Mrs. Wu was waiting for her two grandsons to eat. When she saw Li Shiwu staring intently at the dispute on the pier, she pushed him with her hand.
"What are you looking at? You can take care of this kind of thing? We have no power. If we attract people's attention, we won't ruin Xi'er's business."
Li Shiwu didn't look back, feeling a little unsure: "That woman..."
"What happened to the woman?"
"Do you think she looks like Ningxiu?"
"Ningxiu?" Wu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then immediately stared at the woman with wide eyes.
Huo Xi felt that the name Ningxiu was a bit familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere. Just as she was thinking about it, she saw Wu slapped her thigh hard: "It's not Ningxiu, it's her!"
I was about to get up, but was pushed down by Li Shiwu: "Didn't you just say that you attracted people's attention and ruined Xi'er's affairs? Now you are going to do something even worse!"
Wu glanced at Huo Xi and sat down again.
He leaned his head close to Huo Xi: "Does Xi'er think the name Ningxiu is familiar? But you were still young at the time, so you may not remember her. Ningxiu used to be your mother's dowry maid."
Huo Xi was immediately impressed upon hearing this.
When her mother married into the Zhang family, she was married off with several maids. Ningxiu was the eldest maid. She was bought since she was a child and has been with her mother all her life.
She also stayed with her mother for two years in the Zhang family. It wasn't until her mother gave birth to her that she let Ningxiu go out to get married. The girl she married was a steward in her maternal grandfather's shop.
As soon as she got married, her mother released her as a man, and her grandmother also released her as a man. She and her husband lived outside, only working in her grandfather's shop, and often visiting her mother at home.
When Huo Xi saw that he was an old person, he couldn't help but die.
After seeing Ningxiu being chased away by someone with her head lifted up and her legs lifted, she still collapsed on the ground in a daze. It wasn't until a pair of children threw themselves on her and cried with tears that she came to her senses and shed tears.
He took his children and left.
Huo Xi wanted to follow her, but Li Shiwu held her back and said, "Uncle, come with us to see what's going on." He got up and followed her.
Wu whispered: "Let your maternal uncle go and check the situation first. Now that so many years have passed, people's hearts are fickle, and it's hard for you to reveal your identity. But your uncle can. If her family is good by then, let's see
I also helped her with her past relationship."
Huo Xi nodded.
After they finished eating, they led Yin'er and Yi'er to look at the ship at the pier for a while, and then led them back to the ship.
The two siblings were running and jumping on the deck, extremely happy, and kept shouting that they wanted to come again, which made Wu and Huo Xi amused.
"The two skinny monkeys feel so wild after coming out. They can't bear to go home, and neither do their parents."
Several people thought the cabin was stuffy, so they all sat on the deck and chatted. Yin'er and Yi'er clung to the edge of the boat to watch the excitement.
Half an hour later, my uncle returned to the boat.
Shaking his head and sighing, he talked about Ningxiu.
Ningxiu's man Zhu Zhongquan, like Ningxiu, is an orphan. They were bought back by their grandmother when they were a few years old and have been staying in the Li family.
After they got married, they worked in their grandfather's shop. Later, when something happened to the Li family, they were not affected at all because they were good people.
They used the money they saved to open a restaurant in the capital, and the business was booming. Unexpectedly, they were jealous and burned down their restaurant. Unable to stay in the capital, they moved all the way to Ningbo.
The two of them were diligent and could live a comfortable life. Ningxiu took care of her three children at home and did some needlework for sale, while Zhu Zhongquan worked at the dock and earned one or two taels of silver a month.
But a few days ago, Zhu Zhongquan’s leg was broken by cargo.
The family's savings were suddenly gone. Seeing that the family was about to be ruined, Ningxiu heard that the shipowner had lost the money, so she took her children to ask for it from the captain.
But he didn't want to take out the money. He just said that Zhu Zhongquan dropped someone's goods, causing him to lose business, and the money was compensation.
Huo Xi and Wu shook their heads and sighed.
"Then Ningxiu recognizes you?" Wu asked.
"How could I not recognize him? He knelt down to me and cried loudly." Li Shiwu sighed.
"His family vacated the small courtyard where they originally lived, and the family moved to a shantytown in the outer city. Zhongquan had one of his legs broken and was paralyzed on the bed, with a look of death on his face. His eldest daughter was afraid that he would not be able to think about it.
He stared at him sharply in the room. When he saw me, he became very emotional. He hugged me and cried until tears and snot covered his face."
Li Shiwu sighed deeply after speaking.
The brothers and sisters-in-law of his clan were kind to their servants, and the family was living in harmony at that time. Only one misfortune broke out, and they were separated, which made people sigh.
"Did you give him money?" Wu asked him again.
Li Shiwu nodded: "I carried him to the medical center and left him some money for treatment. His leg was originally treated, but I didn't have much money, and the treatment was not good. Are there any broken bones in it?
Take it out. The doctor said it’s cured, but it’s still lame.”
Wu and Huo Xi couldn't help but sigh after hearing this.
"Just be lame, as long as you are alive."
"Yes, that's what I advised him. There are three children at home." Li Shiwu shook his head and sighed.
Because of Ningxiu's incident, we were delayed for another half day, so we simply stayed one night at the dock and set off again tomorrow morning.
Unexpectedly, the next day the group had just finished breakfast at the pier and were about to board the ship. Na Ningxiu brought her eldest daughter to find her. She said that she would sell herself to Li Shiwu's family.
Li Shiwu was a little embarrassed and looked at Huo Xi.
Ningxiu also looked at Huo Xi, and her body trembled. She looked at it carefully, but Wu stood in front of Huo Xi and blocked her gaze.
Ningxiu lowered her eyes.
Huo Xi thought for a while and realized that her mother and grandfather had released her and her husband from the physical deed, so she couldn't sign them again.
But they felt sorry for holding their uncle's money. At this time, they had nothing to gain, so they wanted to sell themselves. It may also be that the common people were powerless and were afraid of being tortured.
After taking a look at Ningxiu's eldest daughter, she thought about it and signed only her eldest daughter.
Gave her twenty taels of silver.
"Your husband is still in the hospital, so it's hard to follow us back to Beijing. You can stay in Ningbo with peace of mind. Not long after, the second son of the Li family will come to Ningbo to open a shop. If you are willing, you and your wife can help in the shop."
"Yes, yes! Thank you, my master! Thank you, my master!" He turned to his daughter and told her to listen to her master's words.
Zhu Xiahe was only nine years old. Although he looked like a little adult, he was about to leave his parents and younger siblings, with tears in his eyes and reluctance on his face.
Mrs. Wu comforted her: "Don't worry, the master is kind-hearted, there will be a time when your family will be reunited."
Ningxiu nodded repeatedly, took her daughter and gave her instructions again and again. Before leaving, she took a deep look at Huo Xi, then turned and left with tears in her eyes.
Only then did the group board the ship, and the ship quickly left the dock.
Vanilla was very happy to see that she finally had someone to keep her company. She took Xia He and showed her around and prepared various things for her.
I feel very sorry for this sister.
She couldn't help but ask Huo Xi: "Girl, why don't you let Lei Da and the others beat that guy on the head so that he can get back the Zhu family's money from his house?"
I get angry when I think of Xia He's sister's money being stolen by bad guys.