"Chen Ping, brother, I really can't do this, you know me..."
Chen Xiaobei wanted to explain further, but Chen Ping had already grabbed his hand and stood him in front of the crowd. "Xiao Bei, Captain, just say a few words to the others. From now on, the village guard has nothing to do with me."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in salute to everyone present and then turned to leave.
As he reached the door, he turned back to Chen Xiaobei and said, "Grandpa said that today you should report to the township. The county's appointment will come through soon."
Wait, the village guard captain needs a county appointment?
This is so formal, Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, but it also felt so rushed.
Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Chen Daqiang was the first to speak up. "Xiao... Captain, we all listen to you. You say, what should we do next with the village guard?"
Chen Xiaobei was stunned, but given the situation, he had no choice. He was pushed into this position, so he had to do it, whether he liked it or not.
"Okay, everyone, let's not rush. Let's sit down and talk."
Once everyone was seated, Chen Xiaobei looked at Chen Daqiang. "Big Brother Daqiang, can you tell me what exactly the captain does?"
Chen Daqiang rubbed his hands awkwardly, "Well, honestly, it's not much. Just lead everyone to protect the village. We take turns, with one person on duty at the village entrance during the day, and patrol a few times at night."
"Also, as the captain, you can get wages from the county."
"That's it?" Chen Xiaobei found it hard to believe. It was such an easy job, and you still get county money? Would Chen Ping really do it?
At that moment, Chen Daming, standing nearby, rubbed his hands and said, "Well, of course, we can't work all year and not get anything, right?"
Chen Xiaobei finally came to his senses. "Wait, the county doesn't give you wages?"
"No, no, they don't. But at the end of the year, Chen Ping will give us a little something..."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei inwardly cursed and muttered.
So the village guard situation was this messed up? The members didn't get paid, and at the end of the year, the leader had to figure out a way to give out the year-end bonus.
It was really impressive that Chen Ping had managed to keep this up for so many years.
But he certainly didn't want to throw away his hard-earned money like that.
Noticing his silence, Chen Xiaobei's thoughts were interrupted by Chen Xiaobo, who said, "Xiao Bei, brother, you don't need to take it too seriously. Even if we don't get paid, it's fine. After all, we're all from He Tou village. For the sake of the old and young people's safety, working without pay is no problem at all!"
The words were easy to say, but Chen Xiaobei understood very well. If he didn't pay or paid less than Chen Ping, these people would really quit.
No wonder Chen Ping was so quick to let go of this job.
Chen Xiaobei looked at Chen Daqiang. "Alright, I understand. Let's follow the same schedule as before. Just let me know when it's my turn for duty."
Chen Daqiang took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Chen Xiaobei.
"This is the duty roster. Tomorrow during the day, it's your turn. Of course, you don't have to stand at the village entrance all day. You can just check in on a few rounds."
Chen Xiaobei took the paper. Not only did it have the schedule, but it also showed the night shifts, split into four groups of two.
From the second watch, each group would patrol for one hour. Of course, this so-called patrol just meant walking around He Tou Village.
This arrangement allowed the village guards to get more rest at night. After all, each person only had to patrol one round, which took less than half an hour.
To make things easier, the guards would stay in shared dormitories in two rooms under the large locust tree at night.
After sending the guards off, Chen Xiaobei sat still in the courtyard for a while.
At that moment, Cui Hongyu came out with Chen Qiaoer.
Qiaoer was full of joy, excitedly clapping her hands. "Brother got promoted! Brother is the captain now!"
But there was no smile on Cui Hongyu's face. "Husband, being a captain isn't easy. The county doesn't give any salary, so we'll have to figure out how to manage it ourselves."
"Just like in our village, the village guard captain is directly assigned to the big landlord, Cui Danna. He lets the house workers do the job."
Indeed, Cui Danna was a well-known landlord far and wide. He served as the village guard captain, took the salary from the county, and then sent his workers to do the job. These workers didn't earn a single coin but still had to work.
However, He Tou Village was different. There weren't any rich families in the village, everyone was in similar circumstances. So, Chen Anbang had no choice but to let his grandson take on the position.
Every year, the two of them would take their wages, and some of it would go to pacifying the village guards.
Chen Xiaobei scratched his head.
"Yeah, I don't know what they were thinking, why they made me the village guard captain."
Cui Hongyu furrowed her brow slightly. "Husband, do you think this might have something to do with those two bandits?"
Her words struck a chord, and Chen Xiaobei slapped his forehead.
Yes, why hadn't he thought of that?
"Hongyu, you're right. The bandits from Wugong Ridge have over a hundred people."
"Although it was Chen Yutian and the others who hired assassins to kill me, the bandits' companions were caught and they won't just let it go. If they get another chance to kill me, Chen Ping and Chen Anbang won't be able to avoid the blame."
"But if I become the village guard captain, even if something happens, it will be because I fought bravely against the bandits to protect the safety of the villagers' lives and property."
"If I get killed, maybe the county will give us a big plaque or even a red flower for my sacrifice."
Seeing Chen Xiaobei speak so casually about it, Cui Hongyu shook her head repeatedly. "Husband, you can't take this position. Before you report to the county, go tell the village head to find someone else."
"Also, come back to my family's home with me for a few days, let's avoid the trouble for now."
Chen Xiaobei smiled faintly. Was hiding like a turtle really the way of a man?
"Hongyu, since they've given me this position, do you think we can just refuse?"
"This is clearly a trap set for us. We have no way out. If the bandits continue to target us, we'll have to find a way to deal with it."
Cui Hongyu furrowed her brows. "But we don't even know the bandits from Wugong Ridge, and we have no connections to speak to them."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, I can't do much about it either, but now that I'm the head of the family, I have to put on a confident front.
"I have a plan, but for safety's sake, maybe you should take Qiaoer back to your family's home for a few days."
Hongyu shook her head. "If you don't go, then I won't either. I want to stay and be with you."
Chen Qiaoer, hearing this, also chimed in, "Qiaoer wants to stay with Brother."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "If that's the case, then tonight you two should go to Dachun's house."
He raised his hand and gently patted Chen Qiaoer on the head. "This time, Qiaoer has to listen. Otherwise, you won't get any more meat buns."
Indeed, food still held great temptation, and Chen Qiaoer obediently nodded.