So now, Chen Anbang had no other choice.
Chen Xiaobei, oh, Chen Xiaobei, you truly are clever.
After a moment of reflection, looking at Chen Ermao and the others, he became filled with anger.
In his view, the things Chen Ermao stole were the possessions of his grandson, Chen Ping.
"Alright, Chen Ermao, you've heard it. Chen Xiaobei is showing you mercy, and the robbery charges are dropped, but what about the theft? Do you admit it?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Chen Ermao and the others immediately acknowledged.
Chen Anbang nodded and looked at the families of Chen Ermao and the others. "You may all rise."
"As I said earlier, immoral actions must be punished severely."
"Since you seem to have some remorse, I'll keep your names in the family registry for now. But tomorrow, you must be taken to the county office. And Xiaobei, you should come with us and explain everything to the county magistrate."
Chen Anbang was very clever. Rather than following the family rules or the clan's regulations, he handed the three over to the county magistrate.
This pushed the problem onto Chen Xiaobei's shoulders.
Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but feel that Chen Anbang was like an old fox, handling matters without leaving any loopholes. He cleverly shifted the responsibility onto him, forcing him to make a concession.
No, he had no way out now.
Chen Ermao was a man of no honor, as shown by how he had behaved when Chen Xiaobei tried to settle his debt.
If he let Chen Ermao go today, tomorrow, he would certainly still be a problem.
So let the county magistrate decide Chen Ermao's fate tomorrow.
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei said nothing, Chen Anbang knew that things could only end this way tonight.
"Chen Ping, tie these three brats to the big tree at the village entrance. Tomorrow morning, send them to the county office."
As the crowd began to disperse, Cui Hongyu tentatively asked Chen Xiaobei, "Why don't you go to the village chief and ask him to release them?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head, "Letting a tiger return to the mountain will only bring endless trouble."
At that moment, Xiumei, the second aunt, also came over. "Don't be afraid, Hongyu. Tomorrow, I'll go with you to the county office. No matter what, these brats need to be punished."
At this point, inside Chen Anbang's house...
Chen Ermao's mother came again, holding Chen Anbang's hand, crying and sniffling, "Uncle, you can't just stand by, what good would it do to send Ermao to the county office?"
Chen Anbang sighed, "I don't want to either, but you saw it for yourself tonight. Chen Xiaobei lost something, and they won't let go of it. We're in the wrong here."
"Uncle, what's your relationship with Chen Xiaobei, and what's your relationship with my father? Can it be the same? Please show mercy."
As she spoke, she secretly took a cloth pouch out of her sleeve, which jingled with the sound of coins.
Chen Anbang knew it was filled with copper coins, and by the sound of it, there were at least several dozen.
"Sigh, I understand how much you care for your son," he said. "Here's what we'll do. Go home, prepare some traveling money, and get him two sets of clothes. Send him off tonight, let him lay low for a while, then he can come back."
The next morning, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the village.
Chen Ermao and the other two had escaped during the night, slipping free of their ropes while the guards were dozing off. They had disappeared without a trace.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He knew Chen Ermao could escape, but it wasn't because the guards were careless. However, given that he had run away this time, it was certain that he wouldn't dare come back for a while.
So, Chen Xiaobei knew he had to speed up his efforts to make money and grow stronger. Otherwise, when Chen Ermao eventually returned, the revenge would be even harsher.
He got up early and went to check on the vegetables he had planted in the backfield. The seeds had already sprouted, the hot weather had made the growth quite fast.
But relying on just a small amount of vegetables wouldn't be enough.
He needed to think of other ways to earn more.
As he was lost in thought, someone greeted him, "Ah, Xiaobei, up so early?"
Looking up, it was Li Dong, carrying a fishing rod and a basket, heading toward the river.
"Ah, Li Dong, going fishing so early again!"
Li Dong's expression became somewhat helpless. "Sigh, those two fish last night were taken by someone while it was all in chaos. I'm here to try my luck this morning."
Watching Li Dong walk away, Chen Xiaobei recalled what he had said last night—the dead fish, half a foot long, could be sold for one copper coin, and if they were alive, they could fetch double.
But fishing was too slow. He remembered the tool for catching fish he used back in his rural hometown.
That tool was a fishing umbrella net.
The net was made in the shape of an umbrella with a few openings on the edges, and bait was placed inside.
The fish, attracted by the scent, would swim in through the openings. However, once they were inside, it wasn't so easy for them to get out.
Yes, this is the way to do it.
As soon as Chen Xiaobei thought of this, he became excited.
He hurried home, gave some instructions to Cui Hongyu and Qiao'er, took out several copper coins, and headed toward the county town. As he walked, he thought about how tiring it was to run around on foot, and once he made a lot of money, the first thing he would do was buy a donkey cart.
Chen Xiaobei arrived in the county town, asking around as he went, and went to buy an umbrella.
There were no ready-made umbrella nets, so he would have to make one himself. Using an umbrella as a frame seemed perfect.
After asking around, he came to a shop that sold umbrellas. Just as he was about to enter, a few women came out, chatting and laughing. The leader of the group was none other than Liu Rumei.
Seeing Liu Rumei again, Chen Xiaobei no longer felt the same panic he had before. He quickly stepped aside.
However, to his surprise, Liu Rumei had an excellent memory. Even though they had only met twice, she recognized him immediately.
"Ah, it's you! What brings you here?"
"Greetings, Miss Liu. I've come to buy an umbrella," Chen Xiaobei said calmly, neither too humble nor too proud.
The girl next to Liu Rumei glanced at Chen Xiaobei and then turned to Liu Rumei. "Miss, let's go."
From the look in Xiao Qing's eyes, Chen Xiaobei could tell she was looking at him with disdain. But then again, why wouldn't she? What reason did she have to not look down on him?
Liu Rumei smiled gently. "You're a big man. Do you even know how to choose an umbrella? Why don't I help you pick one?"
Chen Xiaobei hadn't expected Miss Liu to be so kind-hearted.
He quickly waved his hands, "No need, no need. I wouldn't want to trouble Miss Liu."
But Liu Rumei turned and walked into the shop. "Shopkeeper, bring out a few umbrellas, I'll take a look."
Seeing how approachable Liu Rumei was, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but feel that she was a good person. Truly a good person, may she always be safe and happy.
That said, when it came to choosing an umbrella, he wasn't very good at it. He didn't know the quality of umbrellas made in this era.
Liu Rumei chose an umbrella and brought it in front of him. "How about this one?"
"Perfect, this one is just right. Thank you, Miss Liu."
Liu Rumei smiled sweetly and turned to leave.
After she left, Chen Xiaobei came back to his senses and quickly asked the shopkeeper, "How much for this umbrella?"
The shopkeeper smiled slightly, "Just give me three copper coins. You're really lucky today to run into the great-hearted Miss Liu."