Chapter 94: A wealthy coastal city, the strange Yang Mansion

Cui Shan's troupe played gongs and drums in Zhuangzhu Village for two days, and Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an also ate for two days.

When it was time to leave, the village chief asked Liu Ming'an to give his grandson a name. Liu Ming'an thought about it and agreed without hesitation.

The child's surname was Wei. Liu Ming'an thought about it and said, "How about calling him 'Zhou Hong'?"

The village chief was still thinking about which two characters to choose. Liu Ming'an picked up a branch and wrote the two characters "Zhou Hong" on the ground: "It is taken from 'The oars send the spirit of fish and dragons, and the boat rushes into the flock of wild geese', which means to have great ambitions and be outstanding."

"Good! This is good!" The village chief clapped his hands happily and decided on the name "Wei Zhou Hong" for his grandson.

The two followed Cui Shan's troupe to Qushui City. It was getting colder and colder along the way. Winter was about to come.

"Ming'an, Jiang girl, I think you should just stay in Qushui City first and go to the capital after the New Year. Anyway, Qushui City is not far from the capital."

Liu Ming'an only told Cui Shan that he was going to the capital to take an exam and needed to pass through Qushui City to do something, so Cui Shan suggested this.

Jiang Ning heard it thoughtfully and said, "That's not bad, if everything goes well." Liu Ming'an

remembered that Coach Zhao said that Blind Yang was famous in Qushui City. Cui Shan's troupe came here every year. Would they have heard of this person?

"Uncle Cui, have you heard of Blind Yang in Qushui City?" Liu Ming'an suddenly asked.

"Blind Yang? I've heard of him!" Cui Shan answered without hesitation, and then asked: "Why are you asking this? You don't want to hire someone from him, do you?"

Jiang Ning's eyes dimmed, and then she heard Cui Shan continue to say: "Yes, you can buy a servant, and you don't have to do everything yourself in the future, which saves a lot of trouble."

"Uncle Cui, do you know where Blind Yang's home is?" Liu Ming'an said, patting Jiang Ning's hand gently and smiling at her.

"I know, I'll let Xiao Li show you the way when we get there!" Cui Shan really likes Liu Ming'an, and doesn't mind helping him out a little.

Xiao Li was a young man in Cui Shan's troupe who was in charge of running errands and doing odd jobs. Liu Ming'an hurriedly thanked him when he heard it. Cui Shan waved his hand and said, "It's just a small matter."

The day they arrived at Qushui City was exactly the end of the month. It took Liu Ming'an and his partner a full month to get here from Lingshan Town.

Qushui City is called a "city" because it has gates and walls. It is the only way to enter the capital from south to north. It is connected to the sea on one side and surrounded by mountains on three sides. The largest river in Liang State passes through it. It does not belong to any prefecture. It was an important military fortress in the previous dynasty.

Cui Shan pointed at the tall city gate from a distance and said to Liu Ming'an, "This is it, Qushui City. We will say goodbye after entering the city. Let Xiao Li take you to find Blind Yang. Take care of yourselves." After traveling

together for more than ten days, Liu Ming'an regarded this Cui troupe owner as an amiable and respectable elder. Thinking of the separation, he was reluctant to leave. He just said, "Uncle Cui, you should also take care of yourself. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely come to Maozhu County to visit you." Cui Shan

patted Liu Ming'an on the shoulder and said "OK", and then the group of people parted ways with the two at the city gate.

"Liu Juren, let's go, I will take you to find Blind Yang, his home is not far from here." Xiao Li, who was left by Cui Shan to lead the way, said with a smile. He also wanted to finish his business quickly and meet up with the troupe.

Liu Mingan said "thank you", put on his backpack, took Jiang Ning and followed Xiao Li. The two of them were getting familiar with the way while observing the surrounding environment of this place.

Jiang Ning found that this place was very similar to a coastal city in her memory. There was a faint salty and humid smell of sea breeze floating in the air. Various seafood can be seen everywhere, and fishing nets can be seen drying on the street. Maybe because this place is a transportation hub and trade is relatively developed, the living standards of the people seem to be relatively high, at least one level higher than Lingshan Town. Is

she from here? Jiang Ning asked herself while looking at the crowd of people of all kinds, but she didn't have any memory of the original owner, so this place was just unfamiliar to her.

"We're here. This is the house."

Xiao Li suddenly spoke up while Jiang Ning was thinking. She looked in the direction he pointed. It was a big house on the street. There was a plaque on the door that read "Yang Mansion".

"Then I'll go find the boss and the others to meet up. Bye." Xiao Li said hello to the two of them and ran away.

Liu Ming'an also looked up at the house. It's in the north of Qushui City, not in the central area, but it's a good place to be quiet in the hustle and bustle. It covers a large area, the gate is painted vermilion, and there are two pots of rich bamboo in front of the door. It looks a bit tacky, but at least it's a family that's not short of money.

Liu Ming'an turned to look at Jiang Ning and found that she looked normal. She only took a quick look at the place and then went forward and knocked on the copper button on the door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The copper buckle hit the wooden door with a dull sound, and Liu Ming's anxiety gradually improved. He couldn't tell what he was worried about.

After a while, a "squeaking" sound came from behind the door, as if an iron chain was dragging on the ground. Then, the door opened from the inside, and a grim face appeared in front of the two.

The one who opened the door was an old woman with completely gray hair, wrinkles on her face, and a pair of lifeless eyes. When she looked at Jiang Ning's face, she felt that the other person was a walking corpse without a soul.

Liu Mingan walked up to her and asked politely with a smile: "Excuse me, what is this place..."

Before she finished speaking, the old woman turned around and walked away with a hunched back. Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes and noticed the whip wounds on her back of hands and wrists that had not yet scabbed over, as well as the iron chains on her feet.

Liu Mingan's question was ignored, and he stood in front of the open door, not knowing what to do.

Jiang Ning looked at the old woman dragging the iron chain away, and said solemnly: "Come in, you are here now."

Then he stepped into the house.

The two didn't know where to go, so they could only follow the old woman. After walking a few steps, they saw several maids sweeping the ground and weeding. Without exception, they all had some injuries on their bodies, and they all wore shackles on their feet. Their eyes were dull and there was no sign of life in their eyes.

Seeing these scenes, Liu Mingan's heart couldn't help but sink.

An Ning, did you come from this place before?

The two followed the old woman for a while, and heard a childish voice from somewhere in the distance: "... People are similar in nature, but different in habits. If you don't teach me..."

At this time, the old woman stopped, raised her hand and pointed at that place, and then she walked away dragging the iron chain.

Jiang Ning and Liu Mingan looked at each other, walked around the rockery that blocked their view, and found that there was a small pavilion there. In the pavilion sat a young woman in gorgeous clothes, holding a boy of six or seven years old in her arms. They were reading a copy of the Three Character Classic.

Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an walked to the pavilion. The woman noticed them, patted the child in her arms, and said lovingly, "Go play first, I'll come find you later."

The child stood up from her arms, turned his head to look at Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an, and then ran away with the book.

When the child left, the gentle smile on the woman's face disappeared without a trace, and her eyes were full of calculation and greed.

She stood up leisurely, walked to Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an, and started talking about business: "Are you two here to buy people? What kind of goods do you want? Do you like anything in my house?"

The two were shocked, thinking of the people with shackles and scars on their bodies, and those lifeless faces.

It turns out that those are not human beings, but goods that can be picked and bargained for by anyone.

Just like... Jiang Ning in the cage at the beginning!