Because it was getting late, the few of them had no intention of wandering around and went all the way to Ren Yazi An's house in Yongqiao Lane, east of Pingcheng.
The location of Mrs. An's house is easy to find. The mansion 'An's House' that can be seen across the bridge is her house.
"Who are you looking for?" The door was ajar, and a little boy about ten years old stuck his head out and looked at Xiao Ming and the other five.
"Excuse me, does An Po live here?" Xia Xiaoba asked.
"Yes, you are looking for Mrs. An, please wait a moment." The little boy replied politely, closed the door again and went in. Not long after, an adult man's voice sounded from the door, which was as hoarse and unpleasant as sandpaper rubbing across the table. It felt as if a knife was cutting flesh on my heart.
"Xuan'er, who is here?"
"Dad, there are five people outside looking for An Po." the little boy replied.
"Oh, An Po has taken a nap. Let Li'er call her!" The man's eyes were filled with sadness. He raised his head and glanced at the closed door. The moment he raised his head, the left side of his face was exposed. The little boy looked at his father. His heart skipped a beat on that half of his face, as if he had been caught by a tiger. He felt guilty and ran away in a panic. Even after so long, he still couldn't face his father's face that was burned by the fire.
The man was accustomed to this, so he continued to pick up the firewood at his feet and put it on the short wooden stake. He gestured with the ax in his right hand, raised the knife and lowered it, and the thick and round firewood was split into two.
When Xuan'er found Li'er, she was fetching water from the well. She threw the bucket down the well with one hand and lifted it up effortlessly. She was gnawing on a big apple in her other hand. After lifting the water, Pour it into the large water vat in the kitchen, and keep chewing on the apple the whole time. From the look of her, it was effortless to carry the bucket with one hand.
"Sister Li'er, you stole food again, be careful An Po scolds you."
"Shh~~" Li'er looked around nervously, and then she felt relieved when she found that there was no one else. She whispered: "Please keep your voice down. I haven't eaten enough at noon. I'm still hungry now. Do you want to eat?" , I also have a steamed bun." The little girl smiled innocently, and actually took out the steamed bun in her arms and gave it to Xuan'er.
"I don't want it." Xuan'er looked at the steamed buns handed to him and shook his head, saying in disbelief: "You've eaten three bowls and you're still not full."
"No, I need to eat five bowls in one meal to be full, but An Po only gives me three bowls to eat. How can I be full after three bowls?" The little girl named Li'er is extremely aggrieved. She can't have enough to eat every day. , I can only steal something to eat while Po An is resting.
"By the way, what do you want from me? I still have to fetch water."
"Someone is looking for Po An. Dad asked you to call her."
"Why is it that I'm the one who calls for someone every time?" Li'er curled her lips, but she kept eating apples. Every time she called for someone, she would be scolded by An Po, all because she ate something secretly.
Despite saying this, Li'er quickly finished the apple, wiped her mouth and went to Po An's yard.
It was already a moment after Xiao Ming saw Po An.
"Dr. Xiao is here, please come in quickly. My old lady is old and she is used to taking a nap in the afternoon." Mrs. An came to the door in person, apologizing and apologizing. She has the habit of taking a nap in the past few years. There are many things to do, and I sleep a little deeper every day. I wash and dress while sleeping, which delays me for a while.
"No wonder An Po looks so young. It turns out she takes good care of herself." Xiao Ming praised, saying that sleeping in beauty sleep is not about taking care of yourself.
"Oh, is it true? Dr. Xiao is really good at joking. I'm already a lot older, so why am I still pretty?" What woman doesn't love beauty? Although Po An said she was old, she still couldn't help but caress her with her hands. Face.
"Several people please come inside." Po An took Xiao Ming into the yard.
The yard is not big, just an ordinary courtyard. In the yard, a man is sitting on a low stool, chopping firewood. He lifts the knife and chops the firewood cleanly. Looking at the profile, the man looks very good, resolute and handsome, especially his wood-chopping skills. The technique made Xia Xiaoba couldn't help but look at it a few more times.
Unfortunately, when the man raised his head, everyone was startled. His face was disfigured by a scar burned by fire on the left side of his face. The wound was hideous and riddled with holes. Half of it was a human face and half was a grimace. When Xiao Yu and Wang Tiandong first met, Startled, he grabbed Xiao Han and Xia Xiaoba by their clothes and hid behind them.
An Po led the people into the hall and ordered Li'er to quickly serve tea and fruit snacks.
"Li'er, hurry up and bring the good tea I saved, and then go next door to call Mother Yi and the others."
"Oh." Li'er took two steps and then turned back and asked stupidly: "Po An, should I go call someone first or bring tea first."
When Po An heard this, she yelled angrily: "You idiot, of course you have to serve tea first. I have taught you this so many times."
"Oh." Li'er ran away quickly when she saw Po An was angry.
"It makes the girl laugh. This girl is stupid and slow to react, but she is worth two when it comes to work." Of course, one is worth three when eating.
"Very good, he's a nice person." Xiao Ming nodded. Although this kind of person is a little dull, he doesn't have bad intentions when doing things.
An Po's face smiled like a flower, and she added: "This girl is also pitiful. She was sold by her own mother. She is stupid and has a wooden head. She can't even teach her how to play music, chess, calligraphy and painting." Fortunately, he was a hard worker and a diligent person, so he just kept doing some chores at home."
Speaking of this girl, An Po was very helpless. She was stupid and only knew how to work and eat. She could eat as much as two men in one meal. She was also strong. She didn't sell it for more than a year. The first two She finally sold it in a month, but before she could be happy, a few days later she was returned by the owner, who said she had beaten the young master with one fist, for which she had to pay money and pay for it. Apologize.
Tell me, this girl has no cooking skills. She only has brute strength. She has big fists and can hit people. What will you do in the future? Do you have to support her for the rest of your life?
She even suspected that her mother sold her because she thought she ate too much.
An Po was so worried that her hair turned white. What's the use of a woman who only knows brute force and big fists? Getting married and having children is the most important thing. Of course, she wouldn't tell Xiao Ming about this, well, not even if she was beaten to death. explain.
She also relied on Xiao Ming to buy people away.
"I also have a small courtyard next door, and the people I bought live in it. They usually embroider flowers and grass, and learn some etiquette and rules. Don't you know that the wealthy families in Pingcheng like to pick girls from me? I teach you well here, and you are considerate in serving people. I have all the girls who have girls in the madam and master's room, or choose girls as dowry for girls. You can buy them and train them before you can use them directly."
An Po's business was very good, so in addition to learning etiquette and rules, An Po was allowed to embroider some handkerchiefs, screens, etc. at home. Of course, she sold these for money.
She said all this just to say that her people are of good quality, skilled in craftsmanship, and understand the rules. This means that the price is high. However, Xiao Ming is not buying these girls who can't raise their hands and shoulders. What she wants is It can actually work.
