Cui Hongyu felt warm inside, but then she thought to herself again: if she went to the county early in the morning and everything went smoothly, she'd be back by around noon. How could she not eat? With this thought in mind, she softly said, "Husband, I'll wake up early to make porridge for you."
After speaking, she lay back down next to Qiao'er. "It's getting late, husband, you should rest early."
Chen Xiaobei knew that Cui Hongyu was in a hurry to lie down, not because she was tired but because she didn't want to argue further with him about this matter.
The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Chen Xiaobei was still debating whether to get up when Cui Hongyu quietly rose. As she moved, the bed creaked, making soft noises.
Chen Xiaobei cleared his throat lightly, signaling that he was awake.
Cui Hongyu came to his bedside, leaned forward, and gently whispered in his ear, "Husband, you sleep a bit longer. I'll go make porridge for you."
Chen Xiaobei initially thought about stopping her, but then he changed his mind. He gave in.
This was Cui Hongyu's way of expressing affection. If he didn't let her do anything, perhaps she would feel even more uneasy.
Listening to the faint sounds from outside, Chen Xiaobei found he wasn't sleepy anymore. So, he decided to get up.
He squatted by the kitchen door, watching Cui Hongyu as she made the porridge.
Cui Hongyu noticed Chen Xiaobei watching her, and she seemed a bit flustered. She lowered her head, focusing on putting firewood in the stove, not daring to look up at him.
"Hongyu, you really are beautiful," Chen Xiaobei said, sincerely praising her.
This comment made Cui Hongyu's face turn even redder.
"Husband, don't tease me."
"Alright, I'll go cast the net first, and I'll come back later to have the porridge." Chen Xiaobei stood up, took the umbrella net, and headed outside.
He arrived at the riverbank and set up the umbrella net. After waiting for a while, he figured the porridge was probably ready, so he went back.
Sure enough, when he returned home, Cui Hongyu had already served the porridge on the small stone table.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei come back, Cui Hongyu seemed a little flustered. "Husband, the wild chicken eggs aren't boiled yet. Should I make you wait a little longer?"
Looking at the half-filled iron pot where the water was still not boiling, Chen Xiaobei smiled. "I won't eat the wild chicken eggs. Take care of yourself and Qiao'er at home. If anything happens, call Aunt Er from next door."
After hastily drinking a bowl of porridge, Chen Xiaobei went back to the river.
Today, his luck wasn't too bad. After waiting for a little while, the first fish was caught in the net.
Just like yesterday, Chen Xiaobei threw the fish onto the shore and waited until it had exhausted itself before taking it out.
Chen Xiaobei made a small pit by the river and filled it with a shallow amount of water, placing the fish inside. The water was shallow enough that the fish could only submerge halfway, allowing them to stay alive without recovering too much strength.
The second net brought an unexpected surprise: this time, two fish, each about half a foot long, got caught, along with a few smaller ones.
Chen Xiaobei strung the three large fish together with a tree branch and placed the smaller fish in the net, hurrying back home.
When he arrived, Qiao'er was still asleep, but Cui Hongyu was already sitting under the big tree, embroidering.
Chen Xiaobei placed the small fish on the table. "These few will be stewed for lunch. You and Qiao'er can eat them."
After that, he hurriedly took the fish and headed out.
Selling fish didn't require going to the market but instead meant going from one restaurant to another, promoting his catch.
Chen Xiaobei was lucky, as he immediately spotted a grand restaurant around the corner.
The sign above the restaurant was beautifully written, "Drunken Immortal Tavern."
With such an upscale establishment, the owner was likely well-off. Chen Xiaobei stood at the door, looking inside while holding three fish.
A busy waiter quickly noticed him and walked up with a smile. "Would you like to eat? It's a bit early."
From the waiter's kind attitude, Chen Xiaobei knew the owner of this restaurant must be a cultured person, someone who understood the ancient wisdom that kindness brings wealth.
People like this were bound to succeed.
Chen Xiaobei raised the three fish he was holding. "I just caught these this morning from the river. Do you accept fish here?"
The waiter paused for a moment, then turned to the kitchen, shouting, "The boss has someone to see."
Soon, a middle-aged man came out from the kitchen.
This man looked prosperous, dressed in a brocade robe, with a white towel in hand. It was clear he had been busy in the kitchen.
The owner walked up to Chen Xiaobei, greeted him politely with a fist salute, and said, "I'm Xu Zhi. You can call me Old Xu."
"Ah, Master Xu, I just caught these three fish from the river. I wasn't sure if you accept them here," Chen Xiaobei replied, showing respect.
Xu Zhi took the tree branch, raised the three fish to his face, and sniffed each one.
After smelling them, he nodded slightly. "Not bad, they're quite fresh. Name your price!"
Chen Xiaobei raised a finger. "Each fish should be priced at this amount."
Xu Zhi smiled slightly. "Alright, since you understand, then it's settled."
Saying this, he called over a waiter to take the fish, then walked into the counter area.
He placed three big coins on the counter and smiled at Chen Xiaobei. "Young master, if you can bring me live fish in the future, the price will double at least."
"I will," Chen Xiaobei replied. "I'll bring you live fish next time."
After thanking him, Chen Xiaobei took the three coins and left. He didn't hurry back home but instead went to find Old Wu, who sold vegetables.
Although his own vegetables wouldn't be ready for a while, it wouldn't hurt to have a word with Old Wu in advance.
When Wu Zhong saw him, he was quite pleased. While attending to customers, he found a moment to talk to Chen Xiaobei. "What have you been up to lately? You haven't been coming to sell wild chickens."
Chen Xiaobei gave a wry smile. "Big brother, you can't catch wild chickens every day. Those guys are very tricky."
"Sigh, yesterday Steward Cao came by and asked about you."
"Really? A big shot like Steward Cao is still thinking of me?" Chen Xiaobei was genuinely surprised.
Old Wu nodded. "I told you before, he's the biggest financier in the city. He said if he sees you, to pass along a message. If you get any wild game from the mountain, just send it to the Cao mansion."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei was overjoyed. Now he had a steady buyer.
"Alright, I'll go into the mountains again and see if I can get some for him."
"By the way, Old Wu, I planted some greens in my field. Once they're ready, could you help me sell them?"
Old Wu laughed heartily. "No need for me to help you sell them. Just put them next to my stall. We'll sell side by side, and I'm sure we'll both sell out."
Chen Xiaobei was touched by Old Wu's generosity. To have met such a friend in the county was truly a stroke of luck.
Chen Xiaobei bought two pounds of rice at the rice shop for one copper coin, but he was reluctant to spend the remaining two coins.
By the time he returned home from the county, both Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er were not there.