Chapter 173

The vehicle entered the city. A Xu drove the car straight to the spice shop. The donkey cart following behind continued to move forward. Er Qing found an embroidery workshop under the command of A Jin.

He parked the donkey cart, tied the rope around Wangcai's neck to a wooden stake nearby, and asked Xiao Huang, who was lying on top, to take care of the things in the cart.

"Woof woof~" Xiao Huang raised his head and shouted towards him.

After being together for so long, Ah Jin knew what Xiao Huang was calling, and said with a smile: "You should be careful, and we will buy you big sticks and bones to eat when we come back."

After that, she called Er Qing to follow him quickly.

The two of them entered the embroidery workshop, and Ah Jin started walking around happily. She looked around and picked up those she found interested.

There was a young woman with a high bun who noticed the two of them as soon as they came in. She saw that the young man was lagging behind and followed her. Then she went to look at the young man with a good face and manners. The generous and beautiful young lady unconsciously regarded the young man as her follower.

She walked over lightly and asked with a smile: "Did the little lady take a fancy to this veil? It took the embroiderer two months to embroider it. Look at the oriole on it, it's not inferior to those Living things."

"It's really beautiful." A Jin nodded in agreement.

She held it in her hand with some admiration and touched the oriole on it. Not even Mrs. He had such exquisite embroidery skills.

Ah Jin asked, "Shopkeeper, how much does this cost?"

The young woman said, "The price is not high, it only costs two cents."

Ah Jin curled his lips and said, "It's a bit expensive."

The young woman laughed. He said quietly: "Little lady, this is the only one of these handkerchiefs. Go to other embroidery shops and have a look, but they don't have such good embroidery work."

Ah Jin raised his eyebrows: "Can't it be cheaper?"

"This..." The young woman was a little hesitant. She saw that the young lady was dressed unusually. She must be a girl from a small family. She had some money, but not much.

It seems that I can't get a high price for this little lady.

The young woman no longer hesitated and lowered the price by only fifty cents.

When Ah Jin heard what she said, she pursed her lips and said directly that she would not buy it, "I'd better take a look at the embroidery threads. If you have any good-colored embroidery threads, bring them to me."

The young woman He looked at her with a complicated expression: "Young lady, you won't think about it anymore?"

"I won't think about it anymore." Ah Jin said in a firm tone, "Mr. Lang said that money should be spent wisely. This little handkerchief of yours It’s not worth it.”

The young woman said: “…”

It turns out that she is a maid from a wealthy family. No wonder she wears such beautiful clothes but is reluctant to buy a good handkerchief.

At the same time, Xu Yi and A Xu had already bought spices and were going to meet A Jin and the others.

Not long after the donkey cart drove, they saw Wangcai parked outside the embroidery workshop, and Xiao Huang lying lazily behind with half-closed eyes.

Xiao Huang's ears twitched, he raised his head and looked forward, and when he saw A Xu, he barked "woof woof woof" excitedly.

Ah Jin, who had just bought embroidery thread, heard a dog barking from outside before she and Er Qing could buy the embroidery thread.

The young woman was slightly confused: "Where did the barking dog come from?"

Ah Jin and Er Qing turned around at the same time in tacit understanding, walked out quickly, and when they saw Xu Yi and the others coming out of the embroidery workshop, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you buy it?" Xu Yi, who was touching Xiao Huang's head, raised his eyelids and asked them.

Ah Jin shook his head and said he still had some ingredients to buy.

"Mr. Lang, please wait for me for a while. I'll be back soon." With that said, Ah Jin turned around and went back.

And the young woman also came out.

When she saw Xu Yi, the woman stopped and frowned slightly. She stared at Xu Yi carefully for a while before walking towards Xu Yi uncertainly.

Xu Yi had already noticed the woman when she came out.

But he only glanced at her and looked away. This woman...he didn't recognize her.

In just a moment, the young woman had already arrived in front of Xu Yi. She asked carefully, "Is this husband's surname Xu?"

