The three of them retreated while talking, and soon they were far away from the battlefield. They first asked the children playing in the alley for directions and found the well.
There is little water in the north, so few families can dig a well on their own. In most cases, the village chief decides on the location and builds a well for everyone to use together.
The well was not very far from where they were. Although it was already noon, there were still many people there fetching water and washing clothes.
Bai Erlang ran at the front, borrowed a bucket from the people at the well, threw the bucket down, and clumsily fetched only half a bucket of water, but it was enough for them.
He fetched some water to clean his hands, and waved to Bai Shanzhou, "Hurry up."
Bai Shan stepped forward and washed the handkerchief, then wiped his face with a look of disgust.
Man Bao also fetched water to wash her hands. She was lucky. She was standing behind Bai Shan when the two started to quarrel.
The two of them squatted aside and watched Bai Shan wash his face with smiles.
The people washing clothes at the well also stared at Bai Shan. A woman couldn't help but exclaimed: "Young Master is so handsome."
Bai Shan blushed slightly, politely thanked the man for the compliment, and then asked casually: "I wonder where the chief's family is?"
Everyone couldn't help but look at Bai Shan and the other three, and couldn't help but inquire: "Mr. Lang, has something to do with our chief?"
Bai Shan smiled politely and said: "We came from the capital to look for relatives, but we haven't contacted each other for many years. It seems that our relatives have moved to another place, so I want to check with the head of the village."
Everyone got excited when they heard this, and said one after another: "The relative the husband is looking for is from our neighborhood? Then ask us, we have been living here, so we know something about it."
Bai Shan's eyes passed over them. They know how to wash clothes here. They are not that old. The oldest one looks like he is only around thirty. There are only six people in total. The other five people look at it.
Her clothes are smaller, she looks about the same age as Saturday's sister-in-law, and they both wear their hair in a woman's bun.
Apparently they were all married here, but Bai Shan didn't quite believe it if they said they had always lived here.
However, there are many rumors and few secrets in the neighborhood. The sister-in-law Xia just now seems to have a bad temper and her relationship is not going well. People must like to talk about her family's affairs more. Maybe they really know something.
So Bai Shan found a stone nearby and sat down to talk to them, "They are relatives from the older generation. We are young and have never been here. We have not been in contact for more than ten years and we don't know where they are."
He asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, does she know that there was a scholar named Xia here more than ten years ago? There was only one daughter in the family, and I heard that she later had a new wife."
The oldest one was stunned for a moment and looked at Bai Shan in surprise.
The young daughter-in-law on the side had already started to smile and said: "I have never heard of such a family. Did you remember it wrong, young master? We don't have any families here who want to marry us."
Bai Shan looked at the older woman.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Bai Shan curiously and asked, "Is Mr. Lang a relative of the Xia family?"
Bai Shan smiled and nodded.
She frowned, "I've never heard of the Xia family having such a relative outside."
She looked at Bai Shan with something wrong in her eyes, and her enthusiasm faded a lot, but she still said: "But more than ten years ago, we did have a family named Xia who was a scholar, but he has long since disappeared. One of his daughters married into a family.
It’s just that she left with her husband and never came back.”
Having said this, she paused and looked at Bai Shan suspiciously again, but seeing that he was a boy and not of the right age, her eyes moved to Zhou Man, who had been squatting quietly aside.
Upon closer inspection, her eyes widened slightly, and she looked up and down as she stared at Zhou Man.
Man Bao moved back slightly when she looked at him.
Bai Shan stood up and walked to Man Bao to block her. He laughed with the woman and said, "Does sister-in-law know who is living in his house now? I wonder if he has any relatives in his family?"
However, the woman tilted her body and wanted to take another look at Zhou Man. When she saw that he moved to block her gaze again, she said helplessly: "The person who lives in his house now is a nephew of his family. It has been a few days. You are...
"
She looked around, lowered her voice and asked, "Are you from Xin Niang's family? Where are Xin Niang and Mr. Zhou?"
Bai Shan only smiled, stretched out his hand to pull Manbao up from the ground, and said to her, "We are here to find relatives. I don't know how to get to the eldest brother's house?"
The woman showed them the way energetically, "Go in from there. There is an intersection in front of you. When you go out, go right on the street and it will be the second house."
She wanted to take another look at Zhou Man behind him with bright eyes, but was blocked by Bai Shan.
Bai Shan thanked her, took Man Bao and left.
The three of them left very quickly and almost started running. Man Bao patted his chest and said thankfully, "It seems like he wants to eat me."
Bai Shan said: "You must look like Uncle Zhou or Aunt Zhou."
Man Bao tilted his head and thought for a while and said: "I always heard my father say that I look like my father. People in the village also said that I look like my father. I think it should be like my father, right?"
Bai Shan took her to find the village chief's house. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "That's good. They look alike and it saves some trouble."
Behind them, the woman excitedly put all her clothes into the tub after they left, took them and left.
The young daughter-in-law on the side couldn't help but said: "Aunt Fan, you don't want to wash anymore?"
"No more washing, I'm going home first."
The young daughters-in-law looked at her putting the unwashed clothes into the wooden bucket, and their eyes suddenly went straight, and they secretly said: If we go back like this, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law may have another quarrel.
Aunt Fan didn't care. She picked up the wooden basin and walked quickly. When she got home, she threw the wooden basin in the yard. Her son opened his mouth wide when he saw it. Her mother-in-law also saw it. She pinched her waist and was about to scold her. She already looked excited.
He said: "Mom, do you know who is back?"
"Who's back? You can't throw away wooden basins like this when someone comes back. There are only a few basins at home. Wait, have your clothes been washed..."
"It's Xin Niang's family who are back."
"Who is Xin Niang?"
Aunt Fan pointed to the next door and said, "Xin Niang! Her Xin Niang is back!"
The old lady's eyes widened slightly, and she stopped caring about the tub and clothes. She grabbed her sleeve and asked, "Really? Where is he?"
As he spoke, he pricked up his ears to listen to what was going on next door, "No, I only heard the quarrel between the neighbor and Gao today, and I didn't hear anything else. Have you seen Xin Niang?"
Aunt Fan stiffened, and then she remembered that something was wrong. She hadn't seen Xin Niang. Moreover, if Xin Niang came back, she could have just gone back to her own home, so why did she come here to ask about her relatives?
Seeing that her daughter-in-law was in a daze again, the old lady said angrily: "You are talking nonsense again..."
"There are shadows, there are shadows. I didn't see Xin Niang, but I saw Xin Niang's daughter. Real mother. The child looks about fourteen or fifteen years old. She's about the same age. That little face looks like Zhou's.
She looks so much like Xin Niang, her eyes look like they were cut out of her father and put on her body. Also, her forehead and chin are very similar to Xin Niang's, so she must be their child."