However, asking them to directly kill someone was out of the question. Both of them lacked the courage and ability to do so.
After discussing it back and forth, Chen Yutian finally made up his mind. "Wife, I think we need to go find your brother, the bandit Da Laohong."
Upon hearing this, his wife, Jia, immediately waved her hands. "That won't do."
"Da Laohong usually robs the rich to give to the poor. How could he kill a defenseless person like Chen Xiaobei? Moreover, Ermao is hiding there. If this gets him involved, won't we be..."
This time, Chen Yutian had a clever thought. "Ah, exactly because he doesn't usually kill common folk, the authorities won't think he's involved this time."
"Besides, once Chen Xiaobei is dead, Ermao can return and leave the bandit den. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
Jia was silent for a moment after hearing this. She then looked up at the sky. "Fine, but it's too late today. I'll go to Wugong Ridge first thing tomorrow."
Wugong Ridge was at least fifty miles away from Hetou Village.
So going now would be impossible.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaobei had already arrived in the county.
At Hua Hao Hall, when Jia Wannian saw that Chen Xiaobei had brought so much fish mint, his eyes lit up with joy.
"Ah, Brother Chen, these are treasures!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei felt excited. It seemed like he was going to get a good price today.
However, after weighing it, over thirty pounds, Jia Wannian offered only three copper coins.
This left Chen Xiaobei somewhat dissatisfied.
"Manager Jia, didn't you say these are treasures? Isn't the price a bit low?"
Jia Wannian shrugged helplessly. "Yes, I did say it's a treasure, it's great for inflammation and pain relief, a good medicine, but it needs to be dried and crushed before it can be sold."
It turned out that there were additional steps involved. After this explanation, Chen Xiaobei thought the price was now acceptable.
Leaving Hua Hao Hall, Chen Xiaobei headed towards the general store.
When the shopkeeper saw him, he smiled so widely that his wrinkles seemed to be able to trap a fly.
"Ah, young master, you're here! The water sacs are ready."
The shopkeeper then moved behind the counter and brought out two large items.
They looked pretty good, almost exactly as he had imagined—about a foot and a half long and nearly a foot wide.
With these, even the biggest fish would be no problem.
By the time Chen Xiaobei returned home, it was already getting dark.
What surprised him was the lavish dinner that awaited him.
There was actually a whole chicken, and it was stewed.
When he asked, he found out that it was from the neighbor, Cuihua, and it had been stewed and sent over.
Chen Xiaobei understood that this was to thank him for finding Da Chun, and they had slaughtered their own rooster.
"Dear, I told them that helping each other as neighbors is normal, but Sister Cuihua insisted on giving it, saying that you worked too hard last night."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and smiled. "Alright, if they want to give it, let them. It's been a while since I've had chicken."
He was indeed tired.
He had made two trips to the county today. Although he had taken a nap, he was still a bit exhausted.
So drinking some chicken soup and getting a good night's sleep was not a bad choice.
While they were eating, Chen Xiaobei asked Cuihua, "Red Feather, today I went to sell the fish mint. The shopkeeper told me it should be dried and crushed before it can be sold. What does that mean?"
Hearing this, Cuihua smiled. This was a professional question she was well-versed in. "Fresh fish mint can rot easily. After drying and crushing it, it's easier to store. When you want to use it, just soak it in clean water, and the medicinal effect won't be reduced."
Now it made sense to Chen Xiaobei.
"Red Feather, then you think, if we dry it first and then sell it, wouldn't that be better?"
Upon hearing this, Cuihua's eyes lit up.
Yes, why hadn't she thought of this method?
She smiled and said, "Husband, that's a great idea! If we dry it first and then sell it, the price will naturally be higher, and we'll make more money with each trip."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. It wasn't easy for him to make a trip, so of course, the more money, the better.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Chen Xiaobei got up early to go fishing. He had the big water sacs, so he had to make full use of them.
But today, his luck didn't seem to be good. The fishing net was shaken several times, and the fish he caught were all small. The largest ones were only four to five inches long. Fish like these wouldn't sell for much in the city.
This kind of reliance on the weather for food wasn't a sustainable plan.
Chen Xiaobei sat by the river, lost in thought. How wonderful it would be if he could raise fish himself.
To raise fish, he would need a fish pond first.
Chen Xiaobei stood up and looked around. Eventually, he found a suitable place.
It was about a mile upstream.
Next to the riverbank, there was a large area of lowland.
This area was at least two acres, and the depth was about waist-high.
If they dug a hole along the riverbank to let the water fill up here, raising fish could definitely be achieved.
Alright, since today the weather allowed him to rest, he decided to take a day off.
Back home, Chen Xiaobei was cleaning the fish while telling his idea to Cuihua. After hearing it, Cuihua furrowed her brow.
"Husband, are you sure that place is wasteland? What if the land has an owner? It could cause trouble if someone comes looking for it later."
Chen Xiaobei thought for a moment and realized she was right.
The previous Chen Xiaobei had never minded about business, just idling at home, so it was normal that he didn't know who owned the land.
It would be best to check with the village head to confirm if it was truly wasteland.
With that in mind, he left two of the larger fish aside and didn't clean them.
He used an iron pot with a little pig fat to fry the fish, then added water. While the fish was simmering, he took the two fish to find the village head, Chen Anbang.
When Chen Anbang saw Chen Xiaobei carrying the fish, he had to act very enthusiastic.
"Xiaobei, if you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need to be so polite when you come here."
Saying this, he smiled and took the two fish from him.
"Uncle, I came to ask you about something. The land along the river uphill—who owns that lowland area?"
Chen Anbang scratched his head, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but laugh.
"You're asking about that? How come you're suddenly interested in it?"
"Well, you know my family's situation. The land given by the government is leased out to someone else, and it only provides 200 catties of grain a year. That's not enough for us, with three mouths to feed now. So, I was thinking of getting some more land to farm."
After hearing this, Chen Anbang chuckled, but in his mind, he was thinking about the situation. That land was wasteland, but if Chen Xiaobei took it, he would gain no benefit from it.
He nodded in agreement and said, "That land was specially designated by the county for our village, intended for families with more mouths to feed. But, you know, your grandfather and I are good friends. If you want to farm it, I can give it to you first. However, the rent can't be less—it needs to be paid to the county."