Xu Yi was surprised and looked at the young woman seriously, thinking quickly in his mind. Asking when he had met the other party, he calmly asked: "My surname is Xu, may I ask who this lady is?"

The young woman immediately smiled and said: "I am the second wife of the Ming family. Do you remember Minghe?" Village, your mother is from Minghe Village, she is my second sister."

Hearing this, the surprise in Xu Yi's eyes changed slightly.

Minghe Village...

this was the first time someone mentioned Minghe Village in front of him in many years. From the memory in his mind, after his mother married his father, she almost had no contact with relatives in Minghe Village.

Xu Yi didn't know the reason. Later, he accidentally learned that there had been a disaster in Minghe Village a few years ago, and his mother's family had moved away long ago. As for where he went, he didn't know.

Looking at the woman in front of him, she looked to be in her early thirties, only not much older than him.

He also said that he was his mother's cousin, but Xu Yi didn't believe it. But he also thought that being young did not mean he was of lower generation, or that he was really a relative he had never met.

Seeing that Xu Yi didn't speak for a long time, Mrs. Ming thought it was because he didn't believe it, so she immediately said, "I remember your name is Brother Yi. When you were twelve years old, I went to see my sister and I remembered your appearance. You and you Auntie looks very similar, even though her eyebrows are now longer, there is still some resemblance."

Xu Yi's fingers hidden in his sleeves moved slightly: "Are you really Aunt Ming?"

Mrs. Ming nodded happily. It's me. I didn't expect to see Brother Yi here."

She thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, that little lady just now was your maid? How have you been doing these years, Brother Yi?" Why are my days so different from before?"

Xu Yi smiled back at her and said, "Aunt Ming has forgotten that Ah Jin is my apprentice. After my parents left, I gave up on literature and medicine. Now I am traveling around the world. Come to Pu'an."

"It just so happens that since you are here, why not stay at my aunt's house?" said Mrs. Ming, "so that the brothers and sisters at home can know you."

Xu Yi looked embarrassed and said: "Would it bring trouble to my aunt?"

Mrs. Ming covered her face and laughed: "How could it be possible? Over the years, I have not had any relatives from my natal family in Pu'an. It is rare to meet Brother Yi today. It is not too late to be happy. Why would it be troublesome?”

Without being polite, she directly pulled up Xu Yi's sleeves and led him into the embroidery workshop.

Xu Yi looked at the pulled sleeves, frowned slightly, and followed her pace hesitantly.

As Mrs. Ming walked, she told Xu Yi that she was the shopkeeper of this embroidery shop, and that she was in charge of more than a dozen embroidery ladies in this embroidery shop.

He also said that her husband's family was just a small family in Pu'an, and they relied on her to earn some money outside, and their lives gradually improved over the years.

She was so enthusiastic, as if she had not met Xu Yi for the first time.

This made Xu Yi a little uncomfortable, so he just nodded in agreement and followed her into the tea room.

The tea room is a place for receiving distinguished guests. Incense is lit inside, tea is cooked, and exquisite snacks are placed on the table.

Mrs. Ming took a plate of red bean cakes and put it in front of Xu Yi, and said with a smile: "Just sit here and wait for aunt to finish her work before coming to see you."

Xu Yi nodded and asked her to do her work with a smile.

After the people lifted up the curtain and left, Xu Yi slowly breathed out a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes. In the deep memory, there was indeed Aunt Ming.

That was the memory of the original owner many years ago, and Xu Yi received it a little vaguely.

I just remembered that after Aunt Ming got married, she never had any contact with his mother again.

But he can also understand that these days, it is difficult for a woman to make her own decisions when she marries someone else. Not to mention that you are going to see your sister who has become his wife, but if you want to go back to your parents' home, you have to submit a post first.

Xu Yi thoughtfully picked up the tea and took a sip. He was just frightened by Aunt Ming's enthusiasm.

A Xu, who was waiting nearby, looked at Xu Yi without hesitating to speak.

"Lang Jun, should we wait here?"

