Looking at the unreasonable Chen Xiaobei, Cui Hongyu felt warmth in her heart.
This man was really different from the legends, very different. He was warm and thoughtful, not the kind of person who would ignore his sister's life or death.
So, she obediently stood up and walked into the house.
After settling Cui Hongyu and her sister Qiao'er, Chen Xiaobei turned and walked out. He was going to check on Da Chun.
At this point, Da Chun had already woken up. Seeing Chen Xiaobei, he looked grateful. "Xiaobei, thank you, thank you, Hongyu. If it weren't for both of you, I might have stayed on Qingniu Mountain."
Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "You're just talking nonsense. You have great luck. Even if I hadn't gone, someone else would have."
"Come on, I've already heard. Chen Ping and the others ran back when they got to the foot of the mountain," Da Chun said, forcing himself to sit up and lean against the headboard. "If it weren't for saving that person, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
Chen Xiaobei curiously asked, "You were saving him? What happened?"
"Don't mention it," Da Chun sighed. "I met that person halfway up the mountain. He said he was badly injured and asked me to carry him down."
"We made it to the mountain temple, but it was dark by then. I didn't see clearly and slipped, tripping and falling, and ended up throwing him off the cliff."
"I went down to try and bring him up, but after a while, everything went black, and I passed out."
Now, the situation was clear. He had accidentally fallen off the cliff next to the mountain temple.
Da Chun's poisoning was another unexpected twist.
But none of that mattered; what mattered was that Chen Xiaobei had confirmed his earlier suspicion—that Da Chun went up the mountain not to find wild chicken eggs, but to find ginseng.
Sometimes it's better to keep quiet and remain friends. Chen Xiaobei sat for a while before standing up to leave.
Chen Qiao'er had already woken up and was sitting under the big locust tree. When she saw Chen Xiaobei coming in, she gestured for him to be quiet and softly said, "Sister-in-law is sleeping. Brother, keep your voice down."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and sat next to Chen Qiao'er. He then noticed that she was drawing letters on the ground with a stick.
Chen Qiao'er proudly said, "Sister-in-law taught me."
In his memory, this Chen Xiaobei was illiterate, and so was Chen Qiao'er.
In the past, given their economic conditions, going to a private school in the neighboring village to learn was naturally impossible.
Now, however, sending Qiao'er to study had to be put on the agenda.
Of course, this wasn't urgent. What was urgent was something else.
The fishy-smelling grass—Da Chun wouldn't need it anymore. He had to sell it today because, with such hot weather, if it was left for another day, it would spoil.
After giving Chen Qiao'er some instructions, Chen Xiaobei set off with a large bundle of fishy-smelling grass. Walking along the rugged road, he realized just how important having a horse was.
But thinking about what happened this morning, he didn't regret it at all.
Horses were valuable, but that kind of thing didn't match his current status. Accepting it would have led to gossip.
He just didn't expect that, whether he accepted it or not, it had already led to gossip.
At this time, the village head, Chen Anbang, was pacing back and forth in his house, feeling very uneasy.
He knew about the Liu family from the county.
The Liu family had sent someone, and it was Chen Xiaobei who brought them.
Then, they brought someone down from the mountain.
And then, the Liu family people went to Chen Xiaobei's house.
What did this mean? It meant that Chen Xiaobei had already established a connection with the Liu family.
Seeing this situation, it seemed that Chen Xiaobei not only avoided disaster but also seemed to have hit a streak of good luck.
This wouldn't do, he couldn't wait anymore.
He must quickly make Cui Hongyu a widow so that he could acquire all of Cui Fuguo's property.
But such matters were not something he could directly involve himself in. After thinking for a while, he thought of someone.
That person was Chen Ermao's father, Chen Yutian.
Chen Yutian and his wife had only one child, Chen Ermao, who was now forced to flee. They must hate Chen Xiaobei, and all he had to do was give them a slight hint.
With that thought, Chen Anbang turned his back, walked out of the house, and strolled down the street. Eventually, he made his way to Chen Yutian's house.
As the village head, he was the most important official in the village. When they saw him arrive, Chen Yutian and his wife hurriedly invited him inside.
"Second Uncle, what brings you here? Please, come in and sit."
Chen Anbang was not polite, walking into the house and sitting down on a chair, while Chen Yutian and his wife brought him a bowl of water.
"Yutian, have you heard anything about Ermao recently?"
Unable to guess Chen Anbang's intentions, Chen Yutian dared not reveal more information. He shook his head repeatedly, feigning distress. "Don't mention it, this brat doesn't know where he's gone. Sigh!"
Chen Anbang nodded. "He'd better stay hidden, don't let him show his face."
Hearing this, it sounded like there was more to the conversation. Chen Yutian became nervous. "Second Uncle, what do you mean?"
Chen Anbang deliberately sighed deeply. "I'm here to give you a warning."
"Today, there's a big matter in the village. Have you heard about it?"
Chen Yutian and his wife exchanged a confused glance.
"Second Uncle, I haven't left the house all day, so I don't know what happened in the village."
Chen Anbang deliberately lowered his voice. "Chen Xiaobei brought a lot of people today. They were all on horseback, carrying knives. They even went to Chen Xiaobei's house. The way they acted so familiar, don't even mention it."
Now it was Chen Yutian's turn to be stunned. He clearly didn't understand, "What does this have to do with us?"
Seeing he still didn't get it, Chen Anbang continued, "The people who came are from the Liu family in the county. I heard that even the Emperor has to give their family some respect."
"Because of Chen Ermao's escape, Chen Xiaobei came to see me several times, but I kept it under control. If he tells the Liu family about this, we'll be in trouble."
Hearing this, Chen Yutian became a little anxious. "What should we do? Should I go ask him to let Ermao go?"
Chen Anbang snorted coldly. "If he could let Ermao go, why did he force me to send him to the county office in the first place?"
"Then Second Uncle, what do you think we should do?" Chen Yutian was now thoroughly entangled.
Chen Anbang stood up, deliberately acting mysteriously at the door, looking into the yard.
Of course, the yard was empty.
Then he turned back to Chen Yutian, lowered his voice, and said, "The only way to make him keep quiet is to silence him."
This…
Now it was Chen Yutian's turn to be stunned. He was just an honest farmer.
This was clearly beyond his comprehension. "Second Uncle, this doesn't seem right, I…"
"What's wrong with it? Cui Hongyu has already killed three men. What's one more? It's perfectly normal."
With that, Chen Anbang stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away leisurely.
He left, but Chen Yutian and his wife were not calm anymore.
Some things, you just can't help but overthink. The more they thought, the more troubling it became. The elderly couple was now overthinking everything.
After all, Chen Ermao and the others often bullied Chen Xiaobei, so now, seizing this opportunity, Chen Xiaobei definitely wouldn't let it go.
If they never come back and grow old and unable to move, who will take care of them?