down on Kyle any more.
The child's intelligence and understanding bring great comfort to the mother. The poor and strong woman suffered from an incurable disease in fatigue. She persisted day by day, waiting for her son to grow up.
When Kyle was growing up, he sometimes thought of his father. However, he thought that his father never missed him, but hated him. Kyle thinks that his father made his mother suffer. If it weren't for his disappearance, it wouldn't have brought so much pain to the bus. Based on this idea, while studying various courses, Kyle gradually became interested in language and geography. Instilled by his mother, he learned that his father had gone to Istanbul and other places in the east to do business. Therefore, he was very interested in Persian and Turkish in the East, and gradually became fascinated with maps.
Just when Kyle was looking forward to growing up as soon as possible, his mother fell ill in order to honor her. With the help of relatives and friends, Kyle invited the best doctor in Venice. However, my mother's illness is getting worse every day. When Kyle 14 years old, he finally couldn't hold on. Before she died, she told her son that she must find the whereabouts of her father and live well. Then she closed her eyes.
The death of his mother was a great blow to the horse. However, he was not depressed, nor did he fall down. This 14-year-old boy remembers his mother's words and must live well and find his father. With the help of relatives and friends, he buried his mother and went to school again.
1269, Kyle is already a boy of 15 years old. Mother has passed away, and relatives help him take care of his life. On this day, two strangers with beards came home. Kyle didn't know them, so he called his relatives. The relative finally asked doubtfully, "Are you Nicola Poirot and matteo Poirot?" The two strangers immediately replied, "It's us. Who are you? " Asked the Poirot brothers. They don't know this young man from their own family. "I am your cousin. I was only a teenager when you left. " This relative introduced. "So, who is this young man?" Nicholas Poirot asked, pointing to Kyle. "He is your son. How come you don't even know your own son? " Cousin said in surprise. "I left without a son." Nicholas explained, "What's your name? What about your mother? " "My mother died a long time ago." Kyle is not enthusiastic about the man called his father. "Kyle, you look forward to your father every day. This is your father. " Kyle's cousin said.
"Son, is it really my son?" Nicholas, who had just recovered, was surprised. He tried to touch Kyle, but Kyle dodged. It is difficult for a little boy to accept a stranger as a father at once.
My cousin introduced Nicholas to his family's experience in recent years: business is getting worse every day. A few months after they left, Nicholas's wife gave birth to Kyle Poirot. A few years later, Nicholas's wife died of illness. Kyle became an orphan and relied on his relatives and friends for help. He also said, "Kyle is a clever boy and works hard at school. He has been chanting since he was very young, and when he grows up, he will go to the East to find his missing father. Now, I finally hope you come back. "
Listening to this kind-hearted man's account, Nicholas and Kyle both shed tears. Nikolai spoke first: "Son, Dad is sorry for you. You have suffered all these years." Then, he added, "We are lucky to be back alive. We want to do some business in Constantinople, but the business there is sluggish, so we listened to others and developed eastward. As a result, we entered the area where bandits were rampant (jué) and stayed for three years. If a kind Lord hadn't brought us to the East, our two brothers might have died by the robber's sword.
"It's good to have you back. Kyle finally has relatives. " Cousin comforted.
At this time, Kyle's mood also changed. He went out to boil water, ready to let his father take a bath. Nicholas began to watch the house that had been away from 15 years, and picked up the forgotten memories again. He thought of his wife who was in tears when he left home, and of his parents who were still alive at that time. All this has become the past. Thought of here, he suddenly burst into tears. Tears streamed down her face.
After living together for a few days, Kyle Poirot began to accept Nicholas as his father. He saw kindness in Nicholas's weather-beaten face, and also connected Nicholas with his imaginary father of 15 years. Nicholas not only accepted this son long ago, but also he really likes Kyle. This is not only because of blood relationship, but also because Kyle is smart, diligent, considerate and a sensible child.
After living together for a period of time, the relationship between father and son is getting closer and closer. Nicholas just took out the gold and silver jewelry brought from the East. He showed his son the gold ingot, white pearl and transparent diamond that Kublai Khan gave him. While taking out the valuables in his luggage, he introduced the beautiful East to his son. He said, how pure this gold is. The emperor's dragon chair is made of gold and inlaid with many pearls. The golden dragon chair is so dazzling that the emperor's courtiers dare not look at it. The emperor's robes are yellow and inlaid with pearls and gold coins. It's sparkling and very beautiful. Kyle is not interested in the gold, silver and jewels brought back by his father. No matter how many treasures there are, it's good to be fucking alive. However, the story told by his father attracted him and made him feel mysterious about the East. He listened carefully to his father and occasionally interposed a word or two. He asked his father, "The emperor's chair is so good, so what is his house made of?"