Xu Yi said, "You go out to look for A Jin and Er Qing. You don't have to follow them. They can just find a place to rest anywhere in the city."

As he said this, he thought of something . , and glanced at A Xu.

A Xu stepped forward quickly and bent down to approach Xu Yi.

Xu Yi whispered: "You and Er Qing go and ask about Aunt Ming."

After listening to Lang Jun's arrangement, A Xu's face became solemn: "Is Er Qing the only one staying with Lang Jun?"

Xu Yi smiled. He smiled: "Why, you don't trust me?"

A Xu lowered his eyes, shook his head and said, "My sister and I are not with my husband, so I don't feel relieved if we can't see him."

Xu Yi patted him on the shoulder. "That's all, you can go back if you are worried. If you let A Jin follow, I will be distracted."

A Xu straightened the corner of his mouth: "..."

In an instant, Xu Yi urged him, but A Xu couldn't. He had no choice but to take the mission and go out to find his sister and Erqing.

Ah Jin and Er Qing were shocked when they heard that the woman was actually Lang Jun's aunt.

This is too much of a coincidence.

When Mrs. Ming received them again, she had changed her appearance. Not only did she give them cheap and low prices, she also picked two more plain white handkerchiefs for A Jin.

Ah Jin drowsily took the things he bought to the tea room.

Seeing Lang Jun sitting and drinking tea as if nothing had happened, she instantly felt a lot more at ease, but thinking that Lang Jun wouldn't let them follow, Ah Jin felt a little aggrieved.

Xu Yi spoke first before she pursed her lips and wanted to speak: "You have other things to do. We are new here and are very unfamiliar with Pu'an. Ah Jin, take Er Qing with you to explore the doctors." "Oh. "

Ah Jin responded reluctantly.

Xu Yi laughed happily: "You are getting more and more bad-tempered now."

Hearing this, Ah Jin twitched the corners of his lips and said perfunctorily that he was wrong, and then said, "Is Mr. Lang just sending me away, or does he really want me to Go to investigate the situation?"

Xu Yi said calmly: "It's the latter."

Ajin said that she didn't believe it, but Xu Yi was the husband, so she had to endure it, thinking that she would explain it to Er Qing later. Let him keep an eye on Mr. Lang.

But he was also worried that Er Qing would hold back Lang Jun. After all, Er Qing's boxing and kicking skills were all practiced blindly. Even though he had practiced Hu Lei Tai Chi with them these days, he still hadn't gotten the essentials yet.

"You really don't want me to follow your husband?" Ah Jin bit her lower lip and asked unwillingly, "If you don't want me to follow, it's okay to let my brother follow." Xu

Yi couldn't bear it anymore and raised his hand to knock her on the forehead to tell her to be quiet. .

"Behave."

...

It was almost noon, and Mrs. Ming finally came over from her busy work. She said with a smile: "Brother Yi, please wait for a long time. Business is good today. Some ladies came to buy handkerchiefs. It will inevitably take a while."

Xu Yi stood up and said, "It's okay. There is food and drink in this teahouse. It's very comfortable."

Madam Ming pulled her hanging hair and said, "In this case, we can't stay longer. "Okay, the vehicle is ready outside. Brother Yi, please ride with me so I can talk to you."

After hearing this, Xu Yi said without changing his expression, "Okay"

and then followed Mrs. Ming out and took a seat. Get on the donkey cart waiting outside.

The carriage was a little crowded, with barely two people in it. Xu Yi glanced at Er Qing and asked him to follow him.

Erqing hurriedly mounted his donkey cart and nervously followed the one in front.

In the carriage.

Madam Ming and Xu Yila were having a leisurely time, and during this period, she was mainly the one doing the talking.

As the shopkeeper of the embroidery workshop, she has always had a eloquent mouth. Even though Xu Yi was still unfamiliar with her, it did not hinder her performance at all.

As she talked, Xu Yi learned that the uncle married by Aunt Ming was named Lin. He was a scholar, but he had not passed the imperial examination in these years. Now I am working as a bookkeeper in a private school, which is a stable job.

