He took out five taels of silver from his purse and said, "Don't buy steamed buns, buy dumplings. Otherwise you won't have the strength to work later. Run faster."
The child who was called stood up, took the silver and nodded, then hurriedly ran out to buy steamed buns. Not long after, he returned with a basket full of steamed buns.
"This is the money I had left over from buying steamed buns. The shopkeeper saw that I bought a lot, so he gave me a basket too." After saying that, she stood there quietly.
An Shuyi took the money. "Eat quickly, so you can get back to work."
The child didn't go over, but instead placed the basket in front of them, saying, "Please eat, my lords."
"You two eat, we've already eaten. After you're done, clean the house thoroughly, making sure you don't miss any corner. We're going to buy other things." With that, the two left.
Just like last time, I first went out of the city to buy two horses from the trading system, then bought the other necessary items and put them in the warehouse. Then I led the horses back to the city and went to buy carriages.
Because they still needed to buy furniture, the two went to buy it first. After buying it, they asked the shopkeeper to deliver it to the mansion. An Shuyi also put things into the carriage. Both carriages were full before they hurried back to the mansion.
When they arrived, the furniture they bought had already been delivered. An Shuyi went in first and saw that the room had been cleaned. She then asked the deliveryman to move all the items inside and put them away.
Once everything was in place, the mansion looked brand new. This time, every room had a bed, and the backyard and servants' quarters were also furnished. The hall had tables and chairs, but the two side rooms were empty; those were used to store training equipment.
There was also grain, pots and pans, and vegetables inside the carriage, so the children were allowed to carry them in and put them away.
Xia Hua took out a piece of paper. "Starting today, everything you need to do each day is written on this paper. Just follow what's written on it. This is the internal energy cultivation method we found. Get up early every day and practice according to it."
They still asked Xiao Zili for the internal energy cultivation method. Although they didn't understand why they wanted it, Xiao Zili didn't ask and gave it to them anyway.
"We'll buy some clothes for you later. Wash yourselves with hot water. If you have any bugs in your hair, cut all your hair off before you take a shower."
"From now on, you will have to cook your own meals, wash your own clothes, and take a bath every day. These next few days, the books will come to teach you what you've learned. Study hard, and go get some hot water. You can choose whichever room you want to stay in. Also, this isn't just for you; other people will be coming later."
After Xia Hua finished speaking, she and An Shuyi went to buy clothes. After they came back, they told them to take a shower. When they came out wearing clean clothes, they found that all six of them were boys and there wasn't a single girl.
"Now tell me your names, ages, and family members."
Upon hearing this, the child who had been beaten stood up and said, "My name is Gou Dan, I am ten years old. This is my younger brother, Gou Wa, who is seven years old. Our family fled here from famine. Our parents died, and we also had a little sister who died. We have no other family members."
The two looked at him in surprise, thinking he was only eight or nine years old, but he was already ten.
The coughing child continued, "My name is Da Niu, I'm seven years old, and I have no family. This is my cousin, Da Hu, who is nine years old and also has no family."
"My name is Gousheng, I am six years old, and I have no family."
“My name is Tuwa, I am eight years old, and I have no family.”
After they finished speaking, Xia Hua said, "From today onwards, your previous names will no longer exist, and of course, the people will no longer exist either. My name is Xia Hua, and her name is An Shuyi. Starting with Gou Dan, Xia Chu Yi, Da Hu, Xia Chu Er, Tu Wa, Xia Chu San, Da Niu, Xia Chu Si, Gou Wa, Xia Chu Wu, Gou Sheng, and Xia Chu Liu, you will all be called by these names from now on."
It's getting late, hurry up and cook your own food. Tomorrow morning at 5 AM, you'll all start running around the yard. The two rooms next to the main hall aren't fully furnished yet; they'll arrive in a few days. You can start by running and practicing your boxing.
"Also, remember to feed the horses you bought. I've already bought the hay. You'll be using these two to practice riding from now on."
After finishing their conversation, the two returned to the neighboring house, where Tao and Zhou, along with several daughters-in-law, prepared the meal.
During this period, the hot pot base needed by the hot pot restaurant was made by them. It would be inappropriate to have them make it at the hot pot restaurant with too many people watching. In addition, they couldn't be left idle, otherwise, apart from daily cleaning and cooking, there would be no other work to do in these two houses.
The next morning, Xia Hua got up early and went for a stroll on the street in order to continue looking for suitable beggars. An Shuyi, on the other hand, got up after sleeping, washed up, ate breakfast, and then went to the house next door to teach the children to read.
No matter what you're learning, you have to be able to read. If you don't know how to read, it's a hassle to teach you. After teaching until noon, let them cook for themselves, and then An Shuyi will leave to go to the teahouse to listen to opera.
They waited until dark before leisurely returning to their residence.
Xia Hua didn't come back with any beggars either, but she did find a few decent ones and was just waiting for the right opportunity to bring them over.
For the next few days, she wandered around the capital. Every morning, An Shuyi would get up and teach the children to recognize characters and how to kill people quickly. In the afternoon, she would go to the teahouse to listen to opera.
That day, the two stayed together, because Xia Hua had brought back more than ten beggars the night before, and the two of them went to see them together today.
When the two arrived at the neighboring courtyard, the children ahead were still running. When they saw them coming, they didn't say anything but continued running. In the courtyard, there were also fifteen children whose hair had been cut off.
There were five girls and ten boys this time. Xia Hua asked them to tell her their age and then named them, from the oldest being ten years old to the youngest being five years old, Xia Xiuyi to Xia Xiushi.
The five girls ranged in age from nine (Xia Nuoyi) to five (Xia Nuowu).
Xia Hua called the six people over and said, "From today onwards, you will be just like them: running, learning to read, practicing boxing, learning how to kill quickly, practicing internal energy and lightness skills, and also keeping yourselves clean."
"You can stay in those rooms however you like, but the most important thing is that you are not allowed to fight among yourselves. If you are discovered, no matter who it is, they will die."
"From today onwards, you twenty-one of you are the best of brothers and sisters. Unity is the most important thing. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Master," the twenty-one people said in unison.
"Okay, let's start with running, then we'll move on to the other things." Xia Hua said, then placed two stools there to sit and watch.
"Shushu, I saw something here, go watch the play." Don't think she didn't know, this silly woman is addicted to watching plays, she even claps her hands in her dreams at night, which shows how excited she was during the day.
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