"The emperor lived in many houses. Some houses are built of expensive materials, and the pointed roofs are shining with gold and various colors. Some houses are made of wood and wool felt. They are beautiful and comfortable. This kind of house is only used on the grassland. The emperor lived in countless houses ... "Nicholas told his son about his experience in the East.
"Why does the emperor live in so many houses alone?" Kyle asked.
"The emperor didn't stay in the palace alone. He married many wives ... "Nicholas said.
"Are there dozens?" Kyle connected.
"Dozens? Nobles below the emperor have dozens of wives. The emperor married hundreds of wives alone, not many. Some emperors have married thousands of wives in their lifetime. These wives are not married into the palace at once, but constantly supplemented. The status of these wives is different. The highest rank is the queen, followed by the imperial concubine, and then the concubine. I can't tell you the lower status. "
"There are so many treasures and wives in Emperor China's family. Aren't you worried that someone will steal them?" Horses can be innocent children, worried about the emperor's property and the safety of women.
"Dihua not only has treasures, but also a large group of wives and a huge army. Among these troops, one is dedicated to defending the emperor and the palace. The army defending the palace is called Kingsguard. Those who guard the emperor are called "ouchi guards". They have high martial arts, are invulnerable, can play with any weapon, and can fly over eaves and climb walls. With them to defend the emperor and his wives, even fierce robbers could not get close to the emperor. So Dihua is very safe. " Nicholas told his son excitedly.
"You didn't learn a little China kung fu with them? If you have time to wait for the guards, you are not afraid to meet robbers when you go out to do business. " Kyle said excitedly.
"Yes, if you have real kung fu, you are not afraid of robbers. It's a pity that dad can only do business, not martial arts. " Nicholas shook his head regretfully. As he spoke, he took out a piece of dark silk and said to Kyle, "How about making a dress for you with this cloth?"
"Wow, it's beautiful! In Venice, the richest people dare to make clothes with this cloth. " Kyle touched the silky cloth and said happily. Before his father came back, he never dreamed that he could have a silk dress.
"In China, there is a lot of silk. Rich families, adults and children have silk clothes. " Nicholas preached to his son that China was rich.
"You must take me with you when you go to China again. I also want to see the people and treasures there. " Kyle asked his father.
Kyle's words cast a shadow of fear on his father's face. He shook his head and said, "China is fine, but the long journey is really terrible. Long deserts, snowy plateaus and shuddering disasters can kill people at any time. We shouldn't go to the Far East unless we have to.
After hearing what his father said, Kyle's excitement suddenly disappeared.
Nicholas noticed his son's emotional change, but the terrible experience of the trip was still deeply engraved in his mind. This narrow escape journey is not easy to start. To comfort his son, Nicholas said, "Selling the gold, silver, jewelry and silk we brought back will make us rich businessmen in Venice. With money, we can do business nearby, so why take risks? "
Kyle Poirot is most interested in adventure and tourism. He is indifferent to money. Father's words didn't cheer him up.
Seeing that his son was a wet blanket, Nikolai volunteered, "Actually, Emperor China still welcomes us to come to China again. When we left China, he wrote a letter to the Pope, inviting him to send a delegation of 65,438+000 people to visit China, so that your uncle and I could accompany him. If we want to go, there is still a chance. "
"Since Dihua invited us to go, we will go again." Kyle said eagerly to his father.
"Your uncle and I just got back, let's have a rest for a period of time. When our physical strength recovers, we will take care of our business and prepare some travel expenses. Everything is ready, and we will go to China. " Nicholas said to his son.
Seeing that his father changed his mind and hoped to go to China, Kyle became active at once. He asked, "When will the letter from Emperor China reach the Pope?"
"Don't worry. What if the letter arrives and the Pope asks to leave for China at once? We're not ready. When we are ready, it is not too late to give the letter from Emperor China to the Pope. The Pope read the letter, and even if he asks to leave immediately, we are not afraid. " Nicholas comforted his son.
Kyle began to look forward to going to China.