However, I learned from her words that Uncle Lin was as high-spirited as ever and still dreamed of taking the imperial examination.

Even if you become a bookkeeper, you still have to spend a lot of money to buy various pens, inks, paper and inkstones, literati's policy essays and poetry collections, etc.

Regarding this, Mrs. Ming sighed in distress: "If it weren't for my job as the shopkeeper, this family would have been ruined sooner or later."

But the next moment, Mrs. Ming smiled again: "Although your uncle is a wise man. You are not sober, but your cousin Yan is not like his father. He studies very seriously and learns quickly. He will take the scientific examination in two years."

Xu Yi acted as a good audience and responded from time to time . This sentence means that after hearing the talent and learning of this "cousin Yan", he praised him a few more words without any surprise.

Madam Ming loved hearing this and smiled brighter and brighter.

Not long after, the handlebar stopped the vehicle and they arrived at Lin's house.

Lin's house is not large, and you can see it to the end at a glance, which is very similar to Xu Yi's when you enter the courtyard. However, there were several bamboo racks set up in the yard, and a lot of cotton and silk were dried.

Madam Ming said: "These cotton silks are from the embroidery workshop. Sometimes the embroidery workshop is not enough to dry, so I bring them back."

She led Xu Yi into the main room, shouting several names.

After a while, several young-looking brothers and sisters, the oldest no more than fifteen years old, came out to meet people.

Madam Ming introduced Xu Yi to them one by one. Among them, the eldest brother is called Lin Yanchou, the second sister is called Lin Yuner, and the third brother is called Lin Kaiyang.

When Lin Yanchou heard that this person was his cousin whom he had never met before, he saluted and shouted: "

Say hello to cousin Yi." He called the person, and the two people behind him also shouted: "Say hello to cousin Yi."

Xu Yi moved toward him . They returned the greeting: "I have met you brothers and sisters."

Madam Ming looked at them and asked, "Where is your father?"

"After my father came back from duty, he said he was going to meet friends, but he hasn't come back yet," Lin Kaiyang said.

Madam Ming frowned: "Why are you going to meet friends again..." In front of Xu Yi, she couldn't complain anymore, so she simply brushed off the topic and let Xu Yi sit down.

They chatted for a while, and an old mother came over and asked Mrs. Ming if it was time to eat.

The group of people came to the side hall next door and saw a few simple dishes placed on the square table.

He didn't know that because of Xu Yi's arrival, the Lin family had added an extra dish of steamed fish with tofu for lunch today.

"Brother Yi, please try it. The food cooked by Mother Lin is delicious." Madam Ming enthusiastically took a piece of fish belly and put it in Xu Yi's bowl.

When several children saw this, they were a little envious of this cousin whom they met for the first time.

Xu Yi said: "Thank you, aunt."

Madam Ming said with a smile in her eyes: "Thank you for nothing. As an aunt, I can't even prepare good food for you."

"No." Xu Yi shook his head, "This steamed fish It's delicious, I like it very much."

After hearing this, Mrs. Ming went to see her three children again and urged them to eat quickly.

By the time they had lunch, Uncle Lin still hadn't come back. Xu Yi sat in the main room and waited for a long time. When Aunt Ming was anxiously calling Lin Yanchou to look for his father, his father finally came back.

He didn't come back on foot, but he was carried back.

Lin Lang had wounds on his cheeks and was covered in cold sweat. He was in a semi-conscious and semi-awake state. Lying on the load, he felt severe pain all over his body and was dizzy.

He covered his abdominal cavity with his palms and instinctively groaned in pain, "Ouch, ouch, ouch."

The idle man carrying the person had just put the person on the ground. I don't know whether it was because of too much force or other reasons.

Lin Lang suddenly felt throbbing pain in his chest, and then his chest became stuffy, a fishy sweetness filled his mouth, and he spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground.

"Ah——"

When Xu Yi followed, he heard Mrs. Ming screaming in panic.