Just as Chen Qiao'er was about to take a bite, she heard Chen Ermao's voice at the door.
"Ah, so you're already eating meat buns, huh? Looks like you really hit the jackpot."
Hearing his voice, Qiao'er immediately hid behind Chen Xiaobei, nervously watching Chen Ermao.
Chen Xiaobei, however, was not afraid at all. He puffed out his chest and stepped forward, asking in a deep voice, "Chen Ermao, we agreed on three days. The time hasn't passed yet."
Chen Ermao laughed heartily. "No rush, no rush. Even if the time has passed, it doesn't matter. We made it clear, no silver, no problem. You can give the girl to me instead."
As he spoke, Chen Ermao's eyes casually darted toward Chen Qiao'er.
Chen Xiaobei stepped forward again, standing in front of Qiao'er, and shouted angrily, "Chen Ermao, remember this—if you make another move on Qiao'er, I'll fight you to the death."
Ermao chuckled and waved his hand. "Xiaobei, don't be so hasty. I'm here to discuss another business deal with you."
Chen Xiaobei was momentarily confused about what Chen Ermao was up to.
"Go ahead."
Chen Ermao grinned. "You know, Cui Hongyu has already killed three men, and no one in the surrounding villages dares to marry her. Why not take her dowry and sell her to me?"
"Anyway, she's already been cast out by the Cui family. If she goes missing, I doubt Cui Fugui will come after her!"
This was outrageous. First, he targets my sister, and now he's after my not-yet-married wife.
Chen Xiaobei was filled with fury. "Chen Ermao, don't say anything. I haven't even married Cui Hongyu yet, and even if she were to enter my house, she'd be my wife. Even if I have to live on scraps, I'll never sell my own woman."
Chen Ermao looked at Chen Xiaobei with surprise and confusion in his eyes.
If he could understand not selling Chen Qiao'er—because she was his sister—then what about Cui Hongyu? She wasn't even his relative, and she was a widow with a bad reputation.
He couldn't understand why Chen Xiaobei was so adamant about defending a woman like her.
"Alright, I didn't expect Xiaobei to be such a loyal and righteous man. I'll forget about it then."
As Chen Ermao turned to leave, Chen Xiaobei's heart was uneasy.
He hadn't even solved the issue with Qiao'er yet, and now Chen Ermao had set his sights on Cui Hongyu. The truth was, he and Cui Hongyu hadn't even started anything yet.
But that connection was coming soon. After Qiao'er finished eating her buns and happily climbed into bed to take a nap, Chen Xiaobei leaned against a big locust tree to cool off.
Just then, the village chief arrived.
The village chief's name was Chen Anbang.
Technically, Chen Xiaobei should have called him grandfather. "Second Grandpa, what brings you here? Please, have a seat."
Hearing the commotion, Qiao'er quickly ran out from the house with the three-legged stool and placed it in front of Chen Anbang.
"Second Grandpa, please sit."
Chen Anbang smiled, patted Qiao'er's head, then took the stool and sat down, looking at Chen Xiaobei with a friendly smile.
"Xiaobei, your parents passed away early. You and your sister have suffered these past few years."
Chen Xiaobei didn't immediately understand Chen Anbang's intentions and could only offer some casual remarks.
After a few sentences, Chen Anbang got to the point. "I heard from your Aunt Xiumei that you've agreed to the marriage with the Cui family."
At these words, Chen Xiaobei felt frustrated. When did I agree to this? I never agreed to it!
"Second Grandpa, actually, I..."
Before he could finish, Chen Anbang cut him off again. "I know that Hongyu is also an unfortunate girl."
"Don't worry, I consulted a fortune-teller for you. Your fate is strong, nothing will happen to you. Trust me."
Chen Xiaobei couldn't understand why everyone was suddenly so concerned about his marriage, and why it had to be with Cui Hongyu.
"Second Grandpa, you know my situation. Life is already tough enough with just Qiao'er and me. How could I even think about marrying someone?"
"Besides, I only have two acres of land. The two of us can barely eat. If Cui Hongyu comes, there will be three mouths to feed."
Hearing this, Chen Anbang smiled faintly. "Old Cui has already said that if there are any difficulties at home, you can always go to him. He's willing to offer financial support."
The better the conditions, the more suspicious this all seemed.
"Second Grandpa, can I think about it a bit more?"
To his surprise, Chen Anbang immediately stood up. "No need to think. You have no parents, so the village decides for you. I've already promised this for you."
"By the way, in three days, Cui Hongyu will move into your house. You should get things ready. I'll send two people to help clean the yard later."
Something felt off. Whether it was his Aunt Xiumei or the village chief, everyone seemed determined to marry Cui Hongyu into his family. Why was that?
Chen Xiaobei couldn't figure it out for now, but at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. What mattered was that he still needed to catch wild chickens tonight. He hadn't raised enough money yet—only two taels of silver was still needed.
He still took Chen Qiao'er to Dachun's house, and while it was still light, he quickly set off to lay his ambush.
He once again took a few wild chicken eggs from several nests. Only when the eggs were missing would the wild chickens become disoriented.
Clearly, the wild chickens were smarter than he had imagined. He waited until it was quite dark, and only then did he begin to see a few pairs of small glowing spots appear in the distant grass.
About three or four wild chickens returned to their resting place and started to wander back and forth.
Chen Xiaobei suddenly understood—indeed, the wild chickens were clever. They had sent scouts. These three or four wild chickens were just there to scout the area.
After about fifteen minutes, these wild chickens seemed to feel that there was no danger. They began calling out with their familiar "cluck-cluck" sounds.
Soon, dozens of pairs of small glowing spots appeared in the distant grass, signaling that the wild chicken flock had finally returned.
However, when the wild chickens noticed that their eggs were missing, they began to panic and scatter in confusion, just like the night before.
It was clear that their intelligence was still limited.
This time, Chen Xiaobei did not rush to act.
He was more prepared than the night before. In addition to a net, he also had a stone in his hand.
Seeing the wild chickens in disarray, he threw the stone toward the area where the chickens were most concentrated.
The already chaotic wild chicken flock immediately scattered in all directions, flapping and jumping wildly.
As expected, several wild chickens, in their panic, ended up under the tree. This was the moment to act—he couldn't let the opportunity slip away.
Chen Xiaobei quickly threw the net over them.
At least three or four wild chickens were caught. He quickly used both hands and feet to press down on two more wild chickens.
Tonight's catch was even bigger than last night's, with a total of five wild chickens.
Chen Xiaobei felt elated. At 350 wen each, selling five would bring in quite a sum! Besides paying off Chen Ermao's gambling debt, he'd still have plenty left over.
This time, he marked the spot again. However, he knew that "things do not go beyond three attempts." The chances of the wild chickens returning were slim, and the main reason for marking the spot was so he could collect the wild chicken eggs and bring them back to supplement Qiao'er's health.
But sometimes, ideals are full, while reality is harsh. The next day, Chen Xiaobei, full of confidence, went early to the county to sell the wild chickens. Yet, he waited all day and couldn't sell a single one.
Yesterday's big spender, Steward Cao, didn't show up, and even Old Wu, the vegetable vendor, seemed a bit sorry for Chen Xiaobei.